Dark Horse (Brown novel)

Dark Horse (2013) is a crime novel by Australian author Honey Brown. It won the Davitt Award for Best Adult Novel in 2014.

Plot summary
On Christmas Day Sarah Barnard escapes her disapproving parents by taking her trusted but damaged black mare Tansy into the Tasmanian mountains. Trapped by a sudden storm she takes shelter but slowly comes to realise that she is not alone.

Reviews
Karen Chisholm in The Newtown Review of Books cited the novel's suspense as a major attraction: "There are a few authors out there who write books that just about guarantee that sleep will be lost, and lights will be left on for quite some time after finishing them, and as with Brown’s previous work, Dark Horse has this effect. The reader knows that not everything will be as it appears. The worry sets in early and doesn’t let up."

Fiona Hardy, for "Readings" bookshop, found herself unnerved by the book: "You’ll second-guess yourself throughout while reading this, and probably never go camping again."

Awards and nominations

 * 2014 winner Davitt Award – Best Adult Novel