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City of Light
Snowy Lane, preoccupied with a ham sandwich and the odds of making the football team on Saturday, takes the terrible phone call that signals the beginning of a series of events which are to reverberate in his life and shake the city to its foundations ... ‘Gruesome' has taken another victim and the whole population is riveted by the emergence of the dark side of the City of Light.
408 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1995
40 people are currently reading
285 people want to read
About the author
Dave Warner
42 books90 followersDave Warner is the author of fourteen crime novels, including the winner of the 1996 WA Premier’s Award for Fiction (City of Light) and the 2016 Ned Kelly winner of Best Australian Crime Fiction (Before it Breaks). He has also written a children's book series and seven non-fiction titles, and screenwritten for film and TV.
Dave Warner originally gained national recognition as a musician-songwriter in the late 1970s with Bob Dylan referring to Dave and Richard Clapton as his “favourite Australian artists”.
As early as 1973 Dave had formed Australia’s first punk band, Pus, playing early versions of tracks such as Suburban Boy and Hot Crotch which he was later to record with Dave Warner’s from the Suburbs. In 1975, Dave went to London and wrote many new songs which expressed a clearly-defined vision of Australia, including tracks such as Convict Streak and Oklahoma. Suburban Boy became the cornerstone of this new style of music, which Dave labelled suburban rock. Warner’s music is probably best described as Lou Reed meets Tomas Pynchon.
Dave's feature films include the cult-horror CUT (starring Kylie Minogue and Molly Ringwald) and GARAGE DAYS (co-written with director Alex Proyas). His many TV credits include scripts for MCLEOD’S DAUGHTERS and PACKED TO THE RAFTERS.
Dave was educated at Aquinas College and the University of Western Australia, graduating with a B.A. (Hons.), majoring in Psychology. Growing up an ardent supporter of the East Fremantle Football Club, his passion of Australian football remains.
Dave Warner originally gained national recognition as a musician-songwriter in the late 1970s with Bob Dylan referring to Dave and Richard Clapton as his “favourite Australian artists”.
As early as 1973 Dave had formed Australia’s first punk band, Pus, playing early versions of tracks such as Suburban Boy and Hot Crotch which he was later to record with Dave Warner’s from the Suburbs. In 1975, Dave went to London and wrote many new songs which expressed a clearly-defined vision of Australia, including tracks such as Convict Streak and Oklahoma. Suburban Boy became the cornerstone of this new style of music, which Dave labelled suburban rock. Warner’s music is probably best described as Lou Reed meets Tomas Pynchon.
Dave's feature films include the cult-horror CUT (starring Kylie Minogue and Molly Ringwald) and GARAGE DAYS (co-written with director Alex Proyas). His many TV credits include scripts for MCLEOD’S DAUGHTERS and PACKED TO THE RAFTERS.
Dave was educated at Aquinas College and the University of Western Australia, graduating with a B.A. (Hons.), majoring in Psychology. Growing up an ardent supporter of the East Fremantle Football Club, his passion of Australian football remains.
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January 17, 2021
It was just after 8.00pm when I knocked on the door of one of those brick and cement-rendered bungalows that have a narrow frontage but stretch back further than a family tree…
City of Light opens in 1979, with DC “Snowy” White of Fremantle Homicide, and sometimes player for a local AFL team, attending the scene of a young student, the body decapitated - the hallmark of a serial killer known as “Mr Gruesome”, whose earlier targets were prostitutes. Snowy is assigned to the Perth Police taskforce team, and befriended by Dave Holland, who warns him that the police force at that level is politicised – with the politicians in the pockets of the big end of town.
Snowy’s investigative skills leads to several clues, some unconnected, others bring results, and raises the spectre of police corruption. When a suspect is apprehended the taskforce celebrates – only for the suspect to hang in his cell. Meanwhile, media attention shifts to the search and rescue efforts for the son of a prominent business identity and his friend, lost at sea in a yacht in the Indian Ocean.
The story moves to 1986. Snowy, now a PI – gains jobs through contacts and “favours”. In the wake of two sailing syndicates vying to defend Australia in the America’s Cup, Fremantle is “gentrified” and big-scale developments are mooted. Dave Holland is on a taskforce following the money trail – with loans shuffling between corporate entities.
‘…by the time we think we know how somebody stands, the whole situation has changed again…union officials, public servants, credit societies - all hustling to get a piece of the action on dodgy projects with other people’s money.’
Author Dave Warner captures the mood at both ends of the social spectrum.
A decade earlier, it had been decided that a low valley of banksias, black boy and undistinguished scrub out the back of Fremantle was the perfect place for a new State housing project. The suburb was just that little too far inland for the old Fremantle Doctor to reach, and in the raging gut of summer, everything in the small flats fermented, the food, the pets and the people. It was the perfect place to incarcerate the so-called detritus of the City of Light.
