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Blue Mountains Mysteries #1
The Problem With Murder
Bella Greaves is semi-retired and edits Katoomba’s local newspaper. She is content but just a little bored.
When disgraced homicide detective Paul Ruel is exiled to the Mountains, his superiors expect him to resign from frustration. Then he uncovers a crime that has been covered up for years, and turns to Bella for help.
She finds Paul just as intriguing as the investigation.
When disgraced homicide detective Paul Ruel is exiled to the Mountains, his superiors expect him to resign from frustration. Then he uncovers a crime that has been covered up for years, and turns to Bella for help.
She finds Paul just as intriguing as the investigation.
297 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 1, 2021
5 people are currently reading
40 people want to read
About the author
Michael Duffy
13 books8 followersMichael is a court and crime reporter for the Sydney Morning Herald and the Sun Herald.
Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
March 22, 2022
Beautiful cover
Good story but slow… too much background stuff, and while I live in this area I’m not sure I agree with some sentiments
Good story but slow… too much background stuff, and while I live in this area I’m not sure I agree with some sentiments
January 11, 2022
The Problem with Murder is set during the autumn and winter months in the Upper Blue Mountains, west of Sydney. Michael Duffy’s narrator, Bella Greaves, describes this season as a period of mist, fog and potential snow. Paul Ruel, who has gained a level of notoriety from his television appearances on the news as a Sydney detective, has now been transferred to Katoomba, a small-town police station serving the tourist community, where his career seems destined to die, after an ill-advised media appearance, not to mention the usual politicking of ambitious rivals. Paul finds himself on the outer with the local police and held somewhat in contempt for his big city credentials and semi-celebrity. When Michelle Mackerras, the wife of Paul’s retired predecessor, Brad, is injured in a car accident, Paul has an intuition that something is not quite right between Michelle and her husband, both widely regarded throughout Katoomba. Paul’s intuition encourages him to investigate one of Brad Mackerras’s former cases, Suzie Porter, who now awaits trial in prison for the murder of her partner. Paul’s suspicion that Suzie was the victim of domestic violence, a factor seemingly overlooked when her bail was refused, has personal and profession implications that will threaten the reputation of local police, particularly retired Brad Mackerras, and put Paul at odds with his new commander, Leanne Walton. Furthermore, his sense of isolation from the Katoomba force will push Paul to seek help from the only person he is meant to avoid as part of the terms of his new position: Bella Greaves, a journalist working on the local newspaper.
The Problem with Murder is a slow burn. It doesn’t have a shock and awe opening involving a horrific crime with all the seedy routine that that implies. Duffy trusts his reader to be patient, to follow Ruel’s initial curiosity about Michelle Mackerras’s accident and to see where that leads. He wants us to know his characters and the world they inhabit. As Ruel begins to uncover some of the town’s secrets the tension mounts, and we find that our patience is rewarded with a satisfying crime thriller, spiced with a suggestion of mountains-variety Gothic that imbues the story with ominous moral undertones.
If this sounds interesting, then well and good, but be aware that unless you live in the Blue Mountains, or are willing to take a trip up from Sydney, you will not be able to buy this book in your local bookstore. A note at the front of the book states The Problem with Murder, “is possibly the first novel to be available only at shops mentioned in its text.” In case you’re wondering, that’s only four bookstores in the Upper Blue Mountains, west of Sydney: Gleebooks, The Little Lost Bookshop in Katoomba (itself the subject of another blogpost), Megalong Books in Leura, and Lamdha Books in Wentworth Falls. Our curiosity over this decision was answered by the author, himself, after he read Toriaz’s blogpost: “The point is to keep it personal, and local. There are enough international books already!”
Which brings me back to the question of why someone might want to read this book in particular, given that crime fiction is such a well-stocked genre. First, is the obvious: you may wish to read a good book. Both Toriaz and I enjoyed this book. It’s well written, it has identifiable characters, there is an element of intrigue, as well as having what a good crime novel should possess: a level of unpredictability.
But I think, given that Duffy has made the local setting of the upper mountains an integral part of his story, and that he has limited its distribution to the area in which the story takes place, that the book also has two other specific audience appeals. If you’re local to the Blue Mountains, the idea of a local story is enticing. Americans or the English, for instance, may be used to having their cities written about and filmed. When I was in California, I remember thinking how familiar the place seemed because I’d already seen so much of it in movies. But reading about other places – Australia has many good authors but much of my reading is set somewhere else – involves an intellectual (I mean imagining a world with the mind through the text alone) rather than an emotional or near-tactile response to a story when there isn’t an attendant understanding of place and people that being a local affords. With that in mind I would recommend this book to locals not only because it’s a good book, but because they’ll get the way Duffy has used setting and atmosphere to enliven the tension of the story and elevate the moral questions raised by his narrative.
A second specific audience is tourists to the area, particularly overseas tourists who may want to sample something of the local flavour of the mountains. Besides reading a good book, it would also has the potential for a kind of treasure hunt, to track down many of the local places mentioned in the story. When we finished reading the book Toriaz and I spent a day in the upper Mountains revisiting many of the places mentioned in the story and were treated to suitably misty day for the right atmosphere. So, it’s a good souvenir, too.
And while the crime story is entertaining, my interest was most aroused by Duffy’s evocations of place, not because I intimately know many of the locations of the story, but because he transforms the Mountains into a universe which philosophically reflects the moral undertones of the community; a community in which children may be sexually abused, in which women may suffer domestic violence, even where murder may occur, yet where exists a veneer of respectability and civility .....
Read my full review of The Problem with Murder by Michael Duffy on the Reading Project
The Problem with Murder is a slow burn. It doesn’t have a shock and awe opening involving a horrific crime with all the seedy routine that that implies. Duffy trusts his reader to be patient, to follow Ruel’s initial curiosity about Michelle Mackerras’s accident and to see where that leads. He wants us to know his characters and the world they inhabit. As Ruel begins to uncover some of the town’s secrets the tension mounts, and we find that our patience is rewarded with a satisfying crime thriller, spiced with a suggestion of mountains-variety Gothic that imbues the story with ominous moral undertones.
If this sounds interesting, then well and good, but be aware that unless you live in the Blue Mountains, or are willing to take a trip up from Sydney, you will not be able to buy this book in your local bookstore. A note at the front of the book states The Problem with Murder, “is possibly the first novel to be available only at shops mentioned in its text.” In case you’re wondering, that’s only four bookstores in the Upper Blue Mountains, west of Sydney: Gleebooks, The Little Lost Bookshop in Katoomba (itself the subject of another blogpost), Megalong Books in Leura, and Lamdha Books in Wentworth Falls. Our curiosity over this decision was answered by the author, himself, after he read Toriaz’s blogpost: “The point is to keep it personal, and local. There are enough international books already!”
Which brings me back to the question of why someone might want to read this book in particular, given that crime fiction is such a well-stocked genre. First, is the obvious: you may wish to read a good book. Both Toriaz and I enjoyed this book. It’s well written, it has identifiable characters, there is an element of intrigue, as well as having what a good crime novel should possess: a level of unpredictability.
But I think, given that Duffy has made the local setting of the upper mountains an integral part of his story, and that he has limited its distribution to the area in which the story takes place, that the book also has two other specific audience appeals. If you’re local to the Blue Mountains, the idea of a local story is enticing. Americans or the English, for instance, may be used to having their cities written about and filmed. When I was in California, I remember thinking how familiar the place seemed because I’d already seen so much of it in movies. But reading about other places – Australia has many good authors but much of my reading is set somewhere else – involves an intellectual (I mean imagining a world with the mind through the text alone) rather than an emotional or near-tactile response to a story when there isn’t an attendant understanding of place and people that being a local affords. With that in mind I would recommend this book to locals not only because it’s a good book, but because they’ll get the way Duffy has used setting and atmosphere to enliven the tension of the story and elevate the moral questions raised by his narrative.
A second specific audience is tourists to the area, particularly overseas tourists who may want to sample something of the local flavour of the mountains. Besides reading a good book, it would also has the potential for a kind of treasure hunt, to track down many of the local places mentioned in the story. When we finished reading the book Toriaz and I spent a day in the upper Mountains revisiting many of the places mentioned in the story and were treated to suitably misty day for the right atmosphere. So, it’s a good souvenir, too.
And while the crime story is entertaining, my interest was most aroused by Duffy’s evocations of place, not because I intimately know many of the locations of the story, but because he transforms the Mountains into a universe which philosophically reflects the moral undertones of the community; a community in which children may be sexually abused, in which women may suffer domestic violence, even where murder may occur, yet where exists a veneer of respectability and civility .....
Read my full review of The Problem with Murder by Michael Duffy on the Reading Project
June 1, 2022
I couldn’t decide between three or four stars, but gave an extra star as I enjoyed the Katoomba location, and it was a good read.
July 26, 2024
A surprise find!
I picked this up in a store in the Blue Mountains. A totally unexpected delight. What a great holiday page turner.
Can’t wait to read the rest of the series.
I picked this up in a store in the Blue Mountains. A totally unexpected delight. What a great holiday page turner.
Can’t wait to read the rest of the series.
February 2, 2023
This was unexpected.
I understand that the genre of police fiction is not my forte, and I have no idea what to expect in a police procedural. But I think this was a good thing because this novel didn't seem to be one. It was essentially a character study of two people. Unfortunately, I wasn't overly fond of either of them, despite the Mr Darcy-esque subversion of expectations at the end. I liked the idea that is explored, that Katoomba, while appearing quaint on the surface, is rife with the usual undercurrent of crime. I liked that the story treated its audience like adults and as such didn't need a new horror to occur every chapter to maintain interest.
I wasn't overly keen on the narrator. I found her self righteous and a bit preachy. I didn't like the name 'Paul Raul', but maybe I was pronouncing it wrong.
All in all, I finished it and thought it was OK. The domestic violence angle is one I haven't seen often in fiction, so it was a bit different. And different often means good 👍.
I understand that the genre of police fiction is not my forte, and I have no idea what to expect in a police procedural. But I think this was a good thing because this novel didn't seem to be one. It was essentially a character study of two people. Unfortunately, I wasn't overly fond of either of them, despite the Mr Darcy-esque subversion of expectations at the end. I liked the idea that is explored, that Katoomba, while appearing quaint on the surface, is rife with the usual undercurrent of crime. I liked that the story treated its audience like adults and as such didn't need a new horror to occur every chapter to maintain interest.
I wasn't overly keen on the narrator. I found her self righteous and a bit preachy. I didn't like the name 'Paul Raul', but maybe I was pronouncing it wrong.
All in all, I finished it and thought it was OK. The domestic violence angle is one I haven't seen often in fiction, so it was a bit different. And different often means good 👍.
September 16, 2025
Trigger warning: This story involves references to domestic violence and child abuse.
I love in the Blue Mountains (somewhere between Katoomba and Springwood) so Iwas excited to read a book set in my local area. I loved the references to places I know and love (like Hominy Bakery) and I could certainly picture many of the locations mentioned in the book, along with a deep love of the foggy weather we experience up here quite often. However, the actual story was not my favourite but that probably has more to do with the way that it ended. The story explores a lot of issues that are probably very real in the NSW Police Force, but I don't think I really wanted that driven home when I need to be able to trust my local police. It got an extra star for the setting.
I love in the Blue Mountains (somewhere between Katoomba and Springwood) so Iwas excited to read a book set in my local area. I loved the references to places I know and love (like Hominy Bakery) and I could certainly picture many of the locations mentioned in the book, along with a deep love of the foggy weather we experience up here quite often. However, the actual story was not my favourite but that probably has more to do with the way that it ended. The story explores a lot of issues that are probably very real in the NSW Police Force, but I don't think I really wanted that driven home when I need to be able to trust my local police. It got an extra star for the setting.
March 14, 2022
Picked this up from a bookstore in the Blue Mountains. The eyecatching cover grabbed me and I am all for supporting local. Loved that this was set entirely in the Blue Mountains, which as you can imagine, is the perfect setting for a murder or cover-up.
A fun quick read. I imagine there will be more to come.
A fun quick read. I imagine there will be more to come.
August 5, 2024
My wife and I recently followed the Blue Mountains Bookshop Trail and come across this surprise find!
Yes a slow burn but it is intriguing as are the backstories of the characters. A great holiday page turner.
Look forward to reading the rest of the series.
Yes a slow burn but it is intriguing as are the backstories of the characters. A great holiday page turner.
Look forward to reading the rest of the series.
January 1, 2022
I found The Problem Murder an interesting read, as I know the locations well; therefore, easy to relate to the story. Not the best ending, however undoubtedly worth a read.
January 10, 2023
Loved it. Beautiful plot twists. Enjoyed being able to recognise most of the places referred to and in which the action takes place. Kept me hooked in and resentful of interruptions to my reading!
March 12, 2023
As a local it was great to have familiar locations in a novel.
Well written.
Well written.
January 4, 2024
Couldn’t finish. Too much self insertion from the author for me.
September 11, 2024
Very slow story line
October 23, 2025
I really enjoyed this series, this is the first of 4 books all set in and around Katoomba in the Blue Mountains. The characters are great. I hope he writes many more.
November 5, 2025
Disgraced Sydney homicide detective Paul Ruel is exiled to the Blue Mountains in the hopes that he will resign and save the department the trouble of getting rid of him. Then Ruel stumbles upon an interesting case that no-one else wants brought to light, and turns to local newspaper editor Bella for help. Their search will lead them both into danger as they realise that sometimes a community will look after its own – even when it shouldn’t. Interesting storyline, but too slow moving for me, and times when it seemed the detective’s character was being sold a little too hard to the reader.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews