EXCERPT: Hutch checked the image on the screen, breathed out a single word: 'Perfect.' Then he frowned; the flash having reached further than his phone's torchlight, he'd noticed something in the picture: a closed hatch in the far wall.
'You kids know what's behind that door?' he asked.
Jay looked over Hutch's shoulder at the screen. 'Hadn't noticed it before,' he said. 'We never venture too far from the light.'
Hutch held the phone high, careful of each step he took as he walked within the illuminated halo to the door. The pooled water was ankle deep and cold. We never venture too far from the light. It was one of those statements that lodged firmly under your skin.
The door had a simple latch, its brass tarnished green. From the direction of the hull, Hutch guessed that it would lead them to the university-built entrances topside. It took considerable force to life the latch, the handle dangerously close to tearing from the timber before the door peeled open with a faint sucking sound. The smell was pungent. He grimaced, his eyes watering as if he'd been slapped in the face. 'Shit!' He waved the boys back.
'Oh, man,' said Jay, lifting the hem of his hoodie to his mouth and nose.
Fingers backed further away, grimacing as he signed something to his brother, then pulled his windcheater up to cover his face.
Satisfied the boys were safe, Hutch breathed through his mouth to stifle the smell and gestured to Fingers. 'What did he say?'
Jay dropped his mask just long enough to reply. 'He said it's the mother of all farts.'
Hutch shook his head, a smile shaping his lips. Mother of all farts, indeed. He forced the door open as far as it would go and held the phone through the cavity, but the darkness there was even hungrier, the water like a black mirror.
'What do you see?' Jay and his brother had retreated to the fresh air of the sinkhole.
'A whole lot of nothing,' Hutch replied.
He held up his Nikon and took a random picture. The flash revealed a split second of disorder, a clutter of shapes that made little sense. He reviewed the images on the screen. It was slightly out of focus. Beams and a staircase, perhaps; crates and what could be upturned furniture floating in the water, and . . . he couldn't quite make it out. Something at the far end, squeezed between the shadows, no more than a silhouette. Then Hutch's hands trembled as he reached into his jacket pocket for the zoom lens, eyes fixed unblinkingly through the doorway. What he had seen, or thought he saw, just couldn't be.

ABOUT 'THE REACH': An isolated town with a dark past…

Devlins Reach in the Hawkesbury River is known for its secluded location and picturesque beauty. But within its tight-knit community of loggers, store owners and tight-lipped locals, a killer is on the loose.

When three bodies are unearthed in an excavation site, park ranger and wilderness expert Taylor Bridges is called in to help local police, and he discovers the town has an unsettling history. But Taylor has a past of his own that still haunts him and his family.

As a torrential storm grows closer, The Reach goes into lockdown. With no way in or out, Taylor finds himself in race against the power of nature to catch the killer before the whole town goes under.

MY THOUGHTS: What a thrilling read! Another excellent Australian author to add to my stable. To think that this gem has been sitting unread on my shelf since 2021 . . .

Although this is the third book in the Taylor Bridges series, it is easily read as a standalone. But having done so I am now going to seek out the earlier two books, purely for my own enjoyment.

Taylor Bridges is an easy man to like. He's a family man who adores his wife and kids (one dead, one alive). He has a strong moral compass and listens to his gut instincts (and his dead daughter).

The setting is a national park in the Hawkesbury region, to the north and west of Sydney. The rugged setting is well described, it's natural beauty evident as is its isolation.

There is a great cast of supporting characters: Everett, an inexperienced detective reluctant to pull his gun but with a strong streak of 'bush' practicality; Georgina, the publican, a warm-hearted woman who has never been able to escape the Reach; Fisher, an inexperienced young PC who would rather be a botanist; the loggers, going a bit stir-crazy because of the combination of bad weather and resentment at being on curfew; and a solitary nun, caretaker of what used to be the children's home.

The story increases in intensity as it progresses with strange symbols being found, people going missing, more bodies being found, a local 'hoodoo' legend, and secrets being kept.

