William Smith*
High Beam
A D.I. Mahoney Mystery
by S J Brown
Xlibris
Brad Finch, star recruit of the Tassie Devils football team and bit of a chick magnet, has been found dead in a trench on a Kingston building site. The ensuing investigation, led by D. I. John Mahoney, turns over a lot of stones revealing some corrupt characters in different walks of life, each intent on protecting one another’s back.
As the blurb with the book says … Something is very rotten in the state of Tasmania.
This will sound familiar … D.I. Mahoney is an outsider in his hometown of Hobart. Disillusioned by his private life and shocked by the corruption he unearths, he queries his capacity to continue in the job.
He must decide if he has the courage to “speak truth to power.”
Along the way, S J Brown comments on (has a dig at) many aspects of Tasmanian life from the state of Hobart modern architecture to the corporatisation of sport.
He describes a footy function at the Elwick Racecourse:
“All and sundry were in attendance: all and sundry from the well-heeled end of town, that is. Without fail, various business owners, department heads from the public service and parliamentarians had accepted invitations to the gala event.
The middle-aged men and women who believed they exerted influence hovered together or simply threw their noses in the trough.
The Sports Minister looked as though he’d already enjoyed a long lunch before arriving for the 6pm function.
Aside from this group were the players, laughing and drinking with a bevy of local beauties … Everyone wanted in on the act so any company associated with hospitality was donating product and services.
The whole Bacchanalian frenzy would not cost the club a cent … Great deal for the club. Randall could not fault the acumen of Rory Fotheringham. He may have concerns about the man’s scruples but he sure knew how to get things done … to people’s advantage. Principally his own, of course, but the flow-on effect to the club was beneficial.
In front of him the lurid face of modern sport was playing out. The prosperous identities who had already booked the corporate boxes for every home game this season. The second tier supporters who would pay through the nose to attend match day functions … The media which helped fuel the frenzy of attention that came with local participation in the big league. The players with their lucrative contracts that ensured they needn’t be distracted by everyday jobs … Living the dream.”
This well-paced thriller builds up the tension, even though the reader is not in the dark as to who is behind the murder.
The author has a sharp, interrogative look at how influence is wielded in a small city, where everyone seems to know everyone else and where that knowledge gives people power over the lives of others.
*William Smith is a retired former teacher …
