What do you think?
Rate this book
Frank Swann #1
Line of Sight
When a brothel madam is shot on a Perth golf course in 1975 it should be a routine murder enquiry. But it isn't. In fact there's barely an investigation at all, and Superintendent Swann thinks he knows why. Heroin is the new drug in town and the money is finding its way into some very respectable hands.
It's the brave or the foolish who accuse their fellow cops of corruption, and sometimes not even Swann is sure which he is. Especially when those he's pointing the finger at have mates in every stronghold of power in the state – big business, organised crime, the government. He might have won the first round by forcing a royal commission, but the judge is an ailing patsy and the outcome seems predetermined. If that's not enough to contend with, Swann's teenage daughter has disappeared, he doesn't know whether she's alive or not, and the word on the street is he's a dead man walking.
Line of Sight is classic crime noir, a tale of dark corruption set in a city of sun and heat.
It's the brave or the foolish who accuse their fellow cops of corruption, and sometimes not even Swann is sure which he is. Especially when those he's pointing the finger at have mates in every stronghold of power in the state – big business, organised crime, the government. He might have won the first round by forcing a royal commission, but the judge is an ailing patsy and the outcome seems predetermined. If that's not enough to contend with, Swann's teenage daughter has disappeared, he doesn't know whether she's alive or not, and the word on the street is he's a dead man walking.
Line of Sight is classic crime noir, a tale of dark corruption set in a city of sun and heat.
251 pages, Paperback
First published August 25, 2010
9 people are currently reading
178 people want to read
About the author
David Whish-Wilson
20Ìýbooks83ÌýfollowersDavid Whish-Wilson is the author of ten novels and three creative non-fiction books. He was born in Newcastle, NSW but raised in Singapore, Victoria and WA. He left Australia aged eighteen to live for a decade in Europe, Africa and Asia, where he worked as a barman, actor, streetseller, petty criminal, labourer, exterminator, factory worker, gardener, clerk, travel agent, teacher and drug trial guinea pig.
David is the author of four novels in the Frank Swann crime series and two in the Lee Southern series, two of which have been shortlisted for Ned Kelly Awards. David wrote the Perth book in the NewSouth Books city series, which was shortlisted for a WA Premier’s Book Award.
He currently lives in Fremantle, WA, with his partner and three kids, and teaches creative writing at Curtin University
David also teaches in the prison system in Perth and previously in Fiji, where he started the countries first prisoner writing program.
He currently lives in Fremantle, Western Australia with his partner and three kids, where he teaches creative writing at Curtin University.
David is the author of four novels in the Frank Swann crime series and two in the Lee Southern series, two of which have been shortlisted for Ned Kelly Awards. David wrote the Perth book in the NewSouth Books city series, which was shortlisted for a WA Premier’s Book Award.
He currently lives in Fremantle, WA, with his partner and three kids, and teaches creative writing at Curtin University
David also teaches in the prison system in Perth and previously in Fiji, where he started the countries first prisoner writing program.
He currently lives in Fremantle, Western Australia with his partner and three kids, where he teaches creative writing at Curtin University.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
October 25, 2016
In a state where police are mob and honesty is a foreign concept, murdered prostitute/Madame, Ruby Devine, provokes moral outrage from an honest cop. Something that should have been swept under the rug of ill justice turns Royal Commission. For Swann, an outcast of the force he once gave his all, the mere suggestion of corruption provokes a series of events which leave him fearing for his life and those he holds dear.
The disappearance of Swann's daughter coupled the murder investigation (or lack thereof) of brothel Madame Ruby Devine proves to be more sinister with rumors of the police being responsible for both incidents. Swann, portrayed as the epitome of justice in Australia's 1970's version of the Wild West, battles professional and personal conflicts on all fronts as he seeks justice.
Author David Whish-Wilson does a great job at fusing the two dynamics into a single, distinctly underworld crime that captures the period perfectly, casting a darker shade of noir without remorse on 1970's Western Australia.
Despite assistance from some acquaintances, Swann acts as a lone wolf seeking answers where many find blood and ill fated half truths. His persistence, and underdog status captures the reader's imagination and heart. You can't help but barrack for this guy. Adding to the seemingly helpless crusade, Whish-Wilson creates layers of depth to the protagonist by establishing a less than perfect family life, unethical yet justified policing in prior posts (Kalgoorlie), and damning character traits that serve to prove Swann's humanity more so than highlighting any inadequacies.
LINE OF SIGHT is as noir as Australian fiction gets. While the bleak plot leaves little room for the Hollywood sunshine and rainbows ending, it does promote a realism that's hard to swallow - such is life. Prostitution, murder, corruption (political and police), drugs, scams, and organised crime formulate the backbone of the story, yet the characters carry the load and are bound to remain embedded in my mind for a time to come.
This review also appears on my blog:
The disappearance of Swann's daughter coupled the murder investigation (or lack thereof) of brothel Madame Ruby Devine proves to be more sinister with rumors of the police being responsible for both incidents. Swann, portrayed as the epitome of justice in Australia's 1970's version of the Wild West, battles professional and personal conflicts on all fronts as he seeks justice.
Author David Whish-Wilson does a great job at fusing the two dynamics into a single, distinctly underworld crime that captures the period perfectly, casting a darker shade of noir without remorse on 1970's Western Australia.
Despite assistance from some acquaintances, Swann acts as a lone wolf seeking answers where many find blood and ill fated half truths. His persistence, and underdog status captures the reader's imagination and heart. You can't help but barrack for this guy. Adding to the seemingly helpless crusade, Whish-Wilson creates layers of depth to the protagonist by establishing a less than perfect family life, unethical yet justified policing in prior posts (Kalgoorlie), and damning character traits that serve to prove Swann's humanity more so than highlighting any inadequacies.
LINE OF SIGHT is as noir as Australian fiction gets. While the bleak plot leaves little room for the Hollywood sunshine and rainbows ending, it does promote a realism that's hard to swallow - such is life. Prostitution, murder, corruption (political and police), drugs, scams, and organised crime formulate the backbone of the story, yet the characters carry the load and are bound to remain embedded in my mind for a time to come.
This review also appears on my blog:
August 29, 2013
Superintendent Frank Swann is a whistleblower on his own kind, the lowest of the low. He has provided information about corrupt police in Western Australia in the 1970′s and now there is a royal commission into his allegations. When brothel owner Ruby Devine is murdered execution style on a golf course, shot four times in the head, Swann knows that it was most likely a copper or someone paid by one who carried out the hit. Ruby knew things and in silencing her, they send a message to those like her.
Swann’s eldest daughter Louise has been missing and Ruby was one of the last people to see her before she vanished completely. Now that Ruby is gone, Swann has hit a dead end in searching for her but he still continues to dig, to send out flyers, hoping for something. Rumour has it that someone was at Ruby’s house the night she was killed…and that someone might know something. If Swann can find that person he might be able to not only finally be able to name Ruby’s killer but also hopefully, find his daughter. If she hasn’t been used as a way to punish him for speaking out.
Judge Harold Partridge from Victoria is in charge of hearing the royal commission and it’s fired a challenge in his blood. Despite being asked by the Premier to step down, he has refused. He knows that this royal commission’s outcome has already been decided by those in power here in this state that is so far removed from the east coast. But that doesn’t stop him staging his own little investigation. He’s impressed by Swann and not easily taken in by the other witnesses attempts to discredit him and his psychological state. Although Partridge could see this done and go home back to his wife and forget about it, he chooses not to, even though that decision places his health at risk.
And then there’s the shooter, in town to murder a cop. But which one?
Line of Sight is the first book from Australian author David Whish-Wilson revolving around Superintendent Frank Swann of the Western Australia police. It’s set in the 1970′s, during a time of corruption in the police force. Swann has blown the whistle on illegal doings revolving around certain detectives that include taking protection money from brothel owners, organising crimes from armed robbery up to the importation of illegal drugs from Asia and all sorts of taxation offences. Many wives of the detectives accused have large property portfolios in their wives names, the worth of which far exceeds any police salary. The corruption goes all the way to the top – the Premier, the Minster (a former police officer himself) etc are all involved or at least possess knowledge of the activities. I received the author’s most recent novel, Zero At The Bone for review from the publisher but was reluctant to read it until I had been able to read this one as it also revolves around Swann. Fortunately the publisher was able to accommodate my request and I was able to read this one and get to know Swann and his background and the events that will lead to him being in the position he is at the beginning of Zero At The Bone.
