Marina Maxwell
  • Home
  • MMMusings
  • Blogs
  • About Me
  • My Books
  • Book Reviews
  • FAMILY TALES

Reviews

Categories

All


I read and review both historical fiction and non-fiction, but also enjoy biographies, crime and some contemporary fiction.
​ 

Please note that unless stated that I have received these books directly from the publisher or author in exchange for an honest review, I either purchase my own copies or source them from my local library service. 

​Links to Amazon, Book Depository or Dymocks Australia are only for the reader's reference.
(Due to some poor experiences recently with Booktopia, from 2023 I will no longer link to them.)

My reviews for Historical Novels Review, the magazine of the Historical Novel Society, can be found online here
​

The Night Whistler

18/10/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture

Although this book is categorised as crime fiction, it also qualifies as historical fiction, being set in Northern New South Wales in the mid-1960s.

Hal is twelve years old and, while wandering around the bush outside the town of Moorabool with his younger brother Evan, comes across a German Shepherd that has been brutally killed and dumped in a drum. The boys remove the animal and try to give it a decent burial. Although disturbed by the discovery, being a fan of Sherlock Holmes, Hal decides to investigate. Could it be connected to the nearby sinister “Highway Palace”, an abandoned caravan with a dark history?

The owner of the dog is Mick Goodenough (pronounced Good-No), a detective recently exiled from Sydney and demoted to probationary constable in the rural town. When he discovers the burial, he recognises the warning signs of a potentially dangerous psychopath on the loose. But he is up against the convoluted undercurrents of life in a small town including adultery, corruption, racism and even apathy.

Apart from Hal and Mick, these are an interesting range of characters. There’s the local power couple, the Curios, who have ambitious and ruthless plans for land development. The police sergeant Bradley may be in their pocket and Hal’s parents’ marriage is under stress. While her husband is away, Hal's mother starts receiving menacing phone calls from someone who whistles the Elvis tune, "Are you Lonesome Tonight?" Could he also be the perpetrator of the killings?

As things escalate at a terrifying rate, narrow-mindedness and prejudice sees the finger immediately pointed at the Aboriginal community without due diligence of the facts. Mick has his work cut out for him proving the truth, while Hal’s youthful enterprise and intelligence is a refreshing twist on the usual stock investigative characters.

This book must come with a warning as there is graphic violence with both animal and human torture that some readers may find hard to take, but its plotting, authentic dialogue and Australian country atmosphere can’t be faulted.

Four stars.

With thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC.

(Not on sale in the USA until 2021.)


 
Booktopia

Amazon.com.au

​

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Categories

    All

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    October 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015

    See
    Historical Novel Society
    ​
    for my reviews of historical fiction
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • MMMusings
  • Blogs
  • About Me
  • My Books
  • Book Reviews
  • FAMILY TALES