This book kept my attention throughout. It had a lot of action and many surprises which kept me engaged. The ending however felt a bit rushed and did not support the premise of the story. It seemed truncated. I did enjoy it and I love reading about Australia, especially the outback. I give this book three and a half stars, would have been four but for the ending which I felt was weak. One comment that I would like to make is why is it titled 'The Rush', I don't get it. Recommended for fun. 3.5 stars.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Dreamscape Media for a chance to listen/read an audio version of this ARC novel. ( )

The Rush by Michelle Prak

Jumping from one group to another to set the stage for what is supposed to be a suspenseful thrilling read is what I believe the author was set on achieving. I have to say that I had trouble relating to any of the characters or the situations they found themselves in but was invested enough to skim through to see what would happen to the woman who finds a man in need of care, four people on the road together, and a woman manning the pub on her own. And what will happen when the three different storylines intersect kept me skimming though not reading word for word. There was a twist within the twist at the end of the story, there were some rather horrible characters to be dealt with, there were some evil actions taken by more than one, and at one point I thought of past true crime stories I have read of or seen on the news. The closing seemed a bit of a soft landing after the rather gritty chapter that preceded it but all in all it was an okay if not gripping read. I know that many will love this story even though it was not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane for the ARC – This is my honest review.

2-3 Stars ( )

This story brings together some elements of recent news stories about outback Australia - unexpected flooding, backpackers disappearing or being murdered, an outback pub struggling to survive.

Hayley and Scott are accountancy students in Adelaide, embarking on a holiday trip to Darwin by road. They plan to take a week or two, and to defray expenses they borrow Scott's grandfather's four wheel drive and decide to offer seats in the car to two backpackers who will contribute to the expenses kitty. It is surprisingly easy to find a couple of people to join them. Hayley makes detailed plans of their route, where they will go sightseeing, and where they will camp overnight. They appear to have given little thought to the return journey.

Hayley and Scott have been together for a couple of years, but she is beginning to think he is tiring of her. Hayley is young and she doesn't realise that she is literally being "taken for a ride".

Further north, the rains start, the flooding begins, and then the two main elements of the story come together, with a scenario that is guaranteed to leave the reader gobsmacked.

There are some structural elements which ask the reader to take extra notice - a number of narrative voices, a disjointed time frame (each chapter tells you the name of the main narrator and the date and time, but they are not sequential). There are little backstories which add to your knowledge of each character.

I have some reservations about the title - I am not really sure how it relates to the story. ( )

The Rush is an exciting and gripping debut thriller from Michelle Prak set in the outback of South Australia.

Quinn is late returning to the isolated Pindarry Hotel on the Stuart Highway, where she works and lives, when, through the rain, she spies a badly injured man on the roadside, and unable to leave him there, drags him into her car.

Andrea is anxious when her husband leaves her at the Pindarry Hotel to help an elderly farmer whose property is flooding. With the pub sandbagged and their employee, Quinn, due to arrive any minute, Andrea resolves to stay calm for the sake of her sleeping two year old son, until the power goes out, and a stranger comes to the door demanding to be let in.

Hayley, traveling from Adelaide to Darwin on the Stuart Highway with her boyfriend Scott and backpackers Livia and Joost, is only concerned for her carefully planned itinerary when the rain starts on their second day of travel. But then the roads begin to flood, and as tensions among the foursome grow, Hayley finds herself in a desperate rush for sanctuary.

The Rush is a fast-paced read as it largely unfolds from the perspectives of Quinn, Andrea, Hayley and Livia over a period of about two days. Suspense is introduced early, and built on effortlessly. The threats are recognisable and engender empathy for the characters at risk. Red herrings belie a breathtaking climactic reveal, that provides a unique twist on the story’s themes.

Prak somehow renders the vast landscape of outback South Australia claustrophobic as the characters converge on Pindarry. The violence of the storm, as it strips away modernity, releases a feral energy that enhances the oppressive atmosphere.

A well crafted addition to the oeuvre of rural Australian crime fiction, The Rush is an immersive and riveting read. ( )