Sassi Stapleton receives a call from her uncle Abe to say her grandmother Cora is unwell, Sassi and her dog Jarrah hop in her ute and start the long drive to Barker. Being a country girl Sassi knows it’s important to stop and have a break, stay alert and be on the lookout for kangaroos.

Sassi is less than an hour from Barker, when a roo jumps in front of her ute, she rolls down a steep embankment and she's trapped in her vehicle. Abe contacts Detective Dave Burrows he’s in charge of the Barker police station, he sends a search party, they find Sassi, luckily she’s not badly hurt and unfortunately her grandmother passed away and she didn't get to say goodbye.

Sassi was raised by her gran and pa, her mother Amber lives in South Africa, the family are shocked when she arrives and instantly the atmosphere become tense. Amber was only sixteen when Sassi was born, her relationship with her parents has been sporadic and she left Sassi with them when she was five.

After the funeral, it’s clear Mr. Stapleton needs proper in-home care, he had a stroke a few years ago, his speech is slurred and he can’t walk unaided. Abe runs the family farm, he’s married, has twins boys, he's the only male to take care of his fathers personal needs and he's too busy. Rasha moved to Barker from the city, she’s Sudanese, and she’s willing to be Mr. Stapleton's career. The family are really happy, Amber treats her like a maid and then they notice he has bruises.

An investigation into what’s happened to Mr. Stapleton begins, everyone is questioned, including Abe, his wife Renee, Sassi, Rasha and Amber. Detective Burrows looks into the case, he’s got years of experience under his belt, both Rasha and Amber seem uncomfortable and he has a pretty good idea of who’s not telling the truth and why.

I received a digital copy of Voices in the Dark from NetGalley and Allen & Unwin in exchange for an honest review. Fleur McDonald is one of Australia’s most popular and prolific rural fiction authors, I can understand why and her character Dave Burrows has featured in previous books and he's a legend.

I enjoy reading stories set in small Australian country towns, it has a character driven plot and I really liked Sassi, Abe and Renee, Dave and his wife Kim, Mia, Hamish the ambo, twins Jimmy and Harry and of course Jarrah. A story about long kept family secrets, unknown resentment, lies and greed. Solving the mystery of who's been hurting a defenseless Mr. Stapleton and it's a very low act and unanswered questions about Sassi's father. Five stars from me, I'm keen to read other books by Ms. McDonald and I highly recommend her latest novel.