Aussie crime books are some of my favourite books to read! Discovering a new voice in that genre is exciting – I present to you all, Dinuka McKenzie.
The Torrent was a fantastic debut novel from an author that I hope we will hear a lot more from in the future. We were lucky enough to have Dinuka visit us at the library in July to share her writing process and journey to becoming an author. I especially loved reading her title after I had listened to her speak, as it had me thinking about Dinuka’s words with every page I turned.
The Torrent is set in Northern NSW, in a small town called Esserton. Detective Sergeant Kate Miles is very very pregnant, with not long until she goes on maternity leave. But she is not going to let that get in the way of her doing the best job she can. Two big cases have her attention – a hold up at a local fast-food restaurant where a teenager was violently hurt, & an investigation into the death of a man who died in the summer floods. With the locals all keeping secrets, neither case is as straight forward as they first seemed. Kate has her work cut out for her before her baby comes.
I loved Kate, her character was relatable & she seemed tough, caring and professional. She doesn’t just take the easy way out and she works hard. As a working mum myself, Kate felt like a realistic portrayal of what it’s like doing a tough job whilst balancing it all. At least most of us don’t have to deal with shootouts in a day’s work!
The Torrent is available from our physical collection or as an audiobook via BorrowBox. If you love this, then don’t forget Dinuka’s second novel Taken.
Wendy Manning, Temora Library
