4.5★s
The Night Whistler is the first novel by Australian author, Greg Woodland. The dog has been cruelly killed, and the boys are shocked, but there by the creek Hal and his little brother, Evan can’t dig a grave, so they cover it with leaves. When Probationary Constable Mick Goodenough tracks down his missing Alsatian cross, he feels sickened, but from the mutilations he can see it immediately for what it is, and takes careful note.

His rank of Probationary Constable belies his knowledge and experience as a former Detective Sergeant with Homicide in the city, and Mick recognises the makings of a psychopath when he sees them. His sergeant at Moorabool Police Station, Jeff Bradley is quite comfortable in his niche and isn’t going to let a blow-in from Sydney tell him how and what to investigate: this is 1966 and that fancy new psychological rubbish has no place in his rural New England town.

Twelve-year-old Hal Humphries, Evan and his mum are new in town; dad’s going to be on the road out west with his sales supervisor job, but one of his colleagues at Prime Foods is keeping an eye in the Humphries family. But that doesn’t prevent the crank calls they’re getting: someone whistling, heavy breathing and saying disturbing things. Mum is upset, especially when there seems to be a prowler near the house at night, but Sergeant Bradley is dismissive….

Mick Goodenough is concerned, though, even more so when the harassment steps up and another mutilated animal is involved. And if he can’t get Bradley to take it seriously, he’ll just have to do it himself, in between the time-wasting chores his boss earmarks for his attention.

Australian rural crime fiction is becoming a very popular genre, and this one is a gem. Woodland easily captures the setting and era: the bush, the heat and the flies are almost palpable; the indolence of the long school holidays in the Australian summer, when childrearing was the polar opposite of helicopter parents and kids roamed free, will strike a cheery chord with many; the time when beer was the refreshment of choice, even at the police station, and when racism was blatant, is less likely to induce nostalgia.

Woodland gives the reader a plot that brims with tension and malice; red herrings and distractions have the reader flitting between likely perpetrators until the pennies finally drop and the story races headlong into a nail-biting climax. His characters are likeable or despicable as required; bespectacled, underestimated Hal and quietly intelligent Mick make a great team. This is an excellent debut novel from an author to watch, and more of Mick Goodenough will be most welcome. Highly recommended!
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Text Publishing

A great Australian read set in 1960s rural Australia. A family of four are new to the area and the tale has a dramatic start with suspense that will keep you hooked all the way to the end. Hal, along with his aboriginal friend and the police constable with a troubled past all try to solve who is ‘The Night Whistler’. This book has likeable, relatable characters and the authors style will have you empathising with them from the get go. It’s suspenseful, dramatic and also heart-warming. A terrific debut novel. Recommended.

<b>The Night Whistler</b> was a  captivating murder mystery novel written by Greg Woodland, and the fact it was his debut makes it all the more impressive.   

Set in the late 1960's in the small Australian town of Moorabool, I particularly enjoyed the sense of time and place the author created.   Mind you, regional Australia was not cast in the most positive light.   The Aboriginals in the township were treated poorly and discrimination  was accepted as the norm.  Infidelity was common and the police were worse than incompetent.    Being set in the 1960's readers got a glimpse of pre-technology Australia.   A time when the man of the house seemingly ruled the roost.    When, after a boozy social event the man would get behind the wheel of his prized vehicle and drive the wife and kids home, without the benefit of seatbelts.    Unfortunately, many of these things are taken straight from the pages of our history.    

I digress, these were some of the things that created a genuine atmosphere and painted a picture of the fabric of society.    Even though they were not all positive they helped set the scene for the murder mystery.     The title of the book, The Night Whistler, was a reference to a crank caller.  An anonymous male who phoned the Humphries home,  whistling a tune and sending messages designed to scare the family.     When said caller escalated his behaviour and started prowling the home at night, looking in windows many of the police were blase.   <blockquote><i>‘What’s he actually done to these people? Couple of nuisance calls, pinched some washing—’....   ‘He’s a snowdropper, Mick. We’ve had them before. They’re show ponies. Want your attention. You don’t give it to them, they get tired of it and go. Away.’ </i></blockquote>

Whilst there were many characters in the story the two main characters were Hal Humphries, a twelve year old boy and Mick Goodenough, currently a probationary constable at the Moorabool police station.    Both Mick & Hal had vested interests in identifying the culprit.    Mick had previously been a detective on a high profile murder case but as punishment for an indiscretion was demoted and sent to Moorabool.    Soon after arriving in Moorabool one of his dogs was savagely murdered.    With his detective background he knew psychopathic killers often start with animals and progress to humans but his colleagues were not interested..   Hal on the other hand just wants his family to be safe.   With his father often away on work as a travelling salesman Hal is the man of the house.   When most police showed no interest he didn't know what he could do to protect his mother and younger brother.  It was then Hal and Mick managed to join forces and this was central to the story.

One of the things I liked most was the friendship that developed between Hal and Allie a young aboriginal girl.    Hal was not tainted with the same prejudice against aboriginals other's in the township were and these two pre-teens enjoyed spending time together.   There was one episode where the friendship was tested and Hal failed badly, stooping to the lows others regularly displayed and calling her a derogatory name.   It was refreshing to see how distraught he felt over his behaviour and I was glad that by the end of the book they had reconciled.

I'd have to say, this book did contain more violence than I'd normally be comfortable with.    Ugly acts against both animals and people were described so that was confronting for me but I'll admit I have a low threshold for violence so it may not disturb other readers.   The violence was not excessive and definitely helped build the tension and a feeling of urgency to locate the killer.   As I was reading I had a hunch I may know the identity of the killer but at no stage did I guess at the reason.    It all came together at the end and I am pleased to have discovered this new Aussie author.

My thanks to Greg Woodland, Text Publishing  and NetGalley for the opportunity of reading this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Night Whistler was distinctly an Australian crime story set in the 1960’s in Moorabool, regional Victoria. The characters are extraordinary and memorable in this gripping murder mystery.

Detective Mick Goodenough has been demoted from Sydney and banished to this hick rural town as a constable on probation. Eighteen and a half years ago there was a family murder-suicide that stunned the town and the creepy ancient caravan the murders occured in is still sitting vacant on a ridge.

Mick together with twelve year old Hal are the narrators for this story and they come together when Hal’s mum begins to receive menacing phone calls from an unknown person. Hal and his young brother, Evan find a mutilated dog that has been tortured to death and soon after more of the locals pets start disappearing and eventually dead bodies begin to turn up.

With violence, racism, adultery, kidnapping, corruption and murder, there is never a dull moment in this small town.

I loved the detail and the Aussie slang like ‘fine as a fairy’s fart’ and 'her teeth parted and another bray escaped.' The murderer reveal, well that was a surprise! This was an excellent debut novel from Greg Woodland and a highly recommended read.


I wish to thank NetGalley & Text Publishing for an advanced copy to read in return for an honest review

A few years ago, Jane Harper released a sensational Australian rural noir book, The Dry, which kickstarted a run of very good murder mystery novels set in the outback/small towns of Australia. This book is a worthy addition to that list.

Set in the mid 1960's in a small town in New South Wales, Australia, this novel has all the hallmarks of a classic crime novel: a series of violent crimes worries the locals; one resident gets a series of increasingly threatening phone calls from a mystery person who just whistles in the phone; a disgraced cop from the big city - but the aspect of this story that drew me in the most was the setting. I may very well be biased but I think some of these rural noir novels are some of the best reads regarding getting a "sense of place" - really feeling like you are there.

Other highlights:
* if you have ever lived in a small town like this, you will relate to the characters immediately. Allie is quite possibly the best of them.
* The story doesn't shy away from the negative side of Australian life in those days - casual racism, domestic violence, adultery etc. (Not that things are much better now...)
* The mystery itself - "Who is the Night Whistler?" - is actually incredibly cleverly concocted and certainly took me by surprise. Like a lot of readers of crime fiction, we are hard to surprise but this book certainly did that for me.

The only small complaint I had about this book was the opening quarter of the book. It was quite slow. I almost quit once. Absolutely glad I stuck with it, but it is worth noting that anyone picking this up and finding the start a bit slow - KEEP GOING! The payoff is certainly worth it.

No problem recommending this one!


