Death at Booroomba (AL Booth, Ventura Press)

On the eve of his deployment to the Western Front in 1915, Jack O’Rourke has a chance encounter with an elderly Russian man, Samuel Lomond, that will profoundly impact his future. When Jack returns home in 1919, he is a changed man – traumatised by the death of his best friend and carrying both psychological and physical wounds from the Battle of the Somme. He learns that Samuel has been murdered and, in his will, bequeathed Booroomba, his property in the hinterland in Eden, NSW, to him. But Eden isn’t as idyllic as its name suggests: new arrivals from non-English or Irish backgrounds are suspected by locals of being Bolsheviks or Jews rather than refugees fleeing revolutionary Russia, while unmarried women, such as newspaper editor Tess Allingham, attract unfavourable attention. As Jack attempts to solve Sam’s murder, he must also confront his own trauma, as well as the conspiracies, bias and jealousy surrounding his inheritance. In Death at Booroomba, AL Booth (Stillwater Creek) employs meticulous research and deft characterisation to depict the prejudice and parochialism of post-war rural Australia, where change is met with unease and wariness. Booth uses the murder of an ‘outsider’ to bring these hidden currents to the surface as suspicion and fear fracture a peaceful community. Death in Booroomba excels with detailed accuracy, genuine characters, and a fast-paced murder plot. It should appeal to fans of Judy Nunn’s historical fiction.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Katy Briggs is a marketer with a degree in English and history. She is an avid reader across myriad genres. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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