Whereas - Dalkeith was ‘old’ Perth wealth. Here judges and company directors snoozed to the sound of their reticulation, and the driveways never contained fewer than two imported cars. Most of the city’s private schools were under a gallon of fuel away.
His PI cases takes him further afield and as a city dweller, Snowy has problems adjusting to WA’s vastness and isolation.
I turned off the two-lane onto a single-lane blacktop that dipped and rose like something out of Streets of San Francisco. Thick bush overhung the white road posts bearing down on me as I drove. A couple of potholes tested my suspension, and I was thankful when I took a final turn off the blacktop onto a red gravel road where the ride was uniformally bad.
The final part of the story, set in 1988, takes us full circle to a "copycat" killer of “Mr Gruesome”, and a financial meltdown.
In October 1987, world stock markets crashed. The tidal wave caught the City of Light under-prepared and over-extended, a flabby lifeguard fresh off the all-day lunch. The entrepreneurs who’d borrowed to buy the companies of their mates, who’d borrowed to buy their mates’ companies, which owned nothing but what they had paid too much for, were either wiped out or on the respirator…
It is hard to do justice to a book with so many shady characters, and where so much is at stake. If I read it again I would take note of the body count – well into double figures, only one I recall of natural causes. While peppered throughout with clues, the author had me as blindsided as Snowy as to the real story.
On the downside, my eyes glazed over at - "the morning was as crisp and clear as a marching girl’s uniform". This his debut novel, published back in 1995, I was unsure whether Dave Warner was trying to impress his mates or was having ‘a lend’ of the reader. But as winner of the Premier’s Book Award 1996 (no mention of literature) and I had enjoyed Clear to the Horizon and River of Salt by the same author, I decided to persist and was glad I did. The denouement was a classic.
Verdict: a good read – if you overlook the ocker humour and occasional f-bomb, but I am glad I read some of his later works first.
City of Light opens in 1979, with DC “Snowy” White of Fremantle Homicide, and sometimes player for a local AFL team, attending the scene of a young student, the body decapitated - the hallmark of a serial killer known as “Mr Gruesome”, whose earlier targets were prostitutes. Snowy is assigned to the Perth Police taskforce team, and befriended by Dave Holland, who warns him that the police force at that level is politicised – with the politicians in the pockets of the big end of town.
Snowy’s investigative skills leads to several clues, some unconnected, others bring results, and raises the spectre of police corruption. When a suspect is apprehended the taskforce celebrates – only for the suspect to hang in his cell. Meanwhile, media attention shifts to the search and rescue efforts for the son of a prominent business identity and his friend, lost at sea in a yacht in the Indian Ocean.
The story moves to 1986. Snowy, now a PI – gains jobs through contacts and “favours”. In the wake of two sailing syndicates vying to defend Australia in the America’s Cup, Fremantle is “gentrified” and big-scale developments are mooted. Dave Holland is on a taskforce following the money trail – with loans shuffling between corporate entities.
‘…by the time we think we know how somebody stands, the whole situation has changed again…union officials, public servants, credit societies - all hustling to get a piece of the action on dodgy projects with other people’s money.’
Author Dave Warner captures the mood at both ends of the social spectrum.
A decade earlier, it had been decided that a low valley of banksias, black boy and undistinguished scrub out the back of Fremantle was the perfect place for a new State housing project. The suburb was just that little too far inland for the old Fremantle Doctor to reach, and in the raging gut of summer, everything in the small flats fermented, the food, the pets and the people. It was the perfect place to incarcerate the so-called detritus of the City of Light.
Whereas - Dalkeith was ‘old’ Perth wealth. Here judges and company directors snoozed to the sound of their reticulation, and the driveways never contained fewer than two imported cars. Most of the city’s private schools were under a gallon of fuel away.
His PI cases takes him further afield and as a city dweller, Snowy has problems adjusting to WA’s vastness and isolation.
I turned off the two-lane onto a single-lane blacktop that dipped and rose like something out of Streets of San Francisco. Thick bush overhung the white road posts bearing down on me as I drove. A couple of potholes tested my suspension, and I was thankful when I took a final turn off the blacktop onto a red gravel road where the ride was uniformally bad.
The final part of the story, set in 1988, takes us full circle to a "copycat" killer of “Mr Gruesome”, and a financial meltdown.
In October 1987, world stock markets crashed. The tidal wave caught the City of Light under-prepared and over-extended, a flabby lifeguard fresh off the all-day lunch. The entrepreneurs who’d borrowed to buy the companies of their mates, who’d borrowed to buy their mates’ companies, which owned nothing but what they had paid too much for, were either wiped out or on the respirator…
It is hard to do justice to a book with so many shady characters, and where so much is at stake. If I read it again I would take note of the body count – well into double figures, only one I recall of natural causes. While peppered throughout with clues, the author had me as blindsided as Snowy as to the real story.
