Thank you Harlequin Books and Netgalley for a copy of this book!

I've always been a fan of Tara Moss's books! so I was excited to start this new series, and it did not disappoint! it was a bit slow to start but it slowly sucked me in and I couldn't out it down! Set in Sydney Australia in 1946 Dead Man Switch is about PI Billie Walker who has returned from the war in Europe not knowing if her husband is dead or alive , she is hired by a desperate mother to locate her missing son. Billie is a total Badass! and I adored her assistant Sam, this book is full of murder, mystery and suspense and I can not wait for book 2!

Dead Man Switch by Tara Moss is the first book in the Billie Walker Mystery series. This was my first book by this Aussie author and I can honestly say it won’t be my last. Right from the beginning of this book I was engrossed and intrigued so much so I didn’t want to put it down. I simply needed to know what would happen next.

If you enjoy reading books that grab your attention and has you turning the pages quickly, then this book is for you. This book was not only a wonderfully intriguing read, but the research that would’ve gone into this book really stands out. A cracking start to what looks like is going to be an outstanding series. Highly recommended.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my digital copy to read and review.

Tara Moss always hits it out of the park. Whilst Dead Man Switch, didn't quite grab me like the Mak series did, it was great to read a PI perspective in a mystery, rather than the usual detective side and the setting in Sydney back in the day - fantastic. Would love to read more so hopefully this turns into a series.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5★s

Set in 1946 as people were recovering from the war years, this historical mystery is the first in the Billie Walker Mystery series by Aussie author Tara Moss. Dead Man Switch is intriguing, fast paced and refreshingly different with Billie a Private Inquiry Agent located in Sydney at her late father’s detective agency.

Billie’s assistant, Sam Baker, an ex-soldier, was reliable and completely trustworthy and when the case of a missing seventeen-year-old was presented to them, Billie had no idea the mere search for a teen would lead them into so much danger. When the first body was discovered and Billie had to involve the police, she spoke to Detective Inspector Cooper. But would he believe her? The police didn’t often see eye to eye with private agents.

Would they find the young teen alive? Or was it already too late? And what were the other sinister events happening in the background?

After reading and enjoying the Makedde Vanderwall series by Tara Moss, I was excited to see Dead Man Switch due for release and have no hesitation in recommending it highly, while already looking forward to the 2nd in the series.

I love Tara Moss and I love her crime novels. So much so I have made people who don’t usually read at all want to purchase this fantastic crime and mystery read.

This was incredibly well researched. I could picture the well dressed lady PI! It very much felt like Miss Fisher and her policeman. A distraught mother wants to find her missing 17 year old son. But this is a much deeper story. Set as the war ends in Sydney 1946, there are still many walking wounded and rationing occurring.
An excellent start to a new series, I am looking forward to the next in this promising series.

Every now and then, I really love a good PI story, and the combination of plucky female protagonist and historical setting in post-war Sydney made this one an irresistible temptation for me! As we got introduced to Billie Walker, I got definite Kinsey Millhone vibes here (from Sue Grafton’s Alphabet series) – an independent smart woman protagonist in a man’s world, investigating the “old fashioned” way, without the help of internet or databases and the like.

I’ve read a few of Moss’ novels and like her writing style, which beautifully brought post-war Sydney to life for me. That I couldn’t fully connect to Billie is probably a case of “it’s not you, it’s me”, and seeing that this is the first of the series, a bond may yet develop later. At times I just felt that Billie’s role as independent PI did not quite gel with the general role of women at the time, a struggle that she may well have overcome but which did not really shine through for me. Perhaps I would have found it more credible had we learnt more about her humble beginnings working for her father (or someone else), than emerging as a fully fledged emancipated woman who just didn’t quite match my impression of the post-war era woman for me. As it was, I found it difficult to get into her head and to understand what motivated her to act the way she did.

Saying that, if you like a good detective story with some old fashioned sleuthing and following the clues to get to the answer at the same time the main character does (without the killer twist you will never see coming), then this is the sort of book that should be on your reading list. Post-war Sydney makes a great backdrop against a colourful cast of characters who complimented Billie’s quest to find a missing seventeen-year-old boy.

