Text Publishing, 2024. ISBN: 9781922790699. (Age:15+ - Adult) Recommended.
Following The long game and Wild card comes another mystery featuring Detective Sergeant Zoe Mayer and her fabulous service dog Harry. When they are called to Mount Macedon to investigate the murder of Piers Johnson, an alleged fraudster, they find another body, that of Antony Peterson, his lawyer. At first glance it looks like a murder/suicide but the evidence does not stack up and Zoe and her new side-kick Ben need to investigate all the suspects who have lost large amounts of money investing in Peterson’s activities.
This is an gripping police procedural mystery, with Zoe and Ben systematically following up on the murder suspects with interviews and phone tapping. The relationship between Zoe and Ben is initially strained and it is interesting to see it develop as the case reaches its stunning and for me, unexpected climax. As the title The good dog suggests, Harry is the star of the novel, with his scenting skills leading him to a body and a kidnapping victim and dog lovers will love this aspect of the novel. He also provides solace to others in distress as well as warning Zoe of impending drones and helicopters, helping her to control her post traumatic stress. The setting of Mount Macedon and its surrounds as well as Melbourne’s suburbs and nods to private schools will be familiar to many readers and will have others looking up place names and countryside.
With multiple suspects, red herrings and twists and turns, The good dog is a page turner that many readers will want to read in one or two sittings as I did. It is an easy to read, engrossing story and I hope that I see more novels featuring Zoe and Harry.
Themes Mystery, Detectives, Service dogs, Murder.
Pat Pledger
Wild card by Simon Rowell
Text Publishing, 2023. ISBN: 9781922458728. (Age:Adult - Senior secondary) Recommended.
Detective Zoe Mayer and her service dog Harry (The long game) return in another compelling Australian rural crime novel. Zoe is sent off to Echuca where a body of a local bikie, Freddie Jones, has been found on the banks of the Murray River. Faced with little information and a cop in Moama across the river who seems to be cooperating with the bikies and local drug dealers, Zoe makes little progress until a second body is found, this time in a pit with a tiger snake. As she and her team slowly uncover what is going on, events begin to become more dangerous.
This was a suspenseful and gripping read that had me reading it in a couple of sittings. Zoe still needs her faithful service dog to keep her upright when she hears helicopters and drones, but she is determined to follow police procedures to work out who is murdering the local crime lords.
The setting of Echuca and Moama and the Murray River will be familiar to many Australian readers who will follow the story of local drug dealers and bikies with interest. And the clues about the card left on a body and the title Wild Card are intriguing too.
Readers who enjoy the setting of the Murray River in Wild Card are sure to want to pick up The tilt by Chris Hammer and fans of rural noir by Jane Harper and Garry Disher will have another author to enjoy.
Themes Rural noir, Crime, Detectives, Service dogs.
Pat Pledger
The long game by Simon Rowell
Text Publishing, 2021. ISBN: 9781922330710. (Age:Adult - Senior secondary) Recommended.
If you are after an easy-to-read and compelling mystery, then The long game may just be the book for you. Detective Sergeant Zoe Mayer has returned from leave only to be thrust into a murder case. A local man, Ray Carlson, has been found dead, a kitchen knife in his chest. With her partner Charlie Shaw, she chases up all the obvious clues and makes an arrest, but her intuition and desire for the truth makes her delve deeper into the case and possible connections.
Rowell has cleverly twined two mysteries together and both kept me reading to the end. Not only is there the mystery of who killed Ray Carlson, but the information about the trauma that sent Zoe off on leave left the reader wondering what happened, and why she returned with a service dog, Harry, to help her get through the day.
Zoe is a determined and very organised detective, who is not prepared to take the easy way out and convict the most obvious suspect. She wants answers to questions and her quest for the truth makes for compelling reading as she follows up on her suspicions, even though she is not supported by other detectives in her unit. There are lots of twists and turns and some surprises as she hunts down the killer, going into danger with no back-up.
It was fascinating to read about the role of a service dog in helping a person overcome anxiety and Harry features as a main character, obedient, intelligent, and heroic. He also provides some clues as to the veracity of some of the emotions of witnesses and dog lovers are sure to appreciate this aspect of the novel.
Lovers of Australian mysteries like Kill shot by Garry Disher and Scrublands by Chris Hammer will appreciate the setting of the Mornington Peninsula and Melbourne, and hope that Zoe and her service dog Harry, appear in another novel.
