Gemini Falls by Sean Wilson is an impressive debut book and I highly recommend giving it a read. With beautiful writing, intriguing characters and a captivating story set in the depression era of 1930’s Victoria, it really did transport me back to a time in history I didn’t know too much about before now.

The book is written from the perspective of “anxious by nature” 13 year old Morris Turner, who is growing up in a world which has many harsh realities to deal with such as the polio epidemic, unemployment camps and the increased movement of people in communities trying to provide for their families. His father, Jude Turner, is a detective in the city where they live but a murder of a young girl in the country town he grew up in, Gemini, makes him move his family (Morris & his older sister, Lottie) back to his family farm to work the case.

In Gemini, Morris forges friendships with his headstrong, tomboyish cousin Flo and her friend, Sam, who upon hearing all the rumors running rife through the small town about who could have committed this murder decide to do some detective work of their own to uncover the killer. They are quick to discover that everyone has secrets in Gemini including those closest to them.

I really enjoyed this historical coming of age story with a murder mystery woven in. Seeing this world through Morris’s young and naïve eyes gave a perfect lightness to what could have been quite a dark read given the historical period. I loved seeing him develop throughout the book and really enjoyed the star gazing references that helped Morris understand the world around him.

Thanks to Netgalley and Affirm Press for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

'Gemini Falls' by Sean Wilson is a slow burn of a novel. Not only are we patiently awaiting the discovery of the killer, we are waiting to see the truth about the town and it's hold on the people living there.
Set during the start of the Great Depression, the difficulties of this time are slowing revealed as the story unfolds.
Morris's father is a detective who is called back to his small hometown Gemini Falls, it becomes clear that Jude Turner left with no desire to return. As his father tries to uncover who the murderer is, Morris and his cousin Flo, along with her friend Sam do their own detective work into the crime.
Touching on the fear the time and the pressures of living during the start of a depression, 'Gemini Falls' is an engaging mystery for those who love Australian crime.

~ This book has a trigger warning for DV and mental health crises ~

The year is 1930. The Great Depression has left its mark, and the Polio epidemic is starting to run through the population.
Thirteen year old Morris Turner has spent his life in suburban Melbourne, with his father Jude and older sister Lottie. When his detective father receives word of a murder in his hometown of Gemini, the three of them relocate to the family farm so Jude can lead the investigation.

Morris meets relatives he never knew existed and soon he and his new-found friends are searching for their own clues to find the killer - uncovering more secrets than they bargained for along the way.

Woven throughout are fables of the stars, helping young Morris make sense of a world that doesn't always make sense.

This was an enthralling coming-of-age, murder-mystery, historical novel. Told through the eyes of thirteen year old Morris, it has a refresh charm and naïevity to the words that belie the grim content they bear witness to. The descriptive passages conjure the sights and smells of a small, Depression era country town. The characters are well written and the book speaks to the way gossip becomes truths and how people can be incited to a mob. Prejudice, domestic violence, mental health crises, are also addressed, alongside compassion, kindness and friendship.

I was hooked from the first couple of pages, and kept reading far too late into the nights, wanting to know what happened next. Its a page turner, and well worth the read.

~ Many thanks to Netgalley for providing an advance copy of this book. This review is my own, unbiased opinion ~

Jude Turner, a detective with Victoria Police, is bringing up his children alone, Morris and older sister Charlotte. Jude has never spoken of the past, or his wife’s death to anyone.

There is a murder in Gemini Falls and Detective Turner is sent to investigate. The family now have to go to Gemini Falls where the Turner family originated. They will be staying on the family farm with Uncle Jimmy, Aunt Beth and cousin Flo, who Morris and Charlotte have never previously met.

It is during the depression and with no jobs, there are many people with not enough to live on who are camping in the bush. Shops are empty and rubbish fills the gutters. Men living on sustenance; sullen dirty people barely surviving and children clothed in sacks.

An exciting murder mystery combined with a graphic insight of life during the depression years. Loved this book and could not put it down to the shocking end.

