JUNE 2023 -- OUTBACK NOIR

LYN: FORCE OF NATURE by JANE HARPER (2017)

   This novel follows The Dry, a novel Lyn thoroughly enjoyed.  The federal agent, Falk is again assisting in this mystery.  Five men and five women have been forced to participate in a three day corporate building exercise in the Giralang ranges.  Each group has been given completely different routes to trek through.   The weather is not at all favourable for camping or hiking as the five women set out.  Only four women return. Alice Russell is missing.  Aaron Falk has been communicating with Alice, the whistle blower in his latest case.  Lyn said she enjoyed this book, suspecting one thing after another, but  the solving was not quite as expected.  Lyn is looking forward to enjoying more of her books.

JUDY D:  TAKEN by DINUKA MCKENZIE and WAKE by SHELLEY BURR were Judy's favourites of the five outback noir novels she read. Taken is a gripping and action  packed novel about an infant abduction and Wake is about an unsolved disappearance still haunting a small farming community.  She said they were very good and would recommend them.  She also read EXILES and SURVIVOR by JANE HARPER and TILT by CHRIS HAMMER.  All had twists and Judy enjoyed reading them. 

KRIS:  THE LOST MAN by JANE HARPER (2018)

This is a mystery, a slow burner with a twist. The descriptions help you visualize the great spans of punishing desert sand.  It's the story of the Bright family who have three sons.  They run a very large cattle station in outback Queensland.  The father, who has recently died, was a hard man whose harsh discipline left lasting effects on his sons. The second son, 40yr old  Cameron, is found dead near a grave site in the desert.  The family can't understand how he could die from dehydration when he had a car full of water, food and everything necessary for survival.  Harper draws you in to the story.  It was a great read.

PAMELA: BROKEN SHORE by PETER TEMPLE (2005) 

Joe Cashin, a homicide detective is the main character.  He is on leave after being badly injured whilst trying to catch a criminal.  The other policeman involved died.  Joe's recovery is interrupted when a prominent member of the local community, Charles Bourgoyne, is murdered.  The story is also about family relationships, race and police corruption.  Although there were too many characters to follow, Pamela enjoyed it very much. Peter Temple is a very good author.

TREASURE AND DIRT by CHRIS HAMMER (2021)

PAT:  The story is set in Finnegan's Gap, a small opal mining town.  The body of an opal miner is found in a mine by thieves who pillage the opal mine.  The body has been there sometime.  The main character, Ivan is the detective investigating with a very inexperienced Nell Buchanan. Pat said it was easy to read.  She is only part of the way through but nothing is grabbing her yet.

ROSEMARY  S:  also read this book, the first book in the Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan series.  It is set in the small mining town of Finnegan's Gap. (loosely based on Lightning Ridge)  Lucic has been called in to investigate when a man is found dead in his opal mine. Although the town's population is sparse, there are some big personalities giving Lucic several suspects to choose from.  They are thrown into a world of family drama, religious cults, billionaires and so much more.  Hammer creates the atmosphere of the place brilliantly - the scorching heat, the isolation, remoteness and it's tough and sometimes recalcitrant inhabitants.  Rosemary really enjoyed this book and is looking forward to reading another in this series. Rosemary has inspired Pat to finish the book.

PRUE: THE FALL BETWEEN by DARCY TINDALE (2023)

This is the first novel by Darcy Tindale.  It introduces Rebecca Giles as the detective.  Giles has come back to live with her father in Muswellbrook in the Upper Hunter Valley.  She has solved two cases, one a missing girl and the other a jewellery theft.  Then the body of a young woman is found.  There are great characters in the book such as Sticky Pete.  Prue said it was easy to read and well written.  The descriptions of the bush were good.  She said it was totally different and she thoroughly enjoyed it.

JO:  SIGNAL LOSS by GARRY DISHER

Jo said it was a terrific read about the terrible ICE epidemic.  It's the seventh instalment in Garry Disher's celebrated Peninsula Crime series. 

VAL read THE WAY IT IS NOW by GARRY DISHER and DAY'S END by GARRY DISHER.  She enjoyed both books.

ROSEMARY (2):  SHEPHERD'S HUT by TIM WINTON (2019)

The protagonist, Jaxie lives alone with his alcoholic father as his mother has died of cancer.  When Jaxie returns home one day he find his father has died in an awful accident.  Jaxie runs away as believes he will be blamed for his father's death.  It's a story about poverty in rural Australia, racism and alcoholism.  Jaxie comes  across a defrocked Catholic priest (not for sexual abuse).  They form a strange relationship where they discuss issues of faith.  The outback noir comes into when they see something they should not see and therefore become targets.  It's beautifully written with great "real" characters. 

 JOAN: RETURN TO MOONDILLA by TONY PARSONS

Greg Baxter is a journalist who returns to his childhood home, Moondilla  to write a novel.   He is a successful writer and martial arts expert.  The story is action packed and full of suspense but Joan was not impressed.  She thought the author should stick to his non fiction books.

HELEN:  DENIZEN by JAMES MCKENZIE WATSON

It's a dark, disturbing story about mental illness in rural areas where they don't get the help they need. Nine year old Parker lives on a remote property.  His mother does not access help for fear the town denizen will find out. The story starts with Parker as a grown man and a father, but reverts back to his childhood. It's a challenging read as Parker is an unreliable narrator due to his delusions.  Helen found it an interesting read.

CONNIE:  CANTICLE CREEK by ADRIAN HYLAND

Connie has only read part of this book as she has been unwell.  Adam is a young larrikin from a small town, way out west, called Kulara. After getting into trouble with the law, the senior constable, Jesse Redpath finds him a job and a place to stay with her father. Adam doesn't stay in Kulara and settles in Canticle creek, closer to Melbourne.  When there is a murder in Canticle Creek, Adam is suspected. The senior constable from Kulara does not believe he committed the crime. Connie enjoyed the cultural knowledge used by the constable's Aboriginal offsider to investigate this crime.

JUDY A:  THE HUNTED by GABRIEL BERGMOSER

It started really well.  It was extremely suspenseful.  A service station on a lonely stretch of road in the outback is owned by misfit, Frank. A badly injured woman arrives in a car and chased soon after by a feral mob from a nearby secluded town a la Deliverance.  The suspense and sense of impending violence was almost visceral until it all became just too ridiculous.  

NO TRACE by MICHAEL TRANT was the second book read by Judy. It was the one she liked more. Gabe Ahern, who is a skilled wild dog trapper, is hiding out on his friend's lonely cattle station in outback Western Australia as he is being chased by criminals.  The station provides an authentic outback  experience to city tourists.  An unexpected flood cuts of exit roads and one of the tourists is found dead.  Now you have a locked room mystery in an unusual setting. 

BEV:  SCRUBLANDS by CHRIS HAMMER

It's set in an isolated country town in the middle of a drought. A charismatic and dedicated young priest opens fire on his congregation, killing five parishioners before being shot dead himself.  A reporter arrives in town a year later to write a feature on the anniversary of the tragedy.  He finds local's stories different to stories published the year before. Not all locals want to speak to him because of previous bad  press.  It's a real thriller but it has a happy ending.

TAM:  THE DUCHESS by WENDY HOLDEN

Tam read something completely different which she thoroughly enjoyed.  It's the story  of Wallis Simpson before she married the Prince of Wales.  She came from America to London in 1928.  She was penniless.  She was cold shouldered by the public when she and Edward fell in love as he wanted to give it all up to marry a divorced woman.  It's the Cinderella story. Tam found it very interesting.

DIANN:  BROAD RIVER STATION by FLEUR MCDONALD

It's a constable's first posting in a small country town where her grandmother lives. As a woman she is rejected by the  town.  There is poisoning of a crop field. Everybody knows but nobody told police.  A child goes missing at a farm machinery sale day and the young constable helps to find her.

Kris

 JULY:  We will be reading books by African authors.  Apart from choosing from the list Judy A. has given us, there are quite a few books on our book club shelf.

At the end of our book club session we will be having a "Christmas in July" lunch in memory of Julia. It will be at the cafe next to the library. If you have something red, please wear it on the day.

Sadly, our dear friend and convenor of this book club, Julia Beaver, passed away on 28th May, 2023. Since it's inception, she has missed only one day.  Julia kept everything running smoothly and brought a sense of fun to our book club. We will miss her very much but she will always be in our hearts. Thank you Julia.