Being one to blow the whistle on illegal doings, one might assume that Swann is the ‘good guy’ and in a way he is but that’s not to say he’s innocent of any wrong-doing himself. Swann’s father-in-law was a policeman and saw the potential in Swann, who had been raised by a petty-criminal stepfather who beat him and often forced him to work for him. He kept Swann informed of the ‘purple circle’ of untouchable police officers and made sure that Swann would come to him if ever forced to do anything he didn’t want to. Swann was from the old school of policework where roughing up suspects was not uncommon and probably even expected. Swann talks of ‘breaking’ informants, reducing them down to nothing by fists or threats until they crack and spill what he wants to hear and he owns them. He’s very tough but in this novel he’s also broken himself. He’s isolated from his family, sleeping in a cheap motel with a hand on his gun. But despite this and also despite his isolation from the rest of the force, he is a man to fear and it’s clear that several people still do even though he’s rumoured to be a dead man walking. He has several key people that he trusts to collect information for him and although he’s left his family home to protect his wife and two younger daughters, he doesn’t exactly hide. He gives beatings, he receives beatings, he seems resigned to the fate of inevitably being executed once he has outlived his usefulness (the royal commission failing due to his mental instability thus proving the police to be the fine upstanding members of society they’d like everyone to believe they are). However the one thing that seems to drive him is finding his missing daughter, who is seventeen. He doesn’t know whether or not she’s alive or dead and several times in this novel has to face a body at a crime scene or in a morgue, the possibility that it might be her.
Line of Sight is a gritty crime novel that makes me think of the police dramas I’ve seen on television that focus around corrupt cops – but it’s better. It’s raw, bare bones writing that gets straight to the point. Swann is an often difficult character to connect with because he clearly operates outside the parameters of what you’d expect from a cop, even a whistle-blowing one. But there’s something inherently appealing about him, something that makes you want him to succeed. He’s fighting a fight against an almost impenetrable wall of corruption and the odds are stacked against him but he’s also not exactly the classic hero type either, the one that’s too good to be true. He’s got a lot of depth to him and I think that characterisation is why I liked this book so much.
Swann’s eldest daughter Louise has been missing and Ruby was one of the last people to see her before she vanished completely. Now that Ruby is gone, Swann has hit a dead end in searching for her but he still continues to dig, to send out flyers, hoping for something. Rumour has it that someone was at Ruby’s house the night she was killed…and that someone might know something. If Swann can find that person he might be able to not only finally be able to name Ruby’s killer but also hopefully, find his daughter. If she hasn’t been used as a way to punish him for speaking out.
Judge Harold Partridge from Victoria is in charge of hearing the royal commission and it’s fired a challenge in his blood. Despite being asked by the Premier to step down, he has refused. He knows that this royal commission’s outcome has already been decided by those in power here in this state that is so far removed from the east coast. But that doesn’t stop him staging his own little investigation. He’s impressed by Swann and not easily taken in by the other witnesses attempts to discredit him and his psychological state. Although Partridge could see this done and go home back to his wife and forget about it, he chooses not to, even though that decision places his health at risk.
And then there’s the shooter, in town to murder a cop. But which one?
Line of Sight is the first book from Australian author David Whish-Wilson revolving around Superintendent Frank Swann of the Western Australia police. It’s set in the 1970′s, during a time of corruption in the police force. Swann has blown the whistle on illegal doings revolving around certain detectives that include taking protection money from brothel owners, organising crimes from armed robbery up to the importation of illegal drugs from Asia and all sorts of taxation offences. Many wives of the detectives accused have large property portfolios in their wives names, the worth of which far exceeds any police salary. The corruption goes all the way to the top – the Premier, the Minster (a former police officer himself) etc are all involved or at least possess knowledge of the activities. I received the author’s most recent novel, Zero At The Bone for review from the publisher but was reluctant to read it until I had been able to read this one as it also revolves around Swann. Fortunately the publisher was able to accommodate my request and I was able to read this one and get to know Swann and his background and the events that will lead to him being in the position he is at the beginning of Zero At The Bone.
Being one to blow the whistle on illegal doings, one might assume that Swann is the ‘good guy’ and in a way he is but that’s not to say he’s innocent of any wrong-doing himself. Swann’s father-in-law was a policeman and saw the potential in Swann, who had been raised by a petty-criminal stepfather who beat him and often forced him to work for him. He kept Swann informed of the ‘purple circle’ of untouchable police officers and made sure that Swann would come to him if ever forced to do anything he didn’t want to. Swann was from the old school of policework where roughing up suspects was not uncommon and probably even expected. Swann talks of ‘breaking’ informants, reducing them down to nothing by fists or threats until they crack and spill what he wants to hear and he owns them. He’s very tough but in this novel he’s also broken himself. He’s isolated from his family, sleeping in a cheap motel with a hand on his gun. But despite this and also despite his isolation from the rest of the force, he is a man to fear and it’s clear that several people still do even though he’s rumoured to be a dead man walking. He has several key people that he trusts to collect information for him and although he’s left his family home to protect his wife and two younger daughters, he doesn’t exactly hide. He gives beatings, he receives beatings, he seems resigned to the fate of inevitably being executed once he has outlived his usefulness (the royal commission failing due to his mental instability thus proving the police to be the fine upstanding members of society they’d like everyone to believe they are). However the one thing that seems to drive him is finding his missing daughter, who is seventeen. He doesn’t know whether or not she’s alive or dead and several times in this novel has to face a body at a crime scene or in a morgue, the possibility that it might be her.
Line of Sight is a gritty crime novel that makes me think of the police dramas I’ve seen on television that focus around corrupt cops – but it’s better. It’s raw, bare bones writing that gets straight to the point. Swann is an often difficult character to connect with because he clearly operates outside the parameters of what you’d expect from a cop, even a whistle-blowing one. But there’s something inherently appealing about him, something that makes you want him to succeed. He’s fighting a fight against an almost impenetrable wall of corruption and the odds are stacked against him but he’s also not exactly the classic hero type either, the one that’s too good to be true. He’s got a lot of depth to him and I think that characterisation is why I liked this book so much.
October 26, 2010
LINE OF SIGHT by Western Australian based writer David Whish-Wilson, uses the real-life murder of brothel madam Shirley Finn as the basis for his fictional murder of Ruby Devine (hat-tip to Tilly perhaps?)
In the fictional version the facts of Ruby's murder are extremely similar to that of Shirley's but what Ruby has that Shirley didn't seem to get, is a cop who remained a friend, long after her death. Frank and Ruby's friendship goes back to their days in the wild gold-mining town Kalgoorlie. Famous for money and vice, Swann attempted harm minimisation when it came to illegal prostitution, priding himself on never taking favours from anyone. Superintendent Frank Swann is a decent bloke, who loves his wife and family and is worried about the danger he has put them in. To rub salt into the wounds, his teenage daughter has gone missing and there's this overriding concern that she is somehow mixed up in the prostitution or the drugs that are increasingly becoming a new reality. Despite that he cannot and will not condone the corruption that surrounds him and he wants to do right by a woman he called a friend. He wants to find his daughter regardless of what she has done or seen or been involved in. He could easily have come across as too much of a lone wolf, buttoned up / too good to be true, but the portrayal of Swann is beautifully done - believable, decent, fallible, genuine.
The book is set in exactly the same timeframe and place as the true events, so this is an investigation which relies on old fashioned policing. There's no mobiles, forensics, extensive databases and online crime fighting tools here. It's about a man who stands up against overwhelming odds and tries to do the right thing. He's supported (albeit not obviously) by Victorian Justice Partridge, bought to WA to head a Royal Commission into corruption that is doomed to fail on purpose. Partridge has health problems, and was hoping for a final success in his long career, but the terms of reference created by a Government as deep in the corruption scandal as the police force, mean the Commission will never succeed. Partridge is aware of this, as he increasingly becomes aware of how Western Australia's power base works. Corruption is endemic and money rules absolutely. There's a palpable sense of the way in which 1970's WA regarded themselves as separate from the rest of Australia, and Canberra absolutely irrelevant (interesting the book is set around the time of the dismissal of the Federal Government - a monumental event in Australian history which barely raised a ripple in the powerful echelons of WA Politics).
The use of these two characters is interesting. The differences in their viewpoints - Swann the local, insider, personally involved, frightened for his safety and worried about ramifications has a darker desperation to his voice. Partridge, the outsider, of the judiciary, elderly, ill, is more observational, less involved obviously, more contemplatory. These alternating viewpoints lift the book, for want of a better way of putting it, providing a fuller look at the reach of such endemic corruption.
Sadly the true case has never been resolved, which must have presented some challenges for the fictional events. For any reader unaware of the true events, LINE OF SIGHT is a great book with a terrific sense of place and time, a palpable sense of tension, and a cast of characters that you can really get a connection with. Those more aware of the true case may find a level of poignancy over and above that, a sense of real sadness that Ruby, as did Shirley, left behind a family who still do not know who killed her. It's not so long ago really, so maybe somewhere, someone knows something.
In the fictional version the facts of Ruby's murder are extremely similar to that of Shirley's but what Ruby has that Shirley didn't seem to get, is a cop who remained a friend, long after her death. Frank and Ruby's friendship goes back to their days in the wild gold-mining town Kalgoorlie. Famous for money and vice, Swann attempted harm minimisation when it came to illegal prostitution, priding himself on never taking favours from anyone. Superintendent Frank Swann is a decent bloke, who loves his wife and family and is worried about the danger he has put them in. To rub salt into the wounds, his teenage daughter has gone missing and there's this overriding concern that she is somehow mixed up in the prostitution or the drugs that are increasingly becoming a new reality. Despite that he cannot and will not condone the corruption that surrounds him and he wants to do right by a woman he called a friend. He wants to find his daughter regardless of what she has done or seen or been involved in. He could easily have come across as too much of a lone wolf, buttoned up / too good to be true, but the portrayal of Swann is beautifully done - believable, decent, fallible, genuine.
The book is set in exactly the same timeframe and place as the true events, so this is an investigation which relies on old fashioned policing. There's no mobiles, forensics, extensive databases and online crime fighting tools here. It's about a man who stands up against overwhelming odds and tries to do the right thing. He's supported (albeit not obviously) by Victorian Justice Partridge, bought to WA to head a Royal Commission into corruption that is doomed to fail on purpose. Partridge has health problems, and was hoping for a final success in his long career, but the terms of reference created by a Government as deep in the corruption scandal as the police force, mean the Commission will never succeed. Partridge is aware of this, as he increasingly becomes aware of how Western Australia's power base works. Corruption is endemic and money rules absolutely. There's a palpable sense of the way in which 1970's WA regarded themselves as separate from the rest of Australia, and Canberra absolutely irrelevant (interesting the book is set around the time of the dismissal of the Federal Government - a monumental event in Australian history which barely raised a ripple in the powerful echelons of WA Politics).
The use of these two characters is interesting. The differences in their viewpoints - Swann the local, insider, personally involved, frightened for his safety and worried about ramifications has a darker desperation to his voice. Partridge, the outsider, of the judiciary, elderly, ill, is more observational, less involved obviously, more contemplatory. These alternating viewpoints lift the book, for want of a better way of putting it, providing a fuller look at the reach of such endemic corruption.
Sadly the true case has never been resolved, which must have presented some challenges for the fictional events. For any reader unaware of the true events, LINE OF SIGHT is a great book with a terrific sense of place and time, a palpable sense of tension, and a cast of characters that you can really get a connection with. Those more aware of the true case may find a level of poignancy over and above that, a sense of real sadness that Ruby, as did Shirley, left behind a family who still do not know who killed her. It's not so long ago really, so maybe somewhere, someone knows something.
April 9, 2011
This book not only surprised me but completely engrossed me. I really enjoyed this book. 4.5 stars.
Now this really shouldn't be that surprising. David is a lecturer in creative writing at Curtin University, so you really expect a well written novel. But it is more than just well written, it really conveys the time and place it is set in, it also has characters that I recognise.
This novel is partly a crime fiction novel set against police corruption in Perth Western Australia during the 1970's and part true crime. Basically any Perth native will not only recognise the locations, but will remember the events and investigations alluded to. It really is hard to discern where to draw the line between reality and fiction in this book. Put another way, if David had written this book 25-30 years ago he would have disappeared in the local forest mentioned in his book.
As a non-Perth native, there is still a lot to enjoy in this book. It is a completely engrossing crime triller and captures the setting and characters of the era to create a thoroughly entertaining read.
Now this really shouldn't be that surprising. David is a lecturer in creative writing at Curtin University, so you really expect a well written novel. But it is more than just well written, it really conveys the time and place it is set in, it also has characters that I recognise.
This novel is partly a crime fiction novel set against police corruption in Perth Western Australia during the 1970's and part true crime. Basically any Perth native will not only recognise the locations, but will remember the events and investigations alluded to. It really is hard to discern where to draw the line between reality and fiction in this book. Put another way, if David had written this book 25-30 years ago he would have disappeared in the local forest mentioned in his book.
As a non-Perth native, there is still a lot to enjoy in this book. It is a completely engrossing crime triller and captures the setting and characters of the era to create a thoroughly entertaining read.
