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Back to the Pilliga
Back to the Pilliga is a rollicking bush yarn from the bestselling author of Valley of the White Gold and Silver in the Sun which will keep Tony Parsons' fans turning the pages well into the night.
It was always expected that Lachie Sinclair and his brothers would one day take over the family property, Kamilaroi. But when tragedy strikes, Lachlan blames his father and angrily renounces any future for him at Kamilaroi.
Moving to the city, Lachie joins the police force and quickly rises through the ranks. But after being injured in a gunfight he decides to go out on his own as a private investigator.
When a wealthy society woman asks Lachie to lead the search for her missing daughter, he reluctantly agrees. Early indications are that the woman's captors are hiding her in the Pilliga region, meaning Lachie must return to his roots in order to try and save her life ...
It was always expected that Lachie Sinclair and his brothers would one day take over the family property, Kamilaroi. But when tragedy strikes, Lachlan blames his father and angrily renounces any future for him at Kamilaroi.
Moving to the city, Lachie joins the police force and quickly rises through the ranks. But after being injured in a gunfight he decides to go out on his own as a private investigator.
When a wealthy society woman asks Lachie to lead the search for her missing daughter, he reluctantly agrees. Early indications are that the woman's captors are hiding her in the Pilliga region, meaning Lachie must return to his roots in order to try and save her life ...
- GenresCrime
252 pages, Paperback
First published January 30, 2013
8 people are currently reading
77 people want to read
About the author
Tony Parsons
11 books21 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Credited as Tony Parsons on his works.
Anthony David Parsons, OAM, has worked as a professional sheep and wool classer, a journalist, news editor and rural commentator, a consultant to major agricultural companies, and an award-winning breeder of animals and show poultry. He owned his first kelpie dog in 1944, and in 1950 established 'Karrawarra', one of the top kelpie studs in Australia. In 1992 he was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for his contribution to the propagation of the Australian kelpie.
His novels, The Call of the High Country, Return to the High Country, Valley of the White Gold and Silver in the Sun, have all been bestsellers. He is also the author of Training the Working Kelpie, The Australian Kelpie and, in 2010, The Kelpie, now regarded as classic works on the breed.
Tony lives with his wife, Gloria, near Toowoomba. He still maintains a keen interest in kelpie breeding.
Credited as Tony Parsons on his works.
Anthony David Parsons, OAM, has worked as a professional sheep and wool classer, a journalist, news editor and rural commentator, a consultant to major agricultural companies, and an award-winning breeder of animals and show poultry. He owned his first kelpie dog in 1944, and in 1950 established 'Karrawarra', one of the top kelpie studs in Australia. In 1992 he was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for his contribution to the propagation of the Australian kelpie.
His novels, The Call of the High Country, Return to the High Country, Valley of the White Gold and Silver in the Sun, have all been bestsellers. He is also the author of Training the Working Kelpie, The Australian Kelpie and, in 2010, The Kelpie, now regarded as classic works on the breed.
Tony lives with his wife, Gloria, near Toowoomba. He still maintains a keen interest in kelpie breeding.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
December 4, 2022
This one was tough. I was really keen for an Australian crime fiction, it had been a while since I had read one. It has been even longer since I was in the park of the world that includes Coonabarabran, where much of this book is set so I was really looking forward to that.
The book... fails to completely satisfy and while I have received recommendations for this author before, I had not read any of his work and maybe this book is not the best example of his talents.
The main character, Lachie, grew up of a station in the Pilliga region and I liked the background story, his descriptions of the station, the family and general events were pretty good. A bit basic and superficial, maybe, but a good yarn. Then we get to Sydney where Lachie becomes a cop, then resigns from the force and become a PI. This is what brings him back to Pilliga in pursuit of a kidnaping case.
At around the halfway mark, I noticed that the quality of writing had dipped significantly. The level of superficiality had increased and it felt more like an outline than a fully fleshed out novel.