Paul
ARH

I will admit that this book was slow to start and I almost did stop reading BUT I’m so glad I kept going as this ended up being a great crime read with some really well written characters and a suspenseful end! The book covers a range of topics including racism, adultry and domestic violence and I think Greg did an excellent job of portraying 1960s rural Australia accurately in this book - you definitely feel like you are right there in the small town! I also love books that use dual points of view and I thought both Hal and Mick were great narrators. Overall a great debut from Greg Woodland!
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Thank you to Netgalley and Text Publishing for this advanced digital copy to read and review ✨

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Night Whistler by Greg Woodland.

Set in rural Australia, Hal and his little brother are horrified to find a dead dog where they are playing, and he didn't die of natural causes. It has become apparent in their small community that there is someone very troubled among them, and his crimes are beginning to escalate.

Mick Goodenough (Good-no) is a seasoned constable who has just been demoted and constantly berated by his peer officers. When he hears of the stalking and harassing of Hal's family, he is determined to find who is terrorizing them. But his fellow officers aren't as concerned, and hold him back every chance they get.

It took me a second, but once I was into it, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I liked the complex characters, and the twisty story. It had some light social commentary of the atmosphere and racial inequities in that area of Australia. It's something I haven't learned much about, so it interested, and saddened me. Overall an enjoyable and well written read.

Due to his father’s job, Hal, his brother Evan, his mom and his dad just moved to the Middle-of-Nowhere, Australia...population 3,650. While Hal’s dad goes away on business trips, the family that’s left at home receives creepy phone calls at night...a man, whistling...then asking if his mom wants him to kill for her. In addition to the frightening calls, a prowler stalks around their house at night. When will Hal’s dad come back from his business trip, and is the prowler the same man as “The Whistler (as Hal seemed him)?” What do The Prowler and The Whistler want? As other murderous events begin to happen, Hal knows that he and his family are about to find out...
му тнσυgнтѕ: I literally could NOT stop reading this!!! When I had to stop, I was sorely disappointed. Greg Woodland’s writing style is detailed enough so that you, as the reader, believe that you are right in the story along with Hal. Australian slang is prevalent in this book, which I absolutely loved (I’m a big “Wordie”), and the big reveal as to who’s been stalking the family is shocking. You won’t to miss this book!

A small rural town in New South Wales, Australia which is slow, hot and generally boring.

Mick Goodenough (pronounced Good- no) is new to town as a probationary constable after things went wrong for him as a Sydney Detective and he Is surrounded by country police who haven’t got his experience and who seen to resent his presence. When Mick’s dog goes missing it sets off a series of seemingly unrelated events.

Hal and his family are also new to town. Hal, a teenager, finds a mutilated dog near an old caravan which had been the scene of triple murder 18 years previously where all but one member of the family survived, a boy called Robert. Hal and Allie, a girl he befriends, decide to try and find Robert.

Hal and Mick connect as a cat is found also dead and mutilated after Hal’s mother has reported nuisance calls and someone prowling around their home. A history of small animal deaths and mutilations comes to Mick’s attention. Will this stop at pets? So the story progresses.

The Night Whistler is an excellent debut novel by Greg Woodland. It has excellent character development and an intriguing plot that has many unexpected twists and turns.

Highly recommended read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Text Publishing for a copy to read and review.

An Australian rural crime novel set in 1966. 12 year old Hal Humphries and his family are recent arrivals to the small NSW town, with many prejudices and attitudes that were very typical of the era.

Hal and his younger brother Evan find a murdered and mutilated German Shephard dog that had belonged to Constable Mick Goodenough, also new to the town after been banished from his city job as a detective. Mick discovers a pattern of animals being killed in the town and sees it as a sign of a serial killer in the making, but frustratingly, nobody else takes this seriously, including the his local sergeant. At the same time Hal’s mother Corrie is getting mystery calls and visits from a prowler that Hal names 'The Whistler'. Hal has his own theories about who The Whistler is and shares clues that he finds with Mick Goodenough.

The story soon becomes more complicated with events covering greed, adultery, racial tensions, corruption, kidnapping, violence and murder which all build to a dramatic finale.

