Author pic : Lauren Williams
Throw in a physically and psychologically abusive husband, the honourable Harry Somerton, and then add to that a narrative that is witty, clever, dark and heartbreaking, plus then add, even cosy, even if your ‘cosy’ comes with teeth, you settle into an absorbing tale that’s a treat for lovers of Australian crime fiction.
It has the markers of a well plotted police procedural, something like you find with the film Hot Fuzz, the warmth of the Thursday Murder Club, and the black humour and nuanced family dynamics of the TV series Bad Sisters. Its a timely when our “news” is filled and fuelled by articles about family violence and police incompetence, and at times, complicitious when it comes to protecting women. It is without a doubt one of the best debut crime novels I have ever read.
On a suburban street in the northern enclaves of Melbourne, an early morning dog Walker stumbles across a body. Its a familiar set up, but the execution of this rather novel discovery is anything but conventional. For starters, Curlew Street isn’t just any suburban street. Behind the scarecrows decorating the frontyards of the houses, there are decades of petty grievances, personal vendettas, and closely guarded secrets. The scarecrows are part of the street’s 27th annual scarecrow decorations. The residents of Curlew Street have never seen an entry like this one—shirt bloody, head and arms slumped over a scarecrow crucifix, the body is of Victoria’s most conservative Supreme Court judge, Harry ‘the Pope’ Somerton.
But what seems like an open and shut case for Detective Sergeant Priyanka Pal becomes anything but when she discovers that evidence is being tampered with. She begins to suspect that the Pope’s corruption extends far beyond the domestic spheres. Priyanka, a former psychologist turned homicide detective uncovers corruption close to home. Forced to confront the abuses of powerful men-the very reason she left psychology- her faith in the justice system falters. When she interviews the Pope’s wife, things start to smell. Emma Bloom is sophisticated, intelligent, and seems to have it all. But her prickly, estranged sister, Margo, knows the truth. Their attempts at reconciliation spirals into crises with thr death of Emma’s abusive husband, the Pope. The in-laws have been staging unsuccessful interventions to get Emma, his wife, to leave him.
The same in-laws who live just a few doors down from where Harry’s mutilated body is found. As secrets unravel and Priyanka’s investigation cuts close to home, the sisters risk losing what fragile family ties they have left, and Priyanka’s care is on the edge.
Lauren William’s narrative makes for a compulsive crime thriller that opens with a bang and delivers a series of shocking twists with a side of dark humour and a stunning revelation that I did not see coming. Our author is fresh and confident and talented, appealing to those readers craving something bold and unpredictable for lovers of this genre. Its a stylishly written thriller whose opening hook is a magnet for the rest of the book. Its so fast-paced, a fun story with real characters. Looking forward to her next triumph.
Lauren Williams’ novel NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH is published by Simon Schuster Australia.
