The Chasm by Bronwyn Hall is a thoroughly enjoyable Aussie crime read woven with an enticing romance that by the end had me on the edge of my seat.

Locum vet Andy King arrives in the small town of Taplin in Victoria’s rugged mountain country to help a friend in his vet practice. She’s familiar with the area as she grew up in a neighbouring town, Stonefield, but had to flee 10 years ago when her boyfriend, Will, went missing and she was suspected by most townspeople of being involved. All is going well until word gets out, she’s back and long held secrets of the past come back to haunt her.

While this starts out at a meandering pace, I enjoyed getting to know the character of Andy particularly through her work as a vet which highlighted her caring nature with her interactions with both the 4 legged and 2 legged residents. And then second half of the book, turns into a full-blown action thriller that had me hooked. I was also really invested in the charming romance thread between Andy and local lad Ethan which I think added an extra layer of emotional depth to the heart pumping thrills.

All in all, I highly recommend The Chasm to any Aussie crime fans out there and look forward to reading more from this author.