Member Review

The mention of Desmond Bagley – one of the finest action-adventure writers ever, in my opinion – on its cover was enough for me to request the Digital Review Copy of Outback by Michael Davies on NetGalley, and I am grateful to the publishers for permitting me to read and review this debut thriller featuring one of Bagley’s creations in the lead.

Sydney of the 1970s is a thriving, shiny metropolis where retired insurance investigator Bill Kemp is enjoying his joblessness – caused by his recent adventures in the Caribbean – and the hospitality of his old friend from the war, Kenny Hines, and his wife, Dolly. Hines is an attorney, and one of his latest cases involves a sizeable property in the Australian outback that includes an opal mine that had belonged to his childhood friend George Deakins until his recent demise. Deakins has bequeathed the property to his niece, a twenty-something London caterer named Sophie Church – who never had a clue about the existence of an uncle – and has retained Kenny to deal with the legalities. There are certain intriguing matters about the case that Kenny wants Bill to investigate but Bill is reluctant. However, when Sophie arrives in Sydney along with her husband, a reticent accountant by the name of Adam, on Kenny’s invitation she receives threatening messages that warn her against claiming her inheritance, piquing Bill’s interest. Things turn a lot more serious within a short while, and people start to get hurt – one of them fatally – and the key to the mystery seems to be lying deep in the outback – one of the harshest, deadliest, and remotest places on the planet. Understandably, Bill accompanies Sophie and Adam to the desolate, unwelcoming outback in the heart of South Australia on a gritty, action-packed adventure that would pit them against ruthless killers and the merciless desert in which only the toughest will survive.

The plot of Outback is not too complicated, and the first-person narrative by Bill Kemp sprints away at a fast clip. Bill Kemp is a tough, resourceful, and dependable man who feels realistic with humane flaws. Sophie Church is as strong and intelligent as she is beautiful and attracts the reader’s interest and sympathy. The other characters, like the ebullient Kenny and his delightful wife Dolly, the enigmatic Adam, and the intimidating giant, Smith Penney, are all well-etched. Davies’s lively descriptions of the unforgiving outback and the action sequences do ample justice to the association of Bagley’s name, though I’m not sure if more than Bagley’s lead character has found its way into this novel. Davies serves up several twists along the plot where good people turn bad and vice versa, keeping the reader riveted to the pages.

Outback, for me, was an exhilarating ride that I would recommend to all those who love adventure – and Australia. Reading Outback has reminded me that I have read far too few books set Down Under than I should have, which I am planning to rectify soon. So, on to more Australian adventures!