In a nutshell, I enjoyed the Australian colonial goldfields setting, but was a little disappointed with the conclusion to this book. It almost felt like the author had used up his page quota and suddenly downed tools. For some reason, many of the plotlines that had sustained the book were left unresolved. Perhaps a sequel is planned.
Apart from this, the descriptions of life in a remote 1855 Victorian goldfield town were well-written and gave an insight into a turbulent time in Australian history. Massive swells of people came and went overnight as hardened men sought their fortunes. The services were poor, and the mining settlements were rife with disease, petty thieving and alcoholism. It was clearly evident from Mosquito Creek that mining was a tough occupation, seemingly at the whim of luck (or lack thereof), and the weather - be it searing heat, or in the case of this book, flooding rains. And from this viewpoint, I felt the book succeeded.
In fact Mosquito Creek wasn't really a crime fiction novel as such, but more a commentary on the tough early colonial life and the hardships that the miners endured. And I felt the book worked on this level - it was an enjoyable, interesting and absorbing read as the life experiences of the main characters were steadily revealed throughout the book. Unfortunately, it was only the unresolved and somewhat tenuous crime plotlines that ultimately left me feeling a little unfulfilled.
In fact Mosquito Creek wasn't really a crime fiction novel as such, but more a commentary on the tough early colonial life and the hardships that the miners endured. And I felt the book worked on this level - it was an enjoyable, interesting and absorbing read as the life experiences of the main characters were steadily revealed throughout the book. Unfortunately, it was only the unresolved and somewhat tenuous crime plotlines that ultimately left me feeling a little unfulfilled.
MY RATING: 3.5/5
No comments:
Post a Comment