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The Twentieth Man
Terrorism, politics and betrayals collide in this unputdownable, fast-paced thriller from a highly recognisable political insider.
In September 1972, journalist Anna Rosen takes an early morning phone call from her boss at the ABC telling her about two bombings in Sydney’s busy CBD. It's the worst terrorist attack in the country's history and Anna has no doubt which group is responsible for the carnage. She has been investigating the role of alleged war criminals in the globally active Ustasha movement.
High in the Austrian Alps, guided by starlight and a crescent moon, Marin Katich is one of twenty would-be revolutionaries who slip stealthily over the border into Yugoslavia on a mission planned and funded in Australia that will have devastating consequences for all involved.
Two and half years ago Anna and Marin had become lovers at university, but his sudden and mysterious disappearance brought their relationship to an abrupt end. Now the Sydney bombings will draw their lives back together.
With Croatian extremists under suspicion and a power struggle erupting between ASIO and the federal police, events suddenly reach a trigger point with the impending arrival of Yugoslavia’s prime minister.
This intricate political thriller provides a modern take on real-life events that have particular resonance in today's fraught political climate.
In September 1972, journalist Anna Rosen takes an early morning phone call from her boss at the ABC telling her about two bombings in Sydney’s busy CBD. It's the worst terrorist attack in the country's history and Anna has no doubt which group is responsible for the carnage. She has been investigating the role of alleged war criminals in the globally active Ustasha movement.
High in the Austrian Alps, guided by starlight and a crescent moon, Marin Katich is one of twenty would-be revolutionaries who slip stealthily over the border into Yugoslavia on a mission planned and funded in Australia that will have devastating consequences for all involved.
Two and half years ago Anna and Marin had become lovers at university, but his sudden and mysterious disappearance brought their relationship to an abrupt end. Now the Sydney bombings will draw their lives back together.
With Croatian extremists under suspicion and a power struggle erupting between ASIO and the federal police, events suddenly reach a trigger point with the impending arrival of Yugoslavia’s prime minister.
This intricate political thriller provides a modern take on real-life events that have particular resonance in today's fraught political climate.
482 pages, Paperback
First published July 26, 2017
30 people are currently reading
327 people want to read
About the author
Tony Jones
2 books17 followersTony^^^^^^Jones
Anthony William "Tony" Jones (born 13 November 1955) is an Australian television news and political journalist, and television presenter.
Jones joined the Australian Broadcasting Corporation as a radio current affairs cadet working on the AM, PM and The World Today programs. In 1985, he joined the Four Corners program as a reporter. In 1986, he went to the Dateline program on SBS. He returned to the ABC in 1987, reporting for Four Corners.
In 1990, Jones went to London as the ABC's current affairs correspondent. He covered the collapse of the USSR in Eastern Europe, the Gulf War, the war in the former Yugoslavia, the fall of Kabul to the Mujahadin and the collapse of apartheid. Jones returned to Australia in 1993 as Executive Producer of the Foreign Correspondent program. From 1994 to 1996, he was the ABC's correspondent in Washington, D.C., before returning to Foreign Correspondent in 1997. He also covered the war crimes in Bosnia. In mid-1998 he returned to Four Corners.
Jones is one of Australia's most well known journalists, winning four awards including four of Australia's leading journalism awards, the Walkleys. Crikey awarded him "Outstanding Media Practitioner of the Year" in 2005 for "ferocious intelligence, polite calmness, [being a] dogged interrogator, deep political instincts, juggling the running agenda, [and having] a great sense of context." Crikey also put much of the success of Lateline to Jones, stating, "Lateline without Jones is a perfectly adequate late night news review; with Jones it is a world-class piece of television." - Wikipedia
Anthony William "Tony" Jones (born 13 November 1955) is an Australian television news and political journalist, and television presenter.
Jones joined the Australian Broadcasting Corporation as a radio current affairs cadet working on the AM, PM and The World Today programs. In 1985, he joined the Four Corners program as a reporter. In 1986, he went to the Dateline program on SBS. He returned to the ABC in 1987, reporting for Four Corners.
In 1990, Jones went to London as the ABC's current affairs correspondent. He covered the collapse of the USSR in Eastern Europe, the Gulf War, the war in the former Yugoslavia, the fall of Kabul to the Mujahadin and the collapse of apartheid. Jones returned to Australia in 1993 as Executive Producer of the Foreign Correspondent program. From 1994 to 1996, he was the ABC's correspondent in Washington, D.C., before returning to Foreign Correspondent in 1997. He also covered the war crimes in Bosnia. In mid-1998 he returned to Four Corners.
Jones is one of Australia's most well known journalists, winning four awards including four of Australia's leading journalism awards, the Walkleys. Crikey awarded him "Outstanding Media Practitioner of the Year" in 2005 for "ferocious intelligence, polite calmness, [being a] dogged interrogator, deep political instincts, juggling the running agenda, [and having] a great sense of context." Crikey also put much of the success of Lateline to Jones, stating, "Lateline without Jones is a perfectly adequate late night news review; with Jones it is a world-class piece of television." - Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
May 1, 2020
An intriguing political thriller, set in the early seventies, and the historical events surrounding a visit to Australia from the Yugoslav Prime Minister. A blend of historical fact and fiction, with real characters mixing with the made up.
Political thrillers are not usually my cup of tea, but I found this one to be well written, and quite gripping, especially as it was based on fact. While it's definitely not light entertainment, it's still well worth reading.
Political thrillers are not usually my cup of tea, but I found this one to be well written, and quite gripping, especially as it was based on fact. While it's definitely not light entertainment, it's still well worth reading.
October 20, 2019
4.5★
“Anna caught McKillop’s eyes and noticed his pupils. ‘You’re stoned, aren’t you?’
‘No, no …’ he began. ‘Well, yes, a bit.’
‘Doing smack in Parliament House? You must be crazy.’
‘No, I’m not.’
‘Your eyes are pinned, mate.’
‘Oh s**t.’ He fumbled to put on his sunglasses. ‘I just smoked a bit. Don’t say anything.’
‘Don’t worry, Bruce. I’m not going to dob you in.’
‘I’ve got some speed too,’ he said abruptly. ‘You want some?’ He put a couple of pills in her hand before she had a chance to reply, and she slipped them into her pocket.”
Aussie journalists, eh? Considering the wild ride Aussie journalist Tony Jones takes us on in this story, I’m not surprised Anna Rosen pockets a couple of tablets to keep her going. Mind you, she’s Jewish and the daughter of a prominent old Communist, Frank Rosen, so she has many strikes against her in the trustworthiness stakes as far as ‘normal’ Aussies are concerned. [Is there such a creature?]
This is 1972-1973 Australia during the brand-new ‘socialist’ Whitlam government where radical change is the order of the day. But bureaucrats and departments are wary, especially ASIO, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation. Add the police to the mix, and it’s quite a brew!
Much is based on history, much is imagined, but who’s to say how much is which? I thoroughly enjoyed it regardless.
The basis of the plot is given in the advertising blurbs: two bombs in Sydney’s CBD have rung alarm bells that Croatian extremists are hiding in plain sight in Australia, waiting to launch attacks back ‘home’ as well as to assassinate the Yugoslav Prime Minister, due to arrive soon. [I won’t attempt to explain Yugoslavia. You’ll have to look it up.]
When ASIO is asked about plots, they say No, just business as usual, no changes, nothing to see here. Especially don’t tell the new ‘socialist’ government anything. Stick to the story that has run during the previous decades of conservative governments. All’s well, nothing suspicious. (Hide the list of known extremist Croats we’re ‘not’ watching.)
Ok. Got it. Why worry? But we now know Anna, whose boyfriend at university was Marin Katich, son of a Croatian extremist, and he disappeared, so she’s now getting a pretty good idea of what’s probably going on.
Marin and his brother Petar were mostly typical Aussie boys, close friends with each other, in awe and fear of their father, Ivo. Ivo takes them to meet all the old Croats in their clubs to show them off as the next generation of loyalists.
