“On a normal morning, a lone police car would be parked out the front of the station, waiting for something illegal to happen.”
There’s a secondary mystery in the form of Vivian Moon, Benny’s mother, who was a distant figure to her and in coming to Cedar Valley she hopes learn something about her as well. Told through the eyes of Benny and two other main characters. Cora Franks, the proprietor of Cedar Valley Curios and Old Wares, and Detective Sergeant Anthony Simmons Cedar Valley is a story of a small town and the relationships, both past and present, within it.
As someone who grew up in regional Australia, albeit in a larger population centre, I thoroughly enjoyed Cedar Valley. Holly Throsby writes with a dry wit and a keen eye for the characters and the town itself. In telling stories set in rural Australia authors can sometimes be guilty of condescension, to almost sneer at the quietness of rural life, Holly Throsby beautifully avoids this with a gentle wry affection for Cedar Valley and it’s residents. She also gives her characters plenty of space to develop and grow as the novel progresses and there’s a nostalgia, in some cases sadness, in telling the story of a time past.
In conclusion Holly Throsby has crafted a warm-hearted portrait of a small Australian town and the people who reside there. If she should write about Cedar Valley again I’d be more than happy to spend another summer afternoon on the couch re-visiting the town and the people who live there.
Gordon Duncan
For more of Gordon Duncan’s book reviews, check out AustCrimeFiction
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Australian Crime Fiction began in 2006 to provide a database of crime authors and books from Australasia in the crime genre. Now featuring book reviews, the site is dedicated to crime fiction and thrillers, with a heavy emphasis on Australian and New Zealand content.