An ill wind by Margaret Hickey

Hickey grabs the reader’s attention with a dramatic opening of a body hanging from the blade of a giant wind turbine, in this engrossing rural noir set in the small Victorian town of Carrabeen. Detective Sergeants Belinda Burney and Will Lovell are called to the scene and discover that it is prominent local man, Geordie Pritchard, who owned the wind farm where 300 wind turbines spun constantly. The town is divided with differing opinions about the wind farm, some believe that it will help reach environmental targets, while others believe that the land should be left for grazing. One woman believes that the turbines cause cancer. When Lucinda Pritchard insists that it was murder not suicide, with death threats to back up her opinion, the police begin an investigation. Did someone in the district want Geordie dead? How did his body get onto the blade?

This is a well-crafted mystery with a topical setting of wind farms, homelessness and class and wealth divide. Hickey pulls the reader into the mystery as detectives from Ballarat are brought in, needing the knowledge that Belinda has of the local community. She is also investigating minor thefts at the local high school and caring for her irascible father, who still holds sway in the town. Belinda and Will’s caring relationship for each other is a highlight of the story as the pair’s trust in each other helps the investigation along. Other characters are engaging and the reader gets to know them, their backgrounds and personalities.

Red herrings are strewn throughout the book, keeping the reader engrossed until the stunning conclusion. Readers who have enjoyed the work of Garry Disher, Jane Harper and Chris Hammer will want to sample this and other books by Margaret Hickey.

Themes: Murder, Detectives, Country life - Australia, Wind farms.

Pat Pledger