August 2, 2015
Finally read this gripping crime story over the weekend. Terrific! I did find it a bit depressing though. Its representation of an ugly corrupt Perth accords with my own memories of the seventies. It's based on the "unsolved" Shirley Finn murder, but the names are changed and to some degree the topography is rearranged.(I found it interesting that the corrupt police chief is called Desmond Sullivan. Any connections to a past editor of the West Australian, Dan O'Sullivan?) The book is a gripping account of a particularly nasty period in the history of born-to-rule thuggery and pusillanimity, and the ascendancy of the third-rate that has constituted the city of Perth since settlement, and which has done untold environmental and social damage. And everyone says what a beautiful place this is!
March 15, 2015
I read the sequel Zero at the Bone first, but no matter. I enjoyed both. This is loosely based on a real murder in Perth in the seventies and I've heard the author say he originally planned this as a book of non-fiction. As as a novel it works well, vividly recreating the flavour of Perth of that era. I believe there's a third Frank Swann novel in the works, so I'll be interested to get my hands on that too when it's published.
February 21, 2014
An awesome read from the opening sentence. Characters drawn with just a few strokes but each clearly differentiated. The tension is maintained from opening to closing words, almost a scary tension, even though the author is showing ordinary happenings. The location and period, Perth 1975, felt real. The closing paragraph sent this reader back searching for missed clues. HIGHLY recommended.
April 13, 2017
Have this author coming to Pemberton Public Library in WA on 24th April - thought I'd better read his books and it was great to discover a new author!
June 24, 2020
A classic, exploring one of Perth's most notorious crimes and the corruption of the time that allowed it to happen.
September 24, 2017
This book by a West Australian author exposes political and police corruption in the wild 1970s in Perth. The book builds on the investigation into the murder of brothel madam Ruby Devine that precipitates a Royal Commission into organised crime and corruption in the state. The author uses the actual murder of brothel madam Shirley Finn as the basis of his story and characters. Reading the book evokes many memories of the actual people who have been a part of the history of corruption in Western Australia during that time. Adding to the interest, whilst I was reading the book, the coronial inquest into the murder of Shirley Finn was being reported daily in The Australian (newspaper).
The book is more than the events it tells, but a re-creation of an era in Western Australian society. The locations, people and social commentary is apt and fascinating, especially for anyone with any connection with the state.
Frank Swann is an interesting character and I look forward to reading more books about him.
The book is more than the events it tells, but a re-creation of an era in Western Australian society. The locations, people and social commentary is apt and fascinating, especially for anyone with any connection with the state.
Frank Swann is an interesting character and I look forward to reading more books about him.
Read
July 23, 2022As somebody from Perth, it's surreal to read a thriller in a setting that I KNOW. It just doesn't feel right to read a crime novel (and a good one at that) which features a crime scene located in a place I go past weekly! It's strange to read uniquely Western Australian accents and slang in such a book, and to be confronted with a plot that takes advantage of WA's distinctives (ie parochialism and strong feelings towards the "eastern states"). I think I enjoyed the feeling of knowing the setting and people but honestly it was so different I'm not sure.
Maybe it's just because I mostly don't read local fiction... I only picked this one up because I'll be taking taking creative writing elective with the author at my university soon and I was curious about his writing. As it turns out, the story itself is good - I finished it in a few days, which is a glowing endorsement for any thriller.
Recommended, especially for WA residents who want something so familiar it's trippy.
Maybe it's just because I mostly don't read local fiction... I only picked this one up because I'll be taking taking creative writing elective with the author at my university soon and I was curious about his writing. As it turns out, the story itself is good - I finished it in a few days, which is a glowing endorsement for any thriller.
Recommended, especially for WA residents who want something so familiar it's trippy.
June 17, 2019
70's Perth, WA, police and political corruption are rampant. Whistle blower Supt Frank Swann has prompted a Royal Commission but the heavy weights are ensuring the truth is kept hidden. A brothel madam is murdered, Swann's daughter is missing and Swann's life is on the line.
Based partially on a real murder the author portrays what life was like living in Perth in the 70's. Corruption in so many organisations was rife and this is depicted well. Enjoyed the writing, characters were strong and Swann very likeable. Only criticism ... not sure what happened at the end and I couldn't find my answers in any of the reviews - will have to check back with what I missed!!
