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My Name is Jimmy
In 1947, James “Jimmy” Bacon becomes involved in a violent workplace altercation fuelled by a PTSD-induced rage. His boss, a fellow war-veteran, tells him to take a few months off work, have a holiday, go somewhere warm, and get his head together.
Jimmy decides to take a coastal steamer to the northernmost outpost of Australia, Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory, to visit the grave of his oldest friend, Sandy, killed during the Japanese bombing of the city in 1942. Upon arriving, he discovers that Sandy’s death is not as simple as military records seemed to indicate. After learning that Sandy’s grave contains only an arm with no distinguishing features, he starts asking questions around town in order to find out what really happened to his mate.
The more he asks, the more he discovers that Darwin is less about post-war reconstruction and more about drugs, gambling, and the excessive consumption of alcohol. It’s a lawless city where 95% of the population is male and prostitution is banned, creating a thriving underworld where rough frontier-town blokes and men from the armed forces are doing more with each other than having a beer and passing the time of day.
While digging deeper, Jimmy discovers a terrible truth, arousing the interest of men who would do anything to keep the past a secret—men who consider his life of little value. Jimmy is forced to rely on quick thinking and his army training when death comes looking for him in the dead of night.
Jimmy decides to take a coastal steamer to the northernmost outpost of Australia, Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory, to visit the grave of his oldest friend, Sandy, killed during the Japanese bombing of the city in 1942. Upon arriving, he discovers that Sandy’s death is not as simple as military records seemed to indicate. After learning that Sandy’s grave contains only an arm with no distinguishing features, he starts asking questions around town in order to find out what really happened to his mate.
The more he asks, the more he discovers that Darwin is less about post-war reconstruction and more about drugs, gambling, and the excessive consumption of alcohol. It’s a lawless city where 95% of the population is male and prostitution is banned, creating a thriving underworld where rough frontier-town blokes and men from the armed forces are doing more with each other than having a beer and passing the time of day.
While digging deeper, Jimmy discovers a terrible truth, arousing the interest of men who would do anything to keep the past a secret—men who consider his life of little value. Jimmy is forced to rely on quick thinking and his army training when death comes looking for him in the dead of night.
- GenresHistorical
90 pages, ebook
Published June 1, 2022
2 people are currently reading
22 people want to read
About the author
Garrick Jones
16 books61 followersFrom the outback to the opera.
After a thirty year career as a professional opera singer, performing as a soloist in opera houses and in concert halls all over the world, I took up a position as lecturer in music in Australia in 1999, at the Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music, which is now part of CQUniversity.
Brought up in Australia, between the bush and the beaches of the Eastern suburbs, I retired in 2015 and now live in the tropics, writing, gardening, and finally finding time to enjoy life and to re-establish a connection with who I am after a very busy career on the stage and as an academic.
I write mostly historical gay fiction. The stories are always about relationships and the inner workings of men; sometimes my fellas get down to the nitty-gritty, sometimes it's up to you, the reader, to fill in the blanks.
Every book is story driven; spies, detectives, murders, epic dramas, there's something for everyone. I also love to write about my country and the things that make us Aussies and our history different from the rest of the world.
I'm research driven. I always try to do my best to give the reader a sense of what life was like for my main characters in the world they live in.
After a thirty year career as a professional opera singer, performing as a soloist in opera houses and in concert halls all over the world, I took up a position as lecturer in music in Australia in 1999, at the Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music, which is now part of CQUniversity.
Brought up in Australia, between the bush and the beaches of the Eastern suburbs, I retired in 2015 and now live in the tropics, writing, gardening, and finally finding time to enjoy life and to re-establish a connection with who I am after a very busy career on the stage and as an academic.
I write mostly historical gay fiction. The stories are always about relationships and the inner workings of men; sometimes my fellas get down to the nitty-gritty, sometimes it's up to you, the reader, to fill in the blanks.
Every book is story driven; spies, detectives, murders, epic dramas, there's something for everyone. I also love to write about my country and the things that make us Aussies and our history different from the rest of the world.
I'm research driven. I always try to do my best to give the reader a sense of what life was like for my main characters in the world they live in.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 6, 2022
A 'rippin' good yarn! The post-war devastation and a stoic drive to not only survive but thrive really stood out. The mystery was engaging as was MC Jimmy (who has a definite charm about him). 4.5 stars.
June 24, 2022
Another good historical read from Garrick, set just after the end of WWII, with a particularly satisfying ending 😏.
November 30, 2022
My Name is Jimmy
By Garrick Jones
MoshPit Publishing, 2022
5 stars
This is a long short story, or a novella; but it packs the punch of a novel. Like most of Garrick Jones’s work, there is an educational factor to this book, especially for an American reader. We have never been taught anything about Australia’s role in either of the world wars. In particular, we were certainly never taught that the Japanese bombed Darwin, Australia, even more destructively than they did the USA’s Pearl Harbor base in Hawaii.
That’s really just the context for this story of vengeance against an unexpected enemy.
Jimmy is a young man, still recovering mentally from his long years serving the Allies in World War II. As part of his road to recovery, he heads up to the distant Darwin, capital of the Northern Territory, and the most isolated capital city in the world. It is in Darwin he hopes to find the grave of his childhood best friend, killed in the bombing of Darwin in February, 1942.
When Jimmy gets to Darwin (a long, long process back then), he finds two things. First, there’s something fishy about his friend Sandy’s death; and secondly, there’s a man named Gordon who sparks something in Jimmy’s humanity that he’s not felt since before the war.
As always, Jones’s writing is tight, journalistic, with just the right edge to make you realize that this would make a great little movie. In a generation before any concept of gay rights emerged anywhere on the planet, Jones’s characters exemplify the ways in which men inclined to other men continued to make their way – and even find happiness – when the situational effects of wartime had passed.
The bottom line here is that not all the evil done during wars is done by the people you’re supposedly fighting. Evil is apolitical and amoral. It is sparked by greed and arrogance. Jimmy becomes sort of a small-town superhero. Not the kind of war story my generation was raised to expect – which just makes it all the more welcome.
By Garrick Jones
MoshPit Publishing, 2022
5 stars
This is a long short story, or a novella; but it packs the punch of a novel. Like most of Garrick Jones’s work, there is an educational factor to this book, especially for an American reader. We have never been taught anything about Australia’s role in either of the world wars. In particular, we were certainly never taught that the Japanese bombed Darwin, Australia, even more destructively than they did the USA’s Pearl Harbor base in Hawaii.
That’s really just the context for this story of vengeance against an unexpected enemy.
Jimmy is a young man, still recovering mentally from his long years serving the Allies in World War II. As part of his road to recovery, he heads up to the distant Darwin, capital of the Northern Territory, and the most isolated capital city in the world. It is in Darwin he hopes to find the grave of his childhood best friend, killed in the bombing of Darwin in February, 1942.
When Jimmy gets to Darwin (a long, long process back then), he finds two things. First, there’s something fishy about his friend Sandy’s death; and secondly, there’s a man named Gordon who sparks something in Jimmy’s humanity that he’s not felt since before the war.
As always, Jones’s writing is tight, journalistic, with just the right edge to make you realize that this would make a great little movie. In a generation before any concept of gay rights emerged anywhere on the planet, Jones’s characters exemplify the ways in which men inclined to other men continued to make their way – and even find happiness – when the situational effects of wartime had passed.
The bottom line here is that not all the evil done during wars is done by the people you’re supposedly fighting. Evil is apolitical and amoral. It is sparked by greed and arrogance. Jimmy becomes sort of a small-town superhero. Not the kind of war story my generation was raised to expect – which just makes it all the more welcome.
July 17, 2023
That cover photo! Their world was blown up around them. The photo had me reading about the 1942-43 attacks on Darwin, Australia by Japan. Almost the entire civilian community fled and Darwin was basically all male for many years after. This novella is set in 1947 and involves a search for a friend who was killed in the attacks. This is an MM book and it does contain a romance, quite a good one. I enjoyed the realism of a slowly recovering bombed out city and how civilized mores are not the priority for many of the men living and working in Darwin.
Jimmy has come to the Northern Territory and Darwin to find the burial place and cause of death for long time friend, and sometimes lover, Sandy. They had parted at age eighteen for the war effort. Jimmy is now in his twenties, out of the army, and not dealing well with post-war anger issues. He is attractive, gay, and sexually active and has no hang ups about frequent hookups. I enjoyed the author’s style of writing these sex scenes as descriptive and hot, yet with little emotion about where or when.
At the boarding house in Darwin where he stays, Jimmy meets Gordon, the son of the boarding house owner. I liked the scene how they met, it was different. That is what I was looking for in this mm, different, and was pleased by the evocative scenes and good word choices. The writing contained emotions, yet was level headed. This was a male-centric world and that, along with the unpretentiousness of the Australians, was enjoyable to read.
The cover photo is an eye grabber and the story delivers. I liked the side characters, especially Barry, a local man with no inhibitions about living his life. He was a lover to the late Sandy and the search for information about Sandy, along with the burgeoning relationship between Jimmy and Gordon, are the major plot lines of the book. There is bloodshed during the search as some people don’t want the real reason for Sandy’s death revealed.
This was a very good read with quiet feels and a historical setting. I highly recommend giving it a try.
Jimmy has come to the Northern Territory and Darwin to find the burial place and cause of death for long time friend, and sometimes lover, Sandy. They had parted at age eighteen for the war effort. Jimmy is now in his twenties, out of the army, and not dealing well with post-war anger issues. He is attractive, gay, and sexually active and has no hang ups about frequent hookups. I enjoyed the author’s style of writing these sex scenes as descriptive and hot, yet with little emotion about where or when.
At the boarding house in Darwin where he stays, Jimmy meets Gordon, the son of the boarding house owner. I liked the scene how they met, it was different. That is what I was looking for in this mm, different, and was pleased by the evocative scenes and good word choices. The writing contained emotions, yet was level headed. This was a male-centric world and that, along with the unpretentiousness of the Australians, was enjoyable to read.
The cover photo is an eye grabber and the story delivers. I liked the side characters, especially Barry, a local man with no inhibitions about living his life. He was a lover to the late Sandy and the search for information about Sandy, along with the burgeoning relationship between Jimmy and Gordon, are the major plot lines of the book. There is bloodshed during the search as some people don’t want the real reason for Sandy’s death revealed.
This was a very good read with quiet feels and a historical setting. I highly recommend giving it a try.
June 15, 2022
This is a interesting book not only for its storyline but also the historical background provided by this author. The book is set against the background of an evacuated Darwin at the end of the second world war and the damage suffered by it by Japanese bombing raids. The book follows the quest of Jimmy to find the grave of an old friend and to learn the circumstances of his death. It contains gay action and murder. Fascinating and I recommend this book
July 7, 2022
Usually I'm not a big fan of short novellas but I've to say that not once did I have the impression that this book was too short, in fact I am quite surprised that the author was able to tell so much. I simply flew through the book!
Because Mr. Jones is so excellent at writing in a way that paints a total picture of the world the story is set in so realistically, you really do feel like you are in there and experiencing the story with the characters! Every words and dialogues count and resonate and each of his book makes you want to dive more into the world he creates.
I think Jimmy and Gordon, Barry and Cliff would have been fun to have around a little longer. I suppose this is a common phenomenon, the feeling of not wanting a good book to end.
Highly recommended!
Because Mr. Jones is so excellent at writing in a way that paints a total picture of the world the story is set in so realistically, you really do feel like you are in there and experiencing the story with the characters! Every words and dialogues count and resonate and each of his book makes you want to dive more into the world he creates.
I think Jimmy and Gordon, Barry and Cliff would have been fun to have around a little longer. I suppose this is a common phenomenon, the feeling of not wanting a good book to end.
Highly recommended!
November 17, 2023
My name is Jimmy
This is a fabulous tale and very well told. Very good grammar which make it flow and it brings the time and the city of Darwin to life. I lived and worked there and is still rather frontier like. Thank you.
This is a fabulous tale and very well told. Very good grammar which make it flow and it brings the time and the city of Darwin to life. I lived and worked there and is still rather frontier like. Thank you.
June 22, 2024
Much more than I was expecting!
Garrick Jones has created an enticing and engaging short story with realistic characters. You feel like you can stand in the center of town and see everything. Not to mention learning a bit of actual history that I had never been taught.
Garrick Jones has created an enticing and engaging short story with realistic characters. You feel like you can stand in the center of town and see everything. Not to mention learning a bit of actual history that I had never been taught.
August 8, 2022
Darwin post war
Another great story from Garrick Jones. Enthralling from beginning to end. Great characters, a very heartwarming depiction of mateship, something more than just friends.
Another great story from Garrick Jones. Enthralling from beginning to end. Great characters, a very heartwarming depiction of mateship, something more than just friends.
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October 22, 2025Eine kurze Geschichte über Freundschaft, Liebe und Verlust, Trauer und Rache - und Neubeginn.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews