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Detective Cardilini #1
Man At The Window
A cop needs to know what a child wants to forget
When a boarding school master at an exclusive boys' school is shot dead, it is deemed accidental. A lazy and usually drunk detective is sent to write up the report. Cardilini unexpectedly does not cooperate, as he becomes riled by the privileged arrogance of those at the school. He used to have instincts. Perhaps he should follow them now . . .
With no real evidence he declares the shooting a murder and puts himself on a collision course with the powerful and elite of Perth. As he peels back layers, the school's dark secrets begin to emerge. But is his dogged pursuit of justice helpful or harmful to those most affected by the man's death?
When a boarding school master at an exclusive boys' school is shot dead, it is deemed accidental. A lazy and usually drunk detective is sent to write up the report. Cardilini unexpectedly does not cooperate, as he becomes riled by the privileged arrogance of those at the school. He used to have instincts. Perhaps he should follow them now . . .
With no real evidence he declares the shooting a murder and puts himself on a collision course with the powerful and elite of Perth. As he peels back layers, the school's dark secrets begin to emerge. But is his dogged pursuit of justice helpful or harmful to those most affected by the man's death?
400 pages, Paperback
First published November 13, 2018
31 people are currently reading
231 people want to read
About the author
Robert Jeffreys
3 books13 followersRobert Jeffreys has worked as an actor, teacher, builder, labourer, cleaner, real estate agent, personal security agent and playwright of the professionally produced stage plays Cox Four, Covert, The Simple Truth, and The Messenger. ABC Radio National featured his radio plays, Covert, which received an AWGIE award, and Bodily Harm. He has also published a poetry anthology, Frame of Mind. Robert's debut novel, Man at the Window, is the first in the Detective Cardilini series, set in 1960s Western Australia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
November 23, 2020
This is a police procedural set in Australia in 1965, and it’s unlike any other police procedural that I have read.
The protagonist, Cardilini, a drunken and lazy DS, is given a case to work on: the shooting of a master at an exclusive boys' school. He was hit while standing at the window of his upstairs bedroom. It is common practice for local farmers to shoot kangaroos close to the school grounds. The master was in charge of the school cadet corps. The school is one of the most highly regarded in the neighbourhood and the local police chief has presumably given the case to Cardilini because he thinks he will take the lazy option of assuming it was an entirely accidental and the case will be closed swiftly.
But Cardilini has another characteristic – he is extremely stubborn. He is also embittered because his wife, whom he loved dearly, was murdered some years ago, and although a suspect was prosecuted and imprisoned, he claimed he was innocent throughout and was eventually released. Cardilini actually believed him.
In the meantime, Cardilini was left with his son Paul to bring up (with some help from his sister-in-law), but inevitably the fate of his mother led to Paul’s drug-taking (and conviction for fairly minor juvenile charges). As Paul had always wanted to follow his father into the police, they both thought he would never be accepted by the Police Academy. So Cardilini begins a thorough investigation into the shooting, and soon discovers that the location from which the shot was fired could have been entirely different, although it would have taken a crack shot to succeed.
What readers know throughout, is that the cadet master was actually a paedophile who had abused several of the boys from the school, some of whom had actually committed suicide. The suicides had also been brushed under the carpet by the authorities.
Cardilini is put under increasing pressure from his superiors to go with the accident theory – to the extent that they begin to hint that Paul might be allowed to enter the Academy after all, but even then, he continues quietly to pursue his own line of enquiry. It is only when he begins to discover the real truth, that his problem becomes a moral one.
This is a fascinating story – really well told.
The protagonist, Cardilini, a drunken and lazy DS, is given a case to work on: the shooting of a master at an exclusive boys' school. He was hit while standing at the window of his upstairs bedroom. It is common practice for local farmers to shoot kangaroos close to the school grounds. The master was in charge of the school cadet corps. The school is one of the most highly regarded in the neighbourhood and the local police chief has presumably given the case to Cardilini because he thinks he will take the lazy option of assuming it was an entirely accidental and the case will be closed swiftly.
But Cardilini has another characteristic – he is extremely stubborn. He is also embittered because his wife, whom he loved dearly, was murdered some years ago, and although a suspect was prosecuted and imprisoned, he claimed he was innocent throughout and was eventually released. Cardilini actually believed him.
In the meantime, Cardilini was left with his son Paul to bring up (with some help from his sister-in-law), but inevitably the fate of his mother led to Paul’s drug-taking (and conviction for fairly minor juvenile charges). As Paul had always wanted to follow his father into the police, they both thought he would never be accepted by the Police Academy. So Cardilini begins a thorough investigation into the shooting, and soon discovers that the location from which the shot was fired could have been entirely different, although it would have taken a crack shot to succeed.
What readers know throughout, is that the cadet master was actually a paedophile who had abused several of the boys from the school, some of whom had actually committed suicide. The suicides had also been brushed under the carpet by the authorities.
Cardilini is put under increasing pressure from his superiors to go with the accident theory – to the extent that they begin to hint that Paul might be allowed to enter the Academy after all, but even then, he continues quietly to pursue his own line of enquiry. It is only when he begins to discover the real truth, that his problem becomes a moral one.
This is a fascinating story – really well told.
January 11, 2019
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Man at the Window is the opening chapter in the Detective Cardilini series. Set in 1960s Perth, Western Australia, this is the first outing with the formidable Detective Cardilini. It examines the intriguing case of the shooting death of a school master of an exclusive boys boarding school, based in the leafy green suburbs of Perth. With alumni and the local police force keen to close this case, putting it down to a simple roo shooting accident gone wrong, Detective Cardilini takes more convincing. The trouble is, Detective Cardilini has gone down in the ranks. This once highly respected and sought after Detective is washed up, after the death of his wife a year ago. The Detective’s battle of the booze has overtaken his once exemplary police work. However, the strange case of a dead school master who wasn’t exactly liked intrigues the Detective. What follows is a fascinating police procedural, a rich detective based thread, an examination into the world of a broken man consumed by grief and a true to life glimpse into the social world of 1960s Australia. Man at the Window was an impulse airport bookshop buy, I was spurred on to read this novel based on the fact that it is set in my home state of WA. The finer details of the crime, as well as the fact that it was an introduction to a new detective series, all seemed to call to me. If you are a fan of good old fashioned police procedural novels, detective based stories and books that offer a comprehensive social history of Australia, particularly Perth in recent times (1960s), look no further than Man at the Window, by penned by first time novelist Robert Jeffreys. I look forward to book two, which is coming soon, Death of a Woman.
