In the isolated and drought-stricken South Australian outback, a torrential downpour is about to begin, swamping roads and cutting off towns. Quinn is racing against time to get back to The Pindarry pub. But when she finds the body of an injured man lying on the road, she must stop and help.

The Pindarry’s owners, Andrea and Matt, have sandbagged the pub. Unsettled by the arrival of six bikies, Andrea is pleased when they leave before the storm traps them there. Matt is called to help a flooded neighbour, leaving Andrea alone with their three-year-old son. And then she hears the sound of a motorbike returning.

Four backpackers are fighting tensions of their own. Third-year uni student Hayley is desperate to travel Australia and has dragged unwilling boyfriend, Scott, along. To share the cost, they find two single backpackers to travel with – Livia from Brazil and Joost from the Netherlands. Four strangers, unfamiliar with how to survive in the outback and crammed in a small van – how well do they know each other anyway?

Australia’s outback is both beautiful and frightening in this thrilling read. The torrential rain makes everything worse, but it is not the only threat facing the characters. I read The Rush in a single sitting, loving the twists, tension and atmospheric writing.

Reviewed by Melinda Woledge

FROM THE AUTHOR

About my writing

In one way or another, I have been writing for most of my life.

My father bought me a little red typewriter when I was in primary school and I taught myself to touch type. I wrote a weekly column for my school which was published in the local paper; wrote the school play in year 7; wrote a serialised (overly dramatic) story which was read out almost daily by my teacher. So yes – I had a lot of encouragement at school.

It was suggested that I ask for keys to the book room (a secret privilege) so I could check out novels as easily and frequently as I liked. It was a government school in a low socio-economic suburb of a steel city, so I consider myself very fortunate to have had teachers who supported me in those ways.

MORE ABOUT ME

Fast forward to uni, I studied journalism but quickly learned I didn’t want to be a journalist. I was writing short stories, had one published in Meanjin in ’91, and a few others in various publications which have since become defunct.

With my BA in Journalism, I moved into corporate communications jobs and pushed away any desire to write creatively – instead I was writing media releases, speeches, briefing notes, newsletters, columns, blogs, tweets, you name it. I did join the SA Writers’ Centre Board, to ‘give back’ in a way. I’m still a member (of the now-titled Writers SA) and I love taking part in networking opportunities.

I’m a big fan of the thriller genre, in both novels and TV streaming, and will also regularly dive into the literary genre, especially when it comes to short stories.