When the bones of a teenage boy are discovered on Mount Wingen, Detective Rebecca Giles dives deep into a missing persons case that has haunted her rural town for twenty years . . .
Five went up. Only four came down . . .
In April 2006, fifteen-year-old Oliver went hiking to the lookout on Burning Mountain – and vanished without a trace.
His schoolfriends – Bob, Bell, Phil and Paul – were the last ones to see him on the trek, yet the teenagers were never able to explain his disappearance.
Almost twenty years later, Detective Rebecca Giles is called to bushland on nearby Mount Wingen. There a skull has been dug up, reviving the mystery that has haunted the Upper Hunter area for years.Giles is convinced that they have finally found the missing boy, and that his four friends – all now in their mid-thirties – have always known much more than they revealed. In particular, about the argument that caused Oliver to head down the mountain on his own.
But when she discusses the case with her father, retired Superintendent Benjamin Giles, another suspect is thrown into the mix. One that for Giles is uncomfortably close to home . . .
Burning Mountain by Darcy Tindale is published by Bloodhound Books on 15 April 2026. More details can be found on Amazon, Goodreads and Storygraph. I’m sharing my review today ahead of its release tomorrow.
With thanks to Bloodhound Books for providing a digital copy to read and review.
Darcy Tindale
Darcy Tindale is a dramatic arts teacher, actor, author, theatresports player and director, she has appeared in television commercials, film and on stage. She has written comedy for radio, stage, media personalities, comedians, and theatre restaurants. Her short stories, plays and poems have been published in anthologies, journals, and magazines.
Darcy lives in Sydney Australia and has a BA in Creative Writing. Her first novel The Fall Between was shortlisted for the Davitt Award and Ned Kelly Crime Writing Award for best debut novel. Burning Mountain is her second novel in the Detective Rebecca Giles series.
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My Review
Four Came Down… But the Truth Stayed Behind
There’s something about stories like this that always lingers with me, where one moment changes everything, and no one ever really tells the full truth. And no matter how much time passes, it never quite lets anyone go. Burning Mountain hooked me immediately. Five teenagers walk up a mountain… and only four come back down. No real answers. Just a silence that stretches across years, quietly settling into something heavier.
I think what got to me most was that feeling of knowing there was more to it. That sense that something wasn’t being said – not back then, and not now. It’s not loud or dramatic, but it’s there the whole time, sitting just under the surface, making you question everything.
The story moves between past and present in a way that felt really natural to me. Nothing felt forced or overly complicated, just layers slowly being peeled back. And I actually appreciated that it didn’t rush. It gave the emotions, the guilt, and the tension space to breathe… which somehow made it all feel more real.
Rebecca Giles was such a steady presence at the centre of it all. I liked that she wasn’t overly polished or exaggerated – just quietly determined, following the threads even when they start to hit a little too close to home. And that shift, when things become more personal for her, added a subtle but powerful edge that I wasn’t expecting.
But honestly, it was the atmosphere that stayed with me the most. There’s something about that rural setting – the isolation, the history, the sense that the landscape itself is holding onto something. It felt heavy in the best possible way, like the past was always there, just waiting.
This isn’t a fast, twist-every-chapter kind of thriller. It’s slower, more thoughtful… the kind that creeps up on you rather than shocks you. And I’ll be honest – I didn’t mind that at all. It made everything feel more grounded, more believable, and it stuck with me long after I’d finished. Because at its heart, this isn’t just about what happened on that mountain… it’s about what people carry afterwards. The guilt. The silence. The things left unsaid. And how, eventually, they always find a way back to the surface.
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See About My Reviews and Review FAQ for full star rating explanations and review guidelines. This review may also appear on my social media channels and selected book platforms. All links were correct at the time of publication. DISCLOSURE: I received a review copy of this book from Bloodhound Books. As always, my thoughts are honest and my own. This review is original content. Please credit and link back if you wish to quote.
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