Man at the Window is the opening chapter in the Detective Cardilini series. Set in 1960s Perth, Western Australia, this is the first outing with the formidable Detective Cardilini. It examines the intriguing case of the shooting death of a school master of an exclusive boys boarding school, based in the leafy green suburbs of Perth. With alumni and the local police force keen to close this case, putting it down to a simple roo shooting accident gone wrong, Detective Cardilini takes more convincing. The trouble is, Detective Cardilini has gone down in the ranks. This once highly respected and sought after Detective is washed up, after the death of his wife a year ago. The Detective’s battle of the booze has overtaken his once exemplary police work. However, the strange case of a dead school master who wasn’t exactly liked intrigues the Detective. What follows is a fascinating police procedural, a rich detective based thread, an examination into the world of a broken man consumed by grief and a true to life glimpse into the social world of 1960s Australia. Man at the Window was an impulse airport bookshop buy, I was spurred on to read this novel based on the fact that it is set in my home state of WA. The finer details of the crime, as well as the fact that it was an introduction to a new detective series, all seemed to call to me. If you are a fan of good old fashioned police procedural novels, detective based stories and books that offer a comprehensive social history of Australia, particularly Perth in recent times (1960s), look no further than Man at the Window, by penned by first time novelist Robert Jeffreys. I look forward to book two, which is coming soon, Death of a Woman.
November 14, 2019
Man at the Window is the first in the Detective Cardilini series, set in 1960s Western Australia and an atmospheric crime novel with a burning moral dilemma at its heart. When a boarding master at an exclusive boys’ school is shot dead, it is deemed accidental. A lazy and usually drunk detective is sent to write up the report. Cardilini unexpectedly does not co-operate, as he becomes riled by the privileged arrogance of those at the school. He used to have instincts. Perhaps he should follow them now. With no real evidence he declares the shooting a murder and puts himself on a collision course with the powerful and elite of Perth. As he peels back layers, the school’s dark secrets being to emerge. But is his dogged pursuit of justice helping or harming those most affected by the dead?
This is a complex and sometimes overly busy story with an unsettling topic at its core. There is a lot of extremely descriptive passages detailing abuse so be warned that this is absolutely not for the faint of heart or those who are easily disturbed. At times, it felt slightly gratuitous and unnecessary which made me feel dirty after reading it; on a positive note it's not often an author can make me feel like I need to take a shower after reading so kudos as it definitely deeply impacted me. This is the darkest, most perturbing and downright harrowing thriller I've picked up all year and the cast of characters seem to have myriad problems. I hope that the upcoming instalments are a little more polished and less voyeuristic. I will be picking them up out of curiosity. Many thanks to Zaffre for an ARC.
This is a complex and sometimes overly busy story with an unsettling topic at its core. There is a lot of extremely descriptive passages detailing abuse so be warned that this is absolutely not for the faint of heart or those who are easily disturbed. At times, it felt slightly gratuitous and unnecessary which made me feel dirty after reading it; on a positive note it's not often an author can make me feel like I need to take a shower after reading so kudos as it definitely deeply impacted me. This is the darkest, most perturbing and downright harrowing thriller I've picked up all year and the cast of characters seem to have myriad problems. I hope that the upcoming instalments are a little more polished and less voyeuristic. I will be picking them up out of curiosity. Many thanks to Zaffre for an ARC.
December 2, 2018
Man At The Window is the first novel in the Detective Cardilini series by Australian actor, teacher, playwright, poet and author, Robert Jeffreys. Before his wife Betty died, in 1964, Robert Cardilini was a good cop. Now, a year later, he’s a lazy slob of a man, often drunk, and even his eighteen-year-old son is disgusted by him. When his immediate superior sends him to write up a report on an accidental shooting, it’s meant be a mere formality. At St Nicholas College, a boarding master, Captain Edmund has been shot, late on an October Sunday evening, apparently by hunters culling roos on the farm across the river.
But from the beginning, several things don’t sit right with Cardilini and, against all expectations, he actually makes an effort. St Nicholas is an exclusive Catholic Boys High School, with a population of day boys and boarders, many the sons of well-off graziers. If he’s being honest, Cardilini will admit to having a chip on his shoulder about these privileged boys, and that he might have gone in a bit hard, being rather rude and belligerent, aggravating staff and students. Especially when he insists on calling it murder.
Against his Superintendent’s wishes, he probes further, discovers some unpleasant practices at the school, and then his enquiries meet with a brick wall as the St Nicholas old boy’s network, which includes some of his superiors in the Police Force, obstructs further investigation. Pressure is also brought on Cardilini in the form of his son’s potential career, and a spurious accusation.
When Cardilini eventually works out a plausible explanation for the shooting, he faces a dilemma: do his job to the letter of the law, pursue a prosecution for murder and, in so doing, possibly lose his job, have a negative impact on his son’s career prospects and expose vulnerable victims; or allow the St Nicholas old boys’ network and the students to exert their pressure, at the cost of the respect his wife always had for the way he did his job.
Cardilini is investigating this shooting in 1965, when firearms technology is fairly basic. DNA profiling, CCTV, GPS, smartphones and computers are all very much in the future, and the sophistication of today’s crime scene investigation is unknown: scenes that need to be recorded, Cardilini instructs his constable to draw in his notebook; telephone calls must be made and received at desks or in phone boxes; records need to be written or typed and their retrieval involves hours at the filing cabinet. Cardilini is up to the challenge, though: intelligent and resourceful.
Jeffreys easily captures the era: dialogue, social attitudes, meals, transport and leisure activities, and readers of a certain vintage will find much they recognise. He heads each chapter with a clear location, time and date, and alternates Cardilini’s narrative with one from the perspective of a vulnerable sexual abuse victim.
Cardilini can be quite arrogant and abrasive, and when he opens his mouth before considering the effect of his words (but often also, quite intentionally), readers may find themselves laughing out loud. But he’s a complex character, doing a little maturing in this debut. Readers who enjoy this character will be pleased to know he’ll be making a further appearance in Death of a Woman. Excellent Aussie crime fiction.
This unbiased review is from a copy provided by Echo Publishing.
