(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

A powerful novel set in Gallipoli, that's part war-story and part mystery. 'Amid Gallipoli's slaughter he hunted a murderer . . .'It is 1915 and Thomas Clare rues the day he and his best friend Snow went to war to solve the murder of his father. The only clues - a hidden wartime document and the imprint of an army boot on the victim's face - have led the pair from the safety of Queensland to the blood-soaked hills of Gallipoli. Now not only are Thomas's enemies on every side - from the Turkish troops bearing down on the Anzac lines, to the cold-blooded killer in his own trench - but as far away as London and Berlin. For, unbeknown to Thomas, the path to murder began thirteen years earlier in Africa with the execution of Breaker Morant - and a secret that could change the course of history...

*3.5 stars*

A mystery set against the backdrop of WW1 - sounds promising, right? And it was pretty good for the main part.

In the main, this is a mystery, a murder and a brilliantly told historical novel set against the trenches or the Great War. As a mystery, it worked pretty well - there were plenty of clues and secrets to uncover and decipher; as a murder story, it did everything it needed to do to hook me, as the reader; but its greatest strength is in the historical aspect - the author (who is an award-winning former ABC foreign correspondent) has spent a lot of time researching the time period and strikes quite a rich vein of detail that had me totally.

The characters of Tom and Snow were fantastic as well - their friendship would have been somewhat unusual in the early 20th century, I am sure (one white boy, one First Nations boy) but it worked really well - in fact, that is probably what made me enjoy their friendship and loyalty to each other.

The horror of war is perfectly illustrated in this story - the author doesn't shy from the graphic imagery or telling it like it was. It adds some real depth to the story and I appreciated that quite a lot.

Overall, a well told tale of mystery, two good friends and the horrors of war. Recommended.


Paul
ARH