A coastal town is evacuated after record floods. Three young police officers are left behind. With a killer.
The small beachside town of Gloster is on the edge of disaster. After constant rain, floodwaters are rising fast.
Detective Constable Craig Watson, exiled to Gloster from Sydney, is a young man with a damaged past and an uncertain future.
Constables Ellie Cameron and Larissa Brookes are young women struggling to show their worth as police officers under a misogynistic sergeant.
The drowning town holds a secret that someone is prepared to murder for, and as the floodwaters cut Gloster off from the world the three young police officers begin to understand that it's not just them left stranded. Somewhere out there in the floodwaters is a killer. And he needs them dead.
Taut, compelling and visceral, John Byrne's Headland announces a major new voice in Australian crime fiction.
Gripping
I honestly finished this book in 7 hours. I struggled to put it foam. It’s not for the faint hearted but it’s so well written, any time I tried to put it down I was left wanting more. I just had to finish it.
Breanna , 22/01/2023
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Beware those who are faint of heart, this book is very dark and gritty! Giving you confronting scenes with drugs and sexual abuse, and a protagonist Detective Constable Craig Watson with a dark past you will wish would just stay in the shadows, you will see the darker side of crime. But with its darkness comes an absolutely gripping story that will have you staying up all night in order to finish. - Jazmin (QBD)
Guest, 01/01/2023
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A gritty, fast paced, dark crime read that will have you on the edge of your seat! Set in a small Australian town Gloster, this is perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn, Adrian McGinty and Steig Larsson - Maylee (QBD)
Guest, 01/01/2023
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Gritty crime novel filled with graphic themes and high suspense. - Zoe (QBD)
Guest, 01/01/2023
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Record floods have left the coastal town of Gloster stranded with all roads in or out cut. Three young police officers are amongst those stuck in Gloster, but what none of them know is that there is another danger out there, far worse than the rising water. A killer is stalking the floodwaters, and Gloster holds secrets worth killing for. - John (QBD)
Guest, 31/12/2022
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A compelling and confronting Aussie crime fiction.
Detective Constable Craig Watson is exiled to the small beachside town of Gloster bringing with him his own demons and damaged past. He joins the ranks of two young female constables trying to prove their worth under a hostile sergeant.
When floodwaters cut off the small town, the 3 young officers are trapped with the murderer they are hunting - Alison (QBD)
Guest, 31/12/2022
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This twisted dark Aussie-noir novel will have you questioning everything. This book is not for the faint hearted, and will have you strapped to your seat. For fans of Gone Girl & Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. - Abbey (QBD)
Guest, 31/12/2022
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Poignant for times with the references to young cops in danger in the line of duty and flooding. Primary protagonist gets banished to rural town of Gloster 3 hours from Sydney. 2 young female cops struggling under a misogynist adult entertainment loving overweight sergeant.Tthe three cops battle flood waters and sexual tension to uncover a sinister murder that the town would rather be washed away. - Kara (QBD)
Guest, 31/12/2022
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A flooded town dreaded in distruction and dispare cutting them off from the rest of NSW.
One murderer using this opportunity to make their horiffic move!
A fight to survive nature and a killer! Who will survive and who will die? - Hollie (QBD)
Guest, 31/12/2022
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Headland is a dark thriller that leaves you racing against time as 3 detectives, trapped in a flooding town, uncover a fatal secret while trying to protect their own. - Paige (QBD)
Guest, 31/12/2022
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Following in the footsteps of Jane Harper and Chris Hammer . . . Byrnes does a fantastic job of turning the relentless downpour into a constant threat. This thriller is pacy and compelling - Karen (QBD)
Guest, 31/12/2022
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Headland is a debut for the author John Byrnes and with the recent tragic event in Queensland where two police officers were brutally murdered,this one may feel to close to home.
The story line is very different to the recent event though and the combination of rising floodwaters following torrential rain also spark rising tension in the small NSW coastal town with a killer on the run,will certainly keep you turning the pages. - Peter (QBD)
Guest, 31/12/2022
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John Byrnes' Australian noir is a new gripping crime fiction release sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats. Following a young Detective, exiled from Sydney readers delve into the small beachside town of Gloster with dark secrets just below the surface. Fantastic for readers of dark crime fiction, and those who love Chris Carter, Gillian Flynn and Stieg Larsson. - Rebecca (QBD)
Guest, 31/12/2022
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A natural disaster cuts off the town of Gloster, leaving three young police officers stranded. Secrets that are better kept hidden are discovered and someone is willing to commit murder to keep them secret. Throughout this thrilling novel, each of the officers faces their own personal struggles that they need to deal with before it is too late.
Coline - Coline (QBD)
Guest, 30/12/2022
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John Byrne's latest entry into the crime-fiction genre is a highly gripping, visceral novel laced with an abundance of twists, turns and heavy thriller elements that are sure to keep audiences eyes glued to each page. - Joshua (QBD)
Guest, 30/12/2022
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From a new voice in Australian crime fiction, “Headland” is a dark masterpiece of a book.
Our three detectives find themselves trapped with a killer in a recently evacuated coastal town. As the floodwaters rise, so too do the stakes. Can they get out alive? - Melissa (QBD)
Guest, 30/12/2022
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A dark, gritty and somewhat confronting crime novel. Three detectives in the small town of Gloster are left stranded when it floods. However there is a killer on the loose hiding a shocking secret and they want these detectives dead. Battling to stay ahead of not only the killer but the extreme weather, these dectectives are going to have to use all their skills to stay alive - Amanda (QBD)
Guest, 30/12/2022
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Begin 2023 with a bang with John Byrnes Headland, a debut Australian crime thriller that is nothing short of compelling. A dark murder mystery that will have you up at night, not only braving the pages but the true grit of an Australian weather event in small town Gloster as Constable Cameron and Brookes fight to survive nature and a killer on the loose. For fans of Chris Hammer and Jane Harper. - Sean (QBD)
Guest, 29/12/2022
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Holy…. This botm is powerful and frantic. Watson is a young, disgraced and drug addicted DC from Sydney sent to a tiny coastal town as penance and lands in the middle of this seemingly dull place. As the flood waters rise so do the tensions until the town is cut off with Watson and his workmates abandoned on the wrong side of the river. Not for the faint hearted, this book is bloody fantastic. - Lucy (QBD)
Guest, 29/12/2022
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As the floodwaters rise, so do the stakes as Detective Craig Watson, exiled to this dismal country outpost – a man with his own skeletons in the closet – and two local policewomen, find themselves at odds with a killer who will stop at nothing to keep his secrets hidden... including murdering the three police officers. Fraught with tension and suspense, HEADLAND is an excellent crime debut - Marc (QBD)
Guest, 29/12/2022
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Another stellar debut into the Australian crime scene, John Byrnes' novel Headland is a book that will keep you guessing.
Set in a small town, our three detectives, all with something to prove, are trapped in due to floods with only one other person, the killer. Wanting all three detectives dead its a race against time to catch the killer and save themselves, if they can...
Absolutely gripping! - Claire (QBD)
Guest, 29/12/2022
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Constable Craig Watson is a flawed cop with questionable ethics and a dark past. He’s been exiled to the small coastal town of Gloster where tensions between the townspeople are rising as fast as the flood waters. A teenager is missing, the local council are embroiled in a scandal and the misogynistic local sergeant has been engaging in illicit activities. As flood waters rise and the town is evacuated, Watson is cut off from the mainland and trapped with a killer. Who will come out alive? Will Craig finally overcome his demons to protect his colleagues and himself? A dark and compelling read from a new voice in Australian crime fiction. - Nola (QBD)
Guest, 29/12/2022
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John Byrnes new Aussie crime fiction is a fast paced and compelling novel.
During a flood the exiled detective and two constables get left alone, stranded in town with a killer who needs them all gone. Byrnes uses the bleak weather and ominous down pour to set a haunting scene in which this game of cat and mouse plays out. - Nicholas (QBD)
Guest, 28/12/2022
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Following in the footsteps of Jane Harper and Chris Hammer, this debut novel from Byrnes is taut, compelling and visceral. Headland follows three constables left alone in a small coastal town destroyed by floods and cut off from the rest of NSW. 3 constables and 1 killer – who will end up dead? - Brittni (QBD)
Guest, 28/12/2022
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The floods move in, the townsfolk move out.
All except 3 young Police officers stranded by rising flood water.
Unbeknown to them, a killer is also still in town and needs them dead. What follows is a gripping tale that ebbs and flows ( just like the flood water )
2 of the Police officers are women, keen to prove themselves to be just as capable as their male colleagues.
Now's their chance. - Peter (QBD)
Guest, 27/12/2022