“He told them strange tales from the old country. He was at once captivating and disturbing. A psychiatrist might have diagnosed manic depression. When he was up, when he was in the manic phase, that was something to see. Marin imagined at those times that his father was all bright colours, and everything else was black and white.”
The Ustasha was the Croatian Revolutionary Movement. The Nazis had used them to do their dirty work, and now it seems that ASIO is using them to fight the communists. Fighting fire with fire? If so, it means that the Aussie government is working with (and protecting) unbelievably cruel thugs, which could lead to a bloody end to the Yugoslav prime ministerial visit.
Jones tells the story from several points of view, but the key ones are Anna’s and Marin’s. She doesn’t know a lot but knows enough to get access to people of influence and write some good scoops for her paper.
Lionel Murphy is one such influential character, and a real character he was, too – a colourful AG who ‘stormed’ the offices of ASIO. Big news at the time. It’s a major story thread, and Anna is pulled along in it as a journalist with ‘special’ access, because of what and whom she knows. We do hear a lot from Murphy’s point of view. For those interested, George Negus features often as Murphy’s Press Secretary.
There are flashbacks and memories. Marin remembers the family’s place in the Victorian bush, an isolated, peaceful old farm, they visited in hot summers.
“In summers like this Marin and Petar caught as many as they could—Green Grocers, Yellow Mondays, Floury Bakers, Redeyes, Cherrynoses. They kept them in shoeboxes. They dared each other to put them on their arms and let the claws dig into their skin.”
My kids did the same - collected their ‘shells’ and knew all the names. Cicadas ‘sing’ their loud ‘songs’ (a cacophony of sawtooth buzzing) when they hatch in the summers, different varieties at different times. The Black Prince spends years underground before emerging. Ivo loved the cicadas. They reminded him of those back home.
“‘Marin, I want you to think about this carefully.’ Ivo paused and put his face close to his son’s, holding him by the chin. ‘You are like him, the Black Prince. Remember this. This life here in Australia is not real. You are deep underground. One day it will be time to come out.’”
Sleeper cells? Looks like.
There’s action from the AG and the politicians. There’s action with the journos alongside, and Anna is a link between all of them as well as with Tom, an ASIO agent, and of course, the Katich family. She decides to visit their farm.
“The sun was gentler here, filtered through the trees. Occasional shafts of light picked out the pale, peeling trunks and variegated colours of different species. Now that she was deep inside it, the bush was no longer fearsome in its immensity. It had a close, intimate beauty, and she understood how someone could become attached to such a place.”
There is also a lot of action in Croatia, where a team of 20 men infiltrate to instigate a rebel insurgence, and Jones gets to flex some thriller muscles here. They’re hiding in caves, ducking and weaving to avoid gunfire. Being wet and miserable. And Marin is in the thick of it. That part of the story is from his point of view. Miserable.
“. . . ponchos drenched and slick against their bodies. Hunkered down in the partial shelter of the black pines, the men reminded Marin of some exotic species of green tree fungus.”
As the title suggests, he’s the lone survivor. That’s enough. It’s a great read, a great political story and an exciting ride, especially for anyone familiar with the politics of the time, but I don’t think that’s necessary to enjoy the tale.
I loved the ending, and Jones has said, and I quote:
“Since 1986 I’ve been back and forth to what was once Yugoslavia many times. During and after the conflict in the 90s I travelled to many regions as a reporter. I lived for some time in 1996, with my wife Sarah and our two-year-old son, in a town called Rovinj, on the Croatian coast and it was there that I began to write and research this novel and its sequel.”
Sequel? YAY!
“Anna caught McKillop’s eyes and noticed his pupils. ‘You’re stoned, aren’t you?’
‘No, no …’ he began. ‘Well, yes, a bit.’
‘Doing smack in Parliament House? You must be crazy.’
‘No, I’m not.’
‘Your eyes are pinned, mate.’
‘Oh s**t.’ He fumbled to put on his sunglasses. ‘I just smoked a bit. Don’t say anything.’
‘Don’t worry, Bruce. I’m not going to dob you in.’
‘I’ve got some speed too,’ he said abruptly. ‘You want some?’ He put a couple of pills in her hand before she had a chance to reply, and she slipped them into her pocket.”
Aussie journalists, eh? Considering the wild ride Aussie journalist Tony Jones takes us on in this story, I’m not surprised Anna Rosen pockets a couple of tablets to keep her going. Mind you, she’s Jewish and the daughter of a prominent old Communist, Frank Rosen, so she has many strikes against her in the trustworthiness stakes as far as ‘normal’ Aussies are concerned. [Is there such a creature?]
This is 1972-1973 Australia during the brand-new ‘socialist’ Whitlam government where radical change is the order of the day. But bureaucrats and departments are wary, especially ASIO, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation. Add the police to the mix, and it’s quite a brew!
Much is based on history, much is imagined, but who’s to say how much is which? I thoroughly enjoyed it regardless.
The basis of the plot is given in the advertising blurbs: two bombs in Sydney’s CBD have rung alarm bells that Croatian extremists are hiding in plain sight in Australia, waiting to launch attacks back ‘home’ as well as to assassinate the Yugoslav Prime Minister, due to arrive soon. [I won’t attempt to explain Yugoslavia. You’ll have to look it up.]
When ASIO is asked about plots, they say No, just business as usual, no changes, nothing to see here. Especially don’t tell the new ‘socialist’ government anything. Stick to the story that has run during the previous decades of conservative governments. All’s well, nothing suspicious. (Hide the list of known extremist Croats we’re ‘not’ watching.)
Ok. Got it. Why worry? But we now know Anna, whose boyfriend at university was Marin Katich, son of a Croatian extremist, and he disappeared, so she’s now getting a pretty good idea of what’s probably going on.
Marin and his brother Petar were mostly typical Aussie boys, close friends with each other, in awe and fear of their father, Ivo. Ivo takes them to meet all the old Croats in their clubs to show them off as the next generation of loyalists.
“He told them strange tales from the old country. He was at once captivating and disturbing. A psychiatrist might have diagnosed manic depression. When he was up, when he was in the manic phase, that was something to see. Marin imagined at those times that his father was all bright colours, and everything else was black and white.”
The Ustasha was the Croatian Revolutionary Movement. The Nazis had used them to do their dirty work, and now it seems that ASIO is using them to fight the communists. Fighting fire with fire? If so, it means that the Aussie government is working with (and protecting) unbelievably cruel thugs, which could lead to a bloody end to the Yugoslav prime ministerial visit.
Jones tells the story from several points of view, but the key ones are Anna’s and Marin’s. She doesn’t know a lot but knows enough to get access to people of influence and write some good scoops for her paper.
Lionel Murphy is one such influential character, and a real character he was, too – a colourful AG who ‘stormed’ the offices of ASIO. Big news at the time. It’s a major story thread, and Anna is pulled along in it as a journalist with ‘special’ access, because of what and whom she knows. We do hear a lot from Murphy’s point of view. For those interested, George Negus features often as Murphy’s Press Secretary.
There are flashbacks and memories. Marin remembers the family’s place in the Victorian bush, an isolated, peaceful old farm, they visited in hot summers.
“In summers like this Marin and Petar caught as many as they could—Green Grocers, Yellow Mondays, Floury Bakers, Redeyes, Cherrynoses. They kept them in shoeboxes. They dared each other to put them on their arms and let the claws dig into their skin.”
My kids did the same - collected their ‘shells’ and knew all the names. Cicadas ‘sing’ their loud ‘songs’ (a cacophony of sawtooth buzzing) when they hatch in the summers, different varieties at different times. The Black Prince spends years underground before emerging. Ivo loved the cicadas. They reminded him of those back home.
“‘Marin, I want you to think about this carefully.’ Ivo paused and put his face close to his son’s, holding him by the chin. ‘You are like him, the Black Prince. Remember this. This life here in Australia is not real. You are deep underground. One day it will be time to come out.’”
Sleeper cells? Looks like.
There’s action from the AG and the politicians. There’s action with the journos alongside, and Anna is a link between all of them as well as with Tom, an ASIO agent, and of course, the Katich family. She decides to visit their farm.
