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Holiday Murders #2
The Port Fairy Murders
The Port Fairy Murders is the sequel to The Holiday Murders, an historical crime novel set in 1943 in the newly formed Homicide department of Victoria Police. The Holiday Murders explored the little-known fascist groups that festered in Australia both before and during the war, particularly an organisation called Australia First. The Port Fairy Murders continues with this exploration but looks, as well, at the bitter divide between Catholics and Protestants. This divide was especially raw in small rural communities. The Homicide team, which includes Detective Joe Sable and Constable Helen Lord, is trying to track down a man named George Starling. Starling is a dangerous loose end from the investigation in The Holiday Murders. At the same time they are called to investigate a double murder in Port Fairy. It seems straightforward — they have a signed confession — but it soon becomes apparent that nothing is straightforward about the incident.
The novel examines the tensions that simmer in a small town, riven by class and religious divides, and under economic stress from the shrinking of its fishing industry, and the exploitation of fishermen by Melbourne's markets. It also examines the tensions within the Homicide Department.
The novel examines the tensions that simmer in a small town, riven by class and religious divides, and under economic stress from the shrinking of its fishing industry, and the exploitation of fishermen by Melbourne's markets. It also examines the tensions within the Homicide Department.
282 pages, Paperback
First published March 2, 2015
14 people are currently reading
221 people want to read
About the author
Robert Gott
33 books59 followersRobert Gott was born in the small Queensland town of Maryborough in 1957, and lives in Melbourne. He has published many books for children, and is also the creator of the newspaper cartoon The Adventures of Naked Man. He is also the author of the William Power trilogy of crime-caper novels set in 1940s Australia: Good Murder, A Thing of Blood, and Amongst the Dead.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
May 16, 2015
This book, the sequel to The Holiday Murders gets off to a flying start with a lively pace and a pleasant prose style. I was engaged from the first page. I’d already been intrigued by a short Prologue, which explained the gist of the previous novel, in what seems to be an emerging series of books featuring Constable Helen Lord and Sergeant Joe Sable, of the newly formed Victorian Homicide Squad. The book is set in 1944, picking up the story left off at the end of the last one. Sgt Sable is desk bound, recovering from injuries sustained in the pursuit of a vicious Nazi criminal, George Starling, who has now disappeared. We learn that he is hiding in the small coastal village of Port Fairy, a long way from Melbourne in south-west Victoria. Starling had grown up on a farm on the Melbourne side of Warrnambool, the region’s major town, but he had not seen his elderly father for some years. By pure coincidence the embryonic Homicide Squad is called to Warrnambool when Starling’s father is found dead at home in inexplicable circumstances. The investigation finds that he died of natural causes and the team returns to Melbourne. Taking money, fuel and a motorcycle from the abandoned farm, Starling also travels to Melbourne, seeking vengeance on the officer who had escaped his clutches in the previous novel, Joe Sable.
Meanwhile, back in Port Fairy another tragedy then unfolds. The rather snobbish spinster Aggie Todd wakes one morning to find her favourite nephew Matthew dead in her sitting room. Her niece Rose Abbot, for whom she has no fondness, arrives in the front yard asking awkward questions, while her intellectually disabled brother Selwyn is asleep in the garden shed. It is all too much for Aggie to handle…which means more work for the Homicide detectives.
Thus two seemingly unconnected story lines are rolled out and developed, both featuring members of the Homicide Squad. Under the leadership of Inspector Titus Lambert, Constable Helen Lord is given the opportunity to work as an investigator, alongside the men, at a time when much of the workforce is serving overseas in WW2. Helen experiences terrible levels of prejudice and sexism, all of which would daunt anyone without her personal strength. Her colleague Sgt Sable is preoccupied with his growing awareness of his Jewish heritage, something that had not bothered him before the rise of Nazism. It was Starling’s membership of a Nazi sympathiser group that brought him in contact with Sable in the first instance. Now Starling is determined to kill Sable.
This is where I confess my personal interest in this book. Port Fairy was my home town for many years. The author has succeeded in describing the physical layout of the town very well, and all the place names are accurate. BUT, I honestly don’t think he has nailed the character of the community as I know it. Of course I was not alive in 1944, so cannot report on what social tensions existed between the various levels of the community. What I know from my time living there is not what I read in The Port Fairy Murders.
The sectarian divide in the area is strongly tied to both ethnic origin and socio-economic status. I can attest that Port Fairy is a multi-layered society, with many levels of status, subtly nuanced, and Gott’s broad brush approach fails to pick up those subtleties. Aggie Todd may consider herself superior to other parishioners at St Patrick’s Catholic Church, but in reality that would not distinguish her as a doyenne of Port Fairy society. Aggie's cruel treatment of her disabled brother would not have happened in real life in James Street, in the centre of town. What Gott’s written about could be any old fishing village, so why does he set the story in Port Fairy? Gott misses the key visual elements that make Port Fairy special, including the wide streets, extensive use of finely dressed bluestone in buildings, the vernacular architecture of the whalers cottages, the 100+ Norfolk Island Pines, which are so prominent. I must stress that this is my personal reaction, based on my fondness for my former home town, and my concerns may not matter one iota to other readers.
My other big beef with Gott is the ending of this book. Clearly he wants to continue to a third volume, hence the cliffhangers which appear right at the end. But the resolution of the plot lines is handled rather crudely, as if he’s just run out of puff and needs to end it. Apart from the elements he chooses to leave up in the air, the other story lines get a very superficial summation in the final 5 pages or so. I rather prefer the traditional ending to a crime novel, in which the trusty detective/s carefully lay out all the facts and draw their conclusions based on evidence and intuition, and get the baddies bang to rights.
3.5 ★s is the best I can give this book, which starts so well and ends so disappointingly.
Meanwhile, back in Port Fairy another tragedy then unfolds. The rather snobbish spinster Aggie Todd wakes one morning to find her favourite nephew Matthew dead in her sitting room. Her niece Rose Abbot, for whom she has no fondness, arrives in the front yard asking awkward questions, while her intellectually disabled brother Selwyn is asleep in the garden shed. It is all too much for Aggie to handle…which means more work for the Homicide detectives.
Thus two seemingly unconnected story lines are rolled out and developed, both featuring members of the Homicide Squad. Under the leadership of Inspector Titus Lambert, Constable Helen Lord is given the opportunity to work as an investigator, alongside the men, at a time when much of the workforce is serving overseas in WW2. Helen experiences terrible levels of prejudice and sexism, all of which would daunt anyone without her personal strength. Her colleague Sgt Sable is preoccupied with his growing awareness of his Jewish heritage, something that had not bothered him before the rise of Nazism. It was Starling’s membership of a Nazi sympathiser group that brought him in contact with Sable in the first instance. Now Starling is determined to kill Sable.
This is where I confess my personal interest in this book. Port Fairy was my home town for many years. The author has succeeded in describing the physical layout of the town very well, and all the place names are accurate. BUT, I honestly don’t think he has nailed the character of the community as I know it. Of course I was not alive in 1944, so cannot report on what social tensions existed between the various levels of the community. What I know from my time living there is not what I read in The Port Fairy Murders.
The sectarian divide in the area is strongly tied to both ethnic origin and socio-economic status. I can attest that Port Fairy is a multi-layered society, with many levels of status, subtly nuanced, and Gott’s broad brush approach fails to pick up those subtleties. Aggie Todd may consider herself superior to other parishioners at St Patrick’s Catholic Church, but in reality that would not distinguish her as a doyenne of Port Fairy society. Aggie's cruel treatment of her disabled brother would not have happened in real life in James Street, in the centre of town. What Gott’s written about could be any old fishing village, so why does he set the story in Port Fairy? Gott misses the key visual elements that make Port Fairy special, including the wide streets, extensive use of finely dressed bluestone in buildings, the vernacular architecture of the whalers cottages, the 100+ Norfolk Island Pines, which are so prominent. I must stress that this is my personal reaction, based on my fondness for my former home town, and my concerns may not matter one iota to other readers.
My other big beef with Gott is the ending of this book. Clearly he wants to continue to a third volume, hence the cliffhangers which appear right at the end. But the resolution of the plot lines is handled rather crudely, as if he’s just run out of puff and needs to end it. Apart from the elements he chooses to leave up in the air, the other story lines get a very superficial summation in the final 5 pages or so. I rather prefer the traditional ending to a crime novel, in which the trusty detective/s carefully lay out all the facts and draw their conclusions based on evidence and intuition, and get the baddies bang to rights.
3.5 ★s is the best I can give this book, which starts so well and ends so disappointingly.
October 4, 2021
The Port Fairy Murders is the second book in the Holiday Murders series by Australian author, Robert Gott, and follows on directly from the first book. While several of the perpetrators of crimes over the holiday period of 1943 were killed or apprehended, a particularly nasty acolyte of Ptolemy Jones evaded capture. George Starling has scores to settle, and he plans to start with Detective Sergeant Joe Sable, making this fact clear to Joe in a phone call.
Joe is still recovering from his injuries, so DI Titus Lambert takes Constable Helen Lord and, newly recruited to Homicide, DS David Reilly, down to Warrnambool to check out the Starling family farm, and question a number of National Socialist enthusiasts, known attendees of John Starling’s gatherings, about George.
