Book Review No 20: Dark Horse by Honey Brown

Sarah Barnard is not in a good place. Her business has gone bust, her marriage is over and she just can't face Christmas with her parents. So she throws a few essentials together, saddles her horse Tansy and heads for the rugged Mortimer Ranges to spend the Christmas break alone. It is not until she is on the mountain that she realises a massive downpour is on its way and it is only through sheer grit and determination that she makes it to the old bushranger's hut at the top of the mountain. Undergoing renovation it is a very basic shelter, but it is enough to keep Sarah and Tansy safe and dry.

Bunkering down to ride out the rain and accompanying flood, Sarah is beyond startled when a lone man calls out for help in the night. Heath appears normal but there is definitely something about him that makes Sarah uneasy. Why won't he answer any questions about himself? And why is he so far in the middle of nowhere without any hiking gear or food? Sarah and Heath are forced to share the makeshift shelter, but she cannot shake her feeling of unease. But it is only when she realises her carefully hidden gun has been removed that she starts to panic.

Dark Horse takes the reader on an unforgettable ride with surges of adrenalin and nail biting suspense at every corner. Honey Brown skillfully creates a mysterious and dangerous scene - with the worst of natures elements - fog, flooding rain, landslides and an overwhelming sense of gloom. Not only are Sarah and Heath pitted against this unforgiving landscape but also against each other as Sarah's paranoia expands with each passing day.

Having read other reviews I knew there was a twist in the storyline but I still didn't see it coming - so clever is Brown's manipulation of the text. As always it is only after you've read it that you can look back and see the signs, however subtle. You are then taken in another direction completely for the remainder of the book.

The only reason I didn't give this book a five was because I felt the ending fell a little bit flat after the build up of the rest of the book. I understand why the story needed to pan out this way, but I just felt the contrast between the rest of the storyline was too sharp.

Overall though Dark Horse is a fabulous read - a psychological thriller that employs all the senses and kept me turning the pages at a frantic rate.