As a group of youths heads out to do some exploring, they are awaited by a disturbed individual in the Australian bush.  The personalities of the kids are somewhat likeable, but we never get to know them as well as we need to in order to root for or against them.  The lack of dialogue in the story leaves the characters flat and indistinguishable from one another.  Miller teases us with some potentially interesting characters but never finishes the job of fleshing them out for the reader.  This results in a level of suspense that rarely reaches a high point.  In addition, I was taken aback at the relationship between the young girl and the six year old boy she takes care of.  Not only does the boy make statements that a six-year-old is incapable of making, but his sexual infatuation with the older girl seems a little far-fetched. And when the girl jokingly touches the boy in the shower, the awkwardness and inappropriateness reached a level that I found uncomfortable.

 

The author does excel in one area, though, and that is why this book is worth taking a look at.  The native land of Australia is compellingly brought to life through series after series of vivid imagery of the landscape and provides the reader with an unmistakable feeling of being where the characters are.  Much like the novels of Tony Hillerman, the setting in which the story takes place becomes a major character in the book and stays with the reader well after finishing the last page.

 

 If you’re looking for vibrant characters and crackling dialogue, you might want to look elsewhere.  But if the setting and place in which a story takes place is what draws you in, Cry The Night is worth a read.