George proves to be a slippery character, endowed with both intelligence and luck, managing to arm himself with transport and substantial funds, then engaging in some arson while again avoiding police. Back in Melbourne, thwarted in his mission by what is a close call for Joe Sable, he indulges himself with a bit of luxury, another bout of arson that takes a life, and then amuses himself culling “queers”.
The danger and destruction wrought by this cold and calculating felon result in billeted accommodation for several of Melbourne’s Homicide team. They are kept busy with this string of crimes, and Titus has to deal with some homophobic detectives from CIB, setting David Reilly to keep an eye on them when he has to send Joe and Helen to Port Fairy at the request of his old friend, Warrnambool DI Greg Halloran.
Port Fairy fish broker, Matthew Todd and his sister, Rose Abbot have been murdered at the home of their aunt, Agnes Todd, and she claims they met this fate at the hands of her mentally deficient brother, Selwyn. After careful examination of the scene and enquiries made of involved parties, neither Halloran nor Helen and Joe are convinced of that version of events. What occurs next teaches them that not every case can be neatly resolved.
In this second instalment, the reader becomes more familiar with Lambert’s team, as they are becoming more accustomed to each other. While some on the team lie to cover for their own errors and inadequacies, Titus is much more perceptive than they realise, and his wife, Maude, privy to every detail of his cases, is even moreso. She maintains that “the solving of cases depended as much on the carelessness and stupidity of the perpetrators as on the deductive powers of the detectives.”
Gott easily evokes the era, with a community mindset pervaded by homophobia, xenophobia, religious intolerance, fear and derision of mental deficiency, and a culture of corruption within the police force. Availability of only the most basic crime scene investigation meaning that detectives need to rely heavily on their powers of observation.
A kidnapping provides a dramatic climax, and the activities of certain corrupt police and the uncertainty of Helen’s place on the team provide plenty of scope for the next instalment, The Autumn Murders. Gripping Australian historical crime fiction.
Joe is still recovering from his injuries, so DI Titus Lambert takes Constable Helen Lord and, newly recruited to Homicide, DS David Reilly, down to Warrnambool to check out the Starling family farm, and question a number of National Socialist enthusiasts, known attendees of John Starling’s gatherings, about George.
George proves to be a slippery character, endowed with both intelligence and luck, managing to arm himself with transport and substantial funds, then engaging in some arson while again avoiding police. Back in Melbourne, thwarted in his mission by what is a close call for Joe Sable, he indulges himself with a bit of luxury, another bout of arson that takes a life, and then amuses himself culling “queers”.
The danger and destruction wrought by this cold and calculating felon result in billeted accommodation for several of Melbourne’s Homicide team. They are kept busy with this string of crimes, and Titus has to deal with some homophobic detectives from CIB, setting David Reilly to keep an eye on them when he has to send Joe and Helen to Port Fairy at the request of his old friend, Warrnambool DI Greg Halloran.
Port Fairy fish broker, Matthew Todd and his sister, Rose Abbot have been murdered at the home of their aunt, Agnes Todd, and she claims they met this fate at the hands of her mentally deficient brother, Selwyn. After careful examination of the scene and enquiries made of involved parties, neither Halloran nor Helen and Joe are convinced of that version of events. What occurs next teaches them that not every case can be neatly resolved.
In this second instalment, the reader becomes more familiar with Lambert’s team, as they are becoming more accustomed to each other. While some on the team lie to cover for their own errors and inadequacies, Titus is much more perceptive than they realise, and his wife, Maude, privy to every detail of his cases, is even moreso. She maintains that “the solving of cases depended as much on the carelessness and stupidity of the perpetrators as on the deductive powers of the detectives.”
Gott easily evokes the era, with a community mindset pervaded by homophobia, xenophobia, religious intolerance, fear and derision of mental deficiency, and a culture of corruption within the police force. Availability of only the most basic crime scene investigation meaning that detectives need to rely heavily on their powers of observation.
A kidnapping provides a dramatic climax, and the activities of certain corrupt police and the uncertainty of Helen’s place on the team provide plenty of scope for the next instalment, The Autumn Murders. Gripping Australian historical crime fiction.
June 29, 2019
A pairing of double murders, a vengeful killer on the loose, and a quiet town riddled with secrets and sin is the foundation for this 1943's period piece of crime fiction set in Port Fairy, a small coastal town in country Victoria, Australia.
THE PORT FAIRY MURDERS is the direct sequel to THE HOLIDAY MURDERS, however, as someone who hasn't read the first book, I'm glad to say it didn't hinder the reading experience. Author Robert Gott provides a brief summary of THE HOLIDAY MURDERS prior to delving into his latest installment centered around a small Melbourne Homicide Division which, while not comprehensive, does provide enough context to the characters and past events to form a broad understanding of where things are at, and, more importantly, why Detective Joe Sable is the crosshairs of a killer.
The plot comprises two distinct and independent threads which at first don't seem to have any reason to be incorporated in the same book, rest assured, they do converge and culminate in a criminally good fashion.
What really impressed me about THE PORT FAIRY MURDERS was the whodunit murder mystery that didnt give anything away accompanied by great characters who read 'real'. I enjoy books that keep me guessing and this did just that. I also loved the non conventional ending which hopefully leads to more stories of this interesting band of Melbourne Homicide police officers.
This review first appeared on my blog: http://justaguywholikes2read.blogspot...
THE PORT FAIRY MURDERS is the direct sequel to THE HOLIDAY MURDERS, however, as someone who hasn't read the first book, I'm glad to say it didn't hinder the reading experience. Author Robert Gott provides a brief summary of THE HOLIDAY MURDERS prior to delving into his latest installment centered around a small Melbourne Homicide Division which, while not comprehensive, does provide enough context to the characters and past events to form a broad understanding of where things are at, and, more importantly, why Detective Joe Sable is the crosshairs of a killer.
The plot comprises two distinct and independent threads which at first don't seem to have any reason to be incorporated in the same book, rest assured, they do converge and culminate in a criminally good fashion.
What really impressed me about THE PORT FAIRY MURDERS was the whodunit murder mystery that didnt give anything away accompanied by great characters who read 'real'. I enjoy books that keep me guessing and this did just that. I also loved the non conventional ending which hopefully leads to more stories of this interesting band of Melbourne Homicide police officers.
This review first appeared on my blog: http://justaguywholikes2read.blogspot...
March 19, 2015
More!!! Outstanding!
An Open Letter to Robert Gott
Dear Mt Gott (or may I call you Robert?)
I am writing to complain about your latest book, The Port Fairy Murders. I recently (last night) read this novel and was engaged, enchanted, invested and so involved in this narrative that when I read to the end of page 282 and then there was no more I was bereft! Surely there must be more? What will happen to Joe Stable next? Does poor Tom recover? What about Helen? She will be devastated by that phone call. And then there are the relationships stalled and unfulfilled. And did I mention the villains? There are villains to be caught and murders to be solved.
If you need inspiration I can send you many pictures of coastal towns in South Australia (courtesy of our recent holiday) that will send your fingers flying across the keyboard. Do you need help with research - I have some spare time, I can do. Come on Robert, where is the next episode?
Your loyal fan
Carol
An Open Letter to Robert Gott
Dear Mt Gott (or may I call you Robert?)
I am writing to complain about your latest book, The Port Fairy Murders. I recently (last night) read this novel and was engaged, enchanted, invested and so involved in this narrative that when I read to the end of page 282 and then there was no more I was bereft! Surely there must be more? What will happen to Joe Stable next? Does poor Tom recover? What about Helen? She will be devastated by that phone call. And then there are the relationships stalled and unfulfilled. And did I mention the villains? There are villains to be caught and murders to be solved.
If you need inspiration I can send you many pictures of coastal towns in South Australia (courtesy of our recent holiday) that will send your fingers flying across the keyboard. Do you need help with research - I have some spare time, I can do. Come on Robert, where is the next episode?
Your loyal fan
Carol
November 2, 2021
This is the second in the series by Robert Gott set during the Second World War. Although the title references Port Fairy (a lovely, familiar place to me), a good deal of the novel is set in Melbourne as was the first in the series (Holiday Murders). I enjoyed the further development of Titus and his team's characters and how each of them coped with what had happened in the previous book. I think you need to read the series in sequence to get the most out of them. The murders are not as gruesome as in Holiday Murders but there are some pretty nasty moments. Still, a well paced story with an ending that promises more to come.
April 25, 2018
The Port Fairy Murders continues the story of Inspector Titus Lambert, Sergeant Joe Sable and Constable Helen Lord The Holiday Murders. Inspector Titus Lambert and Constable Helen Lord caught a case of the death of a father and son. However, he was still worried about George Starling who got away at the end of The Holiday Murders. When bodies were turning up in Port Fairy George Starling hometown, Inspector Titus Lambert and Constable Helen Lord went to investigate. While in Port Fairy Inspector Titus Lambert realise that someone was out to kill Sergeant Joe Sable and rush back to Melbourne. The readers of The Port Fairy Murders will continue to follow Inspector Titus Lambert investigations and find out if Sergeant Joe Sable get murdered.
The Port Fairy Murders is historical crime fiction set in Melbourne, and I enjoyed reading this book. The Port Fairy Murders is well written and research by Robert Gott. I like the way Robert Gott portrayed northern suburbs of Melbourne and his characters. From the start, The Port Fairy Murders engaged me with the characters and plot from the beginning, and it continued until the conclusion of the book.
The readers will learn about law enforcement procedures in Melbourne after WW1. Also, the readers of The Port Fairy Murders will see how people were living in Australia during this time.
I recommend this book.
The Port Fairy Murders is historical crime fiction set in Melbourne, and I enjoyed reading this book. The Port Fairy Murders is well written and research by Robert Gott. I like the way Robert Gott portrayed northern suburbs of Melbourne and his characters. From the start, The Port Fairy Murders engaged me with the characters and plot from the beginning, and it continued until the conclusion of the book.
The readers will learn about law enforcement procedures in Melbourne after WW1. Also, the readers of The Port Fairy Murders will see how people were living in Australia during this time.
I recommend this book.
March 6, 2022
These books are not murder mysteries, since we tend to see what's going on from all angles, the murders and the related investigations. These are police procedurals that try to build up to thriller status by their endings, with a little success to be fair. There is one particular murder that we don't witness in the narrative but unfortunately it's a pretty easy guess as to who did it and why, also unfortunately - the case is not solved by the police and the ending was most unsatisfactory to this reader. A strength of this story however, is that the people who die aren't necessarily who you were expecting to die.
Overall these books just aren't my cup of tea. The bad guy is a typical mean person, just like Ptolemy was in The Holiday Murders. There's a carryover baddie from book one and an all new baddie who, to my mind was the same guy with a different name. Tortured animals as a kid, assaulted people with mental health issues who could not defend themselves and harassed women as though they deserved it. And all with a feeling of righteous superiority. Much like the first story, their attraction to Nazism is in the perceived power of causing harm to others.
Port fairy is a good choice for a progressive town, the locals tend to be all about the environment and ahead of the curve in some areas of equality, especially for a little country town but from my experiences there I'm not sure if they would have been forward thinking about women cops in the 1940s. Probably the major draw for these novels is that the setting is based around the beginnings of the homicide squad of the Victorian Police force and that a main character is the first female detective at a time when women in the force was still largely unheard of.
The author mentions that Port Fairy is 30 minutes from Warrnambool, which it is now, at 100kph along the Princes Hwy, but while in 1940 an average car may have been able to reach that as a top speed, with horses likely still on the roads and bitumen only in use on some Australian roads for a decade it is likely that the trip was longer than 30 minutes.
Anyway, I'm a sucker for a continuing story so I'll probably check out the next two books eventually although with no real sense of eagerness. I slogged it through the first book just to get to this one and while it was nice to read familiar street names and to visit the Cally (Caledonian Hotel) one more time the story was just not as much fun as I would have liked it to be.
Overall these books just aren't my cup of tea. The bad guy is a typical mean person, just like Ptolemy was in The Holiday Murders. There's a carryover baddie from book one and an all new baddie who, to my mind was the same guy with a different name. Tortured animals as a kid, assaulted people with mental health issues who could not defend themselves and harassed women as though they deserved it. And all with a feeling of righteous superiority. Much like the first story, their attraction to Nazism is in the perceived power of causing harm to others.
Port fairy is a good choice for a progressive town, the locals tend to be all about the environment and ahead of the curve in some areas of equality, especially for a little country town but from my experiences there I'm not sure if they would have been forward thinking about women cops in the 1940s. Probably the major draw for these novels is that the setting is based around the beginnings of the homicide squad of the Victorian Police force and that a main character is the first female detective at a time when women in the force was still largely unheard of.
The author mentions that Port Fairy is 30 minutes from Warrnambool, which it is now, at 100kph along the Princes Hwy, but while in 1940 an average car may have been able to reach that as a top speed, with horses likely still on the roads and bitumen only in use on some Australian roads for a decade it is likely that the trip was longer than 30 minutes.
Anyway, I'm a sucker for a continuing story so I'll probably check out the next two books eventually although with no real sense of eagerness. I slogged it through the first book just to get to this one and while it was nice to read familiar street names and to visit the Cally (Caledonian Hotel) one more time the story was just not as much fun as I would have liked it to be.
March 12, 2015
The first book, THE HOLIDAY MURDERS marked a change in series, but not style, for author Robert Gott. Much of this author's crime fiction writing has concentrated on historical time periods, in particular around the second world war.
This reader was very impressed with the first book. It introduced a range of new characters in the newly formed Homicide department of Victoria Police, from Inspector Titus Lambert (and his wife), Detective Joe Sable and Constable Helen Lord. Events from that book physically and mentally scar Joe Sable, scars that he carries forward, along with a serious threat, into THE PORT FAIRY MURDERS.
Linking the small seaside town of Port Fairy on Victoria's Coastline with the team back in Melbourne are elements of the very real threat that the villain George Starling poses, as he hides away there, plotting and planning finishing the job he started in the first book.
