Monday, August 11

Good Murder - Robert Gott

William Powers, leader of the Power Players acting company, is resolved to bring Titus Andronicus to the people. Sure, it's 1942, and he's in Queensland, a state not known for it's cultural appreciation, but he's confident that if anyone can do it he can. In fact, 'confident' describes Powers very well, so when he becomes the main suspect in the murder of a local girl, Powers knows that he is better placed than the local police to get to the bottom of the case. Unfortunately, every move he makes serves only to mire him deeper, causing destruction and injury at every turn.
Powers is an interesting lead character - Gott does a masterful job depicting in first person his misplaced sense of clarity and resolve, undimmed as he lurches from one false assumption to another, never pausing to reflect of whether he may be mistaken (or should just back down altogether). His turn of phrase is attractive, but writing this a week or so after finishing the novel, nothing particularly stands out for me. I have the sequel at home (have I mentioned that I love libraries?) and hope to have better recall when reviewing that. In the interim - interesting, if somewhat wearying, man character, unique plot, not bad all in all. - Alex

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