Mole Creek (James Dunbar, Echo)

Mole Creek is James Dunbar’s first foray into writing a serious crime and espionage novel. In it, he delivers intriguing dual storylines set 50 years apart. Pete McAuslan, a former police officer, is serving during the waning years of the Vietnam War. Xander, Pete’s grandson, is an investigative journalist and author who does not accept the story being spun about his grandfather’s shocking and untimely death. Both men have unknowingly become entwined in a deadly game of cat and mouse that spans the globe and half a century, being played by forces much bigger than either can anticipate. Dunbar delivers a tense opening that deftly sets the scene. The reader is catapulted from the murky backstreets of Saigon in 1969 to contemporary Tasmania and a muddied police investigation (or is it a cover up?) as Xander desperately tries to scratch at the surface of his grandfather’s past. The more he uncovers, the more the bodies pile up, and Xander realises that there are now very few people left that he can trust. Brimming with twists and a big bad that blindsides, Mole Creek is a thrilling read that creates vivid images and will appeal to fans of Chris Hammer and Terry Hayes while delivering a satisfying dose of international espionage and Australian crime fiction.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Kate Frawley is a former bookseller and a librarian in training. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

Category: Reviews