Book cover for Broke Road by Matthew Spencer. Text: A MURDER AT HOME. A COMMUNITY ON EDGE. SOMEONE IS WATCHING

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BROKE ROAD

Broke Road is an unputdownable Australian thriller

A MURDER AT HOME
A COMMUNITY ON EDGE
SOMEONE IS WATCHING

A late-night phone call is never good news for Homicide Detective Sergeant Rose Riley. This time she's being sent up to the Hunter Valley, where a woman has been found dead in her home.

Rose grew up further along the valley. She knows that for every vineyard and golf course resort visited by tourists to the 'wine country' there are as many dilapidated fibro houses and drug dens, in the shadow of one of the state's largest prisons.

A media hound points the finger at the husband, angering Rose but capturing the attention of journalist turned true crime author Adam Bowman. His book on the 'Blue Moon Killer' made him famous but the case nearly cost Rose her life, and she's not sure how she feels about seeing him again.

Suspects abound, from the grieving husband to sinister business interests and suspicious locals. But when new evidence connects the crime to an old case, Rose realises they have no time to lose. The murderer is ready to strike again.

Book Endorsements


'As soon as I'd finished Black River, Spencer's award-winning debut, I was greedy for the next one.

Spencer is a dab hand at the humorous throwaway remark or comparison: there are several laugh out loud--read again--and laugh again moments.

A trail of flame burned these pages as I tore through them. Spencer has a few writerly super powers but one of his strongest is his meticulous police procedural.

When you open a Spencer book, you are not only in safe hands, you are watching a meticulous craftsman at work. I'm happy to call it now. There will be awards.

You are in for a fast intelligent ride on Broke Road. Best buckle up!'

— ALICIA THOMPSON - AUTHOR


'This character-driven whodunit…satisfies'

— KIRKUS REVIEWS


'Spencer is a master of the craft; Broke Road satisfies on every level.'

'Black River showed Spencer's expertise in building a world with familiar surfaces and dark undercurrents. Broke Road is another taut, compelling crime thriller set in a community in transition: wineries in the sunshine, struggling mining towns in the shadows. The suspense builds in each scene as Riley and Bowman try to unlock the secrets behind a brutal slaying.'

— MALCOLM KNOX - AUTHOR


'A great read.'

'Place, pace and brilliantly detailed police procedure. Matthew’s Broke Road has everything you'd want from a crime thriller. Well drawn characters driving an intricate sophisticated plot.'

— MICHAEL BRISSENDEN - AUTHOR


'A tightly plotted, fast moving, beautifully written whodunnit.'

'Broke Road is a real page-turner. I even stayed up late to finish it … and that never happens!'

— JANE CARO - AUTHOR


'Enthralling. Matthew nails it.'

'If you like a good police procedural, you'll love this.'

— CHRIS HAMMER - AUTHOR

Q&A with author Matthew Spencer about his book Broke Road.

DETAILS:
Genre: Crime/Thriller and Mystery Fiction
Publishing Date: 1 July 2025
AU/ NZ Print ISBN: 9781761069208
eBook ISBN: 9781761189166
Publisher: Allen & Unwin | Thomas & Mercer
Page Extent: 400
Format: C-Format Paperback

Also by Matthew Spencer:

Book Cover for Black River by Matthew Spencer. Text: Three brutal murders. A city in fear. The River holds a secret.

THREE BRUTAL MURDERS.
A CITY IN FEAR.
THE RIVER HOLDS THE SECRET.

'A crime thriller that is absolutely not to be missed.'
Hayley Scrivenor

'Sharply plotted and relentlessly paced, it kept me guessing until the last page.'
Michael Robotham

'Dark, gritty, tense, atmospheric. Dash of humour.’
Candice Fox

'Hooked me and wouldn’t let me go'
Tim Ayliffe