- Published: 21 August 2013
- ISBN: 9780670077533
- Imprint: Viking
- Format: Trade Paperback
- Pages: 288
- RRP: $34.99
Zero at the Bone
- Published: 21 August 2013
- ISBN: 9780670077533
- Imprint: Viking
- Format: Trade Paperback
- Pages: 288
- RRP: $34.99
The plot is unexpected and intriguing, the action intense, but best of all is Whish-Wilson's ability to draw characters so familiar they could be next-door neighbours. Beautifully written ... An absorbing read and thoroughly recommended if you love a great story. You won't want to put this one down until the very last page.
West Australian
A tightly plotted, well-textured story of shady figures contesting a lease at the beginning of the mining boom ... Whish-Wilson's characterisation is strong. The story is something of a humdinger too, fast-paced, complex and with some excellent twists ... Quality crime.
Ed Wright, Weekend Australian
Zero at the Bone delivers on a whole series of levels. There's puzzle solving, a bit of good old-fashioned detecting, a great sense of place and time and a solid dose of common sense at the heart of much of the investigation. There's also a resolution that plays out in a rather surprising but somehow completely apt manner. The central character is an attractive lone wolf, with a strong Australian identity, and the time frame of the late 1970s is perfectly drawn. All in all there's a great deal to like about Zero at the Bone.
Newtown Review of Books
Whish-Wilson's prose is muscular and spartan, propelling the reader through pages like a baby on a catapult.
Stephen Pollock, Perth Voice
A gritty and utterly absorbing read ... A wonderful snapshot of a particular point in time, complete with daggy cars, long lunches and dodgy entrepreneurs. I'll be going back for more.
Maryanne Hyde, Good Reading
Classic crime noir ... Frank Swann is a flawed but sympathetic anti-hero whose experience has fostered a jaundiced view of government, power, and the law. A cynical idealist, he knows that his society is corrupt, but continues to hold a belief in justice ... Swann seems destined to return.
Wendy Were, Australian Book Review
The tone of a hard-boiled detective novel with a distinctly Australian twist ... Entertaining, gritty and provocative ... I am sure Frank Swann will be back and I'm looking forward to it.
Book'd Out
An intense and distinctive sense of place ... A deep concern with the integrity of those who administer law and order ... The novel's final twist sees some very satisfying come-uppancing.
Katharine England, The Advertiser (Adelaide)
Some of the most exciting crime fiction in Australia at the moment is coming out of the West ... If you want proof, look no further than Zero at the Bone ... A riveting crime story ... Taut and lyrical.
Andrew Nette, Crime Factory
Highly recommended.
South Coast Register
A distinctly Australian yet all-consuming crime fiction novel that grips the reader from page one and demands attention through to its violent conclusion ... David Whish-Wilson is a force to be reckoned with.
fairdinkumcrime.com
A brilliant crime/detective thriller with a strong sense of place and time. It's gripping, written in a sparse, exciting manner and will both surprise and intrigue you ... An excellent and entertaining novel that crime fans will devour.
Debbie Phillips, The Chronicle (Toowoomba)
Excellent ... Unexpected and intriguing ... You won't put this one down until the very last page.
Farm Weekly
Satisfying turns [hold] narrative interest in a complex plot ... This heavily researched and painstaking attention to detail skilfully captures the essence of Perth in the late 1970s and bodes well for Whish Wilson.
ABR