River of Salt

by Dave Warner, Henry Nixon (Narrator)

1961, Philadelphia. After having to give up his brother to save his own life, hitman Blake Saunders flees the Mob and seeks refuge on the other side of the world. Two years later he has been reborn in a tiny coastal Australian town. The ghosts of the past still haunt him, but otherwise Coral Shoals is paradise. Blake surfs, and plays guitar in his own bar, the Surf Shack. But then the body of a young woman is found at a local motel, and evidence links her to the Surf Shack. When Blake’s friend is arrested, and the local sergeant doesn’t want to know, it becomes clear to Blake – who knows a thing or two about murder – that the only way to protect his paradise is to find the killer.

'Part Goodfellas and part love letter to Australian coastal towns, this wonderfully imagined crime novel is like riding the perfect wave.' Michael Robotham

‘Dave Warner captures the heyday and spirit of the surf music scene perfectly. This is a pitch-perfect crime thriller of epic twists and turns.’ Jim Skiathitis, composer, guitarist, The Atlantics

Genres: Crime, Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Australia, Audiobook

Audible Audio

First published April 1, 2019

About the author

Dave 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.

Reviews

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

After his brother was killed in the early 1960s, Blake Saunders ran away from his past as a hit man for the Philadelphia mob all the way to the other side of the world. Although he can never forget his brother or his past, now he surfs, runs a bar and plays guitar with his group in a small Queensland beach town. This paradise is shattered when a young women, passing through the town, is killed in a gruesome murder at the local motel. When a man Blake employs and knows is innocent is arrested and the only policeman in town not interested in finding the real killer, Blake must put together the clues and find the murderer on his own.

I really enjoyed the writing in this novel. It has a slower pace than most murder mysteries but really sets the scene of what life was like in small Australian beachside towns in the 1960s. I enjoyed the details of the people in Blake's life from his employees Doreen and Andy to his band mates Duck and Panza as well as the surf music played by the band in this pre-Beatles era. Warner takes time to flesh out his characters and the life of the town including the teenagers involved in a dance competition at the bar and the privileged class who live in 'the heights' and have much sought after membership of the golf club. This all adds richness and background which ultimately informs the mystery of the dead woman and will reveal the identity of the murderer after a few twists along the way.

This is the first novel I have read by Dave Warner but I have firmly added myself as the latest member of his fan club. 4.5★

With many thanks to Netgalley and Fremantle Press for a digital copy of the book.

[PattyMacDotComma · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5★
“Blake moved purposefully just like the old guy who’d once done jobs for Capone had told him. ‘Never rush out. It invites the unwanted, accidents, problems. You get hit by a car, knock over a pram … people remember that. I knew a guy: he fired, turned and ran straight through a glass door. He bled out on the pavement before the guy he shot. Wear glasses. All they remember: the guy wore glasses.’”

Yep, Blake’s a hit-man in Philadelphia (“Philly”, in the US), and a good one. It’s a little like “Breaking Bad”, in that you know he’s a bad guy, but, you know . . . he’s OUR bad guy. And he was just a kid who idolised his big brother, Jimmy, when he started. Unfortunately, Jimmy wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed (insert your preferred idiom here), but he did love his little brother.

The story opens in 1961 with some seriously bad guys enjoying a meal in their regular restaurant – a big guy and his bodyguards. We don’t know what’s about to happen, but when it does, it’s sudden and unexpected. Part of the unexpectedness is that Blake gets away clean. He IS good at what he does

Jimmy always wants more and gets himself tangled up in a deal that he’s kept Blake out of, but when he’s discovered, it’s curtains for him. Blake has to get out of town, and better still, out of the country. Cut to his bar, the Surf Shack, in Coral Shoals on the east coast of Australia. He loves the surf and plays guitar in a group. He likes the people he works with, and when things build up, he takes himself to the beach – alone.

“As usual when things niggled at him, the water changed everything. This is life, infinity, God, he thought as he let the power of the ocean lift him up and propel him. He felt good again, cleansed by the river of salt.”

The “river of salt” conceit comes up several times in different ways. First, I think, was the tears he shed for Jimmy, and later it was an actual river where he dumped some incriminating items, as you do. The water cures everything.

“The sight of the ocean opened a valve, let off steam. He pulled in to his favourite spot, took a deep breath. No matter how bad things were going, no matter what you did wrong in your dumb life, the water and the salt healed it. Holding his board, he waded into the sea, let it melt him, make it one with itself.”

There are several supporting characters with distinct personalities (meaning even someone like me doesn’t get them confused!), and there’s a particularly brutal murder (although it’s not described in gory detail).

Blake is handsome, like Troy Donahue, although someone later mentions James Garner, who would seem to have nothing in common with Troy except he was also American. But I’m being picky.


Photo of Troy Donahue as I remember him in the red jacket

Blake's right-hand in the bar is Doreen, who lusts after him privately but sleeps with other men, while he seems equally attracted to her but carries on with Carol, a footloose girl who works at the Golf Club. Enough of the that.

Sergeant Nalder is what would be a sheriff in an American story – the local cop in a small town, who yearns to be a member of the Golf Club. (I capitalise that to show how important it is in this little place.)

“A large man with a sizeable beer gut, Nalder was sneaking out of his forties, having disguised himself for many a year as early-fifties.”

Blake has tried to lie low and keep his head down, but when two gangsters try to sell him “insurance” for the Surf Shack, and one of his crew gets bashed and then a girl gets murdered and another of his crew is blamed, he just has to start investigating himself.

I found the first half slow going and the second half more interesting. It’s a good read, but I have a few quibbles which I’ll put behind spoilers because they probably won’t bother other readers.

First, I found the repeated “river of salt” references forced. Other passages jarred, as if they were dropped in to add some literary clout.

“The ocean was an inkblot. The sun had fallen like a body sliding down a wall after a hit, life ebbing, darkness in the wings.”

Someone got his “just deserts” instead of his “just desserts”.

This passage is simply wrong:

“‘How did you go with the bin and the fender?’
‘Bumper bar, mate, we’re not in Texas.’

A bumper is a bumper (or bumper bar) in both countries, but an American fender is an Australian mudguard. Somebody should have caught that.

All in all, I’m sure there will be plenty of fans for this one. Thanks to #NetGalley and Fremantle Press for the preview copy of #RiverOfSalt from which I’ve quoted.

[Kylie D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Former Philadelphia hitman Blake Saunders escapes the mob after the death of his brother, and winds up on the New South Wales north coast. Spending his time surfing and in his bar The Surf Shack life is idyllic, until a woman is murdered, and some local goons start to try to strongarm Blake. When his friend is arrested for the woman's murder, Blake finds all his skills from his mob days coming back to him.

I found River Of Salt to be an enjoyable, quick read. With believable characters and setting, and an intriguing plot, I will definitely be keeping my eye out for more of this author's work.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

River of Salt by Australian author Dave Warner takes place during the 1960s. After the death of his brother hitman Blake Saunders flees from the Mob and ends up as far away as he can get from Philadelphia, which sees him two years later arriving in a small coastal town in Queensland.

Blake spends most of his days surfing, playing guitar and managing his own bar called the Surf Shack. Blake’s life was going well and he started enjoying his life again until a woman’s body was found in a local motel where she had been brutally murdered. The evidence quickly shows that she’s linked to the Surf Shack and that Blake’s employee and friend is under arrest. Blake knows all too well how this will end and he must do all he can to protect what he has worked so hard for and the only way to do that was to find the killer because he knew it wasn’t his employee, but could he be wrong?

This is the first book I’ve read by Dave Warner and it definitely won’t be my last. Intrigue and suspense were plentiful in this book and I couldn’t put it down. Well written novel that captured my attention from beginning to end. Highly recommended.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been a big fan of Dave Warner since I read Clear to the Horizon (2017) and have been eagerly anticipating his next book...and it was certainly worth the wait.

Blending 1960's mob life with the Australian surf seems like an odd combination but Warner makes it work incredibly well, somehow transforming a Philadelphia hitman into a likable protagonist who reads like a typical Aussie bloke.

Half a world separates Blake's old life from his new yet his ghosts still haunt him. After loosing his brother to mob violence, Blake's gripped a new lease on life in a coastal Australian town. He runs a pub, has a love interest (of sorts), and is a member of a local band. He surfs, plays gigs, runs his business and enjoys the smell of fresh air straight from the ocean.

However perfect the serenity, murder spoils everything. For Blake to keep himself out of the mob's reach, he must revert to the ways of a killer - and that's only half his troubles.

River of Salt is choc full of interesting and well defined characters accompanied by equally interesting backstories which all add extra layers of depth to the story. The story reads perfectly well in it's own right, yet I hope Warner returns to this setting and these characters sometime in the future.

My rating: 5/5 stars. Noir on the beach? Yes please. If you're looking for a perfect blend of Australian and American crime fiction, look no further than River of Salt.

[Mandy White (mandylovestoread) · Rating 4 out of 5]

River of Salt was my first Dave Warner book and I have to say that I loved it. One of my reading goals for this year to read more Australian writers and Dave Warner has certainly got my attention with this book. I didn't want to put it down, I became hooked on the lives of the locals of Coral Shoals and wanted to know how it was going to end.. The main characters in this book were all on their own journeys in 1960's Queensland, a time so different to current days - the days before mobile phones and social media. People would talk and listen to music - it seemed so much more relaxed and friendly. I hope that we will hear more from these characters in future books, I don't believe we have heard the end of their stories yet.

The story begins in Philadelphia where Blake Saunders has to give up his own brother to save himself from the mob. Fast forward 2 years and he has made himself a new life and home in a small coastal town in Queensland where he spends his days surfing, playing guitar and running his own bar - the Surf Shack. Life is good again. That is until a women is found murdered in a local motel and Blakes employee and friend is arrested for the murder. Blake knows that he is innocent and sets out to prove it, and find the real killer. The towns secrets start to come to light but he will not stop until his friend is free.

Dave Warner sets the scene in the story so well - a time when the world was just discovering The Beatles, music was on vinyl, women were the lesser sex and racism is rife. You can see it as you are reading it and I think this book would be a great movie or series.

Thanks to Fremantle Press and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.

[8stitches 9lives · Rating 4 out of 5]

Australia has been consistently producing some sublime authors with their equally sublime offerings in recent years and Dave Warner's River of Salt is no exception. With a beautifully crafted, thrilling plot, a cast of well-developed characters and plenty of surprises, this is a superb, original and thoroughly engaging read. What makes it unique in particular is that it harks back to the 1960s and this gives a totally different and wholly welcome feel to it all. Blake is a bad boy with a softer side who has left his life of crime and association with the mob behind in search of a quieter life. You simply can't help but like him. As for the rest of the characters they are all flawed and realistic as a result.

The descriptions of the setting, Coral Shoals, are vivid and gorgeous making you envious of Blake's newfound freedom but it isn't to last and he soon becomes embroiled in a murder investigation of which he is the main suspect. In fact, the setting is a character in itself. Once you start reading you are rapidly pulled into this fictional world where bad guys lurk around every corner awaiting your downfall. This is a perfect fit for those who enjoy character-driven thrillers with a distinctive cast. I look forward to reading more from Mr Warner.

Many thanks to Fremantle Press for an ARC.

[Alex Cantone · Rating 5 out of 5]

She would have liked to have the courage to ask him about it but she didn’t. So many things I lack the courage for, she told herself. It was just too hard to risk losing the little joys you have for riches you might never get.

River of Salt opens in a diner in Philadelphia, where a minor player in the underworld is holding court. It is 1961 and Yuri Gagarin in the first man in space. The minor player is wary, with good reason. Blake, a young hitman in the pay of “The Don”, Franco Repacholi has been bidding his time, awaiting the right moment to make the kill. But Blake’s brother Jimmy, hoping to make some fast money so they can break away, falls foul of the mob. “The Don” offers Blake a chance to walk away, and he does, haunted by his betrayal and cowardice, heading west to LA, and from there across the Pacific to Queensland using a false name, settling on the NSW north coast where he opens a bar and plays in a band, hoping to put his past behind him.

Everything is going well, the business is a success, but the small town has its share of secrets, a police sergeant on the take, an alcoholic poet, teenage girls vying for the attention of a rich businessman’s son, sex, drugs and rock’n’roll. Two heavies, working a protection racket, enter Blake’s bar – and he is facing everything he left Philadelphia to escape. Other problems loom: a prostitute is stabbed to death in a motel room, a matchbox from Blake’s bar found at the scene, and when the heavies strike a staff member is badly injured.

The parents look like poor okies. Blake had already told Doreen to open a savings account in Andy’s name. He would pay Andy’s wages into that till he could come back to work. He didn’t tell the parents though. The lessons he’s learned about human nature and money suggested that people could always find a reason why somebody else’s money should be theirs.

When homicide detectives take his friend into custody for the murder Blake realises the only way he can get him off is to find the killer, still at large. And the heavies need to be taken out of the game by the only way a former hitman knows.

He did not deserve any of this: playing his guitar in his own bar with a beautiful woman like Doreen working alongside him, surfing in the crystal ocean, watching the sun rise like a gold coin over a sheet of pure silver. He’d suspected all along it hadn’t just been gifted to him… that there must be some fine print like on a winning lottery ticket.

Author/musician Dave Warner produces a masterly crime novel with numerous twists and turns, with a backdrop of a love story between two people escaping their former lives. I was especially impressed by how he portrays both sexes, their flaws and strengths, played out against the beach culture of the early sixties. Though I picked the killer two-thirds the way though, this did not detract from the denouement. I look forward to reading more from this author.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Mile after mile of bush. Gum trees standing straight and silent along the side of the road like ghosts sitting in judgement on the living: on him. It was amazing you could drive so far and see so few people. With each passing minute, the sun sunk lower, as if embarrassed by the outcome of the day. Light that had been pale, almost white when he set out, turned the colour of urine. My life is like this, Blake thought. I keep driving on in my car, removed. I don't get out and touch what's around me. Little by little, things get darker and you don't really know where you are any more, you just follow white posts and try not to crash."

Blake Saunders has had a lot of unusual white posts to follow in his life, from life in Philadelphia as a hitman for the Mafia, to bar owner and guitar player in a NSW coastal town. Both lives have involved a lot of forethought and planning and a cautiousness that's inbred, instinctual and habitual. He's also able to accept that which cannot be changed - regular payments to the local cop to ensure the lack of business competition, or the need for personal intervention when that cop refuses to extend their arrangement to more active protection. He's loyal to his friends and employees though, so it's not just a killer he's after, he's also keen to track down the standover men who took their bid for protection money way too far.

RIVER OF SALT is an interesting undertaking from Dave Warner. The idea came to him at an Atlantics' gig, so the musical components of this novel are strong, the love that Saunders has for the surf-styled guitar band he plays with obvious. The rest of the novel though is different from more recent outings by Warner, it's more slowly paced, Saunders is restrained (I think that's the best word to describe him), and there are side-threads involving other characters that create a sort of Hydra of a story with the central neck obscured by heads until they are all accounted for.

The slower pace, and the controlled, cautious Saunders may take a little adjusting to for anybody who has only read the recent books. There are some echoes of Andrew (Lizard) Zirk in Saunders though (see Warner's earlier works MURDER IN THE FRAME / MURDER IN THE GROOVE / MURDER IN THE OFF-SEASON), and there's hints of the sort of controlled mayhem that showed up in EXXXPRESSO). Mostly there's a feel of a potential new series character, and a slight change in direction from the more police procedural / Western Australia based works of recent years.

The strength of RIVER OF SALT is definitely in the idea of a stranger in a strange land, back in the days when communications weren't instant, and people could reinvent themselves to some extent. It's exploring just how far you can go with that idea, and how much of the old you will never go away.

https://www.austcrimefiction.org/revi...

[Jess Theworddegree · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished River of Salt in a couple of days, if you’re in the market for a quintessential fast paced crime book, look no further. I adored the Australian Beach back drop. Warner does an excellent job of creating a fully rounded Australian coastal town, this is exactly how I picture Australia in the 60’s. You get the good and the bad as Warner doesn’t shy away from exploring some of the darker aspects of Australia culture. The book was peppered with Australian slang and colloquialisms that I so enjoyed, loved the line ‘the leading ladies were either hot as bush fire or cold as a Canberra frost’. Our main protagonist’s character arc is incredibly interesting! Overall a solid read!

This book was kindly gifted to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

River of Salt is a historical crime mystery set in Australia by Dave Warner. In 1961, in Philadelphia, Blake Saunders had to give up his brother to allow him to escape and move to a small coastal town in Australia where he runs a small bar called Surf Shack. Blake Saunders tries to forget his past; however, when his friend is charged with the murder of a young woman, Blake has to protect his paradise by finding the truth. The readers of River of Salt will continue to follow Dave Warner's investigation to discover what happens.

I was pleased when a friend recommended this book to me. Although it did not meet my expectations, I did enjoy reading it. I love Dave Warner's portrayal of his characters and the way they interact with each other. River of Salt was well-written and researched. I like Dave Warner's description of the settings of River of Salt, which complemented the book's plot.

The readers of River of Salt will learn about running a small bar in a coastal town in Australia during the 1960's and about corruption in small communities.

I recommend this book.

[Lizp · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like the way Warner writes. River of Salt was a great read.

After his brother was killed in the early 1960s, Blake Saunders ran away from his past as a hit man for the mob in Philly to the other side of the world. I feel that I’m entitled to say Philly as I’m a big Cold Case fan. He has a cruisy life surfing, running a bar, and playing guitar in Queensland. Blake’s idyll is marred when a young woman, who is passing through the town, is murdered at the local motel. The police pull a round up the usual suspects stunt and arrest Blake’s employee, who is innocent. They’re not worried that they’ve got the wrong man. You’ve heard of one horse towns; well this is a one cop town. Blake is frustrated at the injustice and sets out to try to find the murderer.

This is a great treatise on small town beach life in Australia in the ‘60s. Warner’s characters are well drawn. It exposes the class system that is never recognised or acknowledged in Australia. Tim Winton refers to this denial of the class system and covers it well in one of his short stories. Warner describes the gap between the ordinary town folk and the privileged and monied class who live in the posh “Heights” very incisively.

There are a number of twists and turns before the mystery of the murdered woman is discovered, and the murderer is finally revealed. As a writer, Warner always entertains and draws in the reader. I highly recommend this book.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

River of Salt by Dave Warner is a pretty decent crime fiction/mystery with strong literary aspects to it. If you're basically a genre specific reader, like myself, don't let the idea of "serious" fiction keep you from reading this one. That would be a mistake.

A quick set-up. Blake Saunders has a dark past, just a couple of years ago he was an up-and-coming hitman in Philadelphia. Things got bad, things got worse. Skip ahead... Now Blake owns a bar in a tiny coastal town in Australia. He surfs, he plays guitar in his own band, it's like paradise. And then it isn't. A brutal murder starts a chain of events that results in Blake having to come to terms with who he is, who he wants to be, and how he can get his world back in order.

The story centers around four major characters in the tiny coastal town of Coral Shoals: Blake, the bar owner with the dark past - Doreen, a former dancer who manages Blake's Surf Shack bar - Sergeant Leslie Nalder, the local constable who, for twelve pounds a month, turns a blind eye when necessary so that Blake can continue to prosper - Kitty, a local teenaged girl who serves as a sort of symbol for the way times are beginning to change.

I really enjoyed this book. It seemed to really capture the essence of the early pre-Beatles '60s (or rather what I imagine it was like since it was just a bit before my time).

There are plenty of good plot twists that kept me guessing. I was most impressed by how well the author created a distinct "voice" for each of the main characters. It really brought them to life.

My one complaint is that there is an awful lot of introspective soul searching among the four main characters. Don't get me wrong, it's done well, it just doesn't fit my personal taste. I'm good with some ambivalence or indecision and whatnot but there's a point where I find it tedious. Again, it's just a personal preference.

I would recommend River of Salt to any reader who likes a more introspective, character driven mystery.

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to review "River of Salt."

The story involved around Blake who ran away from his past and created a new life near the beach in Australia. He currently has friends and discovered non-bloody hobbies.

His territory is threaten when there is a murder locally in town. In order to protect his peaceful turf, he does whatever it takes to restore that peace and catch the perpetrator.

I was impressed with the quality delivered in the writing:

1.) There was a beginning and an end. The book had a closure that perfectly complemented it.

2.) I loved how the author took an unique approach in presenting the thriller.It is not about the detectives who's saves the day. It is about a hired ex- assassin who takes matters into his own hand to protect his town.

3.) The book was balanced in presenting emotional adventures to actually solving the murder crimes.

4) author invested time to develop the character (mainly Blake) and landscape of beach/local towns in Australia. I really enjoyed reading on the developments.

*** I highly recommend reading this book!

[Cathy Geha · Rating 5 out of 5]

River of Salt by Dave Warner

Filled with references from the 60’s this book brought back many memories of my life...not of being in the mob or a hitman but of songs and cars and beaches and fashion and so much more. I can’t say I understood main character hitman Blake but I did like him – in spite of his profession. I like a bad guy with a heart of gold and Blake Sullivan was such a man. This book made me think of movies and television shows of the 60’s and had me hoping that Blake could keep his little slice of heaven in Australia. The characters in this book are not perfect and all had flaws...believable flaws that made them human. This is one murder mystery that had me guessing almost to the very end. The suspects who might have been the murderer were many and all plausible. This is the first book I have read by this author and I have to say that I would definitely be interested in readng more of his work when I find it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Fremantle Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

[Suzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think 3 1/2 stars as I really enjoyed the mob stuff in the beginning. The Aussie stuff was good too, although I found the end result a little obvious - and I'm usually pretty hopeless at picking the murderer

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Happy to have found a new author, think I'm going to enjoy his other books.

[Sharon Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️ Just when I thought I knew who the killer was, I was wrong. Good read.

(Op shop find).

[Karen Worthington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great crime read with unexpected twists and turns.

[Ian Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant! Dave Warner writes great Australian crime fiction, and has excelled with this latest. A convoluted whodunit with an unlikely hero set in a uniquely Australian setting cleverly translated for overseas readers.

[Blue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my second Warner book and while this falls into the same category as Clear to the Horizon, it felt as though it was written by a completely different author with the writing style noticeably different and the sentence structure as well. It was brilliant, I actually got Clear to the Horizon out and compared the two and loved it. In my defence of my crazy action you can pick up a few books by an author and know that it is written by them just by their style and use of words, some examples of this are James Patterson and Sarah J Maas. Nothing wrong with this at all it was just something I thought was fascinating and had to write down because my mind works in crazy ways.
At the start of the book it took a while to draw me and get used to the dynamics of the characters and how they know each other. Nothing wrong with this at all, generally it would keep me on my toes to dive further into the book but I guess in my moody mood, I wasn’t up for using my brain and I need the author to tell me how everything lined up. Again this isn’t a flaw just something I noted down while reading this book. And to be fair it was a great book so there isn’t anything I can rant about so I’m just paragraphing my dot point notes that I took while reading.
The start of this story is set in the USA where Blake has to give up his own brother to save himself from the mob – brutal right? The next chapter fast forwards a few years where Blake has set up his new life in Queensland where he owns and runs a small bar near the coast. Everything is peachy keen until a young woman is found murdered and one of Blake’s friends is arrested for the murder. Blake knows his friend is innocent and sets out to find the killer and friend his best friend.
Warner has a knack for world building and to be fair as an Australian I find most authors don’t really capture Australia correctly – but Warner certainly does and it is an eye opening adventure.
There is one flaw in the book that I personally found and that was that we spent too much time in the characters minds. This is a personally pet peeve of mine and I find more and more authors are doing it and over doing it. I think if you are going to hang out in a person’s head only hang out in there long enough for a coffee – don’t hang around and make yourself at home while they clean up around you and want you to leave. The less time in characters heads is always has the audience trying to guess the ending instead of already knowing it.
I think Warner would have to be one of my favourite Australian Thriller writers, hs is just that amazing.

[Martin Chambers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Dave Warner's best book, although I doubt it will be his last and I look forward to what comes next. As musician, Dave Warner wrote and performed insightful lyrics in the suburbs of Perth, acutely observed pieces of our day to day. His previous books similarly sketch the world up and down the west coast of WA. They are crime novels with police in the leading roles, but this work goes further. Philadelphia, and a fictitious small town coastal resort somewhere near, for example, Byron Bay. Set in the 60's, it could well be Byron Bay, and yes, as quoted on the front cover, 'A love letter to Australian coastal towns.' It could also be a love letter to a time gone by.
Two particular things I might mention. Firstly, music always appears in Dave Warner's stories and here it is no different. A bit like Quentin Tarantino always plays some minor cameo in his films, important yet irrelevant, a signature I hope he never loses.
Secondly, Dave Warner creates many great characters here - the local policeman, Kelly the teenager. The lead, Blake, is an assassin whose side we are on. A hit man who is a good guy? Only a writer who knows their stuff could hope to achieve this. I highly recommend this book.

[Alex Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not sure where to start with this one, from the outset I should have loved this book but I just didn’t . It’s not a bad book by any means , it’s a good book, it’s quite fast paced but it just feels a bit , I don’t know, doomed all the way through, there are no elements of comedy to lighten the mood but then it’s a murder mystery... So it’s set in Australia in the 60s, an American mob hit man on the run trying to start a fresh in a new world, I’ll be honest I felt like the book was set in the America the whole time , the odd Aussie slang brought me back to Australia every now and then.a prostitutes body has been found brutally murdered and the police looking for a quick close, finger one of Blake’s friends and so on the tale and whodunnit begins in the small town, everyone man is a suspect and the local police man just won’t get involved,he just wants the problem gone and his peaceful little town back ...step forward Blake. Blake is in an interesting character but he’s almost boring, his character Arc is interesting and the book had a good ending and kept you guessing just enough to keep you going.but maybe just not for me, thank you to netgalley for the free copy. 3*

[Seán B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley & Freemantle Press for this book 'River of Salt' by Dave Warner.

At the beginning I was a bit lost as to where this book was heading or what direction it intended to make. Blake, a guy from Philadelphia, flees the Philly mob to sunny Australia.

Blake has tried to escape his past life and runs a bar called the Surf Shack and performs with his band at the bar, while surfing during the day. He works with Doreen, who privately holds a flame for Blake and is an interesting character herself.

When a local working girl Valerie Stokes is killed brutally in the local motel, the blame is put on Blake's friend Crane who is a bit of a drifter. Blake is enraged at the assumption that his friend Crane could do such a crime. He takes it upon himself to get to the bottom of the investigation and find the real killer. I found these moments in the book the most interesting, reading Blake's movements and theories behind who could have most to lose/win by committing such a crime.

Not really my usual kind of book that I would read as it based in 1961 and thereafter (nice way introducing the Beatles in Australia) but it was still an enjoyable read.

[Kerrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blake Saunders fled to Australia, deserting his older brother Jimmy, a fact is still raw in his mind.
He is forever alert to the fact that the Mob he escaped might still track him down and so he watches strangers with suspicion.

The novel is set in 1963, in coastal New South Wales where Blake has set up a bar which feeds off the surf culture of the remote town it is set in. He is on good terms with the local police sergeant, and they look after each other.

The quiet is disrupted when a murder takes place and city police move in to put everyone under a microscope. Blake is none too keen to have his own background investigated. At the same time two men appear, operating a "protection" racket, providing insurance against injury and arson attacks. Blake knows exactly what they are offering. The local police sergeant is not able to help much, but Blake knows he can handle this problem himself.

This was a good read, an engaging plot.

This is the first novel I have read by Dave Warner, but I'm sure it won't be the last

[Janelle Varlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

While Crime Fiction is not my go to genre I enjoyed this book very much. A little confused at the beginning when the story is narrated by a target who gets shot, the novel quickly transitions to the hit man and so his story unfolds. The move from the US to Aus is not revealed until later in the book and then only briefly mentioned. Wonderful descriptions of the various settings and the characters feel like your own acquaintances. Strong female characters and some totally despicable local identities, including the local Police Sergeant, who is totally flawed but somewhat lovable. Introduction of Edward the “Abo” was handled well and made me cringe at the way our indigenous people were treated at the time. Unfortunately, we have not advanced sufficiently since that time. Read this for a Sutherland Shire Library Book Club Zoom mtg which was attended by Dave Warner. Just loved this access to the author, thanks Dave as it really enhances your experience of the novel. Great job Monique for organising.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blake Saunders is a hitman for a Philadelphia crime mob. When his brother crosses one of the local bosses, Blake is forced to flee. He eventually ends up in Australia, where he runs a surf bar in a quiet seaside town and tries to bury his past. When a young girl is murdered nearby there is evidence that connects her to Blake's bar and he starts to receive unwelcome attention. When the city cops arrest a mate, Blake is convinced they are wrong and sets out to solve the crime himself.

This novel, set in the 1960s, is a bit of a change for Warner, who normally sets his crime novels in contemporary Western Australia. I found Blake's character to be a bit of a stretch, but that's not too distracting. There are plenty of plot twists and a sense of the world changing for both Blake and the Australia he now lives in.

Warner writes with a fair bit of affection about 60s music, especially surf rock, calling to mind his own past as a musician, something missing from the other novels of his that I've read. This adds a bit of additional interest to what is already a pretty competent crime novel.

[CriminalRepurcussions · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really tried to love it. The back cover notes, although always written by marketing people to entice you to read it, were appealing, but, it was boring due to overabundance of information and cliched scenarios, too much 'script', and goodfellas, which is very dated, so that it felt like Blake talking to himself all the way through. Like a memoir. No drama.
Read the first part, skimmed some parts, read the last part and found it rather ho hum, worth 2 stars for the creative work, but intend to find his first book which apparently won the prize that year. Hoping it's not a memoir, such as River of Salt seems to be.
No need to repeat the storyline because everyone else does that....it's in the notes on the book page.
Criminal Repurcussions here are : Hit or Miss? Miss.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adore Dave Warner's writing. I adore his characters. I love his unique turn of phrase.

If you have ever felt you don't fit in, you will identify with at least one of the people in this book. I use the word "people" rather than "characters" because you do get to know them as people - with all the flaws and failings exposed.

Set on the northern New South Wales (Australia) coast in a small town in the 1960s this book explores the strains an unsolved murder puts on relationships. There are a number of suspects, but the police just want it solved as quickly as possible - was a mistake made when they arrested the prime suspect?

Friendship, loyalty and stubbornness will ultimately uncover the truth.

With a good dose of gangsters, surfing and rock and roll this book will appeal to anyone who has ever wanted to escape and start a new life.

[Hala · Rating 3 out of 5]

Warner's book is delightful, somewhat gentle paced, and a joy to read. As unlikely as it seems the main character is an 'assassin turned guitar player' who also happens to be a whiz at solving crimes! Blake Saunders, newly arrived Down Under from the States, does a lot of soul searching to try to come to terms with the guilt he feels over his brother’s death and attempts to turn his life around. Set in the early 1960s some of the attitudes seem to be transplanted from modern times, but it is apparent that Warner has a genuine affection for the period, especially the surf music of the time. As for the central mystery some of it was predictable, but it effortlessly keeps the reader engaged until the end. Warner is a talented writer, can certainly turn a nice phrase and is much recommended.