I enjoyed this tense murder-mystery, where some surprising secrets are revealed and not everyone is who they say they are. I look forward to reading more by this author.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.2

#TheReach #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: B. Michael Radburn lives with his family in the beautiful Southern Highlands of NSW. Although he works for a large printing group, in his spare time Radburn enjoys farming his small property and taking road trips on his Harley Davidson. Aside, of course, from writing, he possesses a deep passion for music and treasures the time he spends with his guitar, banjo and harmonica.

DISCLSOURE: Thank you (and apologies for taking so long to read this) to Pantera Press via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of The Reach by B. Michael Radburn for review. All opinions expressed in this revie are entirely my own personal opinions.

This is a well-written, action filled book set in Australia, which is nice because most of the thrillers I've read are usually set in the United States, so this was a nice change. However, I felt as if it was too long, and the ending was a little predictable

The Reach is a compelling suspense book & is the first one I've read based in Australia. I loved the plot and was excited to read events inspired by some native folklore. The book has all the elements I look for in a suspense/thriller. This is the third book in the Taylor Bridges series & although its not necessary to read the first two to enjoy this book, me being me, it felt a bit off especially in some small parts concerning his daughters since I don't know Taylor's full backstory. I will try & search for the first two books in my library so I can have a fuller picture of the complex Taylor. The characters were amazing & so complex. The book gave me the chills in some parts! I couldn't tell the ending even 90% into the book. That, in my opinion is a big win. The epilogue was super tense & ended in a cliffhanger.
Thank you NetGalley, Pantera Press & B. Michael Radburn for this arc!

the scenery in this book was really beautiful, I enjoyed getting to go through this mystery/thriller. The characters were great and I enjoyed the plot of the book.

Park ranger and wilderness expert, Taylor Bridges, is sent to the remote Australian town of Devlins Reach. It's a close-knit community of loggers, store owners, secretive residents ... and a killer.

Partnering with NSW National Parks Ranger, Jaimie Barlow, they investigate the finding of three bodies. With a fierce storm headed their way, and the town in lock down, time is running out to ferret out the town's secrets and find a cold-blooded killer.

A well-written plot with a unique story line makes this an action-packed page turner. Suspense is intense from start to finish. The conclusion is not exactly unexpected and a small cliff hanger is guaranteed to lead off with a new book in the future. This can be read as a stand alone, but there are many references to previous books and it can be a little difficult to follow.

Many thanks to the author / Pantera Press / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

The Reach is a slow, atmospheric mystery set in a remote town in Australia. As opposed to the outback which I think is often shown as the sort of stereotypical, rural, Australian setting this book takes place in the wetlands with a massive storm brewing and the ever present danger that comes with that. The weather and nature in general play a large role in setting the scene here and really add to the tense feelings that the characters are experiencing. The stakes felt high with this book as bodies piled up and time continued to fly and I really appreciated that.

This is the third book in a series and it simultaneously feels like a sequel and doesn't. It can absolutely be read as a stand alone without any previous knowledge of the series/character. This is also a split POV with a new character introduced so it feels like we as readers spent less time getting to know Taylor Bridges because the assumption is that you already kind of know him from previous books. It wasn't enough for me to be lost or confused by any means but I did personally feel like I was missing out on things. I would be curious to go back and read the first two books in the series and see more of Taylor's character and past be developed but I also really enjoyed the detective character in this book and I liked that there was a sort of duel focus here.

I also really liked the secondary characters and the town as a whole. Most of them were thoroughly unlikable but I think the author did an excellent job really painting the picture of what life was like here. Even though unbelievable things were happening you could also see /how/ it had gotten to this point and I found myself feeling for characters that I didn't actually like but still enjoyed if that makes sense?

I think The Reach will be perfect for any reader who appreciates a slow build mystery. Things seem to be constantly happening but then it also sneaks up you and takes you by surprise. I would give have given it a 3.5 myself but the last bit of the book completely sold me and I felt it earned a 4 star overall.

This is a book that I honestly wasn't sure how I felt about until the end. There were times where it felt quite slow and I was hoping for excitement but there were others where I was on the edge of my seat and couldn't wait to read the next page. Ultimately, the ending (which I thought was quite brilliant) sold me and I will definitely be picking up the next book to see where it all goes.