All in all, whilst I did not fully connect to the main character here, I am intrigued by this new series, especially its post-war Sydney setting, which will see me coming back for further instalments in future. Moss writes well and I look forward to Billie Walker’s next case in the hope she will grow on me just like Kinsey did all those years ago.

I've wanted to read something by Tara Moss for a long time. Thanks to NetGalley I had an opportunity. And what an opportunity it was.
Dead Man Switch did not disappoint and ticked all the boxes for me: characters, plot, setting, dynamic of narration, voice and hunger for more
Oh, how I'd love to know what happens to Billie Walker next.
Billie Walker, Private Inquiries Agent in post-war Sydney. She is also a war correspondent, a daughter of cop-turned-detecitve and a rebellous aristocrat. She is a wife to a man lost in action. She is a boss to of a handsome and devoted man... and she just turned the head of a very handsome but very professional and tight-lipped police detectove. Oh, how I'd love what happens next.
War crimes and Nazi monsters, treasures beyond measures and abused Aboriginal girls. Tara Moss does not give you rose glasses, she points and uncovers and stirs.
Dead Man Switch is all about crime and criminals. And criminals do come in lots of disguises... where does it end
Also, the yummy tidbit for us girls, are descriptions of post-war fashion. And given that Billie was given a sewing machine, a car and a Colt as birthday presents by her aristocratic but ver rebellous and ahead-of-her-time mother... we get a lot of interesting descriptions from silky stockings that cost a fortune in post-war times to tilted hats and driving gloves. And Billie makes her outfits herself. And she looks amazing even when she is... not telling

Full review published on Booklover Book Reviews website: https://bookloverbookreviews.com/2019/10/dead-man-switch-by-tara-moss-review-smart-sassy.html

What a way to welcome in a new series. Billie Walker is a sassy beautiful woman that has taken over her father's private investigation business something that was unheard of in 1946. Billie has just taken on a new client something different. All she has to do is find a young man but nothing is that simple. How did a young man that has returned back from war get involved with the dirty side of Sydney? Will Billie be able to find him before it is too late? What does the future hold for Billie,will Jack her husband ever come back from the war? Billie is a strong determined woman that wants to help others even if that means getting into trouble. A great start to a new series I am certain that will learn so much more about her life and what she hopes & dreams of. I was lucky enough to receive a copy from netgalley and the publishing house in exchange for my honest review.

Dead Man Switch is a first of a new crime series with PI Billie Walker as the private detective. Set in Sydney, Australia in 1946 it is incredibly detailed about this particular period just after the end of World War II - women had been the backbone of the country with the men in the war but once it was over there was an expectation that women would return to pre World War roles. Billie Walker reflects the women who refused to fall back to those role and is a strong independent women who is forging a career has a private investigator and with a male assistant injured during war, Sam makes them into a very interesting team. She is an incredible character who is going to be interesting to follow in this Tara Moss series.
The story itself is also captivating - while Billie normally has divorce cases to follow, a new case of a missing young man comes her way and this leads to a very complicated series of events that include gangsters and the wild side of Sydney in the late 1940s. The historical information is also incorporated into the story with one of the bad guys linked with Nazi Germany. In her Acknowledgments, Tara Moss reveals that she spent 2 years researching the historical background and this is reflected in the details of the story.
This is a very readable story and Billie is a well developed and captivating character.

Highly recommended read.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins Publishers Australia for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

This rating may very well be a reflection of “it’s not you, it’s me”. The book is well written and Tara Moss definitely knows how to set a scene, unfortunately I just didn’t personally connect with this book.

Perhaps if I had read a Tara Moss book before I might have enjoyed it more? I’ve seen reviews where people have said that this is written very much in her style - so perhaps it is just what you’re used to and connection to previous works.

