PERHAPS A GIFT VOUCHER FOR MUM?: MOTHER'S DAY
ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK --- Quinn works for the outback pub a few hours from her family's old property. It's a famous stop on the overland route from Adelaide to Darwin, but as the wet season approaches, trade falls away. The wife of the pub's owner, Andrea, is pregnant and dreading having another child in the remote region as she finds it hard enough with a toddler. As the heat builds, and the monsoonal weather closes in with threats of flash flooding, a party of inexperienced travellers is heading that way. Hayley and Scott are universtiy students, and Hayley has their life planned out - graduation, good jobs, marriage and all - but whose planning for the trip is perhaps similarly unreal. They are accompanied by two overseas students found through the internet - Joost from the Netherlands, whose odd behaviour might be interpreted in light of his youth and less-than-perfect English, and slightly older Brazilian Livia, who is an eco-warrior in the making. As this mismatched bunch head north, and Andrea is unexpectedly left to fend for herself as her husband goes to help a neighbouring property owner prepare for the oncoming floodwaters, a series of events threatens them separately… I thoroughly enjoyed this take on the rural crime novel. There's no cops, no detectives, just ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. The reader isn't even sure what crimes are committed until the clever ending. A great read and a breath of fresh air! Lindy
‘Compelling and explosive: you won’t be able to put this book down.’ Hayley Scrivenor, author of Dirt Town
‘Prepare to be terrified! A real rollercoaster of a debut.’ Nicci French, author of The Favour
SOME THREATS ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR ...
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 …
Chilling, tense and twisted, this compulsive thriller will send adrenaline coursing through your veins.
‘An electrifying outback thriller that’s unlike anything I’ve read.’ Mark Brandi, author of Wimmera
‘This has to be the most terrifying book I've read in years! Michelle is a very assured writer, and her characters are so believable. I genuinely cared whether they lived or died, which is what made the book so deliciously tense.’ Shelley Burr, author of Wake
‘What a rollercoaster ride! A cracking debut you won’t be able to put down.’ Kelli Hawkins, author of Other People’s Houses
‘An utterly chilling read with an unexpected twist.’ Vikki Petraitis, author of The Unbelieved
‘Masterful twists all the way to its shattering ending.’ Greg Woodland, author of The Night Whistler
‘Taut, unpredictable, terrifying.’ Neela Janakiramanan, author of The Registrar
‘A haunting road trip through the outback with a terrifying finale.’ Tim Ayliffe, author of The Enemy Within
‘The Rush by Michelle Prak gives new meaning to the words gripping and horrifying ... It is anything but your typical outback thriller.’ Books+Publishing
Michelle Prak is a professional communicator with a thirty-year career in corporate communication, social media, politics and journalism. Writing has been the backbone of much of her work and she has written several short stories and self-published commercial women's fiction titles. She lives in Adelaide and lectures in public relations and social media at the University of South Australia. The Rush is her first thriller.
ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK --- Quinn works for the outback pub a few hours from her family's old property. It's a famous stop on the overland route from Adelaide to Darwin, but as the wet season approaches, trade falls away. The wife of the pub's owner, Andrea, is pregnant and dreading having another child in the remote region as she finds it hard enough with a toddler. As the heat builds, and the monsoonal weather closes in with threats of flash flooding, a party of inexperienced travellers is heading that way. Hayley and Scott are universtiy students, and Hayley has their life planned out - graduation, good jobs, marriage and all - but whose planning for the trip is perhaps similarly unreal. They are accompanied by two overseas students found through the internet - Joost from the Netherlands, whose odd behaviour might be interpreted in light of his youth and less-than-perfect English, and slightly older Brazilian Livia, who is an eco-warrior in the making. As this mismatched bunch head north, and Andrea is unexpectedly left to fend for herself as her husband goes to help a neighbouring property owner prepare for the oncoming floodwaters, a series of events threatens them separately… I thoroughly enjoyed this take on the rural crime novel. There's no cops, no detectives, just ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. The reader isn't even sure what crimes are committed until the clever ending. A great read and a breath of fresh air! Lindy
'The Rush by Michelle Prak gives new meaning to the words gripping and horrifying ... It is anything but your typical outback thriller.' * <i ><b>Books+Publishing</b></i> * 'Prepare to be terrified! A real rollercoaster of a debut' -- <B>Nicci French, author of <i>The Favour</i></B> 'Michelle Prak doesn't give you a minute to catch your breath in this Australian outback rollercoaster. Compelling and explosive: you won't be able to put this book down.' -- <B>Hayley Scrivenor, author of <I>Dirt Town</I></B> 'This has to be the most terrifying book I've read in years! Michelle is a very assured writer, and her characters are so believable. I genuinely cared whether they lived or died, which is what made the book so deliciously tense.' -- <B>Shelley Burr, author of <I>Wake</I></B> 'Great characters and a wicked plot. A haunting road trip through the outback with a terrifying finale. I loved this book.' -- <B>Tim Ayliffe, author of <I>The Enemy Within</I></B> 'Taut, unpredictable, terrifying; the uniquely Australian weather and landscape are both joyful and become an unwitting accomplice. Michelle Prak weaves such a suspenseful story that you might never want to be alone or isolated again.' -- <B>Neela Janakiramanan, author of <I>The Registrar</I></B> 'An electrifying outback thriller that's unlike anything I've read - I couldn't put it down. The Rush will make you rethink your next road trip.' -- <B>Mark Brandi, author of <I>Wimmera</I></B> 'What a rollercoaster ride ... This book grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go until the very last page ... I loved it! Michelle Prak shows outback Australia in all its dangerous glory, a place to which villains are drawn and where heroes are made.' -- <B>Kelli Hawkins, author of <I>Other People's Houses</I></B> 'A sunny outback road trip with two friendly young couples: what could possibly go wrong? The Rush flips the trope with sudden floods, then piles on the threats for its women heroes - stranded far from home, isolated and vulnerable ... not just to flooded creeks and cut off roads, but to the deadly games of a predator. Like a river in full flood, Michelle Prak's heart-pounding debut thriller sweeps the reader along through masterful twists all the way to its shattering ending.' -- <B>Greg Woodland, author of <I>The Night Whistler</I></B> 'The Rush is a wild ride through the remote outback during an extreme weather event. Some threats aren't obvious at first glance, but Andrea, Mark, Quinn, Scott, Livia, Hayley, and Joost are all on a collision course which will send shockwaves through the remote communities. Compelling drama in a backdrop of flooding, Michelle Prak takes the reader through flooded roads and washed-out generators and menacing strangers who come knocking in the dark. An utterly chilling read with an unexpected twist, this crime novel is hard to put down.' -- <B>Vikki Petraitis, author of <I>The Unbelieved</I></B>