On the downside, my eyes glazed over at - "the morning was as crisp and clear as a marching girl’s uniform". This his debut novel, published back in 1995, I was unsure whether Dave Warner was trying to impress his mates or was having ‘a lend’ of the reader. But as winner of the Premier’s Book Award 1996 (no mention of literature) and I had enjoyed Clear to the Horizon and River of Salt by the same author, I decided to persist and was glad I did. The denouement was a classic.
Verdict: a good read – if you overlook the ocker humour and occasional f-bomb, but I am glad I read some of his later works first.
July 2, 2012
Years ago I read a book called Big Bad Blood by a Sydney crime writer called Dave Warner.
I can’t remember much about it now, except it was set in Sydney’s vice centre, Kings Cross, in the mid-sixties and involved police corruption, organised crime and a series of grisly murders of local prostitutes. It was a dark, gritty read, set in an era I was (and still am) interested in learning more about. I thought it was great.
I didn’t give Warner a second thought until recently, when I discovered his first novel, City of Light.
Turns out, Sydney's not Warner’s original stomping ground. He moved there from Perth, West Australian in the late nineties, for reasons which perhaps become clear in City of Light.
City of Light came after a colourful career as a front man for a punk rock band (“Australia’s first punk band” according to his website), stand up comic and play write. It won the West Australian Premier’s Award for best fiction in 1996.
The main character of City of Light is Snowy Lane, a young police constable and amateur footballer, working in suburban Perth in the late- seventies, who gets swept up in the investigation into a string of murders of young women by a serial killer dubbed ‘Mr Gruesome’. The investigation not only changes his life, it ultimately entangles him in the political and financial corruption and excess that marked eighties Perth.
The book is split into three sections. The first, which deals with the Mr Gruesome killings, also introduces us to the cast characters including bent cops, crooked real estate dealers and aspiring politicians. A local man is arrested for the killings, but Snowy is certain it’s the wrong man, a hunch he’s unable to play out when the suspect commits suicide in jail.
By part two the action has moved to 1986. Haunted by what he knows is his failure to catch the real killer, Snowy has left the police and is now working as an ambulance chasing private investigator.
Part three is set in 1988. As the corruption of Perth's elite moves into overdrive, a serial killer is again striking at women. Is it a copycat or has the real Mr Gruesome returned?
City of Blood is a wonderful crime yarn that weaves aspects of a good solid police procedural with a sweeping overview of the under belly of the city’s history that reminded me of aspects of Ellroy’s LA quartet.
Australian readers may remember the WA Inc political scandal that rocked Western Australia in the late eighties. Basically, the state Labor government, having been out of office for a long time, engaged in a series of business dealings with free wheeling businessmen, which resulted in the loss of an estimated $600 million in public money and the destruction of a number of corporations.
Warner covers that and more, including an insightful examination of the city's changing religious and class demographics and how this influenced shifts in the State's political and economic power.
It’s a bit over written in parts, and some of the colour is applied a little too thickly, but otherwise City of Light is a pretty impressive performance by a man who was obviously a fly on the wall for some of the seedier moments of the city’s history.
With the exception of West Australian writer David Whish Wilson's excellent book, Line of Sight, and Andrew McGahan's Last Drinks, set in Queensland in the seventies and eighties, I can’t think of another Australian crime novel like City of Light.
City of Light is available through Freemantle Press.
I can’t remember much about it now, except it was set in Sydney’s vice centre, Kings Cross, in the mid-sixties and involved police corruption, organised crime and a series of grisly murders of local prostitutes. It was a dark, gritty read, set in an era I was (and still am) interested in learning more about. I thought it was great.
I didn’t give Warner a second thought until recently, when I discovered his first novel, City of Light.
Turns out, Sydney's not Warner’s original stomping ground. He moved there from Perth, West Australian in the late nineties, for reasons which perhaps become clear in City of Light.
City of Light came after a colourful career as a front man for a punk rock band (“Australia’s first punk band” according to his website), stand up comic and play write. It won the West Australian Premier’s Award for best fiction in 1996.
The main character of City of Light is Snowy Lane, a young police constable and amateur footballer, working in suburban Perth in the late- seventies, who gets swept up in the investigation into a string of murders of young women by a serial killer dubbed ‘Mr Gruesome’. The investigation not only changes his life, it ultimately entangles him in the political and financial corruption and excess that marked eighties Perth.
The book is split into three sections. The first, which deals with the Mr Gruesome killings, also introduces us to the cast characters including bent cops, crooked real estate dealers and aspiring politicians. A local man is arrested for the killings, but Snowy is certain it’s the wrong man, a hunch he’s unable to play out when the suspect commits suicide in jail.
By part two the action has moved to 1986. Haunted by what he knows is his failure to catch the real killer, Snowy has left the police and is now working as an ambulance chasing private investigator.