“After Victory in the Pacific Day women were expected to walk out of the aviation plants and munitions factories and news offices and hospitals they’d run successfully during the war and abandon the independence of a wage to return to their kitchens, but Billie had never been one of those women, hadn’t been raised that way, and she certainly wasn’t going to bow to the pressure now.”

Dead Man Switch follows Billie Walker, an ex-war correspondent turned Private Investigator as she takes on a missing persons case in Sydney, Australia. This book says a lot about a lot, and I feel that a lot of the points raised were incredibly valid - particularly the social commentary on what a post-war society would look like and how that impacts every day life, especially from a woman’s point of view.

The book starts off very slowly and I don’t know if it ever really increases in pace, personally, because it felt like a slog just trying to get through the book regardless of where I was up to with the pages or with the plot. When I have to slog through a book with little enjoyment, I don’t tend to feel particularly rewarded when I get to the end.

Billie is a really strong, well-written female character - of which I would expect nothing less from Tara Moss. I think for fans of Tara’s previous work, this book would be a winner - unfortunately it just missed the mark for me.

Thank you to HarperCollins Publishers Australia for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dead Man Switch by Tara Moss introduces Billie Walker, an ex war correspondent now working as a private investigator in post-war Sydney, Australia.

Still grieving the absence of her photojournalist husband who is missing Europe, Billie Walker has reopened her late father’s private detective agency to support herself and her mother. As a woman in what is considered a man’s world, work has been slow, but a missing persons case is about to change all that.

With her 'Fighting Red' lipstick, elegant attire, and a pearl handled Colt strapped to her thigh, Billie is an appealing lead character. Feisty, clever and resourceful, she is a dogged investigator who doesn’t shy away from the more unseemly aspects of the job, and proves she can hold her own when threatened. Billie is ably assisted by Sam, a returned serviceman who acts as her secretary, among other things. Young and handsome, he sports some scars from his time at war, and admires his employer.

Though I felt Dead Man Switch got off to somewhat of a slow start, I soon found myself caught up in the intrigue. The mystery of the missing teenager is well plotted,
taking unexpected turns, colliding with murder, theft, war crimes, and a personal vendetta. There are scenes of exciting action, including a street brawl, a gun fight, and a car chase, along with tense moments of confrontation.

Moss deftly evokes post war NSW, moving between the inner city and the Blue Mountains. Set in 1946, the author incorporates the social issues of the day including rationing, sexism, and racism.

I am really looking forward to reading more mysteries featuring Billie Walker, Dead Man Switch is an entertaining and thrilling read.

Dead Man Switch is written in Tara Moss's typical style (why use just one adjective when you can use two or even three) and with a main character who seems to be really Makkede Vanderwall set in a different time period. However I can overlook all of that because the story is great, Billie turns out to be a fantastic character and, after a slowish start, the book really romps home.

I loved the setting of Sydney and its surrounds. I had high tea recently myself at the Hydro Majestic which I can say has been beautifully restored and has the most magnificent views. I agree with Billie that the champagne is good too. Billie and Sam made a good team and I wondered if he was going to be the romantic male lead. Or will it be the policeman? Or will her husband come back?

Altogether it turned out to be a very entertaining read with lots of promise for future books in the series.

“’He looks a lot more like a body rolled in a rug than I was hoping.’ Ella observed quietly as she and Alma inspected their handiwork. ‘Let's hope we don't run into any neighbours or the next tenant meeting will be hell.’”

Dead Man Switch is the first book in the Billie Walker Mystery series by award-winning Australian/Canadian author, Tara Moss. It’s 1946 in Sydney, and the climate favours returned servicemen in jobs while the women who filled those roles during the war are relegated to domestic duties. Formerly a war journalist, Billie Walker’s current profession is already seen as a masculine one, so she’s going emphatically against the grain by running her deceased father’s private inquiry business.

But there’s a call for female investigative agents: obtaining evidence to allow wives to divorce errant husbands makes up the majority of her work, but Mrs Netanya Brown has come about her missing seventeen-year-old son, Adin. “A good boy”, she insists. Billie intuitively knows there’s something not being said, but a near empty work agenda means she can hardly be choosy. She takes the case.