But from the beginning, several things don’t sit right with Cardilini and, against all expectations, he actually makes an effort. St Nicholas is an exclusive Catholic Boys High School, with a population of day boys and boarders, many the sons of well-off graziers. If he’s being honest, Cardilini will admit to having a chip on his shoulder about these privileged boys, and that he might have gone in a bit hard, being rather rude and belligerent, aggravating staff and students. Especially when he insists on calling it murder.
Against his Superintendent’s wishes, he probes further, discovers some unpleasant practices at the school, and then his enquiries meet with a brick wall as the St Nicholas old boy’s network, which includes some of his superiors in the Police Force, obstructs further investigation. Pressure is also brought on Cardilini in the form of his son’s potential career, and a spurious accusation.
When Cardilini eventually works out a plausible explanation for the shooting, he faces a dilemma: do his job to the letter of the law, pursue a prosecution for murder and, in so doing, possibly lose his job, have a negative impact on his son’s career prospects and expose vulnerable victims; or allow the St Nicholas old boys’ network and the students to exert their pressure, at the cost of the respect his wife always had for the way he did his job.
Cardilini is investigating this shooting in 1965, when firearms technology is fairly basic. DNA profiling, CCTV, GPS, smartphones and computers are all very much in the future, and the sophistication of today’s crime scene investigation is unknown: scenes that need to be recorded, Cardilini instructs his constable to draw in his notebook; telephone calls must be made and received at desks or in phone boxes; records need to be written or typed and their retrieval involves hours at the filing cabinet. Cardilini is up to the challenge, though: intelligent and resourceful.
Jeffreys easily captures the era: dialogue, social attitudes, meals, transport and leisure activities, and readers of a certain vintage will find much they recognise. He heads each chapter with a clear location, time and date, and alternates Cardilini’s narrative with one from the perspective of a vulnerable sexual abuse victim.
Cardilini can be quite arrogant and abrasive, and when he opens his mouth before considering the effect of his words (but often also, quite intentionally), readers may find themselves laughing out loud. But he’s a complex character, doing a little maturing in this debut. Readers who enjoy this character will be pleased to know he’ll be making a further appearance in Death of a Woman. Excellent Aussie crime fiction.
This unbiased review is from a copy provided by Echo Publishing.
December 17, 2018
I can’t wait for book #2!!
My View:
Superb! I have discovered a new author to add to my must read list.
Should I assume Robert Jeffreys lives in Perth Western Australia? Maybe he is an amazing researcher? Jeffreys writes 60’s Perth like he has lived there, like he is walking through my distant memories of when we first arrived in Perth (1966). I can see the houses, the street scapes, the city, not the privilege of private schools but even in the public schools I attended teachers were top of the hierarchy and not to be questioned, as a child in those times you did everything you were told by an adult. And so it begins.
What a fabulous read! Jeffreys crates empathetic main characters based upon grief and isolation. The protagonist and his son are grieving the loss of a wife and mother, many of the boys in the private school are isolated (by distance) and some grieving the loss of their family during term time. Both groups are vulnerable, both groups elicit empathy. The reader genuinely cares about the main characters here.
This is a narrative of contemporary social commentary in a fast paced mystery studded with many ethical dilemmas. “There’s the law and then there is justice. Who gets to decide?” A fantastic read that will make it onto my top reads of 2018 list.
**I expect to see a film/tv series of this sometime soon.**
My View:
Superb! I have discovered a new author to add to my must read list.
Should I assume Robert Jeffreys lives in Perth Western Australia? Maybe he is an amazing researcher? Jeffreys writes 60’s Perth like he has lived there, like he is walking through my distant memories of when we first arrived in Perth (1966). I can see the houses, the street scapes, the city, not the privilege of private schools but even in the public schools I attended teachers were top of the hierarchy and not to be questioned, as a child in those times you did everything you were told by an adult. And so it begins.
What a fabulous read! Jeffreys crates empathetic main characters based upon grief and isolation. The protagonist and his son are grieving the loss of a wife and mother, many of the boys in the private school are isolated (by distance) and some grieving the loss of their family during term time. Both groups are vulnerable, both groups elicit empathy. The reader genuinely cares about the main characters here.
This is a narrative of contemporary social commentary in a fast paced mystery studded with many ethical dilemmas. “There’s the law and then there is justice. Who gets to decide?” A fantastic read that will make it onto my top reads of 2018 list.
**I expect to see a film/tv series of this sometime soon.**
March 10, 2020
Review to follow.
November 10, 2019
Set in Perth Hooray in a (luckily fictional) Boarding School for boys near the Swan River. A teacher ends up dead. The cop on call heads out to investigate. Needless to say, nothing is as it seems.
It's a complex case and one that continues to darken as the book goes on. The cop in charge Cardilini doesn't seem up to the effort of the case at first. He's got a set of serious problems himself plus he's a drunk (yawn) How is he going to solve this case and not only that, get to the bottom of it? I was immediately bored with the drunk cop I admit (how many times have I read about this?) but then he has got more complex issues about a sense of justice that just about redeemed him by the end.
IT's an interesting case and the investigation is raw and invasive. There are some scenes where the descriptions of abuse etc went a bit far. I think we can imagine the rest! And this, although, visceral and raw, was a bit too voyeuristic. There's a thread of thoughts from the voice of a young boy it would seem and this is effective, but boy does it bring it home that young boys are abused here.
A good first novel. I will read the next one. The setting, set up and complex case yet easy to immerse yourself in writing style wins it for me. The subject matter here was hard to read though. And please no more drunk cop.
It's a complex case and one that continues to darken as the book goes on. The cop in charge Cardilini doesn't seem up to the effort of the case at first. He's got a set of serious problems himself plus he's a drunk (yawn) How is he going to solve this case and not only that, get to the bottom of it? I was immediately bored with the drunk cop I admit (how many times have I read about this?) but then he has got more complex issues about a sense of justice that just about redeemed him by the end.
IT's an interesting case and the investigation is raw and invasive. There are some scenes where the descriptions of abuse etc went a bit far. I think we can imagine the rest! And this, although, visceral and raw, was a bit too voyeuristic. There's a thread of thoughts from the voice of a young boy it would seem and this is effective, but boy does it bring it home that young boys are abused here.
A good first novel. I will read the next one. The setting, set up and complex case yet easy to immerse yourself in writing style wins it for me. The subject matter here was hard to read though. And please no more drunk cop.
November 10, 2019
I was sent this book in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.
Man at the window is a crime mystery book where nothing is as it seems. This book turned my stomach in places due to the nature of the victims behaviour at the all boy boarding school his murder takes place in. However the story was fantastic for the first book in a soon to be series (I hope).
The main character - a detective called Cardilini is a complex character but very likeable. He puts his foot in things alot and at times made me laugh out loud. I can't wait to read more of him and his son Paul.
Man at the window is a crime mystery book where nothing is as it seems. This book turned my stomach in places due to the nature of the victims behaviour at the all boy boarding school his murder takes place in. However the story was fantastic for the first book in a soon to be series (I hope).
The main character - a detective called Cardilini is a complex character but very likeable. He puts his foot in things alot and at times made me laugh out loud. I can't wait to read more of him and his son Paul.
February 16, 2019
Hooray , this is what I call a great murder mystery, police procedural novel. Set in 1960s Perth, the Swan River nearby, a teacher ends up dead at a prestigious school for boys. DS Cardilini investigates. A thread runs through the novel, giving the perspective of a schoolboy. That sums it up.
What makes it a cut above the rest is Cardilini's complex behaviour. We can see him getting on with the job but he has a couple of really deep problems to face. One involves his personal state, the other emerges much later, concerning moral issues about justice. Things are far from cut and dried. 1960s attitudes to crime play a significant part in bringing out how judgements are affected by current moral values. Don't let me make it too serious, the narrative moves along at an engagingly fast pace, and there's a lot to like in dogged anti-authoritarian characters. Well written, great WA settings add to the entertainment. entertainment. I look forward to more.
What makes it a cut above the rest is Cardilini's complex behaviour. We can see him getting on with the job but he has a couple of really deep problems to face. One involves his personal state, the other emerges much later, concerning moral issues about justice. Things are far from cut and dried. 1960s attitudes to crime play a significant part in bringing out how judgements are affected by current moral values. Don't let me make it too serious, the narrative moves along at an engagingly fast pace, and there's a lot to like in dogged anti-authoritarian characters. Well written, great WA settings add to the entertainment. entertainment. I look forward to more.
November 27, 2018
There's something very satisfying about the emergence of a new crime series set in Australia - this time 1960's Perth. This one includes a hat tip to a number of the older stylised detectives of popular TV series in that Detective Cardilini's is portrayed as, not to put too fine a point on it, a bit of a grumpy old sod. He's got a reputation for being lazy and a drunk; and a recently deceased wife and a young adult son that he doesn't get on with (and who doesn't have much time for his father). This makes for a life that feels more stalled than lived, mostly via self-inflicted causes, which makes him a bit of a tricky character to deal with.
There's something there in the early stages of this investigation that will spark a reader's interest (and a titchy tiny bit of sympathy or connection), when it is quickly obvious that the reason he's been assigned to the shooting murder of a posh private school master is more to do with an urgent need for a quick determination of accident and some immediate sweeping of issues under the carpet. Something about this haste, and pre-supposition on the part of everyone from the hierarchy of the police, through to the school itself, gets right up Cardilini's nose. What starts out as a bit of stubbornness on his part, quickly turns to suspicion that there is nothing accidental about this shooting at all. Complicated by a suggestion that his support for the official accident line will result in a small indiscretion on the part of his son being ignored, allowing him to enter the Police College and finally get some direction in his life.
To get to the solution Cardilini has to step on a lot of toes - his bosses, the school, parents, current and past students, and he risks his son's future into the bargain. At some stage he's also got to give up drinking and get control of his personal life.
In the initial stages of THE MAN AT THE WINDOW there's a bit of an issue with balance where the general gloom of Cardilini and his personal circumstances make him hard work to get to know. But there's an intriguing idea at the core of this plot with the supposed accidental shooting of the school master, commented on via the voice of a young boy, obviously a victim of an ongoing sexual abuse crime at the core of the school's cover-up. The fact that it takes so long for somebody to twig that this is the likely cause of some odd behaviour is probably indicative of the timeframe of the novel - it's hard to remember what's almost a default conclusion for us these days, was possibly less front of brain in the 60's.
There is a tendency for some plot elements to drag a bit in parts in THE MAN AT THE WINDOW, but stick with it. This is, after all clearly telegraphed as the start of a new series and there's more than enough potential to let any slight quibbles in the opening foray roll.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/revi...
There's something there in the early stages of this investigation that will spark a reader's interest (and a titchy tiny bit of sympathy or connection), when it is quickly obvious that the reason he's been assigned to the shooting murder of a posh private school master is more to do with an urgent need for a quick determination of accident and some immediate sweeping of issues under the carpet. Something about this haste, and pre-supposition on the part of everyone from the hierarchy of the police, through to the school itself, gets right up Cardilini's nose. What starts out as a bit of stubbornness on his part, quickly turns to suspicion that there is nothing accidental about this shooting at all. Complicated by a suggestion that his support for the official accident line will result in a small indiscretion on the part of his son being ignored, allowing him to enter the Police College and finally get some direction in his life.
To get to the solution Cardilini has to step on a lot of toes - his bosses, the school, parents, current and past students, and he risks his son's future into the bargain. At some stage he's also got to give up drinking and get control of his personal life.
In the initial stages of THE MAN AT THE WINDOW there's a bit of an issue with balance where the general gloom of Cardilini and his personal circumstances make him hard work to get to know. But there's an intriguing idea at the core of this plot with the supposed accidental shooting of the school master, commented on via the voice of a young boy, obviously a victim of an ongoing sexual abuse crime at the core of the school's cover-up. The fact that it takes so long for somebody to twig that this is the likely cause of some odd behaviour is probably indicative of the timeframe of the novel - it's hard to remember what's almost a default conclusion for us these days, was possibly less front of brain in the 60's.
There is a tendency for some plot elements to drag a bit in parts in THE MAN AT THE WINDOW, but stick with it. This is, after all clearly telegraphed as the start of a new series and there's more than enough potential to let any slight quibbles in the opening foray roll.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/revi...
December 29, 2019
I must be in the minority that found MAN AT THE WINDOW by Robert Jeffreys to be slow and drawn out. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the first half of the book but it just seemed to lose tangent and just be odiously long and drawn out. Which was a shame, because I was thoroughly enjoying the mystery before it went all nonsensical that by the end I was left wondering who actually pulled the trigger. To me, that is a loose end...and I hate loose ends.
Perth, Western Australia, 1965: The opening prologue sees a master of all-boys school St Nicholas, perusing over what he obviously see as his dominion. Before he knows what hits him, he is hot with half his brain over the wall behind him and he falls to the floor. Then enters an anonymous young boy of indeterminate age, who I took to be around 12 or 13, knock hesitantly on the master's door. The master, Captain Edmunds, does not answer and upon hearing no response the boy quietly moves into the dark room, inadvertently stepping on a bullet. He picks up the bullet and silently places it in his pocket before leaving the room, leaving bloodied footsteps in his wake.
Enter Detective Sergeant Cardilini. Before his wife Betty died a year ago, Cardilini was a good detective. But now, he is a lazy drunken slob that even his 18 year old son is disgusted by him. So when his boss sends him off to write up a report of accidental shooting, it was meant to be a mere formality. But from the moment he stepped into St Nicholas' College things just didn't sit right with Cardilini. And for once, against all expectations, he actually makes an effort.
What begins as an apparent accidental shooting, with a rather implausible theory in my opinion, turns into a complex case that continues to darken as the story deepens. And admittedly, I was bored and frustrated with yet another drunk cop with a chip on his shoulder - how many times have I read something like this? However, the case is an interesting one and the investigation is both raw and invasive, and under Cardilini's eye, relentless. But...he was not meant to investigate it, but to simply write up a report and file it. Against his Superintendent's wishes he continues to probe, uncovering secrets that the prestigious school would have preferred remain buried. And then it becomes clear - his super and the deputy commissioner are old boys of the school. The brass have spoken and Cardilini is hauled over the coals on more than one occasion for stepping out of line.
So herein lies his dilemma - do his job to the letter of the law who has sworn to uphold in pursuing a murderer and possibily losing his job, or allow the old boys' network to hold his balls in a vice and keep his job and his son's prospects of joining the academy.
Despite this, Cardilini is determined to get to the bottom of the matter for the sake of the boys who have been abused...though now no one is coming forward admitting to that fact. And Cardilini looks like a prize idiot.
Added to this, Cardilini then finds out that the constable that was assigned to "work the case" alongside him, Salt, is a former St Nicholas boy himself! It seems the long arm of the old boys' network reaches far and wide. But Cardilini refuses to be swayed. And this puts his job in jeopardy.
But Cardilini eventually works out what is essentially a plausible theory of the shooting...despite the fact allegations of indecent behaviour have been made against him regarding a student of St Nicholas'...but what to do about it? How to prove it? And yet the only way to refute the allegations against him is to drop the investigation and agree on the accidental shooting theory.
And yet he has a theory of who was responsible when he receives a confession from another...
A complex case that showed immense promise in the beginning, MAN AT THE WINDOW sadly ended up a confused and tangled web by its conclusion. I re-read the last part of the final chapter several times wondering what was really written between the lines and who really killed Captain Edmunds.
On the plus side, MAN AT THE WINDOW was cleverly written in its portrayal of the era - when ballistics was pretty basic and DNA, CCTV, GPS and mobile phones are all to come decades later. How notes are written in a notebook and hours can be spent retrieving records from filing cabinets or archives. The use of phone boxes and calls being made from one's desk rather than in the car or at the scene. I remember thinking why Cardilini didn't use his mobile phone before realising it was 1965 and there were no mobile phones. And then there was the social attitudes. A child's word against that of an adult - especially against one who has status and authority - is rarely believed. People turned their backs. These things never happened...until it happened to your child.
Cardilini is quite often abrasive and almost always opens his mouth just to change feet. The way he spoke and interacted with his superiors had me wondering why he hadn't been fired long ago. But his super was an old friend, they went through the academy together, and everyone it seems was giving him some extra leeway after the death of his beloved wife.
MAN AT THE WINDOW is a good debut, despite its long-winded off tangent complexities that left me scratching my head by its end. I enjoyed the first half but struggled with the second. I won't dismiss this series or the author on the basis of one book and look forward to the next one to see where that takes us. But please, no more drunk cop!
I would like to thank #RobertJeffreys, #NetGalley and #EchoPublishing for an ARC of #ManAtTheWindow in exchange for an honest review.
This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.
Perth, Western Australia, 1965: The opening prologue sees a master of all-boys school St Nicholas, perusing over what he obviously see as his dominion. Before he knows what hits him, he is hot with half his brain over the wall behind him and he falls to the floor. Then enters an anonymous young boy of indeterminate age, who I took to be around 12 or 13, knock hesitantly on the master's door. The master, Captain Edmunds, does not answer and upon hearing no response the boy quietly moves into the dark room, inadvertently stepping on a bullet. He picks up the bullet and silently places it in his pocket before leaving the room, leaving bloodied footsteps in his wake.
Enter Detective Sergeant Cardilini. Before his wife Betty died a year ago, Cardilini was a good detective. But now, he is a lazy drunken slob that even his 18 year old son is disgusted by him. So when his boss sends him off to write up a report of accidental shooting, it was meant to be a mere formality. But from the moment he stepped into St Nicholas' College things just didn't sit right with Cardilini. And for once, against all expectations, he actually makes an effort.
What begins as an apparent accidental shooting, with a rather implausible theory in my opinion, turns into a complex case that continues to darken as the story deepens. And admittedly, I was bored and frustrated with yet another drunk cop with a chip on his shoulder - how many times have I read something like this? However, the case is an interesting one and the investigation is both raw and invasive, and under Cardilini's eye, relentless. But...he was not meant to investigate it, but to simply write up a report and file it. Against his Superintendent's wishes he continues to probe, uncovering secrets that the prestigious school would have preferred remain buried. And then it becomes clear - his super and the deputy commissioner are old boys of the school. The brass have spoken and Cardilini is hauled over the coals on more than one occasion for stepping out of line.
So herein lies his dilemma - do his job to the letter of the law who has sworn to uphold in pursuing a murderer and possibily losing his job, or allow the old boys' network to hold his balls in a vice and keep his job and his son's prospects of joining the academy.
Despite this, Cardilini is determined to get to the bottom of the matter for the sake of the boys who have been abused...though now no one is coming forward admitting to that fact. And Cardilini looks like a prize idiot.
Added to this, Cardilini then finds out that the constable that was assigned to "work the case" alongside him, Salt, is a former St Nicholas boy himself! It seems the long arm of the old boys' network reaches far and wide. But Cardilini refuses to be swayed. And this puts his job in jeopardy.
