Victory Books

A young English backpacker gets into a car with an older Australian man somewhere in the Australian outback, and the violence, threatening, rape, pillage, murder and general mayhem commences. Somehow young, innocent, a bit wet Mick the backpacker stays. Despite the drugging and rape of a couple of under-age girls by Dan, despite the weird behaviour, despite the somewhat over the top sense of menace and madness, and especially despite Mick's somewhat wishy washy assertions that "he" didn't rape those girls... but.

And that's possibly the big problem with BABYLON. There are "but's", "why's", "what the's", and "oh you have to be joking's" littered from one end of the book to the other. I don't have a problem with the idea that somehow a young man can get himself caught up in events and actions (to be fair one of my all time favourite books takes an innocent young man on a crime spree across America with an absolute lunatic and true nature reveals), but what's missing in BABYLON is why and frankly much consistency in the true nature. Why does Mick seem almost comfortable in his role of "observer", why does he join in on the killing in one place, and protect another possible victim, only to be convinced of her worthlessness immediately after? Why does he follow Dan's lead so blindly? The idea that somehow Dan was a manipulator, a man able to influence another so comprehensively, that somehow he's giving Mick the out that he needs to satisfy his own base nature... nope. Not in a pink fit. As for the "what the's" - well they were so thick on the ground I was surprised the rolling of my eyes didn't make me dizzy.

It wasn't just that there seemed to be a revelling in the violence, there was something sneakingly gleeful which was really discomforting. It wasn't just the predictable misogyny and the appalling dialogue. It was also the plot device of the mad, bad lunatic lurking out in the Australian bush, just waiting for the innocent idiot (English backpacker / city girl in heels). Seen it all recently and sorry, but unless it's rock solid believable, it reeks of convenience. In BABYLON, however, what was most disappointing were the wasted opportunities. A couple of cops doing the chasing were conveniently bumbling idiots who couldn't read a map, but were full of tedious observations about the nature of evil and police corruption. Why they had no hope of finding these guys, even though they seemed to know who they were just simply did not make sense. But what was probably most disappointing is that even though the set up was ridiculous, there is a point where BABYLON actually got involving. Not for long though as it crashed and burned to a motivation that was stretched so thin, Mick's fate wasn't veiled by it nearly enough.

Even taking into account the idea that a biography, particularly biography from someone with a very recent high public profile, will have a certain "take" on events, FAIR COP is an extremely worthwhile read.  Adore or abhor Christine Nixon she is a woman who achieved astounding heights, and therefore had a long way to fall (be it that she jumped, was pushed, or deserved to trip).  

FAIR COP takes the reader back to Nixon's childhood and then through family life with her policeman father, and very forthright mother, to joining the NSW police force.  It tracks her career, her education and her achievements up to the point at which she retired as Commissioner of the Victorian Police force and ultimately headed the Bushfire Reconstruction Authority formed by the state government following the 2009 bushfires.  

The book constructs, chapter by chapter, Nixon's life and advancements in her career, as well as the factors that formed her policing philosophies.  There's even some glimpses into her personal life - her choices regarding family, her marriage and her home life, as well as what it is like for her husband to be married to such a high profile wife in a world which still seems to have a percentage of ... well idiots ... who behave like the fools that they are at the very thought (yes - this reader is biased) of an individual woman, making choices, setting an agenda, believing in change.  It answers some of the stupid and mindless commentary during her tenure as Police Commissioner (some of us could care less what her weight is like / how tall (or not she is) and all the other mindless crud that leaks from the dark recesses of these idiot's caves).  More importantly, it discusses her philosophy, how she formed her attitude to community policing, and what happens when you attempt to affect change - not just in her case, but earlier in the NSW force as well.  It covers her relationship with Police Member Associates (NSW and Victoria), it talks about the scandals around her media advisor and certain high profile police members, as well as the fight to limit corruption and the Victorian Underworld murders.

And of course it touches on the Bushfire Royal Commission and the revelation that she was both at the hairdressers early in the morning, and ate dinner in the evening.  It also looks at the management structure she'd carefully constructed, it looked at her analysis of what she did / didn't do wrong, and it discusses what she would change.  (For what it's worth, and living in a rural area of Victoria, the Royal Commission seemed to be a lot less about discovering what could be done better and more about looking for blame, all of which resulted in a series of recommendations that, frankly, are underwhelming.  Interestingly the management structure that Nixon had implemented being compatible with those recommended by external experts).

Whilst allowing for the fact that the book is written with Christine Nixon, by journalist Jo Chandler (and interestingly started way before the end of her tenure as Police Commissioner), there's an honesty about the book which is fits with Nixon's persona.  If nothing else FAIR COP seemed like a fair chance for Christine Nixon to finally put her side of the story. 

When reading the true crime / memoir INFILTRATION by Colin McLaren, I heard him speak at the Melbourne Crime & Justice Festival.  At the time he mentioned he was working on a fictional book, and I've been looking forward to that since finishing INFILTRATION.  

Anybody who has read INFILTRATION (or even the blurb) is going to have some bells ringing as they read the synopsis for this novel mind you.  That was undoubtedly the oddest experience in reading ON THE RUN.  A novel, there are threads, themes and events in this book that do seem to have potential to slot into the true life events of the author from the first book.  Which meant that I spent most of the time reading ON THE RUN wondering just how much was truth and how much was fiction.  Not to say that ON THE RUN wasn't a darn good fictional book, and it definitely holds your attention regardless of whether you'd read the first book or not!

Cole Goodwin is one of typical Australian laid back, decent sort of blokes.  In a tight spot he's very resourceful, quick witted and agile (physically and mentally!)  He takes a very wild ride after it becomes obvious that corruption in the ranks of the Australian police is putting him, his nearest and dearest, and anybody unlucky enough to get in the way at great personal risk.   Cole flees pursuit from Australia, to New Zealand, in a roundabout way to Europe and ultimately to southern Italy dodging the pursuit; taking the fight into the very heart of the enemy.  Meanwhile, in Australia, Cole's closest team members are trying desperately to help.

ON THE RUN is closer to thriller than crime fiction, despite the police setting.  Of course it has to be - this is a pursuit novel, the good guy running from (and towards) the bad guys.  Will they catch him, or one of his own, before Cole's team can find the truth?  Because of that thriller style there are some elements that might seem a little unlikely.  Could an undercover Australian cop change identities as rapidly and as freely as Cole does?  Could he really flee half-way around the world, albeit with considerable risk, but by the same token quickly / with ease?  Would corruption work it's way deep into police hierarchy, and yet so blatantly that not a lot of scratching is required to start to reveal the truth?  Mostly the pace of ON THE RUN helps you to roll with the unlikely, accept the seemingly impossible and cheer a bit of bare-chested heroism from time to time.  

ON THE RUN is a really interesting first novel from Colin McLaren.  There are some components that maybe don't work quite as well as you'd like, but they are quickly overrun by the things that do.  And McLaren's not afraid to add a twist in the tail that bites.  Hard.  Cole Goodwin is a great central character, he's surrounded by an interesting and very realistic team, and you'd have to hope that there could be a hint of more books to come.