A well written thriller written through the eye of the two main characters who both in their own way are looking for answers and become intertwined over a mystery that leads them both to The perpetrator but in different ways. I enjoyed the book although at times it was a little slow

The Night Whistler is set in Australia in the 1960's. Despite being a Brit, living in New Zealand in 2020, there was something about the writing that sets that time and place very vividly. We're not just told that's where and when it is, but you can feel it too. The story focuses on what starts as a pet killing and nuisance caller and progresses into murder. Told from the point of view of disgraced detective Mick and young teenager Hal.
With much of the story being told from a younger person's viewpoint, there's always the danger that it becomes simplistic or childish, but that wasn't the case here. Hal's discoveries worked alongside Mick's as the story unfolds.
I have to admit that I hadn't worked out who was behind it all by the time everything was revealed. Mostly because I'd actually forgotten about this one character, he was quite shadowy and in the background with other people pushing him out the way. I think that this was probably intentional.
This was a great read and once I started I wasn't keen to put it down. This is a gripping read that draws you in completely with a well-drawn setting and compelling characters.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

John Humphries has been promoted to Supervisor; so with his family in their gleaming new bronze and white Studebaker GT Hawk have moved to Moorabool in the country. Corrie, Hal and Even had been enjoying city life and its quite a challenge fitting in with this new country style of living. The boys are so bored.
Constable Mick Goodenough has been transferred as a probationary constable to the Moorabool Local Area Command. He was previously detective sergeant 2IC of Homicide at a major Sydney police station so after a public dispute is resolved; this demotion is his second and only chance to remain in the force.
Constable Goodenough has become aware of some local pet animal killings and when it becomes one of his own, he starts to investigate. Constable Goodenough is well aware of the traits displayed by potential serial killers and how this can escalate.
Potential Serial killers share many common traits; often initially just aggressive towards animals, soon humans too can become their subjects. Inflicting harm on others gives them a strange satisfaction. Serial killers are loners who have little or no empathy. They are over inquisitive in other people’s affairs, often voyeurism. Charm, manipulation, and intimidation are utilised.
An exciting page turning thriller that also charmed me about Australian country life in the Sixties

What a nice surprise package that was! The story centres around the Humphries family - John, Corrie and their children Hal (12) and Evan (8); and also probationary constable Mick Goodenough - a disgraced former Detective Sargent from Sydney sent to the backwater of Moorabool as a ‘probie’ for his sins. We don’t actually learn what those sins are but if there is another book there may be some clarification. The book is set in 1966 in a small New South Wales town in Australia. It evokes a sense of time and place really well.

Moorabool is rocked by a series of violent crimes and Corrie Humphries is getting nuisance calls where the phone pest whistles a tune. Unfortunately he gets increasingly threatening. Hal thinks he knows who the whistler is and enlists the help of Mick Goodenough on this and other crazy theories he has. Mick has his own concerns with links to a gruesome double murder in Sydney a few years ago which had a lot to do with his banishment. However Mick is labouring under the derision and uselessness of his colleagues. Sargent Bradley in particular seems reluctant to investigate anything at all. Is he just lazy? Or is he possibly hiding something?

I have to say the start was quite slow but then it got really interesting and surprisingly dramatic. The other thing to note is the treatment of Indigenous Australians in this story. The racism is quite blatant and reflects how it really was in that era, especially in rural areas. It must be noted that it was not until the following year (1967) that First Nations people became acknowledged as citizens (and were given the vote) in the country they had been custodians of for tens of thousands of years. It’s hard to believe now, I know. In the end this was a heartwarming story, with enough dramatic twists, in which Hal grew up far too quickly and Mick Goodenough got, well, I really shouldn’t say. It was interesting, very Australian and dramatic enough to keep you glued to the pages. My final rating is 3.5 rounded up. Thanks to Netgalley, Text Publishing and Greg Woodland for providing this book for review purposes..

Absolutely loved this book. The characters came alive and made the whole story. You identified with so easily. For me growing up in that era brought it all back.
I hope the author keeps on and does more with Mick.

I have to give it a 5. I could not put it down.
What a tense, unnerving, riveting book. Excellent writing, fully developed characters, even the minor ones, and a carefully, believably illustrated setting.
It is a deeply unsettling mystery that gets under your skin and won't let you stop reading until it's solved. Beautifully horrible gruesome parts and at least one scene that had me cringing in secondary shame, but with a wonderfully satisfying ending.
Excellent.
I received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, and I'm glad I can give an honestly glowing one.

This book reminded me a little of the show Mystery Road, in that the social prejudices haven't changed that much.
I didn't want to like it, but I did; i kept reading despite not liking several characters & being a little freaked out with what was going on.

Is this a new genre? ”Australian Gothic"? "Outback Mystery"?

In the vein of new classics by Queen of the Outback novels, Jane Harper herself, the Night Whistler is set in the nostalgic fictional country town of the 1960s. Slightly further back than Boy Swallows Universe and the Van Apfel Girls but the same country people, the imagery. I'm reminded of Holly Throsby's Cedar Valley. It's clear that I have consumed and enjoyed this collection as a genre.

The Night Whistler introduces disgraced Sydney cop Mick Goodenough (Good-no, not Good Enough) slumming it in a small hick town as a probationary officer, dealing with nothing more taxing than missing cats and traffic infringements. A new family moves to town and the eldest boy Hal's life becomes entwined with Mick's when he stumbles upon his dog Charlie.
The two embark on an off-the-books investigation into some very dark deeds in their local town, as Hal's mum starts to get threatening phone calls from someone who whistles down the line in the night...

Slow to start, the threads begin to come together at the halfway point and then it's a 100km/hr drive down a dusty highway in a Studebaker to the end

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Thank You NetGalley, Publisher and Author for this ARC.

It’s 1966. Hal and his little brother, newly arrived in Moorabool with their parents, are exploring the creek near their new home when they find the body of a dog.

Not just dead, but recently killed.


Not just killed, but mutilated.

This was a really good book. The description in this book was amazing. Greg Woodland really knows how to keep a readers attention. It keep you guessing through out the entire book.
I really dont have anything bad to say about this book at all.
It was all just very well written.

My rating:

Plot: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Writing: 4 out of 5 stars
Character development: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Recommended for readers of:

mystery and suspense

Review:

The plot is well set up; very atmospheric, it has a really tense feel, deeply unsettling and full of mystery. You get the feeling that something is not right and it keeps you on your toes and guessing till the end. The characters are interesting and colourful and well depicted which made them realistic.
The story is told through a double narrative by Hal a young boy and Mick Goodenough. Both are recent arrivals to the country town of Moorabool NSW. Hal moved there with his family when his father got a job in the town and Mick a former detective from Sydney was sent there after his demotion. You follow them as they each try to solve the mystery and in the end they have to work together to solve it. This made the book extra interesting.

Overall this is a well written story; with a very original feel to it, it has colourful and interesting characters and the right amount of suspense and mystery. I enjoyed it!

Review copy provided by NetGalley at no cost to me

I really enjoyed the Australian setting of country New South Wales in the 1960s for this almost gothic murder mystery. It was a time when kids ran free in the summer, taking off on their bikes, climbing trees, fishing for crawbobs (small crayfish) and exploring places they probably shouldn't as long as they were home in time for tea. The writing is so evocative that you can almost smell the gum trees and the muddy river trickling through the hot and dusty landscape and hear the laconic Aussie accents of the people.

It's the summer of 1966 and twelve year old Hal's family have moved to the small rural town of Moorabool (pop 3,560), where his father will be based as a travelling salesman for a dried food company. It's while Hal and his brother are exploring that they find an old disheveled caravan, site of a mass killing some years back, and discover a dead dog in an old drum. The dog has been mutilated before being killed and is not the first animal to have gone missing in the town. Mick Goodenough, owner of the dog is a probationary constable, new to the town after being demoted from being a Sydney detective after disagreeing about the way a serial murder case was being handled. Now he's concerned that whoever is killing animals should be found before he becomes more dangerous, but his new Sergent isn't interested in listening to him. Hal is also worried about the mysterious man who calls their mum and frightens her when their dad is away.

