Evelyn Palmer

CLARKE : A WELL CRAFTED MURDER MYSTERY

[usr 3]

Holly Throsby’s CLARKE is an engaging and perceptive contemporary story based in rural Australia in 1991, with a mystery that carries the novel forward. The characters, both the main and peripheral, are well rounded, so that you move back and forth effortlessly, to try and discover ‘who did it’. There is more than one question and secret to be answered in the small country town of Clarke.

The book begins rather like the podcast ’Teachers Pet’ (Lynette Dawson’s disappearance/murder)  with police coming to dig up the backyard of Barney Clarke.  All the local characters are quietly introduced and all have theories about the missing woman, as well as other puzzles and their own mysteries that need solving. 

Overall, the book is not as ‘special’ as the blurb promises but it is a very pleasant holiday read. As life and lives in a small community become exposed, CLARKE will keep you involved till the last page. 

Published by Evelyn Palmer

Evelyn's passion for all the arts began when her parents took her to a wonderful performance of the Opera 'Carmen' at J C Williamson Theatre in Newtown circa 1965. The music, singing, costumes and sets were mesmerising. This led to her subscribing annually to the youth series of Opera, evening camping out in William St Kings Cross to get the 'best' seats. She enjoys classical music and subscribes to the ABC orchestral concerts. Being a sentimentalist, she even took over the seats her late parents held since 1973, when the Opera House opened. She also loves the theatre, having variously subscribed to the STC and Belvoir (called the Nimrod Theatre back then) since her university days. For the past 30 years she has had a subscription to the Ensemble Theatre, organising group bookings for about 40 similarly passionate theatre goers. Apart from enjoying and attending all types of live performances, be it drama or stage musicals, getting immersed into the movies is another delightful pastime. She volunteers annually at the Sydney Film Festival (SFF) and watches all genres, except fantasy. She recalls spending entire weekends at the SFF when it was held at the Wintergarten Cinema in Rose Bay (until its closure in 1987). Having almost retired from teaching, she now has more time to revel in all of the above pursuits.