Meanwhile, her confidential informant asks her to look into the welfare of four young women from her mob who have been assigned to work for a man in the lower Blue Mountains. And just why is Vincenzo Moretti, a PI with a grudge against the late Barry Walker, watching her flat?

Moss gives the reader a fast-paced plot filled with intrigue, some nasty villains and a heart-thumping climax. With mentions of fashion, petrol rationing, disfigured veterans, social attitudes and the scarcity of certain commodities, Moss easily evokes the era and ambience of immediate post-war Sydney.

Billie is feisty and determined, and manages to hold her own, although she does end up ruining several frocks and quite a lot of (difficult to come by) stockings. Luckily, she’s a dab hand with a sewing machine as well as a lockpick and her little Colt 908.

Moss gives Billie a marvellous support cast, with a hint of sexual tension between Billie and two of the male characters and occasional moments of dark humour. Some background matters remain unresolved, no doubt to be addressed in later books. Certainly, more of this excellent post-war Aussie noir series will be most welcome.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley, Better Reading Preview and Harper Collins Australia.

Being a massive fan of Tara Moss' previous series - Mak Vanderwall and Pandora English - I jumped at the chance to read the first book in a new crime series. Dead Man Switch did not disappoint. In fact I stayed up way past my bedtime last night to finish it. It is a book that I could not put down. Billie Walker is a fantastic new character and I look forward to spending more time getting to know her in the future.

This is a crime series with a difference for me. Set in Sydney in 1946 after the war - Billie Walker returned from being a reporter in Europe when her father was ill. She has re-opened his private investigation firm and is working to help the people of Sydney. Mostly she is dealing with cheating spouses but a new case has just landed on her desk. A distraught mother wants Billie to find her missing teenage son. Along with her trusty assistant Sam they start looking into the boys last known movements. This leads them down a dark path dealing with the city's most dangerous people. How did a young boy get caught up in Sydney's underworld and where is he? As well as this Billie has been asked to help a friend who believes members of her family are in danger from a man in the Blue Mountains. It is all go for Billie.

Whilst reading this book I had a very clear picture of Billie's world in 1946 Sydney. Tara Moss' research has created a scene that you find yourself immersed in. Being a Sydney girl myself I could see the areas Billie and Sam were working in - trying to picture in a few decades ago of course. The buildings, the fashion, the attitudes of people, it was all there. Billie has her fans but at the same time she is a working woman in an era when this is still frowned on. Not only that but she is doing a man's job in many peoples eyes.

Billie and Sam are both intriguing characters. Both have returned from the war scarred in more ways than one. There is still so much more to their stories. Billie married Jack, a photo journalist during the war but he is missing. She is still holding onto hope that he will return to her. I hope that we will learn more about Jack and what has happened to him in future books.

Billie herself is a strong, feisty, very attractive and determined young lady. She has to be to work in the world that she does. She does not take no for an answer and can't leave things alone. She needs to find out why and how. I love this about her, although it can get her into trouble.

So in case you hadn't realised yet I absolutely loved this book! I highly recommend it to all crime readers, historical fiction readers will also love the step back in time.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Harper Collins Australia for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.

1946, post-war Sydney and Billie Walker has come home to take over her father's PI business after her death. Prior to that she worked with her photojournalist husband in warn torn Europe but he disappeared after she left to return to Sydney and is presumed dead. With most women leaving their war time jobs to allow returning servicemen to work, she's considered a curiosity, particularly in a career with few women at the helm. But Billie with her 'Fighting Red' lipstick, elegant clothes and little pearl handled gun strapped to her thigh is well equipped for the job. She also has her male assistant Sam, a returned serviceman to help when needed.

Most of Billie's business has been divorce cases but things get a bit more exciting when a women hires her to find her missing 17 year old son. Hot on his trail, she soon finds he's stumbled into something very dangerous indeed and wonders if she will find him alive.

In Billie Walker, Tara Moss has created a terrific feisty, cool-headed, sexy lady PI who I trust we'll see a lot more of in the future. With a few nods to the Golden age of detective fiction, this is more than a cosy crime with some very serious crimes and criminals involved. The author's meticulous research into how people behaved and places looked and felt during the 1940s gives them the ring of authenticity, with the action occuring at several sites in Sydney and the Blue Mountains with detailed descriptions of landmarks and buildings that those familiar with Sydney will recognise. Recommended for all those who enjoy a good historical mystery.

DNF 26%

A big thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins Australia and Author Tara Moss for this ARC.

I’m not sure why this book didn’t hold my interest because it ticked so many boxes.
Aussie Author I’ve read before ✔️
Set in my hometown Sydney ✔️
References to WWII ✔️
Mystery ✔️

I found the pacing slow and the flashbacks to the past interrupted the flow of the story in the present. But to be honest I wanted to know what happened to Jack back in Austria during WWII more than I did to Adin Brown - Billie’s current case.

Then we have the added mystery about Frank the strange man in the big house in Upper Colo ......this was yet another thread and maybe it was too much and making it busy....

It was very descriptive and I could easily visualise the location, the attire and the setting the author was trying to convey.

Firstly, loved the cover!

Secondly, it kinda reminded me of Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs series... albeit set a couple of decades later (in comparison between first books) and in different countries BUT that is the best thing about this book, it is set in my own backyard or rather Sydney & the Blue Mountains. I recognised all the landmarks and that was just added an extra layer of sweetness to this novel.

I must admit though that it meant I did a lot of comparing between Billie Walker (the protagonist in this novel) to Maisie Dobbs and while there are a number of similarities (eg. losing their loves to war, setting up private investigation agencies, injured returned soldier as assistant, etc), there were enough differences that I could appreciate especially the fashion (!) If you love fashion in novels, in combination with mysteries, you'd love this book.

Billie Walker is working hard to push her grief aside. She's also working hard because things are tough after the war; everyone is looking for work & are mostly strapped for cash. At the same time, she also loves her work. She loves solving puzzles and seeing justice served. She's a character one can easily loved. It was also quite easy to love the secondary characters from her toff mother, her most reliable assistant, to the enigmatic detective inspector; Moss has created a most appealing set of characters.

The mystery itself was pretty interesting and the author has done well in connecting the dots. I do love the car chase scene and Billie's overall capability as a private investigator. There is no bumbling about like an amateur, she's all professional.

There were 2 things which I found a little bit weird... Instead of using words like 'gut instinct' or 'intuition', she used 'little woman'. There was a paragraph in the book explaining why she's chosen this phrase of 'little woman' but really, it just didn't sit right with me. Maybe I've just got a dirty mind (?) because when we have a male protag and he refers to 'little me', he's usually referring to his private parts. Can I just say that I therefore automatically applied the same meaning and had to work really hard to steer myself in the right direction? That was just too strange.

Also, there were too much 'looking into people's eyes' - not staring as such but Billie seems to like to make sure she's looking into whoever's eyes a lot... but then again, I read an uncorrected proof so maybe there have been some changes since.

Dead Man Switch was an absolute delight to read. I loved walking through Sydney in the 40s in the high-heeled shoes of a fashionable, capable & brave young woman. If you love historical mystery set in Australia or those like Maisie Dobbs series, I'd highly recommend that you get on board with Billie Walker!

Thanks to HarperCollins AU via Netgalley for ecopy of book in exchange of honest review

Living in a post WW2 man’s world, Billie is an independent free thinking woman. During the war she worked as a journalist in Europe, where she fell in love with Jack, a press photographer, who hasn’t been seen for years presumed dead.

Upon her return to Australia, Billie is working as a Private Inquiry Agent after taking over her Fathers business. The case she is employed to solve is that of a missing young man, and, like all good detective novels everything isn’t as straight forward as it seems.

I believe this to be an incredibly accurate portrayal of what life would have been like for women during this time. I really appreciated the eye to detail and the amount of research involved must have been staggering. I really did feel like I was a part of post war Sydney.

I am excited to read more adventures of Billie Walker.