It is 1987 and Peter Clancy, hard drinking Melbourne Truth journalist, returns to his home town to settle his mother’s estate. Peter’s two-day visit to Clarke’s Flat stretches to eight as he is unwillingly drawn into the sinister secrets of this outback Queensland town.
It is 1987 and Peter Clancy, hard drinking Melbourne Truth journalist, returns to his home town to settle his mother's estate. Peter's two-day visit to Clarke's Flat stretches to eight as he is unwillingly drawn into the sinister secrets of this outback Queensland town.Peter's childhood best mate Dave Tindall is now a police constable in Clarke's Flat. With Aboriginal Sam Saturday, an erstwhile stockman on the former Clancy cattle station, Dave convinces Peter to help him prove the 1960s 'suicides' of Dave's father and another man were, in truth, murders.Peter's quest for evidence stirs up more than he bargained for - including his own shameful past.Will Peter Clancy succumb to despair and bolt, or will he expose Clarke's Flat sins and despotism, and claim his own redemption.
Peter Clancy is an amalgam of characters from crime fiction and film noir - a world-weary type.
Very definitely earning place in the genre of murder-mystery writing.
Homecountry is as droll, sarcastic, funny and boozed up as the outback it's set in. An enjoyable read that features realistic, classic Australian characters.
The genius of Lawless lies with his ability to create a disturbingly real setting for the novel whilst maintaining consistent, well-rounded fictional characters.
As a debut novel, HOMECOUNTRY is well written, with strong storytelling, particularly when you consider that the central character is just a bit ambiguous.