After a bit of a slower start, this book surprised me by becoming a very enjoyable read. Thank you to Netgalley Greg Woodland for this gifted review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Excellent new addition to the growing Australian rural noir category. This book sits right alongside Scrublands and Peace as a great rural thriller.
Set in 1966, Hal is a boy on the cusp of becoming a teenager. His family have just moved to a small country town and he feels very much an outsider. Then there is Mick, nearly forty, he has been demoted as a Detective Sergeant and banished to a country, backwater for supposedly being obstinate and unmanageable.
These two are drawn together when an unknown person starts torturing and killing pets. Possibly the same person that keeps telephoning Hal's mother and whistling the tune "Are You Lonesome Tonight' then whispering threats to her.
Nothing is as it first appears and both Hal and Mick are drawn further and further in. Who is playing games with them? Who can they trust in this town that is new to them both? Where will it end?
Highly recommended, thank you Text Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The plot sounds absolutely interesting and it was what grabbed my attention in the beginning. I was so looking forward to read it but unfortunately I just was not able to get into the story. I was overwhelmed with the plethora of characters being introduced in the first two chapters. Storytelling was choppy and scenes did not segued smoothly into the next scene, leaving me feeling frustrated. In the end, I dnf'd this book since it couldn't hold my interest.

***Thank you Text Publishing and NetGalley for this gifted review copy in exchange for an honest review.***

A captivating story of friendship and mystery with a dash of suspense thrown in. The Night Whistler kept me guessing and enthralled from page to page. A uniquely Australian voice tells of a small town filled with colorful characters, plagued with violent attacks on defenseless animals and eventually people.

The Night Whistler is another strong entry in the growing genre of Australian rural noir. Mick Goodenough is a disgraced former detective who has been banished to the backblocks of Moorabool to start again from the bottom as a probationary constable. Also new in town is the Humphries family, including their two young boys, Hal and Evan. One day, while exploring, the boys discover a brutally killed dog.

The family is beset from inside and outside, by adultery and recriminations, as well as by a nuisance caller who rings Corrie Humphries and prowls around the house. The local police dismiss her concerns, except for Mick, who is keenly aware that animal cruelty can presage something much worse. But Mick has no influence and can't persuade his sergeant to take action.

This is a pretty good effort for a first novel. The plot is gripping and an absorbing read, although I did think that the motive that Woodland establishes was not that convincing. I think it's likely there could be more Mick Goodenough novels, in which case I will certainly be reading the next outing.

The Night Whistler is an intriguing rural crime set in NSW during the late 1960's. 12 year old Hal and his family are new to town. Hal and his little brother Evan go exploring and come across a pet dog that has been tortured to death. They soon find out that the dog belonged to the new Police Constable, Mick Goodenough. Several of the locals pets start disappearing and then the murders begin. Greg Woodland's debut novel is fantastic and had me hooked from the first chapter. Be warned: this story contains lots of animal cruelty. Thanks to Text Publishing and NetGalley for my ARC.

With Australian rural noir booming, writers are needing to find new ways to get good detectives out into the countryside. In Jane Harper’s The Dry, Aaron Falk comes home for a funeral and ends up investigating. In Garry Disher’s series which started with Bitterwash Road, Paul Hirschhausen has been sent into purgatory for blowing the whistle on his colleagues. In Greg Woodland’s debut The Night Whistler, former detective Mick Goodenough (pronounced Good-no, readers are informed very early on), has been demoted to probationary constable in the NSW New England town of Moorabool for a range of sins that link back to a series of unsolved murders in Sydney but also include alcoholism. Mick is now at the bottom of the pecking order , the fifth wheel in his four man police station, putting him on the back foot as things start to go wrong in town.
Set in the late 1960s, The Night Whistler has a second narrative strand, that makes it closer in feel to books like Craig Silvey’s Jasper Jones and Peter Twhoig’s The Cartographer. This is the story of twelve year old Hal, whose family has moved to Moorabool so his father can take up a job as head sales rep for a local food company. Hal and his little brother Evan discover a recently killed dog in a bin near an abandoned caravan and Hal, a Sherlock Holmes fan, is determined to investigate. The dog belonged to Mick who also wants to track down the perpetrator as he knows that killing animals is a step towards killing people. When Hal’s mother starts receiving disturbing phone calls from a whistling stalker, both Hal and Mick start to investigate.
The rest of this novel goes much the way readers will expect. Moments of tension, Mick fighting his demons and small minded colleagues, Hal coming up with and following his own theories with the help of Allie, an Aboriginal girl who befriends him. Driving the action are the usual mix of small town secrets and indiscretions. All of which builds to an incredibly tense finale.
The Night Whistler fits neatly in the growing body of Australian gothic noir. Screenwriter Woodland brings a reality to this small country town – the corrupt developers, the racial tensions, the unspoken class divides. And the mystery is played out well, with Hal standing in for readers keen to point the finger and jump into action on the slightest of clues. This is an incredibly assured debut and is part of another strong year for new voices in Australian crime fiction.

Small town rural Aussie crime is a popular genre right now, and this is a welcome addition to that field.
The simpler times of 1966, with a small town wary of newcomers and racism against local Aboriginals commonplace. Mick Goodenough is banished from a Sydney post and demoted to probationary Constable position in the small town police station. The Night Whistler is taunting a local mother with phone calls, and someone is killing small animals. With the help of information from 7 year old Hal, Goodenough works his way through the case.
Very enjoyable read.

4.5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Text Publishing for a kindle version of this book to review!

In 1966 twelve year old Hal and his family arrive in Moorabool, a country town in New South Wales. As Hal and his brother explore the creek nearby their house, they stumble across the body of a dead dog that has been mutilated.

Mick is also new to Moorabool having been demoted from his city job as a detective to a probationary constable. When one of his dogs goes missing and he finds it mutilated, he is experienced enough to know that it means that the perpetrator may well graduate to people. So when Hal’s mother starts receiving phone calls from a man whistling on the line and then hanging up, Mick is the only police officer in town to take her seriously.

This is a very atmospheric and unsettling book that really made me feel quite uneasy. I think the author did a great job of conveying life in an Australian country town in the 1960’s and I really got a sense of the carefree life of a country kid, juxtaposed with the creepiness of the abandoned caravan with the violent past and some of the other happenings around town.

This book had me engrossed right from the start and I thought the characters were well developed and believable. The author really nails creating a sense of unease and my skin was crawling at various different times throughout the book! Highly recommended to those who enjoy a crime/mystery and a 1960’s setting! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

In 1966 Hal Humphries and his brother Evan arrived in Moorabool from Sydney with their parents for their father’s work. The small town – not much more than 3000 people – was a slow, quiet place with mostly friendly people, both Aboriginal and white. When Hal and Evan discovered the brutally murdered dog near an old caravan while exploring, they covered it with brush and twigs and Evan said a prayer.

Constable Mick Goodenough (pronounced Good-no as he always had to tell people) had been demoted from detective in Sydney because of a misdemeanor – his punishment; Moorabool. His immediate dislike of his new boss shocked him, but he tried to keep his head down. Until his dog went missing. And he had a call from Mrs Humphries about a prank caller she dubbed The Whistler. Hal was sure he could discover who the whistler was, and with the help of Allie, a local he’d befriended, they started looking for clues. Mick was also doing his best – behind his boss’ back – to find the brutal killer of animals, because he knew the killer would turn to humans next…

The Night Whistler is Aussie author Greg Woodland’s debut novel and it was excellent! Set in rural NSW not far from Armidale, the small-town tensions along with the verbal pictures of nostalgia brought back memories for me. I would have been a little older than Hal back then, but the atmosphere, kids exploring, racing around and doing things they shouldn’t, felt remarkably familiar. I really hope this is the beginning of a series as I’d love to catch up with the characters once again. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and Text Publishing for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

It is definitely no secret that I am a crime and thriller girl. And I love a good Aussie crime book. The Night Whistler had me excited and it lived up to my expectations. I loved this clever and twisty police procedural set in 1966. I do hope this is the start of a series as ai think that the main police officer Mick has a lot more to tell us.

Hal and Evan are new to the small NSW town of Moorabool. One day playing near the local creek the find the mutilated body of a dog. It is a horrific find and they do their best to give it a burial . Also new to town is Constable Mick Goodenough. He has been demoted as a detective from his Sydney station for reasons unknown. Hi so dog is missing, and finds a pattern of animals being killed. Nobody is taking this seriously but he knows from experience that it’s is the sign of a serial killer beginning. At the same time Hal’s mother Corrie is getting mystery calls with somebody whistling and threatening her.

This story will have you engrossed from the beginning and I read this quickly. Thanks to Text Publishing and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read.