Outback Storm

Dry Springs #1

by Suzanne Brandyn

Tiffany Walker has always found solace in the quiet of the outback. Born and raised on her family’s cattle station, she is as much a part of the land as the ancient rocks that dot the landscape. When her mother is shot dead and the police haven’t a suspect, she is left to run the station alone.

Then, like a storm on the horizon, James King, a rugged and mysterious stranger, rides into town on a Harley Davidson, stirring up whispers among the locals. With his dark eyes and brooding presence, he seems out of place in this sunburnt land, yet somehow perfectly suited to it.

Tiffany’s heart skips a beat the moment she lays eyes on him, but she knows better than to trust a stranger who has probably come to town with his own secrets in tow. Despite her reservations, their paths cross repeatedly. Each encounter ignites a spark neither can deny.

As their romance blossoms, whispers of sabotage sweep through the community like wildfire. Another homicide in a town nearby reminds Tiffany of the circumstances surrounding her mother’s death.

Is James connected to the chaos erupting around them? Tiffany is torn between her growing love for him and the need to do her duty.

Will Tiffany and James survive the threats surrounding the town of Dry Springs? And will the fire smouldering between them burn and die, or will it ignite?

172 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 25, 2025

About the author

Welcome to Suzanne's Goodreads page.

If there’s a job to be done in the country, Suzanne Brandyn has done it. From mustering stock in the heat of cattle-country, spotlighting for foxes, shooting a rifle, and navigating through the red dust of the outback, her love of our diverse land, feisty heroines, and the all-important meeting of Mr Right has been delighting readers for years.

You can find out more about Suzanne on her website Romancing The Outback. Romance and Suspense set in remote Australia.

https://suzanne-brandyn.blogspot.com/

Reviews

[Karren Sandercock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tiffany Walker was born and raised on her late grandparent’s cattle station, two years ago her mother Margaret was shot dead and the police haven’t found her killer and they think it was a case of mistaken identity?

Tiffany works two jobs, when she’s away at her “information technology position ” her manager Steven and his wife Heidi run the property and look after her dog and this time she’s home for a month.

Tiffany is at her friend Hannah Little’s produce store, when James King rides into Dry Springs on his Harley, he gets her attention and then he does into the pub.

Tiffany has no idea James was born and raised in town, and she never met him when she was younger because her mum sent her to boarding school and he knows a few of her friends and they keep bumping into each other and the sparks fly.

Around the same time some cattle are slaughtered in paddocks and businesses are broken into and then a lady in a nearby town is killed and it’s has similarities to her mother’s death.

Surly James and his mate Jonathon Meyers or her mysterious neighbour Thomas Midford have nothing to do with the crime spree, and Tiffany doesn’t know who she can trust other than Steve, Heidi and Hannah and everyone has secrets and isn’t telling the truth.

I downloaded a copy of Outback Storm by Suzanne Brandyn using my kindle unlimited membership and it’s the first novel Dry Springs Series.

A narrative about danger, undercover police and solving a crimes, being set in the Australian outback it adds to the eerie feel and the culprits plenty of places to hide and would class this book as a mild thriller.

The only issue I had was in the synopsis Tiffany’s last name is different to what I read in the story and it’s a minor detail, I’m only mentioning it to make other readers aware of this, because I was confused and four stars from me and I’m keen to check out Ms Brandyn’s other novels.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outback Storm is book one in the Dry Spring Series by Suzanne Brandyn. Tiffany Mitchell thought she had the best life. Living on her family farm and still able to work as a detective in the city. However, she wants answers to her mother's murder. When James King and Johnathon Myers came into town after another local woman was murdered, strange things began happening in Dry Spring, which made Tiffany Mitchell start thinking: Is there a more compelling reason why James King and Johnathon Myers are in town so soon after the issues began? Readers of Outback Storm will continue to follow Tiffany Mitchell to discover what happens next.

Outback Storm kept up the tradition of engaging me with her stories and characters. The way Suzanne Brandyn incorporated the twists and turns into the book's plot also kept me from putting it down until the end. I love Suzanne Brandyn's writing style, which brings rural Australian life and the beauty of the Australian countryside to life for me.

I love Suzanne Brandyn's portrayal of her characters and the way they intertwine throughout this book. Outback Storm was well written and well researched by Suzanne Brandyn. I like Suzanne Brandyn's description of the Outback Storm setting, which helped me imagine being part of the book's plot.

Thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I recommend this book.

[Tam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars. I loved this first book in the series Dry Springs.

The beginning hooked me and I couldn’t put it down. The writing is catchy, natural and easy to understand. No big words which snag a reader to take a break and look it up.

The characters, Tiffany Walker and James King are well suited although one wouldn’t think so at the beginning of the novel.

I can’t wait for book two and what Suzanne will bring to the table but I guess it’ll be a few months. Until then I’m reading one of her recent novels again, Outback Family. Can't get enough.