Eden
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4.3 • 18 Ratings
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
From the bestselling author of Wimmera comes a compelling literary thriller that shows we all have secrets, but some are deadlier than others.
Big city. Deadly secrets.
Cities are tough when you've grown up as a country kid. They're even tougher after nine years inside. Tom Blackburn is fresh out of jail and not sure where his future lies. He knows what he wants. But he's pretty sure she doesn't want him.
Tom's left his old life and his old name behind. But his options aren't great. He knows sleeping on the streets is the quickest way back to a cell. And then, his luck turns around. A chance encounter leads to a job and somewhere to stay. A place in the dead centre of Melbourne. Eden, his new boss calls it.
Honest, physical work. Bit of gardening, bit of gravedigging, bit of whatever he's told to do. Fresh air, currawongs, a bed and some peace and quiet. It's the perfect place to save some money and make some plans. A place to keep his head down and stay out of trouble.
But trouble finds him. Serious trouble. He's missed the signs, again. Going back to jail might be the safest option. Unless he can figure some way out of the danger he's in . . .
From much-loved Australian crime author Mark Brandi comes a gripping new story that answers old questions.
'Mark Brandi's writing sings. Eden is a vivid portrait of a young life gone awry. Of choices and repercussions . . . and how hard it is to move beyond the past.' MICHAEL BRISSENDEN
'Raw and compelling, with a twist you won't see coming. Eden is Brandi at his very best.' MARK SMITH
'A captivating exploration of crime and redemption . . . Destined to be a classic' BOOKS+PUBLISHING
'An enthralling story with wonderful characters, mystery, moral dilemmas' READINGS
'[Brandi] has an unerring eye' SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
'Exquisite . . . Eden has all the hallmarks of a great Australian novel' THE AUSTRALIAN WOMEN'S WEEKLY
'The novel explores gritty social and ethical problems with intelligence and conscience' THE AGE
Customer Reviews
Outback noir begets graveyard noir
3.5 stars
Author
Australian. His outback noir debut novel Wimmera (2017) won the British Crime Writers' Association Debut Dagger, and was named Best Debut at the 2018 Australian Indie Book Awards. This is his fifth.
In brief
Tom gets out of jail after serving 9 years for accessary to murder. He lobs up in Melbourne to find the world has changed. Everyone has smart phones for starters. Also, his parents are both dead, he has no other relatives, and his GF from back in the day is with someone else now up in Queensland. Someone robs him of almost all the cash he has in the world on his first day at a dodgy motel, so he ends up sleeping rough in the cemetery at Carlton. Cyril, one of the grounds staff, finds Tom in the morning and throws him a life line: a temporary job digging graves and gardening, plus temporary accommodation in the groundsmen’s shed. Cyril’s not as good a Samaritan as he first seems, but the cemetery is a good place for our boy to hide from a menacing Turk with a limp, and a local journo who are both looking for him. The journo wants more information about how he ended up in jail. Spoiler alert: Our boy changed his name while he was inside. This book is a sequel to Wimmera.
Writing
Genre fiction with a literary feel at times. Not Cormac McCarthy, closer to James Lee Burke, at least in his younger days. The dialogue was convincing, but I thought Mr Brandi did a better job with the child protagonists in his other books than the adult ones here.
Eden
Fantastic once again I do hope we follow more of Fabs/Tom’s story it was a great read thank you Mark I have read all your books and enjoyed them all Please write another soon