4.5★
“Taylor stopped … He’d heard a sound ahead. The blanket of mist altered his perception and he could feel the vapours adhering to his skin. His breath felt shallow, and he could hear his heart beating in his ears. He peered ahead, willing the curtain of mist to part, but there was only the sound of leaves and gumnuts falling with a patter to the forest floor. He tried to shake off the feeling of being watched, but remained on guard all the same, realising that he had felt this way since crossing to the Reach on the ferry.”

The Reach is Devlins Reach, on the ‘other’ side of the beautiful Hawkesbury River, to the west and north of Sydney, which many readers will know from Kate Grenville's The Secret River series.

The author has chosen a completely believable spot, virtually inaccessible except by ferry (a small one, not a Sydney Harbour ferry!), and only in good weather. Of course, the action takes place almost exclusively during torrential storms, which gives us a kind of locked-room mystery, which is always mind-tickling.

The story opens with a news photographer at a dig site studying buried riverboats, where he uncovers “the picture that roared”.

Three bodies.

Victorian National Parks Ranger Taylor Bridges is asked to assist the investigation in Dharug National Park, NSW, because of his success in other remote area investigations. We’ve met him earlier in The Crossing (Tasmania) and The Falls (Victoria).

He’s a family man. He and wife Maggie now have a little girl, Erin, but he is still badly shaken by the disappearance and death of their first little girl, Claire. What’s more, Erin now ‘hears’ Claire talking to her.

“‘Can a person be born bad? Or do you have to learn how to be bad?’

Taylor struggled to reply. ‘That’s a strange question,’ he managed. ‘Why do you want to know?’

‘No reason.’ She yawned deeply. ‘Claire said that you need to be careful.’

Taylor felt the usual wave of grief at hearing Claire’s name, more intensely when it came from Erin’s lips.‘Careful?’ He stroked her silken cheek. ‘Careful of what?’ But she was asleep and didn’t reply.

Radburn is sparing with his use of Claire’s communication. It’s not in the magical realm of “look in the kitchen in the third drawer down under the tea towels”, which I think is cheating. It’s more along the lines of “watch your step” or “don’t trust the man” – the kind of thing anyone might say, but it’s just enough to give him pause because it came from such an odd source.

He meets a professor at the dig site.

“Taylor was about to explain his role when Jaimie broke in.

‘Ranger Bridges is a specialist in remote crime scenes.’

His eyes met hers. ‘I am?’ He had never heard the term before. “Remote Crime Scene Specialist”. He liked it.

He’s flattered, but they are rangers, not cops. The police presence is one constable and Detective Sergeant Everett, who’s a bit out of his depth. Sincere but nervously waiting for backup.

“That was Everett to a T … the chronic observer. He had been since the day he made his own detective kit when he was a kid and solved his first case. The scene, Richmond Primary School; the case, the missing jelly-bean jar.”

On his way across the river, Taylor had asked about what the local police had found.

“The ferryman laughed, which progressed into a wet smoker’s cough. He recovered, spat over the side. ‘The Reach hasn’t had a policeman since 1989.’ He drew in another lungful of smoke. ‘Policing is handled from outside. But you’re dealing with loggers here, and they tend to sort out their differences long before the cops can get involved.’”

You may recall my mentioning the weather. The ferry is cut off from the mainland and the winds are so horrific that no helicopters can land, so Everett is without police backup. The loggers are a transient group, and some seem like a dangerous bunch.

What’s more, the three bodies are only the start. The body-count not only rises, the murders happen almost in front of us. Everybody is nervous now, even some of the loggers.

“Taylor understood he was distracted, but also his apprehension – there was foreboding in Everett’s eyes. The ranger knew that look – that feeling – intimately. He’d been through the same thing the detective was going through now: being an ordinary man wrapped up in an extraordinary dilemma.”

It’s a wild, wet, thrilling investigation, and I don’t think I’m giving anything away by saying I’m glad to see Taylor lives to fight another day. (Not everyone else does, though.)

