Queenstown author David Cole has been inspired by them to cleverly draw many of his characters in Eyes of Madness. However, the laws of libel and unfilled building site foundations means you won't be able to identify them. Nevertheless, those familiar with this colourful period in New South Wales history will no doubt google certain names, checking to see if they are still of this world. I did.
This first-time novel, a wonderfully descriptive compelling read, is not just about the darker side of Sydney, though. It delves further back to the final days of World War 2, setting a baseline from which storylines develop, cross and intertwine.
The central character is Canadian Kathryn Novak, on the outside a young, dynamic and successful Crown prosecutor, five years into building a new life in Australia. Privately, she carries a burden and fights the demons arising from a troubled and loveless childhood dominated by orphanages and foster homes. But life in her new home town of Sydney is good; her courtroom reputation growing with each new case and a private life, if not fulfilled, certainly active.
Then comes the but. Or rather news the mother she never knew has died. A subsequent trip to Canada and the unlocking of secrets of her mother's past sets up the reader for the main thrust of the story.
Back in Australia, the pace picks up, the twists develop and the surprises unfold. There's a visit to Melbourne in search of the man who could be her father. And in Sydney, life gets more complicated, as she follows a trail that takes her to the higher echelons of the city's establishment, law enforcement and villainy. Oh, and she finds love.
This is a great first effort. Is there enough left in the Kathryn Novak character for a sequel? I hope so.
- Peter Donaldson is ODT deputy news editor.