It was interesting to hear 13 year old Morris telling this story. From the start I was drawn to his voice, at once naive and wise. The way the mystery unfolded and Morris got to discover not only himself but his family and his mother were at times lyrical and moving, and often with a hint of danger. For me, the Australian bush and the depression era were only slightly overstated but I don't need a lot of description, and Sean Wilson evoked the small town and its inhabitants placing me right in the middle of it. It also made me think about the way we deal with the things we don't want to face or remember; that this has an impact on everyone around us and how even in a small town where you think you know everyone... you don't. Reading it reminded me that our interpretation of what's going on is always predicated on our experiences. So a thought-provoking and engaging mystery with a twist. Recommended.

Slow to start, but once I was hooked, I had to find out what happened. Who did it? Why? How many lives would be impacted by the revelations?
This is a great mystery shrouded in a young mans journey to finding himself.
Morris is a quiet, mouselike kid before his father moves them to Gemini to solve the murder of a young woman.
Dragged along into a side investigation by his tomboyish cousin Flo, and her thespian wannabe friend Sam, Morris becomes a different kid.
The mystery of the killer, as told from Morris’ POV, was enough to sustain the plot, though seeing it from his father’s perspective would have been good too. How did Jude uncover the killer just in time to save his next victim?

The historical (1930’s) setting seemed realistic and well researched. The polio scare and Phar Lap’s cup win added to the authenticity.

This was a good book and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

I received a copy via NetGalley and all opinions are my own.

This is a lovely read. It’s told from the perspective of Morris, a perceptive and sensitive 12 year old. He has an older sister, Lottie. Their dad is a detective.

It’s set in 1930 during the polio epidemic, and there is an undercurrent of fear and blaming of others for spreading the epidemic. It’s a murder story set in small town Australia. It’s not only a murder story though. It’s also the story of a family. The children’s mum has been dead for years and there is a mystery surrounding her death.

The dad goes to a nearby small town to investigate the murder of a young woman. The kids go with him and stay with their aunt and uncle. It’s a town steeped in prejudice and begrudging behaviour. There’s a great scene in a hotel where the owner is nasty, judgmental, and condescending about some poor kids begging nearby. The dad gets a bag of scones from her, gives some to the kids she had scorned and gets them to wave the scones at her from outside the window.

The dead woman’s father, Will is physically abusive to the mum, Mary. Morris and his friends see this but they don’t know how to handle it; who to tell, how to explain how they saw it happening, etc. As Morris is the narrator, sometimes it’s unclear as to what’s really happening given that the story is told from a 12 year old’s perspective.

Morris, his sister Lottie , friends, and cousins are keen to solve the murder mystery. There’s an uncle Jimmy in the story who is a horrible person, Eamon a diamond in the rough local boy who Lottie gets involved with, and other interspersing characters.

The story is very well written. It’s part a coming of age story for Morris. The story would have been a lot darker had it not been told from a child’s perspective. Wilson handles some sensitive issues really well. We ultimately find out what happened to the children’s mum, just as we find out what happened to Catherine.

This is a short, engaging read. I recommend this book to others. Many thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An interesting murder mystery set in the 1930s depression period in Melbourne and rural Australia. It is told from the perspective of a 13 year old boy who is trying to solve a murder being investigated by his detective father. The plot unfolds at a gentle pace with a lot of family dynamics in play. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of the night sky and insight into life during the 1930s.

It is a balancing act when writing an adult book from the point of view of a child. With the exception of some occasional banter between the children, Gemini Falls manages this well.

The story is set during the depression and you feel the desperation of both the homeless people and the locals trying to hang on. It is a classic whodunit set during an unusual time in history.

This historical mystery is set during the Great Depression and travels from the inner suburbs of Melbourne to country NSW. The main protagonist is 13 and considered unworldly and naive by his friends so characters explain things to him (and the reader). The characters are likeable, settings are well described, and the mystery unfurled at a good pace. There were some instances in the first few chapters where the paragraphs jumped around making it difficult to follow who was speaking or what was going on, but this smoothed out as the story got going. Overall an enjoyable read.

Sean Wilson, a brilliant new Australian crime writer deserves all the accolades this novel will win. Gemini Falls is a masterpiece of writing and a sensational story. The novel grabs you and will not let you go - it grows and expands, thrills and surprises, and delivers right to the final page. You are taken on an historical investigative journey, to find justice in 1930 Australia during the great depression. I award the novel ten stars but give a well-deserved five stars.