Good Money, J.M. Green

Set mostly in the Western suburbs of Melbourne, JM Green’s Good Money introduces Stella Hardy. A social worker by vocation, Hardy is the sort of laksa-loving, inner-city woman who fits into the role of accidental detective with considerable aplomb. She moves through the suburbs on foot, by tram and taxi, regardless of the weather and her own personal health, while sometimes reflecting back to her life as a young girl on a farm – and the lessons (harshly) learnt then.

Reflective in private, a bit of an action woman when required, Hardy is a character able to carry this sort of book with ease. She interacts with her clients with forthrightness where required, and a believable brusqueness if necessary. She knows how to hang in there when the going gets tough, and it gets very tough indeed when the murder of the son of one of her clients, Adut Chol, a young African boy mixed up with some shady types, coincides with the disappearance of her beauty therapist next-door neighbour, bringing danger right to her doorstep.

The death of Adut, the problem child of his family, worries everyone with its implications for his younger brother Mabor, who seems to know more than he’s willing to say. Finding evidence Adut left behind that appears to include direct references to Hardy makes it very personal, hinting at a secret she would much rather didn’t come to light. Unfortunately there’s a chance that the Chol boys, and therefore the gangster Adut was working for, know all about it.

While that thread seems to fall into place seamlessly, Hardy’s involvement in the search for her missing next-door neighbour, Nina, is slightly more surprising, especially how easily she finds access to Nina’s family. That investigation starts out simply enough, and ends up providing considerably more threat than Hardy could possibly have seen coming. There’s also, cleverly, the opportunity to take her out of the city, into the bush, but not the country of her childhood, and definitely not the safety of farm and family. Here her resourcefulness is allowed to shine, albeit with some timely assistance from unexpected quarters:

Somewhere in the distance, a mining company chopper thrashed the air. I was starting to wonder if it was one of the last things I would ever hear. We were in an isolated part of the desert, they were going to shoot me, and my body would be picked over by the slow-wheeling birds flying above me.

Good Money is a really strong, enjoyable character study, building a world in which new crime-fighting hero Stella Hardy can strut her stuff. There’s nicely pitched humour, there’s some elegantly staged protagonist jeopardy and absolutely no hint of any foolishly dangerous walking into situations. A good supporting cast continues that theme of inner-city intermingling with friend and cop Phuong Nguyen and potential love interest artist Peter Brophy (that’s complicated, of course).

Some of the plotting doesn’t quite stack up as well as it could, and there are a few odd side roads they can make for some inconvenient plot slowdowns. There are also some too-obvious vital clues, but those are very minor problems when balanced against the strength of the characters and the believable scenarios. As well, there are realistic and very promising romantic complications, and a refreshingly relaxed view of working hours that will be the envy of many. Good Money introduces the reader to a new character who deserves a good long series.