I did wonder if the author had started writing it, then taken a long break before coming back to it and lost interest in it during the break?
The rescue of the kidnaping victim, while it should have been the main focus of the story, was almost treated as an aside. Very little page time was given to it and it really SHOULD have been the crescendo of the novel. Instead, by this stage, the main focus seemed to be a 'Farmer wants a wife' aim, to give Lachie a happy ending (yes, I know, could not resist) on a farm with a wife who wants the rural life and kids... It just seemed to not be the book I thought it was. As romances go, incidentally, this 'romance' was about as exciting as two day old cold chips and completely unconvincing.
Not sure what happened here, could have been a great story but it wasn't. I might try another book by the same author, but I will select it with some caution.
The book... fails to completely satisfy and while I have received recommendations for this author before, I had not read any of his work and maybe this book is not the best example of his talents.
The main character, Lachie, grew up of a station in the Pilliga region and I liked the background story, his descriptions of the station, the family and general events were pretty good. A bit basic and superficial, maybe, but a good yarn. Then we get to Sydney where Lachie becomes a cop, then resigns from the force and become a PI. This is what brings him back to Pilliga in pursuit of a kidnaping case.
At around the halfway mark, I noticed that the quality of writing had dipped significantly. The level of superficiality had increased and it felt more like an outline than a fully fleshed out novel.
I did wonder if the author had started writing it, then taken a long break before coming back to it and lost interest in it during the break?
The rescue of the kidnaping victim, while it should have been the main focus of the story, was almost treated as an aside. Very little page time was given to it and it really SHOULD have been the crescendo of the novel. Instead, by this stage, the main focus seemed to be a 'Farmer wants a wife' aim, to give Lachie a happy ending (yes, I know, could not resist) on a farm with a wife who wants the rural life and kids... It just seemed to not be the book I thought it was. As romances go, incidentally, this 'romance' was about as exciting as two day old cold chips and completely unconvincing.
Not sure what happened here, could have been a great story but it wasn't. I might try another book by the same author, but I will select it with some caution.
June 27, 2015
A light read. Not a lot of character development and for a crime novel not a lot of plot twists, none in fact. A pleasant but predictable story with no elegant prose and no descriptive language in what should have been a beautiful setting for a novel.
May 27, 2017
Whilst this may not win many prized literary awards, it is without doubt the best crime/romance book I have read based in Coonabarabran and the Pilliga scrub 😃
March 24, 2017
I wanted to like this as I am familiar with Coonabarabran - Coona to the locals, but I didn't. This novel is more in the style of reporting. Ultimately it was boring and after reading 75% of the book I'd fall asleep just looking at the cover. Big yawn!
October 2, 2022
Very easy read. Written in a reporting style and very predictable story line.
November 18, 2025
Not a bad read
February 14, 2013
Tony Parsons, OAM, has worked as a professional sheep and wool classer, a journalist, news editor and rural commentator, a consultant to major agricultural companies, and an award-winning breeder of animals and show poultry. It's this Australian country background that gives his novels, which includes the bestselling The Call of the High Country, their ring of authenticity.
In Back to the Pilliga, Lachlan Sinclair returns to his home town on the North West Plains of New South Wales in pursuit of a young woman kidnapped and held hostage in a violent bank heist. An ex cop turned private investigator, Lachie knows the area well - his family is one of the largest landowners in the area, though he left town as a young man after a bitter confrontation with his father and older brother and has visited only rarely since. With the support of the women's wealthy mother, and a lot of leeway from the state and local police, Lachie tracks down the robbers in the scrub, planning a daring raid to recover the victim.
With the criminals and their location easily identified there isn't really a mystery as such for Lachie to solve. Instead his task is to figure out how to safely rescue the hostage. For that he draws on a little subterfuge with the help of a young female detective, whom he quickly comes to admire. The action is short and confined, almost anti-climatic as the focus of the story is instead slanted towards Lachie's personal life.
Told in the first person with a cadence that identifies the age and background of the character, it took me a little while to get used to the characters voice. Lachie is part outback 'ocker' farmer, part noir detective giving him a distinctive personality and manner.
Parsons paints a picture of a man who is quintessentially 'salt of the earth' so that Lachie's decision to trace the missing woman, even at risk to his own life, seems valid. Of course the money her worried mother is offering if he is successful is also tempting, as it will provide him with the means to return to the Pilliga.
Lachie's journey reveals a feud with his authoritarian father that came to a head with the tragic death of his youngest brother, a broken marriage and an impressive service as a police officer that saw Lachie shot in the line of duty. With his father now gone, Lachie is longing to return to the bush, but his relationship with his older brother, 'a chip off the old block' makes the idea of claiming his third of their family property, Kamilaroi, untenable.
Though it was a little rough at the start, I enjoyed Back to the Pilliga as a novel with strong characterisation, and an engaging storyline. What I found most fascinating however is the way in which it compares and contrasts to the many rural fiction novels I have read recently which feature women as the primary protagonist. It's surprising the way in which they are so similar in terms of themes and plot, but the masculine perspective alters the tone so comprehensively. If you have been reading a lot of rural lit by Australian women authors recently I recommend you read Back to the Pilliga and discover what I mean for yourself.
March 17, 2013
I must say, I don’t mind a good ol’ country Australian Tony Parsons novel and when I saw his latest book, Back to the Pilliga, it was an automatic buy for me, especially when picking up the cover it looked like I was looking out my own window and was thrilled to see it was set not far from our own bit of Australian country!
This is just an easy, light read and although I enjoyed it, not hugely taxing or page turning. Although I liked Lachie, the main character, I found that having the novel in the first character only a bit flat and I couldn’t feel the emotion that I like to feel in my books. And at the end, the relationship between Gaye and Lachie was very unbelievable, but all in all a ‘pleasant’ easy read……
This is just an easy, light read and although I enjoyed it, not hugely taxing or page turning. Although I liked Lachie, the main character, I found that having the novel in the first character only a bit flat and I couldn’t feel the emotion that I like to feel in my books. And at the end, the relationship between Gaye and Lachie was very unbelievable, but all in all a ‘pleasant’ easy read……
March 16, 2013
I have to say that this was a much lighter read than I expected. It certainly wasn't the crime thriller I thought it would be. Although there is some criminal chasing the story is more about relationships. The crime aspect of the novel holds no surprises, no twists and little to keep the reader wanting more. None of the characters are developed to any depth and I found the relationship between Gaye and Lachie very difficult to believe.
Having said that the book is still entertaining enough and is a nice light read . Don't dismiss this one, just don't put it in the crime page turner category. Keep it on your list for those times you are looking for something entertaining but not too taxing.
Having said that the book is still entertaining enough and is a nice light read . Don't dismiss this one, just don't put it in the crime page turner category. Keep it on your list for those times you are looking for something entertaining but not too taxing.
August 24, 2016
This book could have used a good editor. One quickly gets tired if the many repetitions and unnecessary titbits —the kind that adds nothing to either story, colour or, if there was any to start with, style.
The characters are underdeveloped and the plot is so straightforward it is virtually Inexistent.
The main character, under the pretence of denouncing the sexism of his brother and late father, makes plenty of sexist comments himself. The nature, which could have provided a glorious background to the story at least, is brushed over quickly and without much talent.
The author could have used a bit of extra research and maybe experience on the subject of photography.
I'm afraid the person who put together the book description had more talent than the author himself.
The characters are underdeveloped and the plot is so straightforward it is virtually Inexistent.
The main character, under the pretence of denouncing the sexism of his brother and late father, makes plenty of sexist comments himself. The nature, which could have provided a glorious background to the story at least, is brushed over quickly and without much talent.
The author could have used a bit of extra research and maybe experience on the subject of photography.
I'm afraid the person who put together the book description had more talent than the author himself.
February 18, 2013
a bit different from Tony's previous books but i still enjoyed this story of aussie country boy Lachie who after butting heads with his overbearding father and suck up older brother joined the NSW police force and later becoming a private detective which brings him back to his home in the Pilliga Bush. Goes to show you can take the boy out of the bush, but you can't take the bush out of the boy. This book brings lots of the australian country and farm life with a sprinking of romance and lots of mystery. Even if your not usually a fan of detective books this one is still a great Aussie Read - i can totally see this ending up as a movie (as long as they don't ruin it!)
May 6, 2013
Another rollicking yarn from Tony that gets a 10/10 from me.
I liked the twists and turns in this book - a little different from his previous novels in that it has an element of the law enforcer turned private detective who is also a bloke originally off the land and so very comfortable in that environment as well in which he fits like a hand in a glove.
My only whinge would be that the story was too short running at just over 250 pages . I wanted more, more, more but no doubt this will be followed up by sequels relating to Lachie Sinclair the MC and the further sagas of 'Kamilaroi'
Maureen Clifford
The Scribbly Bark Poet
http://scribblybarkpoetry.blogspot.co...
I liked the twists and turns in this book - a little different from his previous novels in that it has an element of the law enforcer turned private detective who is also a bloke originally off the land and so very comfortable in that environment as well in which he fits like a hand in a glove.
My only whinge would be that the story was too short running at just over 250 pages . I wanted more, more, more but no doubt this will be followed up by sequels relating to Lachie Sinclair the MC and the further sagas of 'Kamilaroi'
Maureen Clifford
The Scribbly Bark Poet
http://scribblybarkpoetry.blogspot.co...
December 23, 2019
2.5 stars. I was interested in this book because it was based in the Pilliga region which is only an hour or so from a place our extended family went on holidays every year - Come By Chance. Up until chapter 7 I thought it was an autobiographical novel. It isn't. Only after Ch 7 did I realise it was a crime novel. I enjoyed the story of the protaginists loufe growing up on the land and country NSW. The story got more enjoyable as it went along and is written with a very Aussie Slang. The cliffhanger ended some 4 chapters before the end and then continued the story of what he did once he finished detective work. In the end an enjoyable one time read.
August 12, 2014
I really enjoyed the first section of the book but found after a while the characters weren't very well developed and the storyline got quite egotistical and unbelievable. I really wanted to like this book but it really lost me about half way through.
A nice story about the Australian outback, but not really a crime novel and quite nauseating in all things nice and good towards the end.
A nice story about the Australian outback, but not really a crime novel and quite nauseating in all things nice and good towards the end.
July 21, 2016
My first read of this author. I thought it a simple story without a lot of depth but it was we written in a chatty kind if style.
An ex policeman is hired by a wealthy woman to find her daughter, kidnapped by bank robbers. The story covers some realistic details of family life and at times I was wondering if it was true. It is not, but nevertheless there is a ring of truth in it.
An ex policeman is hired by a wealthy woman to find her daughter, kidnapped by bank robbers. The story covers some realistic details of family life and at times I was wondering if it was true. It is not, but nevertheless there is a ring of truth in it.
November 10, 2015
I enjoyed this story mainly because of the background of farming and the interest created by situating a crime in the author's home country. I thought the writing sounded somewhat amateurish at times, but it was a nice read.
January 8, 2016
A light and easy read that is enjoyable. Ive enjoyed all of Tony Parsons works and this one has not disappointed. Although different from his earlier novels, and very little character development, I still found this to be a page turner.
March 9, 2013
I wasn't as fond of this book as i have been with previous novels from Tony Parsons. I found that reading it through the eyes of the main character was unusual and bland.
December 19, 2013
A great story - definitely kept me interested right throughout the book (that's why it's finished already)
April 15, 2014
Enjoyable light read.
March 9, 2015
Loved it, just like the 1st I read this book
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews