The Good Dog

When Detective Sergeant Zoe Mayer is called to a crime scene on Mt Macedon in Victoria she finds the body of a man slumped next to the Memorial Cross. A local policeman was the first to arrive on the scene and is able to identify the body. Then Harry, Zoe's service dog, discovers a second body some distance in the bush. First impressions are that it is probably a murder suicide. But Zoe and her new partner, Detective Senior Constable, Ben Tarro, soon come to a different conclusion.

The two victims were recently involved in a fraud case where the first victim, Piers Johnson, had faced charges of fraud when a project in which he and others had invested in Bali proved to be a scam. Everyone, including Piers Johnson, lost money. The second murder victim was Johnson's lawyer, Antony Peterson, who succeeded in having the court case dismissed. There are therefore many suspects to investigate.

The Good Dog by Simon Rowell is a fast paced detective novel set in Victoria. Many of the locations mentioned are places that I know which perhaps made the book even more interesting to me when I read it. 

Harry is one of the main characters in the book, not just in supporting Zoe who has PTSD but also in comforting some of the other characters in stressful situations. He also makes some significant finds in the plot. Zoe's new partner in this case also learns there is more to solving a crime than he first believed. The Good Dog is the third title in the Zoe Mayer series.

Wild Card

Detective Sergeant Zoe Mayer with her service dog, Harry, is sent to Echuca to investigate when a body is discovered on the Victorian side of the Murray River. Complications arise when the body is identified as Freddie Jones, a bikie who lived in Moama, New South Wales. This means that more than one police jurisdiction may become involved in the investigation.

Zoe and her team set out to learn about the local bikie gang and any related crime, particularly drug activity, in the area. The significance of a playing card found on the victim's body is also of interest to Zoe. It is not long before she learns of a possible mafia gang in New South Wales that may be involved in Freddie's death. It is obvious that drug smuggling is occurring in the area though she is assured by the police over the border that everything is under control. Then another body is discovered near where Freddie's body was found.

This is another 'cannot put down' novel in the Aussie Noir genre.

The Long Game

Last week I turned on the radio and heard the last part of an interview conducted by David Astle with Australian author, Simon Rowell. They were talking about a new series of crime books set in Victoria. The first in the series is The Long Game, published in 2021.

Detective Sergeant Zoe Mayer has returned to the homicide squad in Melbourne after extended leave. She brings Harry with her, her service dog. The reader gradually learns about the reasons for Zoe's long absence. Immediately when she returns to work, Zoe attends the murder of Ray Carlson, a surfer living at Portsea. All the evidence, plus an anonymous phone call, point to the person responsible for the crime but Zoe suspects that they have the wrong person. When she learns about two similar cases that also occurred in February during the previous two years she sets out to investigate the links between the deaths of the three men. Zoe soon discovers that her life is also in danger.

Most of the action occurs on the Mornington Peninsula and in Melbourne. Reading about places that you know in books adds another dimension to the story. I thoroughly enjoyed this first book about Zoe Mayer and her team and look forward to reading Wild Card, the next book in the series.