Part three is set in 1988. As the corruption of Perth's elite moves into overdrive, a serial killer is again striking at women. Is it a copycat or has the real Mr Gruesome returned?
City of Blood is a wonderful crime yarn that weaves aspects of a good solid police procedural with a sweeping overview of the under belly of the city’s history that reminded me of aspects of Ellroy’s LA quartet.
Australian readers may remember the WA Inc political scandal that rocked Western Australia in the late eighties. Basically, the state Labor government, having been out of office for a long time, engaged in a series of business dealings with free wheeling businessmen, which resulted in the loss of an estimated $600 million in public money and the destruction of a number of corporations.
Warner covers that and more, including an insightful examination of the city's changing religious and class demographics and how this influenced shifts in the State's political and economic power.
It’s a bit over written in parts, and some of the colour is applied a little too thickly, but otherwise City of Light is a pretty impressive performance by a man who was obviously a fly on the wall for some of the seedier moments of the city’s history.
With the exception of West Australian writer David Whish Wilson's excellent book, Line of Sight, and Andrew McGahan's Last Drinks, set in Queensland in the seventies and eighties, I can’t think of another Australian crime novel like City of Light.
City of Light is available through Freemantle Press.
April 19, 2019
Way too many similes, to the point that they were noticeably intrusive. Needed a good editing.
October 22, 2021
Very engaging book about Perth and Fremantle immediately before, after and during the WA Inc. period. The milieu of politics, policing, WAFL footy, pubs, music and Perth high society is deftly drawn. There’s a lot of sex in it. I found it entertaining but it did suffer a little from being overly long. Some of Snowy’s to-ing and fro-ing and thought processes might have been compressed a little without the narrative suffering too much. Structurally speaking, there was a bit of a flaw (in my view) inasmuch as there were a couple of clues that the reader cottons on to well before Snowy does, which doesn’t really gel with Snowy’s reputation as a gun detective.
I agree with some other commenters who noted the over-use of simile and metaphor. It’s a very Chandleresque trait, but Chandler was much more sparing in his use of it, and generally waited until he had a real zinger up his sleeve. Warner, not so much. He chucks them around like confetti.
I agree with some other commenters who noted the over-use of simile and metaphor. It’s a very Chandleresque trait, but Chandler was much more sparing in his use of it, and generally waited until he had a real zinger up his sleeve. Warner, not so much. He chucks them around like confetti.
May 16, 2021
Overuse of similes detracts
August 6, 2019
I would have given a higher rating but the excessive ludicrous similes and misogyny and Snowy talking about himself in the third person did my head in..
October 15, 2024
"City of Light" by Dave Warner is a kaleidoscopic plunge into Fremantle's seedy underbelly, and if nothing else, it's brimming with character. The novel's structure is split into three distinct parts, set in 1979, 1986, and 1988. The prose itself has more colour than a Mardi Gras parade, with Warner laying it on thick. He doesn't just tell you about the grime on the streets of Freo; he rubs your nose in it. That said, if you're after a fly-on-the-wall view of the city's underworld and don't mind the occasional bit of local slang, that'll leave non-West Australians scratching their heads. In that case, you're in for a vivid, if occasionally overwhelming, experience.
Warner blends grisly murders with a sardonic, dark humour. It's as if he's giving us a knowing wink: "Sure, it's dark, but let's not get too melodramatic, shall we?" This juxtaposition keeps the tone buoyant even when things get rather macabre, which is no small feat. Our protagonist, Snowy Lane, has more layers than a mille-feuille, though the rest of the cast is like Tinder dates, swiping in and out of his life before you've really gotten to know them.
I was all set for a classic serial killer chase, the kind where you get plenty of clever sleuthing and a bit of witty banter, but then the middle section swerves. It's as complicated as trying to explain the finer points of cricket to an American, and I found myself zoning out, waiting for the action to kick back in. It's the kind of convoluted plotting that begs for a bit of judicious trimming.
Speaking of excess, this book has more testosterone than a footy locker room after a win. The machismo is laid on thick, with scenes of beers, bets, and a whole lot of bedroom antics. Warner doesn't hold back in making Snowy the object of every woman's desire, to the point where it feels like Snowy's libido is a plot device in itself. Yes, there's a certain roguish charm, but it starts to feel like a one-note fantasy after a while.
Then there's the matter of those similes. Good grief. By the end, it was hard to shake the feeling that Warner might have been having a laugh at our expense. If there were a drinking game for every simile, the book would require a health warning. They're frequently amusing, but after a while, it's like being bludgeoned with them, leaving you wondering whether the narrative's tension has been swapped for sheer linguistic gymnastics.
All in all, "City of Light" has more excesses than an all-you-can-eat buffet and is about as subtle as a pub brawl. Yet, despite the flaws, there's a scrappy energy that's hard to dismiss. For those who appreciate a rough-and-tumble crime novel that doesn't take itself too seriously, Warner's opus is worth the ride; just don't expect to get out without a few eye-rolls at his rollicking simile marathon.
⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Warner blends grisly murders with a sardonic, dark humour. It's as if he's giving us a knowing wink: "Sure, it's dark, but let's not get too melodramatic, shall we?" This juxtaposition keeps the tone buoyant even when things get rather macabre, which is no small feat. Our protagonist, Snowy Lane, has more layers than a mille-feuille, though the rest of the cast is like Tinder dates, swiping in and out of his life before you've really gotten to know them.
I was all set for a classic serial killer chase, the kind where you get plenty of clever sleuthing and a bit of witty banter, but then the middle section swerves. It's as complicated as trying to explain the finer points of cricket to an American, and I found myself zoning out, waiting for the action to kick back in. It's the kind of convoluted plotting that begs for a bit of judicious trimming.
Speaking of excess, this book has more testosterone than a footy locker room after a win. The machismo is laid on thick, with scenes of beers, bets, and a whole lot of bedroom antics. Warner doesn't hold back in making Snowy the object of every woman's desire, to the point where it feels like Snowy's libido is a plot device in itself. Yes, there's a certain roguish charm, but it starts to feel like a one-note fantasy after a while.
Then there's the matter of those similes. Good grief. By the end, it was hard to shake the feeling that Warner might have been having a laugh at our expense. If there were a drinking game for every simile, the book would require a health warning. They're frequently amusing, but after a while, it's like being bludgeoned with them, leaving you wondering whether the narrative's tension has been swapped for sheer linguistic gymnastics.
All in all, "City of Light" has more excesses than an all-you-can-eat buffet and is about as subtle as a pub brawl. Yet, despite the flaws, there's a scrappy energy that's hard to dismiss. For those who appreciate a rough-and-tumble crime novel that doesn't take itself too seriously, Warner's opus is worth the ride; just don't expect to get out without a few eye-rolls at his rollicking simile marathon.
⭐ ⭐ ⭐
July 8, 2025
Good to have a crime novel set in Fremantle, and in late 70’s - 80’s. But there was a bit too much graphic focus on the main character’s sex life with his women friends. And the overuse of similes others have mentioned.
February 1, 2025
It started well I think. Action packed, character developing... I was sucked in by all the Perth references as I was living there in the eighties too. And, yes, too many similies (especially towards the end) to take the writing seriously... But they were fun in their own way (narrower than the pubic hair strip on a strip club dancer - not a direct quote as I listened via audio and so can't just look it up)
But the terrible sex scenes did me in. And by that I mean 'terrible sex', with the world's most beautiful girls (the last one basically still a girl in comparison), that all just couldn't keep their hands off him. The ego of it... Ooof! Probably not unrealistic, but icky. Not for me.
But the terrible sex scenes did me in. And by that I mean 'terrible sex', with the world's most beautiful girls (the last one basically still a girl in comparison), that all just couldn't keep their hands off him. The ego of it... Ooof! Probably not unrealistic, but icky. Not for me.
February 4, 2024
I just couldn't get into this book, not for lack of trying, though. I have put this book down more times than I care to remember. I managed to follow through and read to the not so exciting end.
It should be a winner - the perfect setting, the cool no nonsense male protagonist and the serial killer "Mr Gruesome”. But what a drag it was! I just have to mention the overuse of similes, it's on every other page, and it kills any good intention to finish the story.
But I did, and I'll give it a generous two-star prize. I probably won't be coming back though.
It should be a winner - the perfect setting, the cool no nonsense male protagonist and the serial killer "Mr Gruesome”. But what a drag it was! I just have to mention the overuse of similes, it's on every other page, and it kills any good intention to finish the story.
But I did, and I'll give it a generous two-star prize. I probably won't be coming back though.
March 9, 2020
My first by this author but will not be the last. Yes, Snowy is a misogynist but befits the time the book is set. The writing was a little over flowery but the story kept me reading. Perfect easy read that one doesn't have to concentrate on when supervising a class of students !
December 5, 2023
City of Light, David Warner’s debut novel is a complex tale of corruption, politics and vice in Western Australia’s underbelly of the 1980s. It starts in 1979 with the main character Richard ‘Snowy’ Lane as a young detective constable in Fremantle CIB being called out to a dismembered body of a young woman in a disused abattoir. A serial killer nicknamed ‘Mr Gruesome’ has struck again and Snowy soon finds himself moved to Homicide and working the case. The police eventually arrest someone for the murders, but Snowy is not certain they have the right man as some of the evidence doesn’t fit with the case.
Moving on to the mid 80s Snowy has left the police and become a private detective. There’s a lot going on at this time with the mining boom and subsequent property development, the America’s cup, and the dodgy political dealings which would later be dubbed WA Inc. Snowy’s world brushes the shoulders of many of the politicians, business and police involved.
