Among the Grey Gums
Paula J. Beavan
Reviewed by Helen
I love a good Australian historical and Paula J Beavan has not disappointed, this is her second book and it is absolutely brilliant, I loved the characters, the setting the author has taken me back to this time in history with a true telling of how it was and how a woman runs a bullock team, life is hard but Lucy Stewart never gives in, come along and meet her and the wonderful characters, good and bad, this one was very hard to put down.
It is 1842 in The Hunter and Lucy Stewart and her young brother in law Joe are working hard to make ends meet with their bullock team and dray and then life turns upside down when young Joe is accused of murder, Lucy knows he is innocent and will go to any lengths to prove it.
Constable Sam Donovan is sent to the area to investigate the bushrangers known as the Smokey gang, who have been operating for a couple of years now and the local constabulary have no clues as to who they are, when he arrives what he finds is a young man being held on murder charges and some dubious men unloading a dray and a woman who says that it is her property.
Sam is convinced young Joe is innocent and that there is more going on here than first thought, he and Lucy are soon working as a team to uncover the truth to save Joe from the hangman’s noose but soon are sure that the Smokey Gang are somehow connected, danger lurks at every turn and with the gang after Lucy now Sam is determined to keep Lucy safe.
Lucy has secrets that her and Joe must keep to themselves she also finds it very hard to trust, but as her and Sam are spending a lot more time together getting to the bottom of what is going on, maybe it is time to tell him and learn to trust, and what they uncover will shock them cover-ups, corruption and so much more but will they find love and happiness along the way? Will they uncover the Smokey Gang?
This is such an awesome story I loved it so much, Lucy is such a strong determined woman and Sam how fabulous is he and then there is Joe the boy man with the kind heart and then animals that also add so much to the story, the bullocks, Ramses the horse, Splinter the dog.
Paula J. Beavan is one of my favourite authors now with two fabulous books and I do look forward to many more to come, I highly recommend this one, it is a must read for any lovers of a good Australian historical that has mystery, crime a fabulous setting and romance as well, the ending is awesome.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy to read and review
It is 1842 in The Hunter and Lucy Stewart and her young brother in law Joe are working hard to make ends meet with their bullock team and dray and then life turns upside down when young Joe is accused of murder, Lucy knows he is innocent and will go to any lengths to prove it.
Constable Sam Donovan is sent to the area to investigate the bushrangers known as the Smokey gang, who have been operating for a couple of years now and the local constabulary have no clues as to who they are, when he arrives what he finds is a young man being held on murder charges and some dubious men unloading a dray and a woman who says that it is her property.
Sam is convinced young Joe is innocent and that there is more going on here than first thought, he and Lucy are soon working as a team to uncover the truth to save Joe from the hangman’s noose but soon are sure that the Smokey Gang are somehow connected, danger lurks at every turn and with the gang after Lucy now Sam is determined to keep Lucy safe.
Lucy has secrets that her and Joe must keep to themselves she also finds it very hard to trust, but as her and Sam are spending a lot more time together getting to the bottom of what is going on, maybe it is time to tell him and learn to trust, and what they uncover will shock them cover-ups, corruption and so much more but will they find love and happiness along the way? Will they uncover the Smokey Gang?
This is such an awesome story I loved it so much, Lucy is such a strong determined woman and Sam how fabulous is he and then there is Joe the boy man with the kind heart and then animals that also add so much to the story, the bullocks, Ramses the horse, Splinter the dog.
Paula J. Beavan is one of my favourite authors now with two fabulous books and I do look forward to many more to come, I highly recommend this one, it is a must read for any lovers of a good Australian historical that has mystery, crime a fabulous setting and romance as well, the ending is awesome.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy to read and review
5 stars
June 5, 2024 by HQ Fiction