But Cardilini eventually works out what is essentially a plausible theory of the shooting...despite the fact allegations of indecent behaviour have been made against him regarding a student of St Nicholas'...but what to do about it? How to prove it? And yet the only way to refute the allegations against him is to drop the investigation and agree on the accidental shooting theory.
And yet he has a theory of who was responsible when he receives a confession from another...
A complex case that showed immense promise in the beginning, MAN AT THE WINDOW sadly ended up a confused and tangled web by its conclusion. I re-read the last part of the final chapter several times wondering what was really written between the lines and who really killed Captain Edmunds.
On the plus side, MAN AT THE WINDOW was cleverly written in its portrayal of the era - when ballistics was pretty basic and DNA, CCTV, GPS and mobile phones are all to come decades later. How notes are written in a notebook and hours can be spent retrieving records from filing cabinets or archives. The use of phone boxes and calls being made from one's desk rather than in the car or at the scene. I remember thinking why Cardilini didn't use his mobile phone before realising it was 1965 and there were no mobile phones. And then there was the social attitudes. A child's word against that of an adult - especially against one who has status and authority - is rarely believed. People turned their backs. These things never happened...until it happened to your child.
Cardilini is quite often abrasive and almost always opens his mouth just to change feet. The way he spoke and interacted with his superiors had me wondering why he hadn't been fired long ago. But his super was an old friend, they went through the academy together, and everyone it seems was giving him some extra leeway after the death of his beloved wife.
MAN AT THE WINDOW is a good debut, despite its long-winded off tangent complexities that left me scratching my head by its end. I enjoyed the first half but struggled with the second. I won't dismiss this series or the author on the basis of one book and look forward to the next one to see where that takes us. But please, no more drunk cop!
I would like to thank #RobertJeffreys, #NetGalley and #EchoPublishing for an ARC of #ManAtTheWindow in exchange for an honest review.
This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.
December 9, 2018
Detective Cardilini is grieving the loss of his wife and is fumbling through his life and his job in an alcohol fuelled funk. He is risking losing his job and his relationship with his son by letting his world fall apart.
He is asked to investigate a death at an exclusive boys school, his superiors hoping his current laziness means he will quickly sign off and confirm the pre-determined conclusion that the death was an accident. But Cardilini's instincts tell him that this is no accident.
A tale set in 1960's Perth, containing ethical dilemmas and internal politics, this is a read I really enjoyed.
He is asked to investigate a death at an exclusive boys school, his superiors hoping his current laziness means he will quickly sign off and confirm the pre-determined conclusion that the death was an accident. But Cardilini's instincts tell him that this is no accident.
A tale set in 1960's Perth, containing ethical dilemmas and internal politics, this is a read I really enjoyed.
December 23, 2019
Man at the window is the debut thriller from Australian Robert Jeffreys as he introduces us to a new defective detective, detective sergeant Cardilini. A man that seems to be on a mission to destroy his own career as rapidly as possible, and almost succeeding.
Man at the window is set in 1965 at St Nicholas’ College, an Australian version of Eton, without the fagging, but the prefects doing similar. The elite of Perth have attended, or their sons have attended this school with its reputation for excellence. When a teacher is killed at the school, and the decision has been made that the send Cardilini be sent to make sure the paperwork is in order, and the teacher was killed by a stray bullet.
Cardilini can be relied upon to come up with the same decision, he will want to be back in the pub at opening time and carry on from where he left off the day before. Since his wife Betty died, spends more time drinking that he does paying attention to his son, Paul.
Given a minder, Cardilini sets off to investigate the shooting of the teacher. But what he finds as he begins his investigation, annoys him, especially as even he recognises that protocols and procedures have not been followed. What really starts to annoy him is the attitude of the staff and students who are telling him his conclusion to his report. This for the first time in a long time, spurs him on to investigate.
What Cardilini does infuriates everyone, he is actually doing his job properly, and the senior officers are concerned. When a complaint comes in, he is suspended from duty, so that the conclusion that has been decided on will be put forward. For once, Cardilini does the decent thing, he wants the truth to come out and continues the investigation, even if it means the end of his career.
This is an interesting character, who ticks all the boxes as a defective detective, with the drink problem, and life going down the tubes. Fighting his demons and those that wish to see him fail, he finally sobers up enough to realise he is at the end of the platform. Can he solve the murder? He needs this more than he realises.
December 8, 2021
This book is shit, also I’ve got chlamydia that may have affected the rating of the book I don’t know something spoil my day
December 10, 2018
It is 12 months since Detective Cardilini's wife died and he has well and truly dropped his bundle. Before Betty's death he had the reputation of hard bitten excellent detective but no more. Even his son Paul can't keep him sober and on track.
St. Nicholas school has supplied Perth with many fine citizens, upstanding and successful businessmen, and it is the school that the police hierarchy attended. But the way in which they try to push any investigation of the death of the boarding master late one night, shot as he stands at the window of his room, does not sit well with Cardilini. Is it perversity or gut instinct that makes him declare he thinks the death is murder?
There are threats to the continuance of Cardilini's career, already on the rocks, but he continues to follow tiny threads and eventually thinks he has worked out who did the shooting. Meanwhile his personal life appears to be getting back on track as he works on the garden that he has neglected for 12 months. Eventually his discoveries lead to an understanding of what caused the shooting, but also a dilemma about who to punish.
This is a very topical story, considering the moral dilemma that has recently faced our society, particularly related to institutionalised sexual abuse.
A very engaging start to what promises to be an excellent classic noir series.
November 28, 2018
"Man At the Window" by Robert Jeffreys is a whodunnit with a difference. The story is based around the death of a boarding master at Saint Nicholas College, an exclusive boy's school in East Perth, Western Australia.
Everything points to a tragic but accidental death but out of favour detective Cardilini isn't convinced that its not a murder instead. Cardilini is usually viewed as a lazy and drink addled detective by his colleagues, though, to be fair, he is still grieving from the death of his wife a year beforehand.
Against the designs of his boss, who is in cahoots with the hierarchy of the school, and other former influential pupils, Cardilini sticks to his guns. This makes him even more unpopular and a target of those for whom a speedy accidental death result is both convenient and in the best interests of the powerful and elitist who chart the course of their current or former school.
Cardilini's dogged and unrelenting detective work brings the a stunning conclusion to the investigation and puts his and his son's very future at risk.
Everything points to a tragic but accidental death but out of favour detective Cardilini isn't convinced that its not a murder instead. Cardilini is usually viewed as a lazy and drink addled detective by his colleagues, though, to be fair, he is still grieving from the death of his wife a year beforehand.
Against the designs of his boss, who is in cahoots with the hierarchy of the school, and other former influential pupils, Cardilini sticks to his guns. This makes him even more unpopular and a target of those for whom a speedy accidental death result is both convenient and in the best interests of the powerful and elitist who chart the course of their current or former school.
Cardilini's dogged and unrelenting detective work brings the a stunning conclusion to the investigation and puts his and his son's very future at risk.
December 5, 2018
It’s the 1960s and it’s Perth. Someone named Detective Sergeant Cardilini is going to have a nickname. Australians always shorten things. Not Robert Jeffreys, who uses his full name at almost every opportunity. Jeffreys’ stage background is telling in a book that may be praised for its dialogue, but is primarily written like a play. The scene is set up, a steady back and forth between Detective Sergeant Cardilini and someone is written, wash, rinse, repeat. It’s a shame because there are some interesting story threads here: murder in a school, the cover-up of child abuse and sexual assault, and the whole notion of 1960s Australian noir. It’s just that Jeffreys doesn’t ever explore any of these things in great depth, and it all unwinds like a Midsomer Murder in the end. A potentially interesting story plainly told.
February 3, 2020
I was gifted this book from the publishers in return for an honest review.
The Man at the Window follows our lead detective, Cardilini, a once great police officer in Perth, Australia yet due to the recent loss of his wife, Cardilini has turned to drink leaving him with his career in tatters and his relationship with his teenage son is almost beyond repair.
The alcoholic policeman is then assigned to what should be an open/shut case at a prestigious birding school for boys in the area. Sent to assist enquiries and sign off an accidental shooting incident as one of a tragic accident, Cardilini finds himself irritated by the superiority complexes he encounters at the school which seem to tap into a deep rooted self esteem issue that leads him to look deeper into the case than the superficial overview that his superiors had intended.
Cardilini discovers that there may be more at play than a simple shooting accident leaving a teacher (with some dubious rumours about his character) dead from a bullet to the head, but who knows more than they are telling?
Cardilini finds himself immediately stonewalled in his fight for justice where he must choose his next moves carefully as his actions affect not only his future on the force but also his son’s opportunity for a second chance.
An enjoyable read that really delved deep into the detective’s methods of attempting to solve the crime he has been assigned to.
Some of the dialogue could have been cut out in my opinion as this book was just over 400 pages and it did feel a bit drawn out at times in that respect.
I also couldn’t understand the tenacity that Cardilini showed to this particular case, why this one? There were plenty of times in this book that had I been the lead detective, I think I would have happily towed the official line given the reveals that came out during reading, I had absolutely no sympathy for the victim at all and I wouldn’t have risked the wrath of those above me for such a character, hence the star rating.
March 19, 2019
Man at the Window (Echo 2018) is the first novel in a planned crime series featuring Detective Cardilini, by author Robert Jeffreys. The story is set in the 1960’s, in a posh Perth private boarding school for boys, where a boarding master is shot dead. Detective Cardilini – grieving his wife, usually drunk, and a poor parent to his son, Paul – investigates the ‘accident.’ But he believes it is murder and follows his instincts to discover dark secrets about the school and the ‘old-boy’ network of wealthy and influential people that support it. All is not as it seems, and he must make choices about how far he is prepared to go to uncover the truth, and who will be hurt in the process. Cardilini is the archetypal cop – alcohol problem, disintegrating family, difficulties with authority, trouble with relationships, goes against the establishment. The story is lifted by the inclusion of a separate narrative thread concerning one of the boys, which offers glimpses of insight. Jeffreys has a wry sense of humour and this shines in Cardilini’s sardonic and dry wit. This is a solid, basic crime story, and the set-up of the main character is done to pave the way for future books in the series. This book will probably appeal to readers of authors such as Garry Disher.
December 31, 2025
1 Star - hate being so harsh
I’m not someone to DNF a book so forced myself to finish this, and I also dislike being so harsh as writing anything let alone a novel is extremely difficult and hard work.
However, this book was awful and easily the worst book I have read.
- the writing style was not great, considering every chapter was in a narration/ 3rd person style I don’t understand the difference in descriptive chapters and darker sections. Didn’t work, the back and forth/conversations were so unclear who was who that it was easy to get lost.
- characters were not great. There wasn’t one character you wanted to see more of, Cardilini is a drunk who had no endearing characteristics, he wasn’t a fighter for the case (as it was back and forth as to if he wanted to keep going or not because of Paul and his job etc) all the students including the ones for good were irritating.
- finally the story, while the plot itself has a good/standard structure (man killed, who dunnit, coverup, cop investigating etc) but the execution meant that you didn’t really get engrossed in any of the main plot features.
Sorry but I found this very hard to finish.
I’m not someone to DNF a book so forced myself to finish this, and I also dislike being so harsh as writing anything let alone a novel is extremely difficult and hard work.
However, this book was awful and easily the worst book I have read.
- the writing style was not great, considering every chapter was in a narration/ 3rd person style I don’t understand the difference in descriptive chapters and darker sections. Didn’t work, the back and forth/conversations were so unclear who was who that it was easy to get lost.
- characters were not great. There wasn’t one character you wanted to see more of, Cardilini is a drunk who had no endearing characteristics, he wasn’t a fighter for the case (as it was back and forth as to if he wanted to keep going or not because of Paul and his job etc) all the students including the ones for good were irritating.
- finally the story, while the plot itself has a good/standard structure (man killed, who dunnit, coverup, cop investigating etc) but the execution meant that you didn’t really get engrossed in any of the main plot features.
Sorry but I found this very hard to finish.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 4, 2020
Now here's a good book that has so many components that come together in a thrilling read. A school master at an elite private school in Perth is shot, supposedly by accident with a stray bullet from a farm across the rover. This event triggers an intriguing story of cover-ups, old boys networks, school boy politics and secret behaviours.
The main character, Detective Cardilini, is endearingly gruff and navigates this complex web in an interesting style. As this is the first in a series about him, I expect the next in the series to be good.
Having lived in Perth, I enjoy West Australian fiction, especially those set in the days when the state was not as "proper" as it should be.
The book requires concentration to appreciate all of it nuances, but it will reward you with a complex, multi-layered story. Recommended.
The main character, Detective Cardilini, is endearingly gruff and navigates this complex web in an interesting style. As this is the first in a series about him, I expect the next in the series to be good.
Having lived in Perth, I enjoy West Australian fiction, especially those set in the days when the state was not as "proper" as it should be.
The book requires concentration to appreciate all of it nuances, but it will reward you with a complex, multi-layered story. Recommended.
March 26, 2022
Set in Perth, Western Australia Cardilini is a jaded, lazy drunken detective. When a boarding school
Master at an exclusive boys school is shot, Cardilini is sent to write up the report. Riled by the arrogance of privileged at the school, he finds himself affronted by too many quick & convenient theories as to the shooting being deemed accidental. With no hard evidence but instincts & the dogged pursuit of justice see him untangle a murder. The book reveals the seedy nature of pedophiles & the extent to which elite schools will go to in retaining their good name.
Cardilini is a complex character whose alcoholism has mushroomed since the death of his beloved wife & his inability to grieve with his son.
This is a dark & often confronting story filled with detail & suspense. Cardilini faces a moral dilemma of working within the law or seeking justice.
Master at an exclusive boys school is shot, Cardilini is sent to write up the report. Riled by the arrogance of privileged at the school, he finds himself affronted by too many quick & convenient theories as to the shooting being deemed accidental. With no hard evidence but instincts & the dogged pursuit of justice see him untangle a murder. The book reveals the seedy nature of pedophiles & the extent to which elite schools will go to in retaining their good name.
Cardilini is a complex character whose alcoholism has mushroomed since the death of his beloved wife & his inability to grieve with his son.
This is a dark & often confronting story filled with detail & suspense. Cardilini faces a moral dilemma of working within the law or seeking justice.
December 30, 2018
The storyline is a basic whodunnit police procedural with a nice personal relationship conundrum built in to it. The characters have potential, and I can see why more books will follow - the protagonist is a bluff but thoughtful individual who has some appeal.
The difficulty is that, set in the mid 1960s, Australians did not use American slang such 'I took a dump', ' You're kidding me', 'Why are you busting his balls?' etc. These act as nasty speed bumps, and it's disappointing that the author doesn't have a strong editor to help iron these, and some other silly errors out, because they are simple fixes.
There are stronger authors in this genre, Peter Temple and Gary Disher come to mind, but this series has potential.
The difficulty is that, set in the mid 1960s, Australians did not use American slang such 'I took a dump', ' You're kidding me', 'Why are you busting his balls?' etc. These act as nasty speed bumps, and it's disappointing that the author doesn't have a strong editor to help iron these, and some other silly errors out, because they are simple fixes.
There are stronger authors in this genre, Peter Temple and Gary Disher come to mind, but this series has potential.
July 27, 2023
A compelling book about justice and what is right. Is revealing the truth about abuse more harmful for victims of it? Set in the 60s the societal taboo of being a victim of abuse overshadows the justice of revealing an abuser to the world. Eventually Cardlini can see that letting this murder be portrayed as an accident brings a kind of justice to the abuser and prevents embarrassment and humiliation to the victims. Dealing with grief, alcohol addiction and raising a son alone, Cardilini comes full circle and does, arguably, the “right thing” for these young boys. A good read from a Western Australian writer.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 16, 2019
It’s always fantastic to read the first novel from a local author
Detective Cardilini who has sunk into an dark place after the loss of his wife Betty - not knowing how to be there for his son Paul he is thrown into into signing off a body found int a prestigious school
Who do you trust??? Your colleagues - hidden agendas - and terrible things
Set in 1960s Perth - the descriptions of places known to me - the black swans at the airport - a drunk politician crashing into cars - but the car was stolen ...
I really enjoyed this & can’t wait for Book 2
Detective Cardilini who has sunk into an dark place after the loss of his wife Betty - not knowing how to be there for his son Paul he is thrown into into signing off a body found int a prestigious school
Who do you trust??? Your colleagues - hidden agendas - and terrible things
Set in 1960s Perth - the descriptions of places known to me - the black swans at the airport - a drunk politician crashing into cars - but the car was stolen ...
I really enjoyed this & can’t wait for Book 2
January 2, 2019
New Author for me. Set in Perth in the 1960's Cardilini is a defective detective who has recently lost his wife. His son Paul, 18,lives with him and has aspiration to become a Police officer also. The case Cardilini is given touchs on the delicate subject of sexual abuse in an elite Boys School and how the "old boys club" tries to cover it up. Looking forward to the next novel by this author.
January 10, 2019
Not a bad first novel, but didn't leave me hang8ng out for the next in the series.
I enjoyed the Perth setting, with many places very recognisable, and the school barely disguised. Interesting moral dilemma at the heart of the story, but the power and ability of the older school boys didn't strike me as realistic. I do hope today's detectives are a little less 'cowboyish'!
I enjoyed the Perth setting, with many places very recognisable, and the school barely disguised. Interesting moral dilemma at the heart of the story, but the power and ability of the older school boys didn't strike me as realistic. I do hope today's detectives are a little less 'cowboyish'!
December 22, 2019
A good, intriguing mystery, interesting characters. Being in Perth, I loved the local feel.
This book was a gift to my mother when she was in hospital, from a patient at SCGH, who said he had been given it by another patient... The author. I think I got that right. So a personal touch there too. Would I read another Cardilini story? Yes! Yes, I think I would.
This book was a gift to my mother when she was in hospital, from a patient at SCGH, who said he had been given it by another patient... The author. I think I got that right. So a personal touch there too. Would I read another Cardilini story? Yes! Yes, I think I would.
February 25, 2020
Set in 1965 I suppose the tone, dialogue and speed of the book was indicative of the speed of police work at the time however I found it a little bit tedious. I did finish the book to see if there was more to it than first appeared but it was a bit of a struggle. A real shame as I really liked the sound of the book blurb.
July 9, 2025
An intriguing plot, kept me guessing. At times I found it a bit repetitive. The amount of bullying and cover ups seemed overdone. Some truly horrible characters. The book does raise interesting moral dilemmas. Is murdering an abusive pedophile justifiable? To whom do we owe loyalty? And many more issues. It could be a good choice for a Bookclub discussion.
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