Copyboy

1946 Perth is the setting for Copyboy, a new novel from Barrie McMahon. Copyboy evokes memories of a small city in the post-war years – trams, men in hats and overcoats, boys peddling newspapers, policemen on point duty. The era comes to life again in the story of Alf McGuinness, copyboy at The Mirror.
Copyboy is not a history. It is a gripping narrative which interweaves scandal, crime, racketeering and corruption into the story of Alf. Straight from school Alf scores a job with The Mirror, Perth’s notorious tabloid which featured good murders, sleazy divorces and salacious descriptions of such outrageous behaviour as nude swimming at the local hot pool. Alf and his feisty friend Jenny are bit players in the thriving post-war black market while Mirror reporters dig for a story about contraband activities.
As Alf and Jenny try to come to grips with their double lives, things threaten to unravel.