Out in Nowhere by Fleur McDonald is set in remote outback South Australia. Newly married and with a small child, Hallie is struggling to cope on the isolated farm. While her husband is supportive, he is out working the large farm and his parents don’t think she is up to the ‘job’.
When accidents start happening, things get even more complicated. The plot is complicated with many twists and turns. This is a heartbreaking story but one which leads to a different future. Too hard to give details without giving away the story but it is one worth reading!

Highly recommended read.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from Allen & Unwin via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#OutInNowhere #NetGalley

Another great Detective Dave Burrows book.

Dave and Mia are called to an accident, young farmer Alex has fallen from the windmill but upon arrival they learn he has passed away. The security camera caught snippets of what happened and now they are both investigating the death. Dave thinks it was just an accident but Mia has other ideas – foul play. Alex is happily married to Hallie and loves Ruby the two year old toddler. Hallie is absolutely devastated. But when another accidental death occurs and in the same friend circle, something just doesn’t add up.

I loved this rural crime suspense novel. It had me wanting to turn the pages late in to the night. And Mia, I just love that character! I can't wait for more of her in the future. I also enjoyed the multiple points of view and Fleur’s writing style. The outback landscape was of course spot on down to the snakes. This is part of a series but rest assured you can read this as a standalone book.

Thank you Netgalley and Allen and Unwin for a gifted copy for my honest book review.

Another throughly enjoyable Det Dave Burrows instalment. I tend not to read the books of Dave’s earlier years of policing life but do usually catch the current era. At least all these books can be read as stand alones.
In this book Hallie Donaldson is on the farm with her young daughter Ruby. A city girl, she is adjusting to station life while her husband Alex works the station. With cameras placed at strategic points, they can watch Alex’s day to day workings. When he doesn’t return in time for a meeting with a friend, they know exactly where he is and it looks like he has fallen to his death.
But with the accidental death of his friend a few days later, suddenly questions are raised.
This book seemed slow for the first half until I realised how far I was through it! So in fact it must have held my attention well.
Enjoyed the characters and loved how Mia came forward to be the lead investigating these accidents with Dave taking a step back.
This is an easy, enjoyable story. Perfect holiday read really.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to read

What can I say firstly it is a Detective Dave Burrows story and Fleur McDonald has nailed it again, with a fabulous rural crime suspense that had me turning the pages I could barely put this one down, add Constable Mia Worth to the story and really you have a must read book.

Hallie Donaldson has been married to Alex for five years now and they have a two year old daughter Ruby, life in the outback is not always easy for a city girl, the flies, the snakes the heat and of course the distance between neighbours can be a bit isolating, today Alex is out checking the windmills and there are some cameras so her and Ruby can watch Alex work, when neighbor Danny drops in and Alex’s father Rod and Alex has not returned they go check the cameras and Alex is lying on the ground not moving.

Dave and Mia are called and soon there is an investigation going on, Hallie tells them all she knows Alex’s blood brothers, friends since Agriculture collage arrive and there are lots of questions but not a lot of answers yet and then when sadly friend and neighbor Danny is found dead on the side of a road, Mia thinks that two rural accidents in a week seems very suspicious to her and pushes for more investigations.

Hallie is packing up to move at the request of her in-laws and what she discovers make Dave and Mia realise that all is not what it seems and are quickly doing a deep investigation of quite a few more people, what will they uncover?

I loved this one so much it has everything, a fabulous story line that is sure to keep the reader enthralled and learning more about the personal aspects of Dave’s life and I love that Mia is holding her own and standing up more, Dave is a fabulous mentor for her, I as always look forward to the next Dave book, can’t wait, I do highly recommend this one.

My thanks to Allen & Unwin for my copy to read and review.

EXCERPT: 'Links between the two deaths?' Dave repeated.
'None that I can find.'
'So why are we having this conversation?'
'I don't know.' Her frustration was teetering towards annoyance.
Dave's lips twitched. Mia knew he wouldn't laugh at her though.
'Look, I understand why you are questioning this and I'm glad you are. You're thinking like a police officer should,' he said. 'It's the coincidence that's causing you to think like this, but as we've just discussed, there are two accidental deaths without a link between them.'
Shaking her head, Mia got up and paced the room. 'But there has to be . . .' Stopping to look at Dave, she gave a small smile. 'Ah, don't worry about it. I'm obviously seeing things that aren't there.'
'No, let's keep working through it. I agree this is a highly unusual week, and if I hadn't examined the scenes with my own eyes, I'd be having similar thoughts. . .'