Based partially on a real murder the author portrays what life was like living in Perth in the 70's. Corruption in so many organisations was rife and this is depicted well. Enjoyed the writing, characters were strong and Swann very likeable. Only criticism ... not sure what happened at the end and I couldn't find my answers in any of the reviews - will have to check back with what I missed!!
February 3, 2020
Having read True West earlier this month and being most impressed by DWW's writing I thought I'd read more. The first in the'Frank Swann' series did not at all disappoint. Rural noir at its best. The character development is realistic and there is nothing glamorous to the story that envelops. I have already ordered number two from my library. Based on the death of madam Shirley Finn...the police corruption just beggars belief. Sadly it doesn't...and wonder how prevalent it is today: moral reprehension with the legal system was a major influence in my ceasing to practice law.
March 2, 2021
Whew! If a quarter of the incidents in this book reflect the real story, then West Australia in the 1970s was as corrupt as. Arriving in Australia in the late 1990s, I had heard of the corruption in the NSW and Queensland police forces (and their political masters), but this WA revelation was new to me. True, it is a novel, but supposedly based in some factual events at the time. This book was somewhat difficult to read at times, with visceral violence, but you wanted to find out the resolution at the end. That said, the final chapter is somewhat opaque. It has led me to want to read the next Frank Swann novel!
September 17, 2024
In my teaching career, I had the granddaughter of Shirley Finn as a young student so I felt personally involved in this gripping novel based around the real life murder of Shirley Finn. Frank Swann has so many aspects to his personality & I look forward to reading the next few Swann novels. I loved the Perth and Fremantle locations.
November 7, 2020
It was good to go back to the beginning of this series to learn about Frank Swann's background. This was another enjoyable read, very believable and realistic. Dirty cops and corruption abounds, in a cracking story of revenge and discovery.
May 23, 2022
Scary fictional account of the Shirley Finn murder, and the corruption within the WA police force in the 1970s. Especially scary reading for a Perth resident - we were really living in the Wild West.
September 23, 2023
gripping yarn
David writes about fremantle,Rottnest & places known to me, and all blokes of my age. He also writes about bent & straight coppers & lawyers who we all know or think we know. Sorry the book ended. I shall read everything he has written.
David writes about fremantle,Rottnest & places known to me, and all blokes of my age. He also writes about bent & straight coppers & lawyers who we all know or think we know. Sorry the book ended. I shall read everything he has written.
April 27, 2020
This was an easy romp..as.aperth person I enjoyed all the local references as well.as the nods to perth gritty past..i would happily read more by this writer
June 26, 2021
I’m a late comer to this series. Gritty, page turning, nerve-wracking. Looking forward to seeing what Superintendent Swann did next.
April 3, 2018
nach 100 Seiten abgebrochen. ganz ganz schlimm. Handlung unklar. Absolutes LOW-light
June 25, 2012
Very powerful novel set in 70's Western Australia, where politicians and cops are in the pockets of the drug dealers and brothel owners. It's a sharp and not very comfortable vision of WA - or what it used to be - with a highly convincing hero and an interesting counterpoint from the head of the Royal Commission. The shooter's viewpoint is also intriguing - though it drags on a bit too long with no action to be convincing. However it DOES create a brilliant turnaround at the end which came completely out of the blue for me.
May 27, 2011
I read this book because of a recommendation by a Perth friend, who's usually right. I loved that it's set in Perth, and it's very well written, very suspenseful and a great main character. We're doing it for our bookclub.
December 30, 2010
I just received this book as a Christmas present, and read it right through on boxing day. Really well-written thriller set in Perth in the 70's, great characters and a top plot.
October 12, 2014
While I really enjoyed this book and the nostalgia I felt for Perth of that era, I was confused by some details at the end. Will need to backtrack to see what I missed!
October 30, 2016
Solid noir crime novel set in my home time. Slow in places but fit the mood of the story.
February 3, 2017
Everything a crime novel should be.
January 2, 2021
Based on real events. The golf course where the murder happened is just down the road from where I live!
April 17, 2017
Very little reward for being about the only decent cop in the whole of the WA police force with the only other decent person a magistrate conducting a Royal Commission , albeit with his hands tied behind his back. If there is a better example of how power corrupts, I've yet to find it. Swann is a man tormented by the loss of his daughter, but also a man who tries to find justice, even for the down-trodden. This is the first book in a trilogy featuring this character, so look for the rest.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.