Judgement Day (Mali Waugh, Macmillan)
Mali Waugh’s debut novel opens with an omniscient narrator observing that there were no signs or omens that family court judge Kaye Bailey was to be murdered that day. Due to Waugh’s impressive talent for creating characters, readers will be mourning Kaye’s loss despite knowing her fate from the first paragraph. Kaye’s murder requires detectives to immerse themselves in the refined yet grubby world of the Melbourne family law courts, exposing a number of grim realities within family law. There is no shortage of suspects within the legal profession and its clientele, and each suspect is artfully written. The investigation also provides a means for Detective Senior Sergeant Jillian Basset to return to work from maternity leave early. Jillian is an experienced and astute police officer who drives the investigation while learning to work with her flashy maternity leave replacement, but her personal life complicates the narrative. The author’s compassionate depiction of Jillian’s struggle with overwhelming feelings of inadequacy as a mother, and her tendency to use her work as an excuse to avoid her problems, will appeal to fans of Sarah Bailey’s crime novels. Waugh’s expertise as a family lawyer shines throughout this legal thriller, ensuring a place for her among the crop of recent excellent Australian crime debuts.
Books+Publishing reviewer: Ilona Urquhart is a children’s and youth services librarian on the Bellarine Peninsula and has a PhD in literary studies. 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.
Category: Reviews