ABOUT 'OUT IN NOWHERE': Left alone on the vast cattle station with her baby while her husband, Alex, works the farm, Hallie Donaldson is having trouble adjusting to the flies, dust, snakes and isolation in the Flinders Ranges.

At least today, Hallie knows that she and their daughter Ruby can watch Alex on the security camera erected at the windmill where he'll be working. But something goes horribly wrong and he suddenly disappears from view.

Alex is found later, dead at the bottom of the windmill.

After Alex's death, Hallie discovers an alarming series of phone messages sent to a still-shared link on Alex's phone. A short time later, one of Alex's close friends from agricultural college, Danny Betts, loses his life in another tragic rural accident.

When Hallie reveals the horrifying information she's been keeping secret to Detective Dave Burrows and his partner, Constable Mia Worth, they quickly realise that all is not what it seems.

MY THOUGHTS: I really enjoy Fleur McDonald's outback books. An engrossing mix of good (and bad) old country values, family dynamics, friendship, crime and mystery, Out in Nowhere is no exception. I finished it in one sitting over a wet and stormy afternoon and evening.

Detective Dave Burrows is a good man. He is mentoring a young constable, Mia Worth, and I liked that he listened to her and questioned her thought processes rather than dismissing her theories out of hand. As a result, Mia is gaining confidence in her abilities and listening to her gut instincts. Dave has become quite a favorite of mine.

The characters are realistically portrayed. Alex's parents are very old school and have already lost their eldest son through insisting on a pre-nup agreement for his wife, yet they do the same thing to Alex and Hallie! I could sort of see their point, but I can also see that there is room for negotiation whereas they are adamant that it's their way or the highway. Their treatment of Hallie following Alex's death had my jaw hitting the floor.

Although I finished with a few questions remaining and a little chagrin at the very rushed ending I did enjoy this multi-layered story which can easily be read as a stand-alone.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.2

#OutinNowhere #NetGalley

MEET THE AUTHOR: After growing up on a farm near Orroroo in South Australia, Fleur McDonald’s first job was jillarooing in the outback. She has been involved in agriculture all her life, including helping manage an 8000-acre station for twenty years. Today Fleur and her energetic kelpie, Jack, live in Esperance, Western Australia.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Allen & Unwin via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of Out in Nowhere by Fleur McDonald for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

4.5★s

Hallie and Alex Donaldson had been married for five years, and their little daughter, two and a half year old Ruby, was at an interesting age, with Dadda and Mumma her two favourite words. They had a security camera set up to view Alex as he was working around the farm, and this particular day he was at one of the bores, waving to Ruby via the camera, working around the windmill, making sure the sheep had water. It was later, when Alex's good friend Danny had arrived to meet with Alex, but he wasn't home yet, that they eventually learned the tragic news. Alex was dead.

Detective Dave Burrows and Constable Mia Worth, were called out to the property, a two and a half hour drive, as there had been a tragic accident. As they checked it all out, they deemed it not suspicious; Hallie was shattered and Ruby only wanted her Dadda. But when, only a few days later, another one of the group of friends also died, Mia found her spidey senses activated. How could these two accidents happen, so close together, and such good friends? Although Dave didn't agree, Mia dug deeply into the investigation, refusing to be sidetracked. But would anything be found?

Out in Nowhere is another excellent suspense novel by Aussie author Fleur McDonald which I thoroughly enjoyed. I've read everything Ms McDonald has written, and always go in with great anticipation. I did find that this one had a few unanswered questions and a rather abrupt ending - but aside from that, I loved that Mia wasn't deterred by Dave, her superior and mentor, and continued to look for answers. With well written characters, lots of them already known, I'm very much looking forward to Fleur McDonald's next offering. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley & Allen & Unwin AU for my digital ARC to read and review.

Hallie is not adjusting to outback life and while her husband Alex is working on the land Hallie is at home with their young daughter and a snake! It literally made me shiver. The characters in this are well rounded and the plot mystery is intense. It was fantastic to see Dave Burrows again and his lovely wife Kim. Hallie's daughter Ruby melted my heart. A intense story with lots of heat!

Out in nowhere is a rural police procedural novel. Set in South Australia Fleur McDonald captures the isolation and intensity of rural life for her characters. Previous character Detective Dave burrows features in this book but it can still be read as a stand-alone story.

McDonald has once again perfectly captured the harsh and remote conditions of rural Australia and the resilience of those who call it home in this powerful rural suspense.

Out in Nowhere is the perfect addition to the Detective Dave Burrows series with Dave this time taking a bit of a backseat. Constable Mia Worth learns to take the lead after she questions the death of the two friends within the same week. What appear to be open and shut cases are not quite what they seem, and Mia is learning to trust her instincts to dig a little deeper under Dave's guidance.

I enjoyed the different perspectives in this book, especially early on, where we have the narratives of Hallie and Mia and then a layer of generational sexism on top.

McDonald continues to deliver in this genre and is another auto buy author for me, where I will gladly buy the book without reading the blurb because I know its going to be a read that I will devour. Overall it was a fabulous rural suspense read that I would highly recommend.

Ash’s rating: 4.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Summed Up: Outback Secrets and Suspense

- - -
This was my very first Fleur McDonald read and I definitely know it won’t be my last. Thankfully Fleur has a big back catalogue that I’m excited to dive into if her other novels are anything like Out In Nowhere.

Set against the wild, beautiful and sometimes brutal backdrop of rural Australia, this story brings ALL the Outback vibes 🐑 🌾 We're talking not just snakes and dust but gripping rural crime drama, memorable characters and an ending with a great twist!

It’s easy to pick up that this book features some well loved characters from previous novels but I found no issues reading this as a stand alone as this beauty stands strong on its own two (dusty) feet! 🤠

Fleurs writing was really easy to read and the authentic dialogue and vivid portrayal of rural life made it feel like I was right there on the station. This book was very enjoyable!

A big thank you to Allen & Unwin and NetGalley for the chance to get my hands on this gem early.

3.5 rounded up to 4.
This was my first book by Fleur McDonald and I'm now keen to go back and read more about Dave Burrows. Out in Nowhere can definitely be read as a stand alone.
The story is mainly a police procedural where the police from Barker, Detectives Dave Burrows and Constable Mia Worth are called to a fatal accident on the station. Then just days later another fatal accident from the same friend group (blood brothers). We also get a large dose of what it's like living on a station and the sexism and what it's like for those who marry in (not good!).

I found the story a little slow going, but by around 65% it speed up and I really wanted to know what happened. I enjoyed the insights into country policing, and Dave mentoring Mia, and I found the details of station life interesting.

Thank you to NetGalley and Allen & Unwin for giving me this book for an honest review. This is the first of Fleur McDonald’s books I’ve read and it won’t be the last. OMG…this book was such a good read. I loved Detective Dave Burrows and Constable Mia Worth, they had a great working relationship and the book really showed rural living at its best and worst with lifelong friendships and the twists and turns that they take.
I couldn’t have predicted the way the story would have turned out, which I love about a great book!

"Out in Nowhere" by Fleur McDonals is a gripping mystery set against the hauntingly beautiful yet unforgiving landscape of the Flinders Ranges. The novel expertly weaves together a tale of suspense, family tension, and the stark realities of rural life, creating an interesting story.

The plot centers on the tragic death of Alex Donaldson, a young farmer, father and husband that shatters the peace of the rural farming community, when another accidental death occurs in the community, truths begin to be uncovered.

Alongside the characters of Detective Dave and Sargent Mia, Hallie, Alex's Wife, finds herself drawn into the mystery of Alex's death. The family dynamics add a layer of emotional depth to the story, as Hallie's struggle for acceptance from her cold and toughened in-laws becomes entwined with her quest for the truth. I felt that McDonald painted a vivid picture of the vast, desolate landscape, where the isolation and harshness of the environment mirror the tension within the Donaldson family. It also added a sense of urgency to the investigation and the story as a whole.

The characters in "Out in Nowhere" are well-drawn, each carrying their own burdens and secrets. However, some of the subplots were not fully resolved, or were resolved without adequate explanation in the epilogue which left me with many unanswered questions. This was a let down to an otherwise fairly good Australian crime novel.

"Out in Nowhere" effectively captures the isolation and intensity of life in rural Australian farming communities. The combination of a gripping whodunit and the family tension makes for an easy crime read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Allen & Unwin for the ARC in exchange for this review.

This is a great rural mystery by a very accomplished author. Hallie Donaldson and her husband Alex live on a farm where one day her husband is found dead. This is a mystery, a murder and is a book the is thrilling, intense and community spirit and friendship. With great characters and a great rural story this one is a book thank takes you on a journey of how the rural community live and deal with things.

I enjoyed this book and found it very interesting and is a story that builds as you read. I found it intriguing and very interesting and had no trouble reading it from start to finish.

Thank You NetGalley and Allen & Unwin for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

An interesting rural noir police procedural. Themes of country values and altitudes vs those of the city are explored through the presence of city folk living in ‘the bush’, the city slickers there by choice and often for love but also living in a sense in exile largely with a status of ‘other’
Themes of misogyny are also presented as rampant but neatly critiqued through juxtaposition with the relationship of the experienced male detective and his ‘new chum’ female partner who ultimately does much of the work that both discovers the case and then brings it to a conclusion. Not a dumb juxtaposition this, for the older male detective occasional surprises his younger colleague (and is the readers) with very clever insight into the case or questioning of a suspect. The pace at the start of the book is slow but builds and there is an eerie sense of dread for much of the first 2/3 of the book which lifts as the plot develops. For much of the book I couldn’t say I was a fan, by its end, I was quite glad to have read it. Plotting was excellent and the characters interesting.

** spoiler alert ** We once again return to Barker, where Detective Dave Burrows and Constable Mia Worth are the officers caring for their community.

When they get called to an accident of a young farmer who has fallen from a windmill, they begin to question if it was an accident or not. The wife is devastated and is trying to hold herself together for the sake of their daughter.

But when another accident occurs of another young farmer and him being friends of the man who died in the other accident, things aren’t making sense.

Dave and Mia are trying to work out the details as well as trying to protect the community, especially when these accidents have happened.

This story of how friendships can be held together by the past but can cause so much heartbreak of loss of the friendships can cause friction within.


Once again Fleur takes us on a journey of finding the truth within a community that seeks to help one another.

I received this book from #netgalley for a honest and free review of this story.

(3.5 stars)
Despite her extensive catalogue of books, and my interest in Aussie noir, Out in Nowhere is the first Fleur McDonald novel I have read. It's part of a series about Detective Dave Burrows, though to my mind he's a lesser character than his partner, Constable Mia Worth. By and large it's a police procedural, with a nod to the differences in policing between urban and rural areas, and with what happens to how you police once you become embedded and protective of a rural community: "Sometimes saving the family even the smallest amount of pain is good policing."

The biggest theme in the book is the sexism of traditional, conservative, older rural men, which is contrasted to the resilience and capability of the women they marry (yet seem to think they protect): "The men are out in the paddocks and often hours away. You have to be able to deal with whatever comes up."

If you like Farmer Wants A Wife, you'll probably like this book, as it really digs into how women who marry into multi-generational rural families are treated: as outsiders, blow-ins, and gold-diggers: "In-laws will always be outsiders here. No matter how much they're loved or part of the family." This is gussied up in a narrative about loving the land: "Not because we're protecting the assets that past generations have built up, but because this land can't go into the hands of someone who wouldn't love it and can't care for it the way that people who have been brought up on it can."

What I liked is that Out in Nowhere largely works as a standalone novel: you get to know everyone pretty quickly, you're not beset with too much boring interconnection between books, and it's about a crime that's solved within the book. What I didn't like was the loose ends. What really happened to Nicole and Rod's first child? Why didn't we hear about their role in hiding the crime? What was it that Alex didn't know was good for him? This should have been covered in the book, as these were quite developed plot lines that were all left hanging. As a first time reader these omissions do not incline me to salivate for and read the next book, they just makes this one feel incomplete and unsatisfying.