Jeff Popple recommends three enjoyable Australian books for the summer holidays. More of Jeff’s reviews can be found on his blog: murdermayhemandlongdogs.com
Day’s End by Garry Disher
Text, $32.99
Few, if any, authors do outback crime as well as Garry Disher. The first three novels in his series about struggling South Australian rural policeman Constable Paul ‘Hirsch’ Hirschhausen were superb and the latest entry, Day’s End, is just as good. Set during the final phase of the pandemic, it finds Hirsch caught up in a number of cases, including a missing backpacker, right wing extremism and social media crime. Things quickly mount and the book smoothly moves to a tense and exciting climax. Well written and very powerful, Day’s End once more confirms Disher’s place as the master of outback noir.
The Butterfly Collector by Tea Cooper
HQ, $32.99
Those who enjoy historical fiction with a touch of mystery will appreciate Tea Cooper’s latest novel, The Butterfly Collector. Skilfully moving between Sydney in 1922 and Morpeth, near Maitland, in 1868, it follows two determined women who are linked by a rare butterfly and a mystery 50 years in the making. This is a very engaging read. Cooper has a fine gift for merging historical fact and fiction, and is able to create a credible, richly imagined world that draws readers in. The characters are well crafted, and the book moves along at a good pace. An enjoyable piece of holiday escapism.
Boundary Crossers by Meg Foster
Newsouth, $34.99
Readers who are after something a little different will be informed and entertained by Meg Foster’s Boundary Crossers. Drawing on a rich array of sources, Foster challenges many of our perceptions about Australian bushrangers. She articulately turns the focus away from famous figures such as Ned Kelly and Captain Thunderbolt, to look at those bushrangers who did not fit the popular folk hero mould of being white and male. With considerable investigative skill, Foster rescues now forgotten figures, such as Chinese bushranger Sam Poo and Aboriginal man Jimmy Governor, from obscurity and places them in a vivid historical context. Fascinating.
