‘I jump back, curse in rapid fire, and then lean forward and shove the box hard, off the bench, and away from me. It thuds on the floor. Is this a nasty trick?’
Dave Martin is down on his luck: his wife has left him; his farm is a failure; his house is a mess; he has withdrawn from his community and friends; and tragedy has stolen his capacity to care. He passes the time drinking too much and buying cheap tools online, treating the delivered parcels as gifts from people who care about him.
And then boxes begin to arrive in the mail: boxes that he didn’t order, but ones that everyone around him seems to want desperately. As he tries to find out the secret of the boxes, Dave is drawn into a crazy world of red herrings and wrong turns, good guys and bad, false friends and true, violence, lust, fear, revenge, and a lot, lot more. It’s not a world he understands, but is it the only one Dave can live in?
‘Written by a farmer from northern NSW, Boxed brings to life rural Australia and all its characters in a rollicking, and at times heartbreaking, mystery.’
Gail Barnsley, Daily Telegraph
‘[Anderson is] at his best when describing the routines of life on the land ... Anderson’s style makes for easy reading, describing the landscape and probing into Dave’s past in short, unadorned sentences.’
Margot Lloyd, Adelaide Advertiser
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‘Australian author Richard Anderson is a farmer from NSW and his experience of life on the land really shines through in his second rural crime novel Boxed. It's a no nonsense mystery thriller with an interesting premise and fast paced plot … I thoroughly recommend Boxed by Richard Anderson to crime and mystery lovers everywhere.’ FOUR STARS
Tracey Allen, Carpe Librum
‘I love that contemporary issues are woven into this mystery, that there is hope and a wonderful sense of community, that the characters are richly drawn and empathetic and that the mystery element shines brightly. I thoroughly enjoyed this read. Richard Anderson has a talent for storytelling that is mesmerising. I cannot wait to read what he writes next.’
Reading, Writing and Riesling
‘Richard Anderson is fast becoming one of the best crime fiction writers to take on the Aussie Outback ... Boxed is a lot of fun; the characters are great and distinctly Australian, while the place-setting envelopes the reader in a unique rural Australian farming community.’
Just a Guy Who Likes to Read
‘Boxed is original, idiosyncratic, atmospheric and satisfying.’
Pile by the Bed
‘As with Richard Anderson’s earlier book Retribution, Boxed is rural crime fiction of the highest calibre.
Karen Chisolm, AustCrimeFiction
‘[Richard Anderson’s] really at his best when describing the routines of life on the land.’
Margot Lloyd, Mercury
‘A carefully and cleverly plotted crime novel centred around the deeper theme of what it is to endure paralysing loss.’
Andrea Thompson, AustCrime
Praise for Retribution:
‘[A] slow-burning thriller that reads like a neo-Western … vividly captures the vast, rugged landscape and the brutal intensity of the heat in the back country.’
Declan Burke, The Irish Times
Praise for Retribution:
‘Captivating, incredibly well-written … Retribution is a ripping thriller, deeply Australian, and an absolute must-read for all crime fans.’
Better Reading
Praise for Retribution:
‘This powerful novel has thrills and emotions to spare … A genuine discovery and a unique voice.’
Maxim Jakubowski, Crime Time
