My love for outback Australian thrillers will never cease because the authors keep bringing a little more magic to it every turn of the page.

Another thriller, in the outback’s with missing bodies and suspenses and a lot of heat, dust and thirst. Honestly I would read more of outback noire than any other for the way the authors make it presentable.

Another thriller worth reading

Omg the atmosphere is so vivid.
With flood waters rising and a murderer on the loose. It makes a thrilling and adrenaline rush filled read!

Fast paced and told by multiple POV's . The outback landscape made you feel like you were right there with them. I love a road trip so I very much connected with the book.

4★
“Quinn and this man are the only two people for miles around. Whoever this is, wherever he came from, he needs medical attention, urgently. Then his arm flings up and a cold hand clutches Quinn’s wrist.”

Shudder! For some reason, I have always found that scenario terrifying - an unconscious person suddenly leaping back to life and on the attack. I’m sure it comes from the classic Audrey Hepburn movie “Wait Until Dark”, which if you’ve never seen, do!

That’s from the prologue, and we are told it is Tuesday 7 February 6pm. Before each chapter is the name of a character the day, the date, and the time.

Quinn’s encounter happened during a torrential downpour on a remote road, and Quinn was already nervous about having misjudged her timing to get back to the outback pub where she lived and worked. But people in rural and regional areas know that there may not be another vehicle for a long time, especially when a storm has been forecast.

The main characters are a couple, Hayley and Scott, students in Adelaide, South Australia, who decide to drive from Adelaide straight north to Darwin, camping along the way. Hayley has felt things are stale – Scott is gaming on his computer all the time and ignoring her. She hopes getting out beyond wi-fi and mobile coverage will encourage him to focus on her, on them.

“This drive from Adelaide to Darwin wasn’t the most exotic choice, it was one of the cheapest. And Hayley hopes it will help assuage her guilt at not having seen much of her own country. She’s tired of hearing international students’ travel stories in class and not being a part of it. It took several dedicated months to convince Scott it was the perfect time for a road trip.

‘When we graduate and get jobs, we’ll only have four weeks’ holiday a year,’ she’d said. ‘That’s not much.’

‘Gee, thanks for the reminder,’ Scott said.

‘C’mon, a road trip will be fun.’

‘We don’t have the money.’

‘It’s not expensive! We don’t need hotels, we just need a tent.’

‘You’re forgetting the biggest cost.’

‘What?’

‘Fuel.’

‘We can get a few others to drive with us, share the cost.’

Scott made the same tart expression he always did when Hayley suggested anything new. ‘I guess we could do that, but who are we going to invite? Everyone we know is either busy or I wouldn’t want to be stuck in a car with them.’

‘Let’s advertise on a travel website or forum or something.’

‘That’s how you meet serial killers.’

Hayley had slapped his arm. ‘Stop it! I’m being serious. I wanna do this.’”

You can see what a bundle of fun Scott is (not). But they find an attractive Brazilian environmental campaigner, Livia, and a tall, skinny Dutch guy with very good manners and a kind of warped sense of humour.

But back to Quinn. She’s a young woman from a remote cattle property that went bust during the drought, and she’s now in charge of emptying the house before it’s sold. Meanwhile, she lives and works at the Pindarry, a roadside ‘hotel’ with rough cabins and a campground. Tourists stop for insta-worthy photos, and it’s the local pub for the region.

Its young owners, Matt and Andrea, with a three-year-old son, run the place with only Quinn for help. Chapters move between the road trip and the Pindarry, beginning in extreme dry heat and shifting to the torrential rain we are told is coming from the prologue.

When Andrea is stuck alone at the Pindarry (Matt's away, helping a neighbour), a motorcycle gang arrives - just as the storm is beginning to threaten - and where is that Quinn? Still not back?!

“Bikes rev again and Andrea wraps her arms around herself. The engines crescendo and several riders appear at the window’s edges.”

There were a few times where I felt I had to suspend disbelief, but I just kept going and enjoyed the terrifying ride. I think most readers will do likewise, and I’m not going to spoil anyone’s fun by saying what they are here.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the copy for review.

Well what can I say, I read this one in one day there was no way I could leave it for too long I had to find out what happened to these four young people doing a trip from Adelaide to Darwin, this trip was meant to be a fun trip, two young Aussies and two overseas backpackers come along and see what happens.