Thanks to NetGalley and Pantera Press for the preview copy of a another terrific Aussie read!

First time I've read a book by B. Michael Radbourn.

I loved Taylor! How can you not.

The story was nice and dark. I didn't realise it was part of a series so brought the first two from audible.

Can't wait to start them.

4.5 Stars

I don't read too many books set in Australia. Not really sure why, but after finishing this one, it's definitely on my list to do more often!

This was a fantastic read. Well written. Action packed. Gripping. Dark and atmospheric. It had me riveted and turning the pages. That said, I will admit I figured out part of the "who is doing it" very early on. The cast of characters is quite small, and I think that made it easier to pick out the most likely suspect. Having said that, the author had a few twists up his sleeve that took me by surprise!

This is also the third book in what I assume is an ongoing series. However, if you haven't read the first two, don't let that stop you from reading this one. I haven't read the other books and had no issues. It works very well as a standalone story.

I don't really have much more to say about it. I enjoyed it tremendously, and it gets two very solid thumbs up from yours truly.

I struggled with this one. I ended up downloading the audio book so I could finish it. It was a good sorry but didn’t really have anything distinctive that compelled me to keep going. That being said I would still try more from this author.

Hold on to your hats, folks! This thrill-ride takes off at full speed and doesn’t stop until the last page! I loved it!!

Ranger Taylor Bridges is requested to help solve the case of 3 mutilated bodies found in a sunken boat in the Dharug National Park, north of Sydney, Australia. The National Park is on an island, of sorts, cut off from the rest of the mainland and only accessible by ferry. As Bridges arrives and partners with the onsite Detective and Park Ranger to begin the investigation, all hell breaks loose. A fierce storm is headed their way, a horrible, decades long secret is exposed and the 3 mutilated bodies that prompted Bridges’ arrival are just the beginning of the body count.

While technically book 3 of a series, this book is easily read as a stand-alone. I would highly recommend this book to all Thriller lovers. I’ll be looking forward to future installments of this series (after I go back and read the first two books) as I loved the Taylor Bridges character and the author’s writing style.

Excellent read!

A pretty engaging mystery. I missed the first two in the series, so I may have to circle back. Bridges is an interesting character and I can see why readers of the series have stuck with him. The story includes good suspense which kept me guessing. This is a good bet for mystery fans.

Thanks very much for the review copy!!

Perhaps if I would have read the first two books in this series, I would have been more of a fan, but this wasn't for me. I felt like it was too slow-paced for me.

The third instalment in B. Michael Radburn's Taylor Bridges series takes us to the Dharug National Park, in the Hawkesbury River region of NSW's central coast.
In the course of documenting an archaeological dig at (fictional) Devlins Reach on the Hawkesbury River, a Sydney photojournalist stumbles across the remains of three men, whose mutilations suggest that a particularly vicious serial killer may be active in the area.
Newly promoted Detective Sergeant Ryan Everett is dispatched to the scene, in advance of a full contingent from the NSW Crime Command and Forensics Services. Junior constable Neve Fisher is already in attendance, guarding the crime scene. Meanwhile, in eastern Victoria, Park Ranger Taylor Bridges receives a request from NSW police to assist. On arrival in Devlin's Reach, he meets Jaimie Barlow, the parks ranger stationed at Dharug National Park, and liaises with D.S. Everett over how they should proceed. An approaching severe storm prevents the expected police backup from reaching them and requires the removal of evidence from the crime scene, before the river level rises and the whole area is flooded. Making the best of a difficult situation, Everett and Bridges team up to begin investigating the murders, with Fisher and Barlow's assistance.
Devlin's reach is an insular community, built around the river ferry and logging activity in the hills behind the town. The locals are suspicious of the incoming police and reticent to provide any helpful information. When another man is brutally murdered after leaving the local hotel, the tension rises, as the weather worsens.
Bridges and Everett begin to build tenuous relationships with some of the locals, uncovering decades of troubling history at Devlins Reach - the abduction of two young girls from a now closed children's home, the unexplained disappearances of several workers from the logging camp and a vengeful presence, watching and waiting in the bushland surrounding them.
B. Michael Radburn's depictions of his Australian bushland settings are really high quality, with the landscape and weather closely interwoven with his plots. While I'm not familiar with this area myself, I found Radburn's writing brought to life the scrubby hillsides, dilapidated bush tracks and struggling town on the banks of the river.
The central and supporting characters are also well-developed and believable. The paranormal element, in that Taylor's surviving child Erin purports to pass prescient messages to him from his deceased older daughter, Claire, is an intriguing sub-plot, but doesn't detract from the central investigative plot line. Radburn is insightful in depicting Taylor's inner dialogue, as well as that of D.S. Everett, who feels completely out of his depth at various stages of the investigation. The Devlins Reach locals, including the drunkard ferry operator and his two rather helpful and willing young sons, Taylor's loquacious host at the local cafe-cum-B&B and the irascible loggers whose work is on hold due to the storm, are three-dimensional and convincing. Radburn has also managed to incorporate his own recreational interest in Harley Davidson motorcycles into the plot on this occasion.
However, I found that I really had to suspend my disbelief with regard to several aspects of the plot. While the setting is wild and it's believable that some areas might be temporarily inaccessible during periods of bad weather and high water, the isolation depicted overstretched reality. The Dharug National Park is a little over an hour's drive from the Sydney CBD, and even in the most inclement weather, it's inconcievable that a full murder team wouldn't be dispatched within hours to secure the scene of a triple homicide. Of course, that would ruin the premise of Radburn's story, but it did bug me, as did several other aspects of the plot, as well as the behaviour and motivations attributed to certain characters, which I won't detail due to spoilers.
Like other reviewers, the limited cast of characters meant that I'd indentified the most likely murderer very early, and was proven correct. Nevertheless, it was an action-packed and thrilling read, with a few shocking turns of events and twists right up until the final pages.
I'd recommend The Reach to readers who enjoy well-plotted Aussie noir, but would warn that this may not be a suitable book for all readers, due to the frequent references to child sexual abuse and exploitation.
My thanks to the author, B. Michael Radburn, publisher Pantera Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.

January 2021 has been Taylor Bridges month for me, starting at the beginning and culminating in this latest, the third in the series. Each book gets better and better, and The Reach had me on the edge of my seat for most of the book, earning the series a place in my short, firm favourite Aussie Crime list.

With his reputation as a remote crime scene specialist now firmly established, Taylor is invited to Devlins Reach on the Hawkesbury River in NSW to help the police with 3 contemporary bodies discovered in an archaeological dig. Devlins Reach is a small town past its heyday, these days existing mainly to service the nearby logging operation. It no longer has its own police presence, and the only way in or out is via the ferry crossing. When Taylor arrives his local contact, Ranger Jaime Barlow, takes him to the site where he finds recently promoted DS (maybe-he's-not-as-young-as-he-looks) Ryan Everett in charge of the crime scene until forensics and additional resources arrive. To give him a hand, equally young female Constable Fisher is there to manage access to the site. But with a fierce storm brewing, the ferry is shut down and the extra resources can't get across the river. Then as the weather settles in, the bodycount begins to rise, and there is only Everett, Taylor, Jaime and Fisher available to stop the Hoodoo (local superstition) from killing more loggers.

I loved that Taylor was back in the thick of the action again for this instalment. Although DS Everett was definitely running the investigation, his inexperience and lack of resources meant that he really relied on Taylor as more than just a location/environment consultant. And the two worked really well together. Normally a character like Everett would annoy me a bit, but this 27yo has enough self-awareness to realise his own shortcomings and know when to accept help. He was also more thoughtful than I would have expected, in regard to poor Constable Fisher, left out at the dig site with just her police vehicle and a horticultural book for days (and nights) on end. It'd be nice to see the Everett character reappear in the future.

The crime/mystery was one that really caught my imagination, too, with the stakes continuing to rise throughout the story. When the big clues were dropped it was a bit clunky and obvious, but I didn't mind because half of the entertainment was seeing how long it would take for Taylor and the others to catch on. Which they did, as the weather worsened and the creepy, claustrophobic atmosphere went through the roof. As with the previous books, Radburn provides the reader with exquisitely visual descriptions of the Australian landscape. It's something he does so well, and once again I can imagine this translating well to the screen.

Although this book contains references to the earlier ones in the series, I think it could be read as a standalone. But the whole series is well worth reading, so I'd recommend reading in order, to avoid plot spoilers.

This third book about Ranger Taylor Bridges takes place in the Dharug National Park north of Sydney. Three mutilated bodies have been found near the small town of Devlin's Reach on the Hawkesbury River and Taylor is requested to attend and use his previous experience of solving crime in the bush.

In charge of the crime scene are D.S. Everett and P.C. Fisher, both of whom are inexperienced. This crime is way out of their league but before help can arrive the weather changes and access to the town is closed.

Then the murders continue. They are weird and gruesome and Radburn steps up the spookiness with his descriptions of the surroundings at night and with a few paranormal warnings. It is all pretty tense and the action continues all through the book. I did guess the killer fairly early on, partly because the possibilities were limited, but this did not spoil my enjoyment of the book.

Well written, excellent setting, well described characters and a clever mystery. All good!

🌀Ominous weather and deadly revenge: adrenalin-filled rush to beat a wily killer😳

🌏Loved this atmospheric thriller set in rural Australia. With a duo of investigators baffled by a growing death count in and near an isolated small-town, there are numerous twists and even a bit of paranormal flair provided by a six year-old passing messages from her dead sister. The stormy weather that cuts the town off and delays law enforcement reinforcements is a disturbing background for a crime spree that just won't stop. I could not stop reading and the action-packed climax really had me primed for a major cataclysm. What a rollercoaster ride!

I had not read the two preceding books in the series but it truly was not necessary. Radburn has written a winner here and the final pages left me wishing the next in the series was waiting in the wings.

Thanks to Pantera publishers and NetGalley for providing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

The 3rd book featuring Parks ranger Taylor Bridges and wow, what a ride that was. This time Taylor is seconded to NSW Parks to help investigate the murders in a remote National Park. The small town on the edge of the park is only accessible by ferry and secrets there abound. New detective Ryan Everett is feeling a little over his head, especially when bad weather prevents help from arriving.
This book had me on the edge of my seat and in the last third, my heart in my mouth. I have enjoyed this series more as it goes on and I really liked the character of Det Everett. I also hope he and Taylor work together again. Looking forward to see if there is another Taylor Bridges story in the pipeline.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to read.
Edit: I think this series can be read alone but will be better with Taylor’s backstory.

I could feel the cold seeping deep down inside my bones while reading this outstanding novel. I couldn't figure out if it was from the amazingly descriptive scenery (cold, 🥶wet, stormy) of small town life in Devlin's Reach created by this super talented author OR from the book premise itself. Small town life is definitely NOT for everyone...especially me. 😆 Add on the fact that you can only leave the ISLAND by ferry 😳 which is unable to run in crazy stormy weather - clinched my "never ever" desire to live at such a remote place. The story was exquisitely written and had me captivated until the very end. I couldn't figure out why - then I couldn't figure out who - and then when I did my mouth dropped open. That's when my husband asked me if I figured it out! 😆 I had been giving him updates on where I was in the book and he wanted to know what shocked me. 😉 This a a definite addition to anyone's TBR list!

This is the third in the Taylor Bridge series about a Park Ranger, but I had not read any of B Michael Radburn books previously. A photographer awaits a ferry to cross the river into a National Park, he is under pressure to deliver for his editor. So begins this riveting Australian crime drama. As bad weather sets in, more bodies are discovered and there is a serial killer on the loose. The tension mounts as the mystery deepens and the past intrudes as the hunt focus on some local. A haunting crime novel with great characters that captures the atmosphere and stormy environment. A terrific read, even as a standalone with a four-star rating. With thanks to NetGalley and the author for a preview copy for review purposes.