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"The water tower in Maryborough sat on the corner of Adelaide and Anne Streets. It held one million gallons of water and, for two weeks in August 1942, it also held the body of a 24-year-old woman named Polly Drummond. Afterwards, it was impossible not to be appalled by the realisation that each time we drank a cup of tea we were imbibing Polly Drummond, and that each time we took a bath we were splashing ourselves with Polly Drummond. As she slowly dissolved up there, bloating and exuding the corrupt gases and liquids of the dead, we in the town strained her through our teeth, gargled her, washed our hair with her, and imbedded her in the very clothes we wore." The narrator is William Power, a Shakespearean actor, leading a troop of actors through the hinterlands of Queensland, trying to amuse the masses. He is an extremely self-centered man, as actors tend to be. He thinks he looks like Tyrone Power, only better looking, and insists that if the townies don't like plays like CORIOLANUS or TITUS ANDRONICUS, it is because they are not intelligent enough to understand them. He is also the prime suspect in the murder of Polly Drummond. Power goes to the airfield where Polly's brother is training to try to talk to him. The brother's plane blows up. He sneaks into their home one night, only to find that Polly's crazy mother has been killed. Things are not going his way at all. The acting troupe consists of a group of unfit for military duty characters . . . overage, having only one arm, club footed, gay, and a woman, probably best known of the group for her advertisements for Colgate toothpaste and Tampax. She also owns the truck they travel in. Power cannot understand why he is so disliked. After all, he is better looking and more intelligent than anyone else. He gets himself into difficulties when he tries to solve the crime himself. His detecting skills are even worse than his acting skills. Gott has created a wonderful character and brought northern Australia, awaiting invasion during the war, to life. I believe this is the first book in the series to be published in the US, and despite the paperback price of $19.95, worth buying. This review and the book cover image are based on the Australian version of the book which appeared in 2004.
Reviewed by Barbara Franchi, July 2006
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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