The suspense builds relentlessly in this well paced mystery, culminating in an explosive ending. Along the way the novel touches on the issues of racism, corruption, domestic violence, adultery and misogyny that were common in the 60s (and not so uncommon today). As well as some very creepy and unlikeable characters, Greg Woodland has created some wonderful characters. Hal is typical, inquisitive kid who fancies himself as Sherlock Holmes and his new friend, Allie is a fearless and feisty tomboy who doesn't let him down. Mick is what the perfect country policeman should be, willing to listen to everyone, follow up anything suspicious and not jump to the wrong conclusions. I really hope that there is sequel or series planned as I'd really like to see more of Mick Goodeneough and rural Australia of the 60s.

Thoroughly Entertaining. It’s great to pick up a book and be drawn into the story straight away. Greg Woodland has done a marvellous job with not only a diverse and interesting group of characters, it also had a great plot, which I found very easy to get lost amongst the pages for many enjoyable hours.
John Humphries made the decision to move his family from Sydney and transfer with his job to his hometown, Moorabool. Not that it seemed to please his wife Corrie that much as Moorabool only had a population of 3560, however their two sons Hal and Evan didn’t seem to mind to much as therre were always new adventures to experience. Mind you it was a bit concerning when Hal and Evan came across a dead dog that had been deliberately killed. Then to make matters worse John had to go on the road with his job and leave his family at home. No sooner had he left when they suddenly had a prowler hanging around the house. Something sinister seemed to be going on in the town and along with the local policeman Mick Goodenough, Hal had started his own investigation into who was killing animals and harassing his family. There is a lot to like about this book and I would certainly recommend it. 5/5 Star Rating.

Thank you to NetGalley, Greg Woodland and Text Publishing for the opportunity to read an ARC of The Night Whistler. What a thrilling, well-woven story, I couldn't put it down! Well worth losing sleep to read.

‘The dog must have been howling for a good twenty minutes before Hal climbed up on the back fence to look for it.’

1966. Hal Humphries and his younger brother Evan, together with their parents Corrie and John, have made the move to Moorabool in regional New South Wales. A new start for the family, a job promotion for John.
Hal and Evan are exploring the area near their home when they find the body of a dog. A dog that has only recently been killed and mutilated.

Probationary Constable Mick Goodenough has also recently arrived in Moorabool. And one of his dogs has gone missing. When he finds the dog’s body, he is concerned. Someone who tortures and kills animals might move onto other crimes. But Mick’s superior, Sergeant Bradley, is not interested. Mick may have once been a detective in Sydney, but he is in Moorabool on probation, under sufferance.

Hal’s father spends a lot of time away from home. While he is away, Corrie starts receiving anonymous calls, and there is a prowler around the home. Mick is the only one of the town’s policemen who take this seriously. More crimes are committed: is the dog killer escalating?

Moorabool has a dark past. Hal is fascinated by the murders that took place in the abandoned caravan and talks to his new friend Allie Tenpenny about them. But after Allie tells him something he does not want to believe; they have a falling out.

The narration is shared between Hal and Mick, who form an alliance while trying to work out what is happening. There are secrets in Moorabool: cover-ups and corruption have made it easy for some criminal activity to be ignored, and racism compounds that.

Mick learns about more animal deaths, and Hal finds the body of a murdered woman. Who killed her? Sergeant Bradley believes it was her husband: he has a confession. But there is something not right, and then Hal goes missing.

Can Mick find him?

There’s plenty of tension in this novel, and some memorable characters (especially Hal, Allie and Mick). And who is ‘The Night Whistler’? You may be surprised.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Text Publishing for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Please note this is a 3.5.

This book is another instalment in the recent string of Australian Gothic literature that has recently come into the mainstream- a development that I very much appreciate and hope turns into even more of a movement within the genre! This book is set in the 1960s in a country town in Australia, lending some important context regarding racism, as well as relationships behind the ever-elusive white picket fence.

I found the mystery itself fascinating and very much gratuitous in its descriptions of the devolution of behaviour that 'The Whistler' ended up engaging in. It was really interesting to read a mystery novel where I was truly surprised by who ended up being the perpetrator, and their motivations behind it. It was a fantastic twist, and I thought it was incredibly well done.

One of the few difficulties I found was that I struggled with the narration at times and the voices used, which made it a little hard for me to follow. However, I loved some of the characters and wished they'd had a bit more of a voice- like Ali, who was an absolute sweetheart and as sharp as a tack! The book does, however, find its strength in its setting- it is one of those titles where you can smell the air in the outback while you read. A very solid read, and well worth it, especially if you're a mystery fan.

Thankyou to NetGalley, and the author, Greg Woodland, for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of The Night Whistler in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
Such a wonderful novel, I could not put it down, well worth my reading into the wee hours. The storyline was well thought out and written. The central characters Hal and Mick were described so well and descriptive. The imagery was Also highly descriptive to the point I felt as though I become a part of the story. This is the type of novel you can’t put down as the mystery has to be solved ASAP. Definitely a 4 out of 5 novel.

This is a cracking good yarn , had me interested and page turning from the beginning. Good believable characters, so Australian and a country town setting....
Hal , the older son , fancied himself as a Sherlock Holmes and with the help of an older experienced but life-damaged cop Mick , they chip away at a series of mysterious crimes and strange happenings . Lots of action , never boring and a satisfying ending . Well done Greg Woodland !

Thank you to NetGalley, Text Publishing and the author, Greg Woodland, for an advanced reader’s copy of The Night Whistler in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.

TW: Casual, pointed, and systemic Australian-centric racism. Australian racial slurs used throughout, but there’s some good bits.
TW: Animal cruelty. All part of the plot, but there’s more than one and I was in tears.

This book is one of the best Australian books I’ve ever read. Not even a wink of hyperbole. It’s really difficult to get Australian vernacular down on the page and not let it sound naive and bogan and a joke. This book read like it was set exactly where it was: country NSW in the 60s. Truly an achievement.

The story itself is compelling, with wonderful child characters in Hal, the new kid in town, and Allie, local Aboriginal girl with a winning personality. She’s the one who tells Hal about the murders that happened in 1948 at the old abandoned caravan. Meanwhile, Hal’s dad is a cad and causes a whole lot of trouble behind the scenes. Animals have been going missing. The new demoted down to probationary constable from the “city” (Sutherland no less) loses his own dog and notices some weirdness. Who is the Whistler who keeps calling Hal’s mum?

I had no idea until it suddenly all started making sense. These are the mysteries I like the best. Not even a smelly red herring. Really brilliant.

Like the Darling River after rain, a trickle of books set in small towns in Australia has started to build into a torrent. This one, coming out of one of my favourite publishers Text Publishing, adds another new entrant onto the market. The pace moves from a slow start to a brisk ending.
Based in the late 1960s, in a fictional town in the New England area of NSW, the demoted former Detective Goodenough finds himself friendless, loveless and frustrated. A series of animal killings has him raising a warning flag that a potential murderer is in town but his boss is fat and happy with looking the other way. Goodenough's only help comes from 12 year old Hal who is fixated on Sherlock Holmes and becomes an amateur sleuth.
Surrounding these two is simmering racial and sexist bigotry of the times (not that much has changed), corruption, incompetence and the old AB telephone boxes that formed the main form of communications in the good old days.

Review This is a really entertaining read. Mick Goodenough was a senior detective in Sydney and has been banished to remote Moorabool, after havimg a fight with a more well in detective. There are two narrators, Mick, and a boy called Hal. Hal’s family has relocated to Moorabool because of his dad’s work. It is set in 1966. Hal and his brother find a dead dog that has been mutilated. They bury the dog with leaves and branches.

Mick, who recently lost his dog, finds it and worries about the level of mutilation involved but is precluded from formally investigating, as he’s the runt of the litter copper in Moorabool, and is put upon by his superior officers. Hal’s mother receives strange phone calls, weird whistling and heavy breathing.

The characters are very well drawn. I particularly liked the way Hal’s friend, Allie, is portrayed. The story moves quickly. More pets are found mutilated, and the killer moves onto humans

The writing here really appeals to me. For example, lines like: The naked bulb, a sentinel over Hal’s head, hangs on until the dawn. I also enjoyed the colloquialisms, such as Sergeant Bradley being described as being as suspicious as a chook in a reptile house!

There are a range of issues featured in this book: racism, domestic violence, adultery, etc. This is a really well written, fast paced, debut novel by Greg Woodland. I highly recommend it.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review