The Pindarry is a very old pub stuck in the middle of nowhere run by Matt and Andrea they have a small son Ethan and Quinn a young local now lives and works there, it is a very popular place to stop for travelers of the outback. They have been in drought for a long time now and Quinn and her dog Bronte have been sorting things at the farm she used to live on when on her way back the rain starts and it looks like it is not going to stop, when Quinn finds a the body of a man lying on the roadway, she has to do her best to get him in the car and back to the pub.

Four young people Hayley, her boyfriend Scott, Dutchman Joost and Brazilian Livia are on a trip of a life time in Scott’s grandfather’s 4WD when the rain hits there has already been some tension between them but things get worse when a road is washed away and decisions have to be made, they are not prepared fully for what is happening, none of it.

This story is compelling reading, MS Prak has created characters who are real some not so likeable and some show such strength and courage they had me cheering them one, in this mystery thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat and then the twist I did not see coming, these characters are so convincing. This is MS Prak’s debut thriller and I can’t wait for more, I do highly recommend this one if you are looking for a fabulous story that will keep you thinking and turning the pages

My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my digital copy to read and review

Oh my goodness, this was quite a heart stopping ride from the very first chapter.
Hayley, has finally convinced her boyfriend Scott to go on a road trip from Adelaide to Darwin and hopes that they can reconnect. Living together in a share house means their budget is tight, so they advertise for two others to travel with them to share the cost. Livia and Brazilian climate activist and Joost a young Netherland man on a gap year, are backpackers who take up the offer.
But it’s not a trip that anyone wants to have and the threat of floods is only part of the danger.
I really don’t want to say much more about the story as I think as with some novels, the known least about them the better, the better they are.
This just had me on edge most of the time and also portrayed a sense of time and place so well.
So much menace but great courage as well and well worth the read, a fantastic debut.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to read.

EXCERPT: The rain begins as a gentle tapping at first, so quiet she could be imagining it.
Matt gives a whoop.
'What, Daddy?' Ethan asks.
'Can you hear that?' Matt squats down beside Ethan on the dirt. The boy touches his own face; he's felt a few drops on his cheek. Andrea leaves the shelter of the verandah and tilts her face skywards. There's an uncomfortable swirling in her gut, a mix of excitement and trepidation, and she wishes they could predict what was going to happen tonight. She's never stayed at a place that's been sandbagged.

ABOUT 'THE RUSH': The first drops start to fall when Quinn spies the body. With no reception and nothing but an empty road for miles, does she stop to help or keep driving to safety?

Back at the iconic country pub where Quinn works, Andrea is sandbagging the place in preparation for heavy rains. Alone with her sleeping son in the back room, she reluctantly lets a biker in to wait out the storm.

Out on the wet roads, tensions arise among four backpackers on their way to Darwin. They haven’t prepared for this kind of weather and the flooding isn’t the only threat on the horizon …

MY THOUGHTS: The Rush is a quick, suspenseful and thrilling read.

Forget dangerous weather, the poisonous snakes and spiders, the crocodiles and other assorted venomous Australian threats - it's people you really need to be frightened of. The only problem is, how do you determine which people pose a threat?

Michelle Prak cleverly increased the tension as the story progressed, throwing in the occasional red herring which successfully diverted my attention from the real danger. The final showdown is breathtaking, and I mean that. I was literally not breathing as I read.

Told from multiple points of view, this chilling thriller is a definite recommendation.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

#TheRush #NetGalley

I: @prakky @simonschusterau

T: @Prakky @SimonSchusterAU

#australiancrimefiction #contemporaryfiction #crime #domesticdrama #suspense #thriller

THE AUTHOR: Between 2019 and 2020, Michelle self-published three women's contemporary novels which was a lot of fun. Now she's turned to the thriller genre and hopes fans will follow along.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Simon & Schuster Australia via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Rush by Michelle Prak for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

SOME THREATS ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR ...

I absolutely devoured this book. It was a fast faced crime thriller and one I thoroughly enjoyed.

The story is told in the same timeline but from different perspectives of Hayley, Quinn, Andrea

Hayley and Scott have organised an Australian trip and find two backpackers to join to help with the costing. They find Livia and Joost on a backpacking forum. The trip started off amazing, they camped, drove and got to see some amazing sites before everything went terribly wrong.

Andrea and Matt have started to sandbag the Pindarry pub in preparation for heavy rains. Quinn is on her way back to the pub when she finds a body in the middle of the road in front of her. Unsure if the body is alive or dead she treks out of her car and goes to investigate. The man is alive but it badly injured. She does what she can and gets him to the safety of the car and they both make there way to the pub so they can call for help. Once back at the pub she realises Matt is out helping a neighbour on a farm and it is only Andrea and her two year old son alone with a tourist.

This story! I am still in absolute love. I devoured Michelle’s debut novel – she really hit this one out of the ball park so to speak. I could not and would not put this book down. I finished it in two days. A physical copy is needed for my shelves that is for sure. I might never look at camping the same way again though.

Thank you Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for a gifted copy of this book for my honest book review.

The Rush by Michelle Prak is an amazing story. Actually it is an absolute amazing debut novel!! The characters are believable and engaging. Hayley and her boyfriend Scott, along with Livia, a Brazilian climate activist and Joost, a Dutch backpacker, head off on their adventure from Adelaide to Darwin. One of their planned destinations is a famous outback pub called Pindarry Hotel which is managed by Andrea and husband Matt, along with their three year old son and a local young woman, Quinn, who is left b her mother and brother to pack up and sell her family home after the death of her father.

Moving from Adelaide to the outback north along the Stuart Highway of South Australia which heads up to Darwin, there is the initial heat and then the unrelenting rain which further isolates the four young people heading off on an outback adventure and those at the pub. The descriptions are terrific and the atmosphere of the location is electrifying.

The storm hits, floods create major isolation and then the thriller begins!! Heart stopping moments leave you on the edge and lead to the unexpected.

Highly recommended read.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from Simon & Schuster (Australia) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#TheRush #Netgalley

The Rush is the debut thriller by Michelle Prak and is a true outback noir thriller that builds in intensity. It’s all about the isolation and how dire the trouble can be when something goes wrong. But it’s also a reminder that even in the harsh and unforgiving Australian outback it’s not always the expected dangers that you have to be most aware of.

The rain is coming and when it rains in the outback the potential for disastrous flooding is real and can have devastating consequences. Local homesteads and hotels prepare early with sandbagging and precautions to prevent their belongings from being washed away. It also means there are far fewer travellers on the roads.

The Stuart Highway dissects the Australian continent from Adelaide to Darwin and provides a dusty route through some of the most remote landscape on the planet. One of the stops along the way is the Pindarry Hotel, a noted watering hole and a necessary place to take a break and fill the belly. The owners are Matt and Andrea who live there with their 3 year old son Ethan. Also there is their one employee, Quinn, a woman from a nearby property. But as the rain hits, Quinn hasn’t returned from a recent trip home.

On the road is a group of four young people travelling together on a road trip adventure from Adelaide to Darwin. Hayley and Scott are students at Adelaide University and they have brought along a Brazilian activist Livia and a Dutch backpacker Joost. Their intention is to check out the various tourist spots along the way and, basically, have the adventure of a lifetime. The impact of the flooding rains is a little more excitement than they had bargained for.

Danger is present everywhere in remote and isolated places. It can come from the people you meet, the unexpected changes in the local climate or by any unfortunate accident. But all too often for women the world over, the real danger comes from the opposite sex.

Although the crux of this thriller is all too familiar and is an ever-present problem in today’s society, it is given a unique twist to make it even more compelling. A great strength of The Rush is the portrayal of the main female characters. We’re given a thorough insight into their backgrounds, the setbacks they’ve overcome in the past and the strength and resilience they use to face down their fears. The actions and reactions of Andrea, Quinn, Livia and Hayley were completely understandable and believable.

I thought Michelle Prak did a fine job of setting up a few little red herrings that sent my mind racing off in one direction only to have the rug pulled out from under me when the real twists were revealed.

The Rush is a compelling read with constantly mounting tension the key to its success. It’s atmospheric and deals well with troubling themes. It also tended to play on my emotions which is a sure sign that I was fully invested.

A creeping outback horror in the style of Wolf Creek, it opens with a bang - a woman and a dog, at a pub during a flood, and a body on the road.

4 backpackers set off on a trip from Adelaide to Darwin and get stranded in the downpour. How are these events connected? The clock is ticking over hour by hour as the reader connects the dots

Can you ever really know someone?
Creepy as hell.

The Pindarry was a country pub, isolated in the vast Australian outback of the Northern Territory, a place where tourists flocked in the dry months, but stayed away in the wet. Andrea, her husband Matt and three year old son Ethan lived in and ran the pub, with Quinn working and living on site. Quinn's family farm was an hour away and she was trying to prepare it for sale. The day the rains began, Quinn and her dog, kelpie Bronte, had left the farm on the way back to The Pindarry when she spotted a body on the side of the road. Knowing she couldn't leave him, but knowing also that she couldn't lift him, she didn't know what to do...

Four young people, two who lived and went to university in Adelaide, Hannah and Scott, and two backpackers, Brazillian environmentalist Livia and Joost, an engineering student from the Netherlands, joined forces to drive in Scott's grandfather's 4WD from Adelaide to Darwin, checking out the tourist spots on the way. But none of them had taken the weather into account. Certainly, they hadn't expected the force of the flooding rains and how little their tents would protect them. With tensions rising and tempers flaring, what would be the outcome for these four, unprepared young people?

The Rush, debut thriller from Aussie author Michelle Prak is outstanding! Intense, gripping, terrifying - my heart was pounding while I was reading. The characters were perfectly written, from the scary bikie who returned to the pub, right down to little Ethan and Bronte. This compelling thriller is the best I've read since I consumed another Aussie debut - Gone to Ground - and I'm looking forward to what Ms Prak writes next. Highly recommended.

With thanks to Simon & Schuster AU (via NetGalley) for my ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

This is excellent Australian outback noir! A fast-paced suspense that never lets up and will make you think twice about taking a road trip to the outback!

Together with two backpackers they have only just met, students Hayley and Scott have planned a 3000km road trip from Adelaide to Darwin through the centre of Australia. The backpackers, Livia, a Brazilian environmental activist and Joost, an engineering student from the Netherlands will share the costs and the driving. Hayley is also hoping the trip will rekindle her relationship with Scott which has been less than romantic lately.

Hayley has planned an intinerary that will take in as many sights along the way as possible including an overnight stop at a famous outback Inn, Pindarry Pub in northern South Australia. They’re aware bad weather is on the way, but they’re not too worried. After all they’re driving a four-wheel drive so a little water on the roads shouldn’t worry them. What they hadn’t planned on was the massive storm that’s about to hit the interior, causing major flooding unlike any seen for many years.

At the Pindarry Pub, owners Matt and Andrea have sandbagged anywhere likely to be flooded and Matt has gone to help a neighbour, leaving Andrea alone with their two year old son. Their employee, Quinn, who also lives at the pub, is on her way home when she spots someone lying at the side of a road and stops to help.

All these elements will eventually come together to make this a chilling and claustrophobic thriller, voiced by a range of characters from the deranged to women who are strong and resilient. The Australian landscape and the isolation of the outback are authentically depicted – beautiful but also dangerous when underestimated. This is one road trip no one will forget any time soon!

"The outback is just as scary as it is in horror movies. No. It's worse."

If I ever think that I'm ready to brave a roadtrip in the outback - I'm sure this book will come to mind reversing that decision for me.

This book had me gripped from the beginning. Suspenseful and full of high tension.

4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Special thanks to Netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Outback Australia can be harsh… it is beautiful but dangerous. The Rush will make you think twice about road tripping. I seriously could not put this book down. It is the kind of book that begs to be binged in one sitting. Think Wolf Creek and you are on the right track.

A storm is coming, in more ways than one. 4 teenagers set off from Adelaide to Darwin by car. Hayley and Scott are local students and to save money have found some backpackers to join them. Livia and Joost make up the foursome. Things are going well to begin with, camping and seeing the vast expanse of the outback. And then the rain comes. And not just sprinkles, this is torrential rainfall that nobody could have predicted. They have no wifi and no phone service. They’re only option to head for the Pindarry Pub for shelter, but will they all make it?

There is much, much more to it than that but that is all you need to know o get you hooked in. Believe me when I say that this is one fast paced, wild adventure that none of them expected. The setting is dark and intense. They are cut off from the rest of the world, nobody else is out on the roads and who knows what creatures lurk in the bushes.

You just need to read this exceptional debut novel from Michelle Prak. Publishes on May 3rd, get ready for non stop action and plenty of surprises. Thanks to Simon and Schuster Australia for my advanced reading copy.

‘Compelling and explosive: you won’t be able to put this book down.’ Hayley Scrivenor, author of Dirt Town.
This was the first thing that made me want to read this book and I am glad I did. It is a book that you don't want to put down as it is so exciting and certainly a rollercoaster ride you want to get off but you want to stay on as well.

It has everything you want from a crime thriller! Thrills, chills, excitement, fear, twists and turns. It is a book you get reeled into and you can't let go.

I love the Australian aspect of it, the outback road trip, the characters and the suspense. Wow. I can't believe this is a debut for the author and I can't wait to see what she does next. I loved it.

The Rush by Michelle Prak is a wild, unpredictable ride set in outback Australia. It definitely gave me Wolf Creek vibes – I will certainly not be going on any outback adventures with strangers anytime soon!

Hayley & Scott are a young couple from Adelaide who are keen to go travelling but with limited resources as students, they decide to explore their own backyard first – embarking on a road trip from Adelaide to Darwin crossing the remote & isolated heart of Australia. To help out with costs, they have decided to share their trip with a couple of backpackers, Livia from Brazil & Jost from Netherlands. Ignoring predicted “once in a lifetime” bad weather, they head off but things very quickly go from bad to worse & it’s not just the weather they need to watch out for.

This debut sets a gripping pace right from the beginning and I really couldn’t predict what way the story was going to go. None of the characters were particularly likeable or relatable – I found it hard to believe 20 something Aussies would think it was a good idea just to trek off into the desert with any experience and ignore drought breaking rain & flooding warnings – but then again people do stupid things all the time!

This is a tense, edge of your seat read that certainly entertained! I look forward to reading more of this Aussie authors books in the future!

OMG!! And what a RUSH this was!
Unrelenting in its suspenseful pace, this book will have you reading far longer than you may have anticipated…so make time for an undisturbed read.

When young Australian couple Hayley and Scott decide to take time out from their university studies for a unique Australian outback road trip adventure, they look for two more passengers to share this experience with them and some of the costs.
The obvious choice was to look for backpackers wanting to share in a similar experience.
Hayley is hoping this time out will help to reignite their flagging relationship and get Scott out into the open air and away from his fascination for online gaming for awhile.

Scott is reluctant but finally agrees and after much online searching they settled on a young single guy named Joost, from the Netherlands and a slightly older girl named Livia, from Brazil.
They plan to drive across the Australian outback from Adelaide to Darwin in a borrowed four wheel drive, and sleeping only in tents at planned stops along the way will save them money.
This is quite a daunting trip for experienced travellers, and not one for the faint hearted, but they are all keen and feel up to the task with Hayley planning a strict itinerary.
As they embark upon their journey reports of impending bad weather ahead start to present concerns that they may get caught in the midst of a drought breaking storm. They press on in the belief that the storm will pass and just give much needed relief to the drought plagued outback. They have a reliable car that is capable of navigating all sorts of conditions, so they are not too concerned.

What could possibly go wrong?

This is an impressive debut thriller from Michelle Prak which sets an unrelenting, suspense filled pace from the very start.
I couldn’t fault it and very much look forward to what she writes next.

5⭐️s or 😱😱😱😱😱


Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy to read and review.

3.5 stars.

What started as a slightly boring slow burn turned into an intense cat and mouse game against the back drop of the Australian Outback. I was ready to give up at around 10% but I'm glad I persevered. Once the action started it didn't let up until the very end. Michelle Prak is one to watch.

I didn’t know what to expect going into The Rush as I don’t often read thrillers, but golly what a ride. I really enjoyed the authors writing style, and how the story was paced. It didn’t take long to get drawn into the plot with rich descriptions and details making it easy to build a picture in your mind.
Being a woman I found it easy to relate to the way the female characters were feeling from early on. It made me on the edge of my seat about what would happen next.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and struggled to put it down!