The Redline by Adrian Hyland

The Redline is the third in Adrian Hyland’s Australian regional crime series featuring Sergeant Jesse Redpath. The books are is set in a group of small towns in the fictional Windmark Ranges, a few hours drive from the centre of Melbourne. This entry is named after a local road that has earned the nickname “the redline” due to the drivers who redline their cars while speeding along it.

After an introduction which involves local hoons Dane and Cody Perry being apprehended on the Redline, the action moves forward a few months (Cody is now out of jail), to a community event at the local resort Mineral Springs. Jesse Redpath is attending but her day is turned upside down when she allows her constable Lance Cunningham to go alone to investigate hoons on the Redline and he is later found dead in an apparent accident. Only Jesse realises quickly that this was not an accident. She becomes part of an investigation into the death which becomes complicated by rumours of a wild boy in the bush who is called Anarchy by the locals, a couple of security contractors and a string of cold cases involving people going missing in the Ranges that may be connected.

Hyland once again shows his deep understanding of this landscape and the people who live in it. The plot brings up a range of issues from wildlife smuggling, to the growth of luxury resorts to the despoliation of the landscape by mining. But the whole enterprise is once again effectively built around the character of Jesse Redpath – a tough as nails, intuitive investigator with some well-honed tracking skills and a heart of gold. She is ably supported by some great recurring and new side characters – particularly homicide detective Eddy Vuong, tech expert and sometimes loose cannon.

With all of these elements in place, The Redline is yet another engaging piece of regional crime fiction from Hyland. It is the third book in a series (following Canticle Creek and The Wiregrass) and while it is always better to read them in order could easily be read as a standalone or entrée into the world of Jesse Redpath.

The Redline by Adrian Hyland

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8.0/10