“The sun was gentler here, filtered through the trees. Occasional shafts of light picked out the pale, peeling trunks and variegated colours of different species. Now that she was deep inside it, the bush was no longer fearsome in its immensity. It had a close, intimate beauty, and she understood how someone could become attached to such a place.”
There is also a lot of action in Croatia, where a team of 20 men infiltrate to instigate a rebel insurgence, and Jones gets to flex some thriller muscles here. They’re hiding in caves, ducking and weaving to avoid gunfire. Being wet and miserable. And Marin is in the thick of it. That part of the story is from his point of view. Miserable.
“. . . ponchos drenched and slick against their bodies. Hunkered down in the partial shelter of the black pines, the men reminded Marin of some exotic species of green tree fungus.”
As the title suggests, he’s the lone survivor. That’s enough. It’s a great read, a great political story and an exciting ride, especially for anyone familiar with the politics of the time, but I don’t think that’s necessary to enjoy the tale.
I loved the ending, and Jones has said, and I quote:
“Since 1986 I’ve been back and forth to what was once Yugoslavia many times. During and after the conflict in the 90s I travelled to many regions as a reporter. I lived for some time in 1996, with my wife Sarah and our two-year-old son, in a town called Rovinj, on the Croatian coast and it was there that I began to write and research this novel and its sequel.”
Sequel? YAY!
November 24, 2019
Wow! 4.5★
It's late 1972. When two Yugoslavian travel agencies in Sydney are bombed on the same day, Attorney General Ivor Greenwood adamantly maintains the position that there is NO Croation extremist presence in Australia. Anna Rosen, a young journalist with the ABC, thinks otherwise. And she should know - she's been investigating the Ustasha movement for some time. Not to mention that their purported Australian leader and suspected war criminal, Ivo Katich, is the father of her ex...
Meanwhile, the ex - Marin Katich - has taken his brother's place in a group of 20 men conducting an incursion to Bosnia. The revolution isn't going to plan, and Marin goes underground.
Months later there has been a change of government in Australia, and Anna has relocated to Canberra for a new job in the press gallery with the Herald. Lionel Murphy is the new AG under PM Gough Whitlam. Murphy knows there is a serious Croatian threat in Australia, and as the impending visit of the Yugoslav Prime Minister draws closer, he has hired a former ComPol heavyweight as an advisor on the issue because he can't rely on what he's being told by ASIO or his own Department.
And then, a small piece of intelligence from the ongoing bombing investigation sheds some light on what may be planned for the Yugoslav PM's visit and it's a race against time to find the truth.
Apart from being a damn good story and just bloody thrilling, what I loved about this book was that it brings to life an exciting period of Australian politics. I was alive at the time, but still far too young to have any kind of political consciousness (I was more aware of Murphy during the mid-80s, watching his fall from grace), so I was enthralled with the elements of the story that weave in the real people and events of the time. Equally, I learned a lot about Yugoslavia and its formation, that has given me so much more context and a better understanding of why it all fell apart in the 90s.
I cannot wait to read the sequel, In Darkness Visible, which luckily is up next!
It's late 1972. When two Yugoslavian travel agencies in Sydney are bombed on the same day, Attorney General Ivor Greenwood adamantly maintains the position that there is NO Croation extremist presence in Australia. Anna Rosen, a young journalist with the ABC, thinks otherwise. And she should know - she's been investigating the Ustasha movement for some time. Not to mention that their purported Australian leader and suspected war criminal, Ivo Katich, is the father of her ex...
Meanwhile, the ex - Marin Katich - has taken his brother's place in a group of 20 men conducting an incursion to Bosnia. The revolution isn't going to plan, and Marin goes underground.
Months later there has been a change of government in Australia, and Anna has relocated to Canberra for a new job in the press gallery with the Herald. Lionel Murphy is the new AG under PM Gough Whitlam. Murphy knows there is a serious Croatian threat in Australia, and as the impending visit of the Yugoslav Prime Minister draws closer, he has hired a former ComPol heavyweight as an advisor on the issue because he can't rely on what he's being told by ASIO or his own Department.
And then, a small piece of intelligence from the ongoing bombing investigation sheds some light on what may be planned for the Yugoslav PM's visit and it's a race against time to find the truth.
Apart from being a damn good story and just bloody thrilling, what I loved about this book was that it brings to life an exciting period of Australian politics. I was alive at the time, but still far too young to have any kind of political consciousness (I was more aware of Murphy during the mid-80s, watching his fall from grace), so I was enthralled with the elements of the story that weave in the real people and events of the time. Equally, I learned a lot about Yugoslavia and its formation, that has given me so much more context and a better understanding of why it all fell apart in the 90s.
I cannot wait to read the sequel, In Darkness Visible, which luckily is up next!
August 21, 2022
I am not normally drawn to political thrillers but this one ticked several boxes (on my TBR list, author name(J), published July (2017)) so I got stuck into it, not expecting to be blown away. It opens fairly tamely in September 1972 with two bomb explosions in Sydney at businesses with a Yugoslav connection, thought to be the work of Croat extremists, though the government of the day denies the existence of such a terrorist group on Aussie soil. This introduces ABC journalist Anna Rosen, Australian-born daughter of a holocaust survivor, who has a special interest in the subject.
We next meet Marin Katich, Australian-born son of brutal father and husband, Ivo Katich, implicated in the atrocities in the Balkans during WWII, but allowed into the country at a time when Communists were deemed a greater threat to democracy. Katich senior is riding a wave of Nationalism, raising funds to back a coup against the Tito government and Marin is groomed as part of that. The book backtracks to June that year, with the arrival of the group of Australian and European Croats in Yugoslavia, on an ill-conceived dream that Croats will join them in an armed rebellion, with tragic consequences, in a very moving account.
Some of the men were stoically calm, some were strung out and some at the point of madness. Marin saw that many of them had reached the edge of endurance. They had seen how easily death had caught up with their companions and how patiently it waited for them…
But then we move forward to February 1973. The Labor Party under Gough Whitlam is in power with an agenda of social reform, facing off a bureaucracy still wedded to the conservative governments of the past, still denying rumours of a Croatian terrorist group operating in Australia, despite indications of a possible assassination attempt on the Yugoslav PM during a state visit. The star of the show here is the flamboyant and controversial figure of attorney-general, Lionel Murphy, his press secretary is a shoulder-length haired George Negus (a familiar name to Aussie readers), and Anna Rosen has left the ABC, now a political correspondent for the Herald.
Kings Hall was crowded as a busy railway station even though Parliament was in recess. Freshly sworn-in ministers patrolled the space with their staff like schools of fish in a new tank. Favoured journalists interrupted their progress from time to time to ask questions.
Weaving fiction around historic fact, author Tony Jones bares Canberra’s machinations and excesses in smoke-filled bars and rooms (back then meeting rooms in government buildings had ashtrays, as well as ubiquitous tea-ladies), with pollies, spies and Federal police descending on ASIO HQ in Melbourne (without Gough’s apparent knowledge), with proof that the organization is withholding information on extremists.
Murphy led the inspector to a quiet corner of the lounge. Harper had the uncomfortable feeling of being moved around like a chess piece. Perhaps not a pawn; more like a knight who, though valued, could still be sacrificed at any time to gain an advantage. As he sat next to the attorney-general, he concluded the whole scene had been a set-up. The attorney wanted an independent witness and a Commonwealth police inspector was as good as you could get.
Dropping household names into the mix – Jim Cairns, Richard Carleton, even Paul Hogan gets a cameo – this is a gripping thriller, and this reader will never again walk the Parliamentary triangle in Canberra without seeing it through a sniper’s eyes.
We next meet Marin Katich, Australian-born son of brutal father and husband, Ivo Katich, implicated in the atrocities in the Balkans during WWII, but allowed into the country at a time when Communists were deemed a greater threat to democracy. Katich senior is riding a wave of Nationalism, raising funds to back a coup against the Tito government and Marin is groomed as part of that. The book backtracks to June that year, with the arrival of the group of Australian and European Croats in Yugoslavia, on an ill-conceived dream that Croats will join them in an armed rebellion, with tragic consequences, in a very moving account.
Some of the men were stoically calm, some were strung out and some at the point of madness. Marin saw that many of them had reached the edge of endurance. They had seen how easily death had caught up with their companions and how patiently it waited for them…
But then we move forward to February 1973. The Labor Party under Gough Whitlam is in power with an agenda of social reform, facing off a bureaucracy still wedded to the conservative governments of the past, still denying rumours of a Croatian terrorist group operating in Australia, despite indications of a possible assassination attempt on the Yugoslav PM during a state visit. The star of the show here is the flamboyant and controversial figure of attorney-general, Lionel Murphy, his press secretary is a shoulder-length haired George Negus (a familiar name to Aussie readers), and Anna Rosen has left the ABC, now a political correspondent for the Herald.
Kings Hall was crowded as a busy railway station even though Parliament was in recess. Freshly sworn-in ministers patrolled the space with their staff like schools of fish in a new tank. Favoured journalists interrupted their progress from time to time to ask questions.
Weaving fiction around historic fact, author Tony Jones bares Canberra’s machinations and excesses in smoke-filled bars and rooms (back then meeting rooms in government buildings had ashtrays, as well as ubiquitous tea-ladies), with pollies, spies and Federal police descending on ASIO HQ in Melbourne (without Gough’s apparent knowledge), with proof that the organization is withholding information on extremists.
Murphy led the inspector to a quiet corner of the lounge. Harper had the uncomfortable feeling of being moved around like a chess piece. Perhaps not a pawn; more like a knight who, though valued, could still be sacrificed at any time to gain an advantage. As he sat next to the attorney-general, he concluded the whole scene had been a set-up. The attorney wanted an independent witness and a Commonwealth police inspector was as good as you could get.
Dropping household names into the mix – Jim Cairns, Richard Carleton, even Paul Hogan gets a cameo – this is a gripping thriller, and this reader will never again walk the Parliamentary triangle in Canberra without seeing it through a sniper’s eyes.
August 12, 2017
The Twentieth Man is the first novel by Australian journalist and broadcaster, Tony Jones. A shocking act of terror, the like of which has never happened in Australia, mars a beautiful spring Saturday in 1972. Two bombs target Yugoslav travel agencies in George Street, Sydney. Despite expert opinion, the Attorney-General of the Liberal Government denies the existence of any evidence suggesting Ustasha, a Croatian extremist group, are involved. Even information from the Yugoslav Government, that a group of Australian-trained and -funded revolutionaries have attempted to infiltrate Bosnia, just two months earlier, does not sway this stance.
Fast forward two months, and a change of Government brings an Attorney General with a very different agenda. Lionel Murphy is determined to know the truth about ASIO’s involvement with the Croats, something that becomes all the more urgent with a death threat against the soon-to-visit Yugoslav Prime Minister.
Young and eager, ABC radio journalist Anna Rosen has been doing her own research on Croatian activities. Her interest was piqued by her abruptly aborted relationship, begun in 1970, with Marin Katich, son of Croat activist (and former Ustasha war criminal), Ivo Katich. Since Marin’s mysterious disappearance, Anna has amassed a comprehensive file of information; whispers of Marin’s involvement in the Bosnian incursion elicit mixed feelings.
The narrative comes from a dozen different perspectives. While much of the story is carried by the main characters, Anna, Marin, Commonwealth Policeman Al Sharp, press secretary George Negus (yes, that George Negus) and ASIO operative Tom Moriarty, the thoughts of minor characters like surveillance technicians, secretaries, members of parliament, bombing witnesses, policemen, ASIO’s deputy director and even the bomber are also heard when convenient. Flashbacks fill in a bit of history as needed.
Jones conveys the mood of early seventies Australia, the prevailing social and political climate, with accuracy (probably) and consummate ease. For readers of a certain vintage, there is an abundance of familiar names, and some nostalgia (no doubt mixed with relief) is bound to result from his rendition of the way it was then, the food and drink, the fashion, the level (read lack) of technical sophistication, the sexist attitudes, the xenophobia. The cameo by a certain well-known comedian is a cute touch. Could it happen in today’s tech-rich world? Probably not, but Jones renders this recent history easily digestible. An excellent political thriller.
Fast forward two months, and a change of Government brings an Attorney General with a very different agenda. Lionel Murphy is determined to know the truth about ASIO’s involvement with the Croats, something that becomes all the more urgent with a death threat against the soon-to-visit Yugoslav Prime Minister.
Young and eager, ABC radio journalist Anna Rosen has been doing her own research on Croatian activities. Her interest was piqued by her abruptly aborted relationship, begun in 1970, with Marin Katich, son of Croat activist (and former Ustasha war criminal), Ivo Katich. Since Marin’s mysterious disappearance, Anna has amassed a comprehensive file of information; whispers of Marin’s involvement in the Bosnian incursion elicit mixed feelings.
The narrative comes from a dozen different perspectives. While much of the story is carried by the main characters, Anna, Marin, Commonwealth Policeman Al Sharp, press secretary George Negus (yes, that George Negus) and ASIO operative Tom Moriarty, the thoughts of minor characters like surveillance technicians, secretaries, members of parliament, bombing witnesses, policemen, ASIO’s deputy director and even the bomber are also heard when convenient. Flashbacks fill in a bit of history as needed.
Jones conveys the mood of early seventies Australia, the prevailing social and political climate, with accuracy (probably) and consummate ease. For readers of a certain vintage, there is an abundance of familiar names, and some nostalgia (no doubt mixed with relief) is bound to result from his rendition of the way it was then, the food and drink, the fashion, the level (read lack) of technical sophistication, the sexist attitudes, the xenophobia. The cameo by a certain well-known comedian is a cute touch. Could it happen in today’s tech-rich world? Probably not, but Jones renders this recent history easily digestible. An excellent political thriller.
October 24, 2017
Back in the 1970's there was discussion, debate and disagreement about the likelihood of Croatian extremists operating in Australia, and whether or not there was any involvement by the Communist Yugoslavian Government. Tony Jones, ABC Journalist and Q&A host apparently raised this topic of conversation again recently, leading to the claims he makes in his debut historical thriller THE TWENTIETH MAN.
I should admit, first of all, to having very sketchy remembrance of the furore at the time, so the book with a combination of historical fact and fiction, real life people and made up characters provided an interesting combination of entertainment and information for this reader. The distinctions between these elements will probably be somewhat less clear for younger readers, or people with no awareness of politics from the time, which does make THE TWENTIETH MAN a book for those only looking for a good thriller, as well as those who might consider themselves political junkies.
THE TWENTIETH MAN is set in the 1970's with the central premise being there is an Croatian terrorist group, with operatives in Australia, determined to destroy the Yugoslavian government - in this case we move from a series of bombings in the heart of Sydney to an assassination threat against the visiting Yugoslavian Premier. All of which is delivered in a highly charged, rapid paced style. Regardless of whether you can or even want to tell the differences between fact and fiction, there's plenty in this really well written thriller to engage, amuse, and get the reader thinking long and hard about the ramifications of truth versus fiction.
With hat tips along the way to now well known journalistic names, much of the responsibility for identifying the threat, and then stopping it comes down to a combination of a young ABC Journalist, and daughter of a well known Communist - Anna Rosen; a rogue ASIO Agent Tom Moriarty; and the Federal Police. Intertwined with this is the coincidence of the election of the Whitlam Government; the appointment of Lionel Murphy as Attorney General and Murphy's war on ASIO who he believed needed to be made considerably more accountable than they had previously been.
Alongside the hefty doses of political and bureaucratic intrigue, there's romantic complications, family tensions and a nearly pitch perfect feel of time and place. Australia was more naive in those days, imbued with a sense of optimism and "she'll be rightness", fuelled by youth, enthusiasm and bravado, littered with politically incorrect behaviour, sexism, recreational drugs and a care-freeness that's gone missing from life these days. Jones does a particularly good job with sense of time and place - everything about Canberra and its denizens feels right, everything about the sense of enthusiasm that came out of the early Whitlam days works within the context of the book. Particularly when it's stacked up against the historical back-story of the Croatian rebels.
Extremely readable, fascinating and very cleverly done, THE TWENTIETH MAN is unfortunately a bit of a rarity in Australian fiction - an historical political thriller covering our recent past.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/revi...
I should admit, first of all, to having very sketchy remembrance of the furore at the time, so the book with a combination of historical fact and fiction, real life people and made up characters provided an interesting combination of entertainment and information for this reader. The distinctions between these elements will probably be somewhat less clear for younger readers, or people with no awareness of politics from the time, which does make THE TWENTIETH MAN a book for those only looking for a good thriller, as well as those who might consider themselves political junkies.
THE TWENTIETH MAN is set in the 1970's with the central premise being there is an Croatian terrorist group, with operatives in Australia, determined to destroy the Yugoslavian government - in this case we move from a series of bombings in the heart of Sydney to an assassination threat against the visiting Yugoslavian Premier. All of which is delivered in a highly charged, rapid paced style. Regardless of whether you can or even want to tell the differences between fact and fiction, there's plenty in this really well written thriller to engage, amuse, and get the reader thinking long and hard about the ramifications of truth versus fiction.
With hat tips along the way to now well known journalistic names, much of the responsibility for identifying the threat, and then stopping it comes down to a combination of a young ABC Journalist, and daughter of a well known Communist - Anna Rosen; a rogue ASIO Agent Tom Moriarty; and the Federal Police. Intertwined with this is the coincidence of the election of the Whitlam Government; the appointment of Lionel Murphy as Attorney General and Murphy's war on ASIO who he believed needed to be made considerably more accountable than they had previously been.
Alongside the hefty doses of political and bureaucratic intrigue, there's romantic complications, family tensions and a nearly pitch perfect feel of time and place. Australia was more naive in those days, imbued with a sense of optimism and "she'll be rightness", fuelled by youth, enthusiasm and bravado, littered with politically incorrect behaviour, sexism, recreational drugs and a care-freeness that's gone missing from life these days. Jones does a particularly good job with sense of time and place - everything about Canberra and its denizens feels right, everything about the sense of enthusiasm that came out of the early Whitlam days works within the context of the book. Particularly when it's stacked up against the historical back-story of the Croatian rebels.
Extremely readable, fascinating and very cleverly done, THE TWENTIETH MAN is unfortunately a bit of a rarity in Australian fiction - an historical political thriller covering our recent past.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/revi...
July 4, 2017
Wow. This has got to be one of the best books I have ever read. I did not except to love this story as I am not that interested in Politics, however Tony Jones' writing completely captivated me. I was hooked and needed to keeping digging further and further into the book.
The Twentieth Man is a compelling thriller that explores crime, terrorism, politics and betrayal. In 1972 there was a terrorist attack in Sydney and the perpetrators of the attack were believed to have been war criminals from the Croatian fascist movement, Ustasha - the movement that had been in connection with Germany in WW2, and had very active networks in Australia. Their dream was to get rid of communism and in turn they would bomb anything Yugoslavian.
The Yugoslavian Prime Minister, Dzemal Bijedic, was due to visit Australia approaching - the safety of the Prime Minster was vital.
The ASIO and former government had denied any terrorist threats from the 'Croats', yet the Police uncovered evidence that the active Croatian terrorists were planning on assassinating the Prime Minster at his visit. This information was passed onto the Attorney-General, Lionel Murphy.
Murphy believed that the ASIO were withholding crutal information that was needed to guarantee Bijdic's safety so he executed a raid on the ASIO headquarters with the assistance of the Australian Commonwealth Police to obtain information that supported the already obtained evidence, that the ASIO had allegedly been withholding.
The book follows the stories of Anna Rosen (Journalist) and Marin Katich (War Criminal) - who had been lovers, Lionel Murphy (Attorney-General), and Al Sharp (Senior Intelligence Officer).
I am extremely grateful to have won an advanced copy of this amazing book. I HIGHLY recommend everyone to read this fantastic book.
The Twentieth Man is a compelling thriller that explores crime, terrorism, politics and betrayal. In 1972 there was a terrorist attack in Sydney and the perpetrators of the attack were believed to have been war criminals from the Croatian fascist movement, Ustasha - the movement that had been in connection with Germany in WW2, and had very active networks in Australia. Their dream was to get rid of communism and in turn they would bomb anything Yugoslavian.
The Yugoslavian Prime Minister, Dzemal Bijedic, was due to visit Australia approaching - the safety of the Prime Minster was vital.
The ASIO and former government had denied any terrorist threats from the 'Croats', yet the Police uncovered evidence that the active Croatian terrorists were planning on assassinating the Prime Minster at his visit. This information was passed onto the Attorney-General, Lionel Murphy.
Murphy believed that the ASIO were withholding crutal information that was needed to guarantee Bijdic's safety so he executed a raid on the ASIO headquarters with the assistance of the Australian Commonwealth Police to obtain information that supported the already obtained evidence, that the ASIO had allegedly been withholding.
The book follows the stories of Anna Rosen (Journalist) and Marin Katich (War Criminal) - who had been lovers, Lionel Murphy (Attorney-General), and Al Sharp (Senior Intelligence Officer).
I am extremely grateful to have won an advanced copy of this amazing book. I HIGHLY recommend everyone to read this fantastic book.
March 7, 2018
I heard the author speak at a writers dinner, and the storyline was interesting, so I was quite keen to read this book, but I’m not sure this would have been published if the author was Joe Blow, and not the highly regarded ABC journalist, Tony Jones.
To me it was pretty amateurish, the words seemed forced, as if Tony had done a writing course and filled in all the ‘write a novel’ dots! The story was interesting enough, but I’m not sure the use of factual characters worked that well.
...and the swearing, ye Gods!
Not bad, just not that good! 2.5 stars.
To me it was pretty amateurish, the words seemed forced, as if Tony had done a writing course and filled in all the ‘write a novel’ dots! The story was interesting enough, but I’m not sure the use of factual characters worked that well.
...and the swearing, ye Gods!
Not bad, just not that good! 2.5 stars.
October 27, 2017
A fantastic political thriller by Australian author Tony Jones. Set in the 1970, this novel contains real events in history mixed with fiction. I had never heard of the Ustasha Movement before reading this book (very disturbing!). I won this book through Goodreads Giveaways.
February 23, 2018
This should have been a darkly scintillating re-write of news stories of the period.
How were slavic cells operating in Australia? Why were newshound tips and policewrok not combined into an operational framework?
Instead it is tedious, lugubrious, boring. Combustible prospects turned to ash without the incandesence of fire.
Reminds me of the tedious tome on the Brisbane cleanups and rorts of the 80's.
Peter Corris could have taken these materials and turned out two stunningly, gripping Australian crime thrillers.
Opportunities Lost.
How were slavic cells operating in Australia? Why were newshound tips and policewrok not combined into an operational framework?
Instead it is tedious, lugubrious, boring. Combustible prospects turned to ash without the incandesence of fire.
Reminds me of the tedious tome on the Brisbane cleanups and rorts of the 80's.
Peter Corris could have taken these materials and turned out two stunningly, gripping Australian crime thrillers.
Opportunities Lost.
October 1, 2017
While this novel was a little slow for me to embrace initially it did move quickly and engagingly from the mid-point to its conclusion. The inclusion of real people with fictional characters resonated with me as I was a young adolescent/adult in the early 1970s and familiar with the politicians and journalists that formed part of the Australian landscape at that time and who feature in this account.
It would also seem from the unresolved and open-ended conclusion that the fictional character of Marin Katich is destined to reappear at some future date to account for his disappearance and perhaps finish his task. Similarly Anna Rosen may well resume the untold story she was prevented from publishing and the murky world of national and international secret agencies will be revisited in the process.
It would also seem from the unresolved and open-ended conclusion that the fictional character of Marin Katich is destined to reappear at some future date to account for his disappearance and perhaps finish his task. Similarly Anna Rosen may well resume the untold story she was prevented from publishing and the murky world of national and international secret agencies will be revisited in the process.
July 26, 2017
3.5 stars (rounded up)
A very good political thriller, which cleverly inter-weaves fiction with non-fiction. Australian readers will find lots of well-known names sprinkled among the action of this one.
It's 1972 and a bombing in Sydney's CBD rattles the country. Intelligence points to the source being tied to the unrest in Yugoslavia. The arms of government (including ASIO) are on the hunt, as is Anna Rosen the journalist.
A very good political thriller, which cleverly inter-weaves fiction with non-fiction. Australian readers will find lots of well-known names sprinkled among the action of this one.
It's 1972 and a bombing in Sydney's CBD rattles the country. Intelligence points to the source being tied to the unrest in Yugoslavia. The arms of government (including ASIO) are on the hunt, as is Anna Rosen the journalist.
June 14, 2018
The Twentieth Man started with a bang, literally. Then it seemed to drag on with political webs and schemes.
I wasn’t alive during the 70s so perhaps that was the problem, but I just couldn’t get into this novel.
It’s not that the book is badly written; it’s a satisfactory read. It just wasn’t for me, even though I had higher hopes for the book.
Oh well. Plenty of more great books to choose from.
I wasn’t alive during the 70s so perhaps that was the problem, but I just couldn’t get into this novel.
It’s not that the book is badly written; it’s a satisfactory read. It just wasn’t for me, even though I had higher hopes for the book.
Oh well. Plenty of more great books to choose from.
August 1, 2017
An excellent political thriller! A spine-chilling fiction so believable in its telling.
October 3, 2017
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. Different genre than I would usually read, maybe a bit too political in the detail for me. Did enjoy the underlying story.
June 7, 2018
A very enjoyable, well written story, that kept me guessing until the last few pages.
May 8, 2025
Probably more 3.5'ish than 4 but still, good. It's like a mix of a thriller and spy novel with 1970s Australian history to boot. And a Canberra setting! I'll never look at the carillon the same
April 5, 2018
Well who would have thought that Tony Jones, the presenter of the consistently depressing Q & A, could come up with a book as interesting and entertaining as this. Anyone with a passing interest in Australian politics circa Whitlam era, well worth a read.
I'm still not watching Q & A though, until politicians are held accountable and made to give a straight answer.
I'm still not watching Q & A though, until politicians are held accountable and made to give a straight answer.
July 3, 2017
I received this book from Goodreads as a giveaway. Politics is definitely a dirty word. Everyone out for their own advantage with a dog eat dog mentality from most. Anna, a journalist, tainted by her father's beliefs is out to uncover the truth behind the Sydney bombings. She has been researching the Croatian presence in Australia and has discovered that some have links to the infamous Ustasha who were death squads in WW2. These people are war criminals so how come they were permitted to come and settle in Australia? Marin drawn into the plot to kill the Yugoslavian Prime Minister on his visit to Australia by the violent death of his younger brother. He wants revenge.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 21, 2017
This book would make a terrific mini-series in the style of Blue Murder with a strong female lead in Anna Rosen. It tells the story of gripping historical event (terrorism, bombs - the whole shebang) that has passed into Australian history largely unremembered.
The detail and characters are revealed in intricate detail with a journalist's eye for narrative, in a story which will suit any lovers of Le Carré or politics.
For my taste, the opening was a little slow - which is weird for a 'ticking bomb' narrative - but the pay off later in the story is definitely satisfying. I say that to encourage you to give it a little time if it doesn't suck you in on page one... it builds momentum well.
Congratulations, Mr Jones, it's a great read.
The detail and characters are revealed in intricate detail with a journalist's eye for narrative, in a story which will suit any lovers of Le Carré or politics.
For my taste, the opening was a little slow - which is weird for a 'ticking bomb' narrative - but the pay off later in the story is definitely satisfying. I say that to encourage you to give it a little time if it doesn't suck you in on page one... it builds momentum well.
Congratulations, Mr Jones, it's a great read.
September 16, 2017
While I was dubious about a Political story I was surprised at what a great story this was. Set in Australia in the 1970s and included many well known politicians ( Gough Whitlam etc) and journalists ( George Negus etc).
It was a little slow to start but once you get used to many different names the story draws you in and then you are captivated by this compelling and thrilling story of political intrigue and personal passions.
An excellent debut novel for Tony Jones, though of course he is a very experienced journalist and his experience and knowledge shines through in this thriller.
Thank you to Goodreads and publisher Allen & Unwin for a copy to read and review.
It was a little slow to start but once you get used to many different names the story draws you in and then you are captivated by this compelling and thrilling story of political intrigue and personal passions.
An excellent debut novel for Tony Jones, though of course he is a very experienced journalist and his experience and knowledge shines through in this thriller.
Thank you to Goodreads and publisher Allen & Unwin for a copy to read and review.
July 22, 2018
I had high expectations for this book and perhaps that was a problem. I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would. It had a great start and there were some really engaging parts to it but I felt at times that the story was too slow. I found the dialogue unconvincing. I’m not a journalist so perhaps I’m in no position to judge but I found many of the conversations unrealistic. I feel a bit mean giving this review but it’s my honest response. I’m not sure if I was asked for a book recommendation that I’d suggest this although I would like to discuss this book with someone else. The ending was really abrupt.
March 23, 2021
I vaguely remember some of the real life events that are portrayed in this novel. Of course I remember the election of the Whitlam government and a scandal about Lionel Murphy, the Attorney General (how times change) of that government. And I think at the time, there were bombings of churches or buildings associated with Yugoslav people (as I the thought of them). I wasn’t very old at the time.
This novel is set mostly in the early 70s but it does flick back and forward in time. Jones says that he wanted to write the novel after working as a reporter in Yuogaslavia in the late 1980s. He went there for 4 Corners looking for evidence of Nazi war criminals who’d been able to whitewash their personal histories and migrate to Australia. “Had they remained underground and kept their secrets they might not have been detected but some of them chose to cause trouble here. One such character was a Melbourne man called Srecko Rover. A wartime officer in the murderous Ustasha, Rover founded the Croatian Revolutionary Brotherhood in Australia. That highly secretive brotherhood organised terrorist activities in Australia, including bombings, intimidation, extortion and the training of foreign fighters for armed incursions behind the iron curtain. In archives in Zagreb and Sarajevo we found documented proof of his war crimes in 1941.”
(https://www.theguardian.com/books/201...) Of this Jones says: “It struck me as extraordinary that such a person could have been allowed to settle here and then create an Ustasha-style brotherhood.”
In this novel, a young university student, Anna Rosen hooks up with Marin Katich, the son of a man such as Srecko Rover. She and Marin subsequently split up - she becomes a newspaper reporter; he commits to an attempt at a coup in Yugoslavia to oust the Communist government and replace it with the sort of fascists that held power during the second world war. One plot line of the book traces the planned visit to Australia by the President of Yugoslavia during the first months of the Whitlam government in 1973 while the other follows events in Yugoslavia in 1972.
The novel mixes real events with fiction. In interview, Jones says: “Ah, Lionel Murphy! Now there’s a character you’d be unlikely to see in modern politics. As attorney general Murphy was a radical reformer who changed the country in fundamental ways – no-fault divorce, the Trade Practices Act, freedom of information legislation, the Senate committee system – these were just some of the changes he inspired. But he was also responsible for the most reckless act in the early days of the Whitlam government, one that gave his conservative opponents much-needed momentum after their demoralising defeat. Murphy’s fabled “Asio raid” in March of 73 is a key part of my narrative.” He goes on to say: “It was an act that resonated all the way to Langley, Virginia where the CIA’s counter-intelligence chief James Jesus Angleton became convinced that the Australian Labor government were a bunch of socialist renegades, prepared to put at risk “the crown jewels” of western intelligence. History has largely forgotten that Murphy was trying to foil an assassination plot and believed that his security service was concealing vital information from him. That assassination plot is what drives my novel to its conclusion.”
(https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/bo...)
The events in the former Yugoslavia also mirror real events. “History tells us that in June of 1972, 19 heavily armed men hiked over the Austrian Alps and crossed the iron curtain into Yugoslavia. Eleven of them were Australian citizens or residents, trained in this country for their mission to stage an uprising against Tito’s communist regime. They were detected by the Yugoslav military and eventually trapped on a mountain called Radusa, in southern Bosnia. After a series of running battles they were all either killed or captured. The survivors were tried in Sarajevo and executed. It was rumoured at the time that there was a 20th man who escaped that fate.” (https://www.theguardian.com/books/201...)
I found it quite interesting though the fictional characters have a kind of flatness around them that reduced the appeal of the novel. I liked reading about the demarcation disputes and tribalism of the police, the AFP and ASIO. People like Murphy seemed very lifelike. I thought that the attempted coup plan was ridiculous – but as Jones says, it was based on a real attempt to change power in that region and points to the craziness of fanatics. I was slightly astonished that in the scenes with Murphy and his political cronies, no one swears. In fact tonally, a lot of the people in the novel had a similar kind of register/ way of speaking which made people hard to distinguish (like all the people associated withe police/ security services apart from the stutterer).
Less credible was the idea that Marin Katich would embark on such a mission. I really didn't buy the reason that he does such a crazy thing. I felt that both his character and that of Anna Rosen could be developed a lot more – in order to make sense of some of the things that happen. And as it turns out, there is a second novel that throws a lot more light on things. I wondered while reading the sequel whether it was once one big novel that was deemed to be too long. Anyhow, I quite enjoyed it though it was not particularly engrossing.
This novel is set mostly in the early 70s but it does flick back and forward in time. Jones says that he wanted to write the novel after working as a reporter in Yuogaslavia in the late 1980s. He went there for 4 Corners looking for evidence of Nazi war criminals who’d been able to whitewash their personal histories and migrate to Australia. “Had they remained underground and kept their secrets they might not have been detected but some of them chose to cause trouble here. One such character was a Melbourne man called Srecko Rover. A wartime officer in the murderous Ustasha, Rover founded the Croatian Revolutionary Brotherhood in Australia. That highly secretive brotherhood organised terrorist activities in Australia, including bombings, intimidation, extortion and the training of foreign fighters for armed incursions behind the iron curtain. In archives in Zagreb and Sarajevo we found documented proof of his war crimes in 1941.”
(https://www.theguardian.com/books/201...) Of this Jones says: “It struck me as extraordinary that such a person could have been allowed to settle here and then create an Ustasha-style brotherhood.”
In this novel, a young university student, Anna Rosen hooks up with Marin Katich, the son of a man such as Srecko Rover. She and Marin subsequently split up - she becomes a newspaper reporter; he commits to an attempt at a coup in Yugoslavia to oust the Communist government and replace it with the sort of fascists that held power during the second world war. One plot line of the book traces the planned visit to Australia by the President of Yugoslavia during the first months of the Whitlam government in 1973 while the other follows events in Yugoslavia in 1972.
The novel mixes real events with fiction. In interview, Jones says: “Ah, Lionel Murphy! Now there’s a character you’d be unlikely to see in modern politics. As attorney general Murphy was a radical reformer who changed the country in fundamental ways – no-fault divorce, the Trade Practices Act, freedom of information legislation, the Senate committee system – these were just some of the changes he inspired. But he was also responsible for the most reckless act in the early days of the Whitlam government, one that gave his conservative opponents much-needed momentum after their demoralising defeat. Murphy’s fabled “Asio raid” in March of 73 is a key part of my narrative.” He goes on to say: “It was an act that resonated all the way to Langley, Virginia where the CIA’s counter-intelligence chief James Jesus Angleton became convinced that the Australian Labor government were a bunch of socialist renegades, prepared to put at risk “the crown jewels” of western intelligence. History has largely forgotten that Murphy was trying to foil an assassination plot and believed that his security service was concealing vital information from him. That assassination plot is what drives my novel to its conclusion.”
(https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/bo...)
The events in the former Yugoslavia also mirror real events. “History tells us that in June of 1972, 19 heavily armed men hiked over the Austrian Alps and crossed the iron curtain into Yugoslavia. Eleven of them were Australian citizens or residents, trained in this country for their mission to stage an uprising against Tito’s communist regime. They were detected by the Yugoslav military and eventually trapped on a mountain called Radusa, in southern Bosnia. After a series of running battles they were all either killed or captured. The survivors were tried in Sarajevo and executed. It was rumoured at the time that there was a 20th man who escaped that fate.” (https://www.theguardian.com/books/201...)
I found it quite interesting though the fictional characters have a kind of flatness around them that reduced the appeal of the novel. I liked reading about the demarcation disputes and tribalism of the police, the AFP and ASIO. People like Murphy seemed very lifelike. I thought that the attempted coup plan was ridiculous – but as Jones says, it was based on a real attempt to change power in that region and points to the craziness of fanatics. I was slightly astonished that in the scenes with Murphy and his political cronies, no one swears. In fact tonally, a lot of the people in the novel had a similar kind of register/ way of speaking which made people hard to distinguish (like all the people associated withe police/ security services apart from the stutterer).
Less credible was the idea that Marin Katich would embark on such a mission. I really didn't buy the reason that he does such a crazy thing. I felt that both his character and that of Anna Rosen could be developed a lot more – in order to make sense of some of the things that happen. And as it turns out, there is a second novel that throws a lot more light on things. I wondered while reading the sequel whether it was once one big novel that was deemed to be too long. Anyhow, I quite enjoyed it though it was not particularly engrossing.
December 6, 2017
A ripping yarn that didn't quite hit the mark for me. A little too convoluted, with too many real characters mixed into ostensibly true events, yet it was meant to be a work of fiction. Hmmm.
February 8, 2018
Excellent book about Australian politics.
December 17, 2019
Very interesting, especially for Australians who will recognise a lot of the players.
February 21, 2018
Sydney, 1972 two bombs are detonated in the CBD targeting Yugoslavian business owners. Anna Rosen, an ABC journalist, has been investigating alleged war criminals harbouring in Australia who are members of the Ustasha movement is certain that they are responsible for these recent attacks.
Complicating matters for Anna is that her former lover, Marin Katich who disappeared two years ago maybe caught up in the workings of the Ustasha due to his father’s involvement. Anna is working under two motives one to discover the story about the Ustasha and the other to discover why Marin left her.
Woven through this narrative is the Australian political climate at the time, with the power shift to the recently elected Labor (Socialist style) Government flexing its muscles after many years of the Liberal Party (Conservative) rule. The Attorney General, Lionel Murphy is raging against the Australian Secret Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) as he tries to discover if they have been assisting members of the Ustasha movement. Coupled with the impending arrival of the Yugoslavia President and the possibility of an assassination attempt everyone is on tenterhooks.
Tony Jones is an Australian journalist who has made the crossover to novelist. For a first effort Jones has pulled together an engaging thriller that moves along at a cracking pace. He has been able to combine historical and fiction to give the reader a story that has impressed by the depth of the conspiracy.
Anna is touted as the main character and driving force behind the story. I am not sure that she actually achieves that objective. This is mainly because towards the end of the novel when Murphy confronts ASIO, she becomes a spectator. Her personal drive to succeed in the men’s world of journalism is realised by Jones with vibrancy and realism.
The character that I did struggle with was Lionel Murphy as Attorney General. At one stage I thought he was about to rip his short open and reveal his Superman outfit as he battled the tyranny of ASIO. I know that the real Murphy was a larger than life character and did achieve real reform in the portfolio including establishment of the Family Law Court and no-fault divorce. Towards the end of the novel Murphy’s character almost takes over with Anna watching the chaos unfold.
There were some characters mentioned that while cheeky, did not really drive the story along. Especially the guy who used to pain the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
There are clever descriptions that capture the essence of the new Whitlam Government at the time for example ‘Freshly sworn-in ministers patrolled the space with their staff like schools of fish in a new tank.’ Jones also provides some insight into the minds of those who want to disturb the peace ‘They are waiting for us to forget. Forgetting is what makes possible their resurrection.’ It is relevant then and it is relevant today that organisations often go underground, waiting to rise again to bring about their agenda.
This is a great Australian political thriller and you are kept turning the pages as you try to unravel the complexities of who is betraying who and for what reason. Jones has been brave is taking a historical event and weaving in a fictional ‘what if’ situation. To his credit, it works and works well.
