Gunnawah (Ronni Salt, Hachette)

In 1974, in the fictional rural Riverina town of Gunnawah, population 989, everyone knows everyone’s business … or so they think. After an unfortunate event the year before, 19-year-old Adelaide Hoffman starts a cadetship at the local paper to regain her confidence and get out of the house. But it’s not long before Adelaide goes from reporting on a new water irrigation scheme to uncovering a crime ring that runs deeper than the nearby Saddleback Lagoon. In a twisting tale of greed, politics, drugs, blackmail, violence, informants and mob ties, Gunnawah is about to be put on the map for all the wrong reasons. Although readers may find it occasionally challenging to keep track of the various residents in Ronni Salt’s debut, there is much to enjoy in her character development. From the well-groomed local MP ‘golden boy’ Michael De Rossi, to Adelaide’s generous and head-strong boss, Valdene Bullark; and from town know-it-all and wife of the mayor, Cheryl-Anne Heneghan, to the tough owner of the only pub in town, Oksana Babich—each character reveals more than their ‘community’ persona suggests. While some aspects of the ending are predictable, there are enjoyable twists throughout that readers will appreciate. This compelling rural crime story, embedded in the politically charged Australia of the 1970s, will intrigue fans of Margaret Hickey, Richard Osman and Lainie Anderson.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Shannon Grey is an editor and writer from Perth (Boorloo) and is based in Melbourne (Naarm). Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

Books+Publishing pre-publication reviews are supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.

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