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Dead Heat

Georgia Parish was glad to leave behind the damp heat, the bugs and the deadly wilderness of Nulgarra, in Far Northern Queensland. But after a plane crash she finds herself back there, struggling to comprehend a sinister fact - the plane was sabotaged. Who was the intended target? After all, nobody could have a reason to want Georgia dead…

The trail of clues she follows takes her into the heart of the most exotic, colourful and savage landscape on earth. With relentless criminals behind her, she is unaware that something worse lies ahead - a merciless enemy who may know her all too well.

Extract

'Is he in pain?'
'We're giving him morphine. We want to transfer him to the burns unit in Brisbane, but don't want to move him . . . Just yet.'
Georgia was staring at Bri, unable to think of anything else to ask. She was sure thousands of intelligent questions would come to her later, but right now she couldn't think of one.
'I'd better be getting on. Please, call in any time you want.' The nurse touched Georgia's shoulder briefly, then left. Georgia's hands clenched and unclenched at her sides. 'Jesus, Bri.'
'Georgia.' Bri's voice was faint and slightly slurred, barely discernable.
'Bri?' She bent close and smelled the stench of sickness on his breath, but she didn't draw away. She watched his eyelids fluttering. They opened. She tried not to look appalled. There was no white in his eyes at all. They were filled with blood.

'Fuck 'em,' he said. 'They fucked my plane. The fucks.'
A frisson ran through her, as though someone had dropped a skink down the back of her T-shirt.
'What do you mean?'
'Fucked my plane,' he repeated.
Georgia saw that his blood-clotted eyes were engorged with rage.
'Are you saying it was sabotaged?'
'Damn right. Find 'em for me.' Bri made a gasping noise, then, 'Bloody well kill 'em.'
'I don't know if-'
'Georgia!' It was a hiss and Georgia knew that if he could, Bri would be shouting at the top of his voice.
'Promise!'
'Okay, okay.' Her hands were raised and she realised she was drenched in sweat. 'I promise.'

Background

Researching Dead Heat took me deep into the rainforest of Far Northern Queensland, and into crococile country.
   I was in a small tin boat, cruising a river the colour of caramel, when my guide suddenly said, 'Hell,' and hurriedly stuck the boat into reverse. When I asked what was wrong, he said, 'Bull croc. We're a bit bloody close.'
   I remember staring at a tangle of mangrove roots a couple of metres away. I couldn't see anything that resembled a crocodile until he blinked, and then a massive armour-plated form sprang into view. For a second I thought it was two crocodiles he was so big. My heart just about stopped.
   Boat in reverse, we eased ourselves down-river. We were lucky the salt-water croc didn't charge because we wouldn't have stood a chance; he was well over fifteen feet long and must have weighed around half a ton.
   It's great having experiences like this to draw on, because when Georgia comes face-to-face with her first saltie, I know just what's going through her mind: Christ, he's big!

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Reviews

'The best book I have read this year. Atmospheric, gripping, thrilling, compelling. Read it.'
Mystery Women

'This is probably the most consistently exciting thriller I've read this year - and by "consistently" I mean start-to-finish, chapter-by-chapter, don't-let-up thrills and excitement. I loved every minute.'
Crime Time

'Action-packed, intelligent Australian thriller.'
Bookseller

'A full-throttle, pell-mell thriller, packed with incident . . . Dead Heat kicks like a kangaroo.'
Paul Dumont, Ottakar's Verdict Magazine

'It's one terrifying ordeal after another right up to the end of this racy and enjoyable read.'
Sunday Telegraph

'An exciting book and I hardly stopped to take a breath as I raced through it. Carver completely engaged me.'
Mystery News