A Thing of Blood: a William Power fiasco
By Robert Gott
2.5/5
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About this ebook
The fatally over-confident hero of Good Murder returns to pit his meagre detective skills against military intelligence, belligerent in-laws, a town full of G.I.s, and a creepy conspiracy to bring on an Australian sectarian nightmare.
Failed Shakespearean actor and would-be private detective William Power returns to Melbourne in disgrace after his disastrous brush with theatre and murder in Maryborough. Bloodied, broken, but somehow unbowed, he arrives in a town struggling under war rationing and full of cocky American soldiers, and lands squarely in the bosom of his childhood home in Carlton — a home now dominated by his sister-in-law, the odious Darlene. But even Will’s contempt is tempered when, in the early hours of the morning, Darlene is kidnapped, and Will finds his mother’s kitchen splattered with blood and scattered with broken crockery.
Needing to escape the maternal home and the growing police investigation, Power rents a room in the spacious, Parkville home of wealthy, charismatic, and obsessively neat Paul Clutterbuck and is introduced to his strange society of bohemians, black marketeers, and neanderthal henchmen. Will Power is fascinated but, before he can begin to enjoy his new home, a savage murder is discovered. Just when modesty and good sense threaten to intervene, Will realises that only he can solve the murder and the mystery of his kidnapped sister-in-law, and save the nation from impending catastrophe.
A Thing of Blood is a brilliant, wry sequel which perfectly recreates the tension and fear of wartime Australia.
PRAISE FOR ROBERT GOTT
‘Rather than the outlandish though entertaining plot, it's the play of these perspectives, the wit and the dissonance between Power's descriptive ability and his self-delusion, that give A Thing of Blood the backbone that keeps you turning the pages … There is much about A Thing of Blood to like and little to dislike (except perhaps Power himself).’ The Sydney Morning Herald
‘A well-designed conspiracy and a tension-fuelled ending provides a rewarding finale to the story. This is the kind of easy beach read type of story with which it is just a pleasure to stick the brain in neutral, kick back and enjoy.’ Australian Crime Fiction Database
Robert Gott
Robert Gott was born in the Queensland town of Maryborough in 1957, and lives in Melbourne. He has published many books for children, and is also the creator of the newspaper cartoon The Adventures of Naked Man. He is the author of the William Power series of crime-caper novels set in 1940s Australia, comprising Good Murder, A Thing of Blood, Amongst the Dead, and The Serpent’s Sting, and of the Murders series, comprising The Holiday Murders, The Port Fairy Murders, The Autumn Murders, and The Orchard Murders.
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The Murders series
Related to A Thing of Blood
Titles in the series (4)
Good Murder: a William Power mystery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Thing of Blood: a William Power fiasco Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Amongst the Dead: a William Power mystery Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Serpent's Sting Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
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Reviews for A Thing of Blood
3 ratings1 review
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Ok. Liked the references to an older Melbourne but really didn't gell with the lead character or anyone else in the book. Maybe the mother and brother? Couldn't believe that the lead character could be so stupid and not end up in more trouble than he did. Too many loose ends. Loved the artwork on the cover.