In the third section of the book the political shenanigans are all coming to a head and we’ve come full circle as a murder with hallmarks similar to those of Mr Gruessome’s occurs and Snowy wonders if they really did get the right man ten years ago or if this is a copy cat killing.
This is a long book which could have benefitted from some editing to make it sharper and less confusing for those unfamiliar with WA politics, as well as refining some of the overblown similes. The cast of characters is huge and their relationships complex, so it requires some concentration to keep them all straight. When we first meet him Snowy himself is a very Aussie bloke, not out of keeping for the times. He plays football for East Fremantle, in the time before it joined the national league, the AFL to become the Dockers and enjoys relationships with women without commitments. Misogyny was also fairly rife at the time with beautiful women regarded as trophies.
For someone like me, who spent their formative years in WA in the late 70s, not a stone’s throw from Fremantle, it’s all familiar territory and it’s even quite likely that Warner and I crossed paths in the suburbs and venues he mentions, including Steve’s the pub frequented by UWA students. This and my familiarity with events and politics in WA during the 80s added to my personal enjoyment of the book because Warner has the perfectly captured the atmosphere and vibes. It’s also pretty darn good for a first book and having read some of Warner’s later books where he has improved his craft, I’m glad I went back and read this. Rating: 3.5 rounded up to 4
Just one thing I’m puzzled about – why is this title labelled Dan Clement #1 when no one by that name appears in the book? Very confusing!!
Moving on to the mid 80s Snowy has left the police and become a private detective. There’s a lot going on at this time with the mining boom and subsequent property development, the America’s cup, and the dodgy political dealings which would later be dubbed WA Inc. Snowy’s world brushes the shoulders of many of the politicians, business and police involved.
In the third section of the book the political shenanigans are all coming to a head and we’ve come full circle as a murder with hallmarks similar to those of Mr Gruessome’s occurs and Snowy wonders if they really did get the right man ten years ago or if this is a copy cat killing.
This is a long book which could have benefitted from some editing to make it sharper and less confusing for those unfamiliar with WA politics, as well as refining some of the overblown similes. The cast of characters is huge and their relationships complex, so it requires some concentration to keep them all straight. When we first meet him Snowy himself is a very Aussie bloke, not out of keeping for the times. He plays football for East Fremantle, in the time before it joined the national league, the AFL to become the Dockers and enjoys relationships with women without commitments. Misogyny was also fairly rife at the time with beautiful women regarded as trophies.
For someone like me, who spent their formative years in WA in the late 70s, not a stone’s throw from Fremantle, it’s all familiar territory and it’s even quite likely that Warner and I crossed paths in the suburbs and venues he mentions, including Steve’s the pub frequented by UWA students. This and my familiarity with events and politics in WA during the 80s added to my personal enjoyment of the book because Warner has the perfectly captured the atmosphere and vibes. It’s also pretty darn good for a first book and having read some of Warner’s later books where he has improved his craft, I’m glad I went back and read this. Rating: 3.5 rounded up to 4
Just one thing I’m puzzled about – why is this title labelled Dan Clement #1 when no one by that name appears in the book? Very confusing!!
June 8, 2024
Somehow I’d already read the third book in this series, Clear to the Horizon, so I decided to go back and read the first two.
This one, City of Light, was published some 22 years before Clear to the Horizon and unfortunately, I think I could tell, as City of Light is nowhere near as polished.
Not that it’s all bad. Warner’s plot is intricate and well-plotted. I believe it might borrow a little from real life cases, but they're old enough that they’re not instantly familiar.
The setting is fabulous - Fremantle in Western Australia, the city of light. Warner is obviously from around the area and he writes with a lot of confidence when describing it.
Even better is the time setting, starting in 1979, when the MC Snowy Lane is a young police officer, ambitious and excited about being part of the team chasing a violent serial killer; and going through to around 1988 where Snowy is a cynical almost 40 year old now working as a private investigator.
It’s a long book and probably would have been a lot better with some editing. There’s two glaringly obvious issues.
The first is Snowy’s apparent magical sex appeal. No woman can resist him. It doesn’t matter how young and beautiful and accomplished or married they are. It’s 1980s James Bond stuff. Or Warner's own fantasy. Just. No.
The second issue is Warner’s similes. Wow. Towards the back end of the book, I feel like Warner was almost taking the mickey out of the reader. Was he dared? I’m sure there’s at least one per paragraph. If you made it into a drinking game, you’d kill a liver. Yes, they were often hilarious, but they also became very distracting and I almost began to cringe and feel awkward for Warner each time I read one.
It’s a shame no one tapped Warner on the shoulder to rein him in. Well, to be honest, someone must have as I didn’t notice either of these problems in his later novels.
3 out of 5 for this one
This one, City of Light, was published some 22 years before Clear to the Horizon and unfortunately, I think I could tell, as City of Light is nowhere near as polished.
Not that it’s all bad. Warner’s plot is intricate and well-plotted. I believe it might borrow a little from real life cases, but they're old enough that they’re not instantly familiar.
The setting is fabulous - Fremantle in Western Australia, the city of light. Warner is obviously from around the area and he writes with a lot of confidence when describing it.
Even better is the time setting, starting in 1979, when the MC Snowy Lane is a young police officer, ambitious and excited about being part of the team chasing a violent serial killer; and going through to around 1988 where Snowy is a cynical almost 40 year old now working as a private investigator.
It’s a long book and probably would have been a lot better with some editing. There’s two glaringly obvious issues.
The first is Snowy’s apparent magical sex appeal. No woman can resist him. It doesn’t matter how young and beautiful and accomplished or married they are. It’s 1980s James Bond stuff. Or Warner's own fantasy. Just. No.
The second issue is Warner’s similes. Wow. Towards the back end of the book, I feel like Warner was almost taking the mickey out of the reader. Was he dared? I’m sure there’s at least one per paragraph. If you made it into a drinking game, you’d kill a liver. Yes, they were often hilarious, but they also became very distracting and I almost began to cringe and feel awkward for Warner each time I read one.
It’s a shame no one tapped Warner on the shoulder to rein him in. Well, to be honest, someone must have as I didn’t notice either of these problems in his later novels.
3 out of 5 for this one
December 7, 2024
4.5 ⭐/5
City of Light is a scintillating story set in and around Perth, WA from the late 70's through to the late 80's.
This was a time of excess and high flying businessmen were the darlings of society, but the political machinations behind the scenes were where the real action was taking place.
In 1979 the graphic and violent murders that haunt Perth have everyone on edge with the killer dubbed Mr Gruesome. Young Fremantle policeman Snowy Lane gets pulled into the taskforce and his keen insights bring to light possible leads. Then a suspect is arrested, he suicides in jail, so case closed.
Years later Snowy has left the force and is a private detective when he is dragged into the political minefield of developers, local politics, bribes, stand over tactics and more. Then there is a murder in the style of Mr Gruesome. Is it a copycat or did they get the wrong guy?
I loved this story and the array of characters, some loosely based on well known people in the 80's. This was a sexy story with Snowy being a bit of a player and leading with his dick many times.
Even though I have read all the other books in this series before this one, it was great to get to know Snowy when he was younger.
I'll say it again - read Dave Warner. He is a great author of authentic Aussie crime with a real larakin twist.
City of Light is a scintillating story set in and around Perth, WA from the late 70's through to the late 80's.
This was a time of excess and high flying businessmen were the darlings of society, but the political machinations behind the scenes were where the real action was taking place.
In 1979 the graphic and violent murders that haunt Perth have everyone on edge with the killer dubbed Mr Gruesome. Young Fremantle policeman Snowy Lane gets pulled into the taskforce and his keen insights bring to light possible leads. Then a suspect is arrested, he suicides in jail, so case closed.
Years later Snowy has left the force and is a private detective when he is dragged into the political minefield of developers, local politics, bribes, stand over tactics and more. Then there is a murder in the style of Mr Gruesome. Is it a copycat or did they get the wrong guy?
I loved this story and the array of characters, some loosely based on well known people in the 80's. This was a sexy story with Snowy being a bit of a player and leading with his dick many times.
Even though I have read all the other books in this series before this one, it was great to get to know Snowy when he was younger.
I'll say it again - read Dave Warner. He is a great author of authentic Aussie crime with a real larakin twist.
November 6, 2025
This is the best detective novel to have come out of Australia! Yes, a big claim. However, I haven't read any other of Dave Warner's books yet, so there may be one which is better. I look forward to finding out.
I enjoyed the character of Snowy Lane and the first person style of writing, lets you get right into Snowy's head and life. He is a charming character, he really appealed to me. Slightly macho but not the beat-your-chest type, with a lot more sensitivity.
There were a lot of characters and I got lost a couple of times. The style is reminiscent of Chandler and some of the lines were a bit too clever, a bit contrived. But I got the idea.
It is a realistic gripping story told through the eyes of the cop who just can't let this case go. Who is good at following clues and who finds himself in a culture of political and police corruption. Loved it!
I enjoyed the character of Snowy Lane and the first person style of writing, lets you get right into Snowy's head and life. He is a charming character, he really appealed to me. Slightly macho but not the beat-your-chest type, with a lot more sensitivity.
There were a lot of characters and I got lost a couple of times. The style is reminiscent of Chandler and some of the lines were a bit too clever, a bit contrived. But I got the idea.
It is a realistic gripping story told through the eyes of the cop who just can't let this case go. Who is good at following clues and who finds himself in a culture of political and police corruption. Loved it!
November 14, 2021
The story begins in Perth in 1979 when Snowy Lane is a recently promoted detective constable working on a serial killer case.
Jump to the 1980s. Snowy has left the police force and set up as a private investigator. The mining and property boom, dodgy dealings in both business and politics and the America’s Cup. Colourful times and Snowy is in The middle of it all.
Good plot but the while the author’s use of similes is clever at times is clever it’s overdone. The character of Snow Lane seems to be something of a male fantasy figure. He is morally ambiguous and women seem to find him Irresistible, all of which had me rolling my eyes at times.
Jump to the 1980s. Snowy has left the police force and set up as a private investigator. The mining and property boom, dodgy dealings in both business and politics and the America’s Cup. Colourful times and Snowy is in The middle of it all.
Good plot but the while the author’s use of similes is clever at times is clever it’s overdone. The character of Snow Lane seems to be something of a male fantasy figure. He is morally ambiguous and women seem to find him Irresistible, all of which had me rolling my eyes at times.
June 6, 2019
Loved this book, especially the references to Perth, Fremantle and the Australian-isms. Written by a Freo legend.
The main character was a misogynist and had every women in the book swooning which I couldn’t help but wonder if Dave Warner was living vicariously through him! Although maybe I should expect nothing less from Warner. Loved the book despite objectifying women, would recommend to anyone who loves Freo and crime novels.
The main character was a misogynist and had every women in the book swooning which I couldn’t help but wonder if Dave Warner was living vicariously through him! Although maybe I should expect nothing less from Warner. Loved the book despite objectifying women, would recommend to anyone who loves Freo and crime novels.
August 10, 2021
I really wanted to like this book. The setting is my backyard and all the places familiar. But the characters didnt do it for me. Maybe I just dont like the genre. Anyway it gets a star for the local references and one for keeping me interested until the end.
Over use of similes for me too were annoying. Where did Warner dream these all up, about one on every page? Annoying as a hat full of farts!
Over use of similes for me too were annoying. Where did Warner dream these all up, about one on every page? Annoying as a hat full of farts!
Read
November 30, 2024DNF 50%.
I labourer through this all week but I couldn’t continue. It’s too long, overly complicated and was not enjoyable.
The misogynism is insufferable, descriptions of women antiquated and just cringe. If you were not from Australia you would struggle to understand this book. Whoever edited it was also clearly from Perth as it’s so Perth centric that anyone outside of the state would struggle to understand it.
I labourer through this all week but I couldn’t continue. It’s too long, overly complicated and was not enjoyable.
The misogynism is insufferable, descriptions of women antiquated and just cringe. If you were not from Australia you would struggle to understand this book. Whoever edited it was also clearly from Perth as it’s so Perth centric that anyone outside of the state would struggle to understand it.
May 2, 2022
So enjoyable to read a novel set in you home city. And Dave Warner weaves an engaging, amusing tale around some pivotal moments in Perth's history of the 1970 /80s. He is the master of the snappy metaphor.
His main character Snowy Lane is a likeable, knockabout bloke so typical of that era. A top notch crime thriller.
His main character Snowy Lane is a likeable, knockabout bloke so typical of that era. A top notch crime thriller.
February 10, 2023
City of Light
Bloody wonderful stuff from Dave Warner. Great diversity so far with what I have read. Been to so many places in this amazing country that feature in his writing, which really brings them to life for me, but even without that connection, Dave’s stories and his extensive plots, are fantastic to say the least. Thanks Dave!
Bloody wonderful stuff from Dave Warner. Great diversity so far with what I have read. Been to so many places in this amazing country that feature in his writing, which really brings them to life for me, but even without that connection, Dave’s stories and his extensive plots, are fantastic to say the least. Thanks Dave!
September 10, 2025
A very intricate story. I don’t know whether it’s better to know a bit about the Alan Bonds, Laurie Cornell’s etc who the characters are loosely based on, or not. Carmen Lawrence as the femme fatale of politics is certainly a leap!
December 5, 2025
I enjoyed Dave Warner’s book When It Rains and thought I’d enjoy more of his books but after this I won’t be reading any more. I listened to the audiobook and couldn’t wait for it to be finished. Misogynistic and the similes were so annoying
March 22, 2019
What an ending! Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.
October 28, 2020
A quite long book for crime fiction. The first 80% is pretty slow, but then it becomes unputabledown . so gave it three stars.
July 14, 2021
A page turner! Serial killer, sex, corruption, politics. Twists and turns, keep up the plot keeps changing. Enjoying! Set in the wild west of Perth, the America Cup, money, greed!
August 31, 2021
Quit at around page 125. Could not keep track of characters in the Australian slang.
August 10, 2022
Wonderful crime read.
January 6, 2023
Good detective novel
February 7, 2023
Three and a half stars.
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