This is a first crime novel, based on some elements of a true story out of Perth in the 1970s. There's nothing like a debut novel from an Australian writer - it's always a huge pleasure to see that we've got new writers being supported by publishing houses!
From the Blurb:
The murder of a brothel madam on a city golf course should be a routine police inquiry. But there's barely any investigation at all, and Superintendent Frank Swann thinks he knows why. It's the brave or the foolish who accuse their fellow cops of corruption, and those Swann points the finger at have mates in nearly every strong-hold of power in Western Australia - big business, organised crime, the government.
More alarming still, Swann's teenage daughter has disappeared. And the word on the streets is he's a dead man walking ...
Opening Lines:
The babysitter had never seen Ruby Devine dressed so glamorously. 'A friend of mine made it,' Ruby said. 'He's one of the best designers in Perth.' She kissed the girl on the cheek. 'Come in - Rebecca's upstairs watching TV. She won't bother you, she's got school tomorrow.'
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.