"George Starling hated jews, women, queers, coppers, rich people, and his father. He loved Adolf Hitler and Ptolemy Jones. Hitler was in Berlin, a long way from Victoria, and Jones was dead. He knew Jones was dead because he stood in the shadows and watched the coppers bring his body out of a house in Belgrave. One of those coppers had been a Jew named Joe Sable and that meant one thing, and one thing only - Joe Sable's days were numbered."
Which he nearly manages to achieve late one night in Melbourne. The second connection emerges when a brutal double murder happens in Port Fairy, which allows Lambert to put Sable and Lord into that town, the investigation and inadvertently the firing line yet again.
There are many strong elements from the earlier book that carry forward to this one. Gott draws a very detailed and yet entertaining portrait of war-time Country Victoria and Melbourne. The example of Lord's difficulties as a woman in the police force nicely illustrates the attitude of workforce participation prevalent at the time. The behaviour of the branches of an established family in Port Fairy a particularly telling demonstration of the outcomes of snobbery and favouritism.
"She didn't have a much higher opinion of her niece. She was pretty, but insufficiently interested in her appearance to do herself justice. Her voice was irremediably awful, beyond surgical help because it wasn't just a question of adenoids. Timbre, tone and pitch were all off."
"Her feelings about her nephew, Matthew, were, if not extreme, at least extravagant. She adored him. He was beautiful - others less smitten admitted to his being good-looking, nothing more - and his decision to live within minutes of her had raised her flagging spirits."
Even the way that the main suspect in the double murder in Port Fairy is an intellectually handicapped man, gives the author the opportunity of drawing out the way that some society and families reacted to people with disabilities at the time.
The action, however, does move backwards and forwards between the investigation in Port Fairy and the threat to Joe Sable posed by George Starling. Unfortunately this leads to one of the major downfalls of THE PORT FAIRY MURDERS in that the two elements never seem to quite jell, spending instead a lot of time competing for attention. Whilst there's something inevitable about the double murder investigation (and not just because the reader knows the truth right from the outset), the potential for Starling to succeed also seems quite high. That threat is constantly being shifted around in focus to allow for much rushing backwards and forwards between Melbourne and Port Fairy, and a series of rather odd coincidences that are a tad heavy handed in execution.
Frankly the Port Fairy component didn't seem to contribute an awful lot to the overall story. The threat of Starling, the investigation of his activities, the further exploration of Sable's Jewish background and the affect that will have on him as well as the expansion of the bone-headed behaviour of so many towards women in the workplace were really involving. The complications of Lord's personal life and how her work impacts on her home life, particularly when Sable needs somewhere to live were particularly engaging. That background, and the search for Starling had some sense of genuine threat and menace to them, and it felt like they could have supported a larger concentration. At the very least, there was something more to say there than some daft old lady with a fetish for a loser nephew to the exclusion of her obviously well-meaning niece, all of which came with a sense of overwhelming inevitability. By the end of this book it was hard to ignore the big question, which was why somebody hadn't done away with many of that family a lot earlier.
Having said all of that, there's enough here to make you wonder if THE PORT FAIRY MURDERS is "the difficult second book" that's got some positioning of characters sorted out, kept a major element of threat in play, set up some ongoing relationships and provided a path into "the series moves forward third book".
This reader certainly hopes so. For the elements of THE PORT FAIRY MURDERS that did disappoint, these are still such an interesting group of characters, and the historical background is so informative, you'd hope there's a further outing in the works.
http://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/review-port-fairy-murders-robert-gott-0
October 3, 2021
As a follow on to the Holiday Murders this continues the chase. It goes to a country town where I holiday. The author has written the description of the house central to the story so well I took to looking for it. (Yes I am aware that mostly the house written about have changes, but I suspect I did get close).
Interesting how well the farm description had me picturing combinations of farms we had visited, and how well the pacing kept me wanting to check the good prevailed. Well do not assume anything.
Read Holiday Murders and then follow up with this one.
Interesting how well the farm description had me picturing combinations of farms we had visited, and how well the pacing kept me wanting to check the good prevailed. Well do not assume anything.
Read Holiday Murders and then follow up with this one.
March 6, 2025
Completely, utterly okay. This booky is for anyone that likes a smack bang, copaganda-esque, murder mystery thriller. The good guys are good, the bad guys are serial killers or Nazis or misogynists (and sometimes all three). The detail toward religious division in rural Australia was genuinely really interesting and unique.
January 8, 2018
This isn’t the book I read but it’s close and I want it to count for my good reads goal
BOOKS called port fairy ghost stories and it’s like 200 pages of stories about the town I’m staying on holidays in
It counts IT DOES!!!!!
Okay it was fun and spooky , cool
Love bik
BOOKS called port fairy ghost stories and it’s like 200 pages of stories about the town I’m staying on holidays in
It counts IT DOES!!!!!
Okay it was fun and spooky , cool
Love bik
November 18, 2019
Such a vast list of characters that it is hard to keep track of them all. Still a recommended read.
September 23, 2018
Captivating, I found it to be an easy read, interesting characters and quite fast past so you want to know what happens next.
March 13, 2015
The sequel to "The Holiday Murders", the first book in this series, this novel picks up shortly after the events of that first story. The main characters, Inspector Titus Lambert, and his two subordinates, Constable Helen Lord and Sergeant Joe Sable, are still suffering the effects of those brutal events that occurred at the end of "The Holiday Murders".
Two threads run through the story. One follows George Starling who escaped in the earlier book. He is both a hunter and the hunted. Although the police are looking for him, George wants to wreck vengeance on Joe and Helen for being a major part in the downfall of the Nationalist group and his mentor.
The second strand, involves domestic lives and tensions in a Port Fairy. Families and small towns have always been more complicated than it seems on the surface.
The author paints an authentic picture of what life was like in Melbourne and country Victoria (Port Fairy and Warrnambool) during the second World War. The attitudes of people towards women in hte workforce and entrenched prejudices especially religious tensions, between Catholics and Protestants and attitudes towards intellectual disabilities, homosexuality and
The characters in this story are interesting and the historical and political setting is very well established. The tension around whether or not George Starling will succeed is compelling. The Port fairy murders take quite a while to happen and the final dénouement interesting. It is a good read but better if you have read the first installment and there is certainly enough left for more about the burgeoning Homicide Department of the Victorian Police.
Two threads run through the story. One follows George Starling who escaped in the earlier book. He is both a hunter and the hunted. Although the police are looking for him, George wants to wreck vengeance on Joe and Helen for being a major part in the downfall of the Nationalist group and his mentor.
The second strand, involves domestic lives and tensions in a Port Fairy. Families and small towns have always been more complicated than it seems on the surface.
The author paints an authentic picture of what life was like in Melbourne and country Victoria (Port Fairy and Warrnambool) during the second World War. The attitudes of people towards women in hte workforce and entrenched prejudices especially religious tensions, between Catholics and Protestants and attitudes towards intellectual disabilities, homosexuality and
The characters in this story are interesting and the historical and political setting is very well established. The tension around whether or not George Starling will succeed is compelling. The Port fairy murders take quite a while to happen and the final dénouement interesting. It is a good read but better if you have read the first installment and there is certainly enough left for more about the burgeoning Homicide Department of the Victorian Police.
July 2, 2016
I was really disappointed with this book. I hadn't read any of Robert Gott's previous books, but from the glowing reviews, I expected at least a reasonable read.
There are two strands to the novel - a dangerous criminal George Starling going after Detective Joe Sable and an unrelated double murder in Port Fairy. However I found the plot plodding and laborious - George Starling seemed to take forever to track down Joe and for a dangerous criminal, didn't seem to have much of a clue as to how to go about it and the murders didn't happen until two thirds of the way through the book, with a most unsatisfactory ending.
The thing that annoyed me the most (WARNING - SPOILER)was when George Starling finds and traps Joe's associate Constable Helen Lord and is about to have his wicked way with her, some random neighbour (not introduced previously in the book and not referred to afterwards) just happens to witness the event and comes rushing in with a gun and rescues Helen.
There's a name for that plot device, I can't remember it, but it's definitely a no-no. In an effective story arc, it should have been Joe who rescued her.
The characters were reasonably well drawn and believable and it was of interest that the book was written in 1943, with the historical backdrop of WW2. For those reasons only, I'm giving it 2 stars.
There are two strands to the novel - a dangerous criminal George Starling going after Detective Joe Sable and an unrelated double murder in Port Fairy. However I found the plot plodding and laborious - George Starling seemed to take forever to track down Joe and for a dangerous criminal, didn't seem to have much of a clue as to how to go about it and the murders didn't happen until two thirds of the way through the book, with a most unsatisfactory ending.
The thing that annoyed me the most (WARNING - SPOILER)was when George Starling finds and traps Joe's associate Constable Helen Lord and is about to have his wicked way with her, some random neighbour (not introduced previously in the book and not referred to afterwards) just happens to witness the event and comes rushing in with a gun and rescues Helen.
There's a name for that plot device, I can't remember it, but it's definitely a no-no. In an effective story arc, it should have been Joe who rescued her.
The characters were reasonably well drawn and believable and it was of interest that the book was written in 1943, with the historical backdrop of WW2. For those reasons only, I'm giving it 2 stars.
January 14, 2016
This novel will appeal to people who read for character and setting. There is an abundance of historical detail and background information about characters so it will appeal to lovers of detail, while for story oriented readers, it at times will be a tough read.
This is the second in a series. I did not read the first, and there were deliberate spoilers at the start of this novel so I don't need to read the first in the series. Keep this in mind if you want to read the series. This novel is not self contained, and the subject matter for the next novel is strongly flagged at the end, and for those seeking resolution in crime novels, this may not be one for you.
This is the second in a series. I did not read the first, and there were deliberate spoilers at the start of this novel so I don't need to read the first in the series. Keep this in mind if you want to read the series. This novel is not self contained, and the subject matter for the next novel is strongly flagged at the end, and for those seeking resolution in crime novels, this may not be one for you.
April 11, 2015
A trip to Port Fairy and a drink at The Stump (properly called in this book by its official name, the Caledonian) will never be the same again! Robert Gott sets the scene in 1940s Melbourne, Warrnambool and Port Fairy with meticulous detail and a cast of characters who are in turns endearing, psychotic and downright frightening. A superb thriller. Now looking forward to catching up with the first in the series, The Holiday Murders.
August 18, 2020
Riveting.
While reading the first several chapters of this book, I thought it was true crime. That's how convincingly it was written. The atmosphere, types of people, beliefs, and period features all made it seem so real to me. The author provides a keen insight into his characters and what makes them tick. The prejudices of the times towards women, especially women in positions of power, gay men, Jewish people, and mentally disabled people, are fully exposed. Yet, even in those times, there are some who don't hold those prejudices and biases, which is very heartening. The main thread throughout the book is the evil George Starling, and his horrific crimes, and how he seems to elude capture again and again. Other crimes and murders committed by others, are also threaded throughout the book. I found this book a very satisfying read, and cannot wait to read the book that came first in this series, and the book that is third in the series. I would like to see how the characters developed.
While reading the first several chapters of this book, I thought it was true crime. That's how convincingly it was written. The atmosphere, types of people, beliefs, and period features all made it seem so real to me. The author provides a keen insight into his characters and what makes them tick. The prejudices of the times towards women, especially women in positions of power, gay men, Jewish people, and mentally disabled people, are fully exposed. Yet, even in those times, there are some who don't hold those prejudices and biases, which is very heartening. The main thread throughout the book is the evil George Starling, and his horrific crimes, and how he seems to elude capture again and again. Other crimes and murders committed by others, are also threaded throughout the book. I found this book a very satisfying read, and cannot wait to read the book that came first in this series, and the book that is third in the series. I would like to see how the characters developed.
November 2, 2023
As Sergeant Joe Sable is pursued by an implacably murderous Nazi, he and Constable Helen Lord are sent to Port Fairy to investigate a grisly double murder.
This book has the same issues that I had with the first novel in the series; the characters are largely cut-outs some of whom are entirely too "woke" for the period. There was almost no character in the book that I could warm to; they were all either repellent or unbelievably noble and good.
I would have given this three stars based on the plot, but I hated the ending, so I dropped my rating down.
This book has the same issues that I had with the first novel in the series; the characters are largely cut-outs some of whom are entirely too "woke" for the period. There was almost no character in the book that I could warm to; they were all either repellent or unbelievably noble and good.
I would have given this three stars based on the plot, but I hated the ending, so I dropped my rating down.
February 8, 2024
Story of how the homicide squad was set up in the Victorian police during WW11, It covers the divide between Catholics and Protestants, fascist groups and their activity including the hatred of Jews, , role of women in the police force- all while tryyng to solve murders and search for a wanted fascist.
At times there is too much detail and recollection
At times there is too much detail and recollection
January 11, 2020
Some really good characters, interesting time period and good historical details, but so poorly unfinished and obviously setting up a sequel that I refuse to read anymore by this author.
Very disappointing, yet could have been so good.
Very disappointing, yet could have been so good.
June 6, 2018
Great to discover a fabulous new author. Now I have to read the first book and hope for a bright future for poor old Joe sable.
January 3, 2020
No 2 in the series was for me more engaging than the first in the series. The 1940's period in Australia was so so insular.
April 6, 2020
The action continues. Great read.
May 23, 2020
Marvellous marvellous
I want to pool Thrilla stop I had to read this book a second time stop for I found it hard to put the book down and to turn the light out
I want to pool Thrilla stop I had to read this book a second time stop for I found it hard to put the book down and to turn the light out
June 1, 2020
Set in 1940's in Melbourne . Sometimes brutal but still a good read
November 30, 2021
A lot of violence and an very open ending. A bit disappointing after the first book in the series.
July 13, 2022
Fantastic Australian Crime Fiction set in the 1940s. Amazing historical detail and characters.
June 20, 2023
Lots of good parts but they didn't come together for me
February 29, 2024
Holidaying in Port Fairy so had to read it then
Good story with twists & turns, different types characters & not always as they seem even in a small community
Will read others by this author
Good story with twists & turns, different types characters & not always as they seem even in a small community
Will read others by this author
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