Melbourne, Australia circa 1967 is rocked with the multiple disappearances
of young women. Detective Charlie Berlin is tasked to find one of these in a parallel
investigation covertly running alongside the public police hunt.
The missing teenager is the daughter of a prominent local identity
with important political connections. To aid Berlin’s quest to track down the
missing teen is the dapper detective with questionable allegiances Bob Roberts.
The duo makes for interesting reading with one clearly on the take while the
other is by-the-book and a seemingly honest hardworking cop.
As the two swim through the current of Melbourne’s
underbelly they learn more about the depths of despair drowning many a family
who are enduring a loss equal to that of the lead investigation. When one of
the missing girls is found dead, the pressure mounts from the public and secretive
sides of the investigation ultimately sending Berlin down a spiralling path
that leads him to confront some of his past horrors.
ST KILDA BLUES is the third book to feature Charlie Berlin
and despite not being familiar with the previous books, I found ST KILDA BLUES
to be an easily readable standalone.
There is a lot to take in with author Geoffrey McGeachin
going to great lengths to provide an insight into the criminal mind as well as
articulating Berlin’s POW and confrontation flash blacks. Whilst adding context
it did have a tendency to dilute the primary story.
One of the more enjoyable aspects of ST KILDA BLUES is the
fact that it goes beyond the standard issue police procedural with the later
stages in particular providing a great amount of emotional turmoil for some of
the characters.
Having read ST KILDA BLUES, I’ll certainly be looking to
track down copies of THE DIGGERS REST HOTEL (published 2010) and BLACKWATTLE
CREEK (2012).
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