The Night Whistler

“He must know these streets like a blind man knows the way to his bathroom.”

1966 – Hal and his family have moved to Moorabool, Australia. While out exploring, Hal and his younger brother, Evan, find the body of a recently killed dog. A dog who had been tortured and mutilated. Is this only the beginning? Will more animals die? Will any humans? Who could have done such a thing? Why?

Constable Mick Goodenough is also new in town and one of his dogs has gone missing. He knows that when an animal is tortured and killed, it means someone is practicing. When Hal’s mother begins receiving phone calls from someone whistling before hanging up, the local police do not seem to care but Goodenough does. Could the same person who mutilated the dog, be calling Hal’s mother or are there two people up to no good in this town?

Hal and his new friend, Allie, armed with inquisitiveness and determination, begin their own investigation. They have their theories. The see things that others do not, but will their theories be correct?

There is more to this story than meets the eye. Yes, it is an investigation, it is also about learning the harshness of life, about secrets, about bullying, about police cover ups, and learning some uncomfortable truths about those in your life. Woodland has created the perfect setting and time for his story. He sets the stage and leaves a clue or two here and there throughout the book. He had me questioning who would solve the case? Who could do such a thing to animals? How are they able to carry out their crimes without anyone seeing? Will Hal and Allie’s youth help or hinder their search for a killer? If you are looking for a killer, could the killer be looking for you? Are the crimes connected to the escalating phone calls that Hal’s mother is receiving? Several characters in this book have secrets, will their secrets be exposed?

I had a couple of suspects in mind while reading, but the reveal did come a little bit as a surprise but as the books shows us, there were some clues along the way. Very nicely done, Woodland! This book started a little slow for me, but once things started picking up steam, this gritty book grabbed my attention and held on tight. Hal and Allie were my favorite characters. I love how Hal struggled at times to do that right thing while simultaneously struggling with how this will affect his relationship with his father. I felt for him and cheered him on. Allie was spunky, inquisitive and strong. I liked their friendship and their belief that they could track down a killer.

Woodland’s debut novel is a solid book. It is well written and as I mentioned earlier, he really set the stage with transporting readers back to sixties in Australia. He also does a stellar job creating mood and believable reactions for his characters. You can feel the frustration of several characters in this book – mainly Goodenough, Hal and Allie. Each came up against roadblocks as they tried to solve the case. As the tension rises and the plot unfolds, I could not put this book down.

I received a copy of this book from Text publishing and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.