Complicating matters for Anna is that her former lover, Marin Katich who disappeared two years ago maybe caught up in the workings of the Ustasha due to his father’s involvement. Anna is working under two motives one to discover the story about the Ustasha and the other to discover why Marin left her.
Woven through this narrative is the Australian political climate at the time, with the power shift to the recently elected Labor (Socialist style) Government flexing its muscles after many years of the Liberal Party (Conservative) rule. The Attorney General, Lionel Murphy is raging against the Australian Secret Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) as he tries to discover if they have been assisting members of the Ustasha movement. Coupled with the impending arrival of the Yugoslavia President and the possibility of an assassination attempt everyone is on tenterhooks.
Tony Jones is an Australian journalist who has made the crossover to novelist. For a first effort Jones has pulled together an engaging thriller that moves along at a cracking pace. He has been able to combine historical and fiction to give the reader a story that has impressed by the depth of the conspiracy.
Anna is touted as the main character and driving force behind the story. I am not sure that she actually achieves that objective. This is mainly because towards the end of the novel when Murphy confronts ASIO, she becomes a spectator. Her personal drive to succeed in the men’s world of journalism is realised by Jones with vibrancy and realism.
The character that I did struggle with was Lionel Murphy as Attorney General. At one stage I thought he was about to rip his short open and reveal his Superman outfit as he battled the tyranny of ASIO. I know that the real Murphy was a larger than life character and did achieve real reform in the portfolio including establishment of the Family Law Court and no-fault divorce. Towards the end of the novel Murphy’s character almost takes over with Anna watching the chaos unfold.
There were some characters mentioned that while cheeky, did not really drive the story along. Especially the guy who used to pain the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
There are clever descriptions that capture the essence of the new Whitlam Government at the time for example ‘Freshly sworn-in ministers patrolled the space with their staff like schools of fish in a new tank.’ Jones also provides some insight into the minds of those who want to disturb the peace ‘They are waiting for us to forget. Forgetting is what makes possible their resurrection.’ It is relevant then and it is relevant today that organisations often go underground, waiting to rise again to bring about their agenda.
This is a great Australian political thriller and you are kept turning the pages as you try to unravel the complexities of who is betraying who and for what reason. Jones has been brave is taking a historical event and weaving in a fictional ‘what if’ situation. To his credit, it works and works well.
July 30, 2017
Based in Australia in the early seventies The Twentieth Man was an excellent learning curve for the politics of that time for New Zealand's nearest neighbours. Familiar sort of, but not so in depth as the book's story-line provides.
Its a time of turmoil in Australian politics with Attorney General Lionel Murphy a maverick and almost Trump-like character. The core of the story involves a plot to assassinate the Croatian prime minister during an Australian visit. The Croats Ustasha movement is already suspected of carrying out a deadly bomb attack in downtown Sydney.
Journalist Anna Rosen is on the case and mostly one step ahead of the investigators who are trying to solve the bombing alongside gathering intel about a potential assassination. The new government is at odds with the Australian surveillance organisations who were in cahoots with the previous government. The new regime is taking the assassination threat seriously but not getting the response they want from ASIO.
To complicate matters the primary suspect from the Croat movement is a former lover of Anna Rosen the journalist and once again their worlds collide as the Prime Minister's visit draws closer.
Tony Jones has created a pulsating and believable plot and stand-out characters. Good to read another novel that's based close to home.
Its a time of turmoil in Australian politics with Attorney General Lionel Murphy a maverick and almost Trump-like character. The core of the story involves a plot to assassinate the Croatian prime minister during an Australian visit. The Croats Ustasha movement is already suspected of carrying out a deadly bomb attack in downtown Sydney.
Journalist Anna Rosen is on the case and mostly one step ahead of the investigators who are trying to solve the bombing alongside gathering intel about a potential assassination. The new government is at odds with the Australian surveillance organisations who were in cahoots with the previous government. The new regime is taking the assassination threat seriously but not getting the response they want from ASIO.
To complicate matters the primary suspect from the Croat movement is a former lover of Anna Rosen the journalist and once again their worlds collide as the Prime Minister's visit draws closer.
Tony Jones has created a pulsating and believable plot and stand-out characters. Good to read another novel that's based close to home.
June 17, 2018
Really enjoyed this book. Thank you Tony Jones. It's been a while since I've managed to finish a fictional book so this historical-fiction type suited me to a tee.
Great way to get a window on what ultimately led to the awful Serbian-Croatian conflicts of the 1990s but in a very enjoyable and subtle way. Not to mention the politics and social workings of 1970s Australia. Learning history and politics without realising it. Very good.
I particularly enjoyed how Jones inserted his journalist contemporaries and colleagues into the text. That was a proper chuckle. I imagine he and George Negus must have said to each other that if either of them ever wrote a novel that they would write each other into the story. And so, a "George Negus" turns up in Jones' first novel not as a journalist but as the Labor Party's Press Secretary who fancies himself a future TV personality in current affairs.
"The office door flew open and Negus strode in. Daphne Newman stopped typing and looked up. She imagined that Negus had styled himself on Dennis Hopper in Easy Rider, without the slouch hat. But he did have the long hair, the drooping moustache, even the tasselled suede jacket, plus a wild-eyed Hopperian madness that the attorney-general seemed to appreciate. All of it played in a lower antipodean key."
Gold!
Great way to get a window on what ultimately led to the awful Serbian-Croatian conflicts of the 1990s but in a very enjoyable and subtle way. Not to mention the politics and social workings of 1970s Australia. Learning history and politics without realising it. Very good.
I particularly enjoyed how Jones inserted his journalist contemporaries and colleagues into the text. That was a proper chuckle. I imagine he and George Negus must have said to each other that if either of them ever wrote a novel that they would write each other into the story. And so, a "George Negus" turns up in Jones' first novel not as a journalist but as the Labor Party's Press Secretary who fancies himself a future TV personality in current affairs.
"The office door flew open and Negus strode in. Daphne Newman stopped typing and looked up. She imagined that Negus had styled himself on Dennis Hopper in Easy Rider, without the slouch hat. But he did have the long hair, the drooping moustache, even the tasselled suede jacket, plus a wild-eyed Hopperian madness that the attorney-general seemed to appreciate. All of it played in a lower antipodean key."
Gold!
February 27, 2020
This is an interesting Australian, historical, political thriller. Tony Jones is an Australian journalist and he has drawn on real events in 1972 & 1973 to form the main plotline of his work of fiction. It was enjoyable and the plot was interesting, especially as it involves a plot by the Ustasha movement (Croatian nationalists) and Yugoslavian history. Of course, the question for me throughout was, how much of this is real and how much of it is fiction?
Although Tony Jones says he 'imagined how some of these events may have played out and allowed real historical characters to intermingle with fictional characters...' I found it difficult to work out what was real and what was fiction.
The main character, Anna Rosen, a journalist, was a feisty character who worked within a very misogynistic male environment. Her interactions with spies and law-enforcement agents form the key to the plot and provided ample entertainment and suspense.
For me, the active use of real characters such as Lionel Murphy, George Negus and others in the plot blurred the lines too much. In an age where 'fake news' is becoming a big issue, I was too unsure about what was real and what wasn't. Personally, I would prefer Tony Jones to either write a researched true historical piece or write fiction with fictitious characters. This is of course only my opinion.
Although Tony Jones says he 'imagined how some of these events may have played out and allowed real historical characters to intermingle with fictional characters...' I found it difficult to work out what was real and what was fiction.
The main character, Anna Rosen, a journalist, was a feisty character who worked within a very misogynistic male environment. Her interactions with spies and law-enforcement agents form the key to the plot and provided ample entertainment and suspense.
For me, the active use of real characters such as Lionel Murphy, George Negus and others in the plot blurred the lines too much. In an age where 'fake news' is becoming a big issue, I was too unsure about what was real and what wasn't. Personally, I would prefer Tony Jones to either write a researched true historical piece or write fiction with fictitious characters. This is of course only my opinion.
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