The summer of 1966–7. Hal and his little brother have just come to live in Moorabool. They’re exploring the creek near their new home when they find the body of a dog.
Not just dead, but killed.
Not just killed, but horribly maimed.
Constable Mick Goodenough, recently demoted from his big-city job as a detective, is also new in town—and one of his dogs has gone missing. Like other pets around the town.
He knows what it means when someone tortures animals to death. They’re practising. So when Hal’s mother starts getting late-night phone calls—a man whistling, then hanging up—Goodenough, alone among the Moorabool cops, takes her seriously. But will that be enough to keep her and her young sons safe?
Nostalgic yet clear-eyed, simmering with small-town menace, Greg Woodland’s wildly impressive debut populates the rural Australia of the 1960s with memorable characters and almost unbearable tension.
Read our Preview reviewer thoughts here:
Australia is having something of a renaissance in crime fiction. To must-read authors like Jane Harper, Chris Silver and Sarah Bailey, we can now add Greg Woodland. The Night Whistler winds together multiple threads to create a growing sense of menace. Set in the New England region of NSW in the mid-60s, the viewpoint alternates between the disgraced big city cop, sent to the bush to restart his career as a probationary constable and a 12-year boy whose family has, unhappily, relocated to the (fictional) town of Moorabool. This allows Woodland to contrast the cynical but canny outlook of the older man with the naïve, but unexpectedly perceptive, views of the boy. The Night Whistler covers a lot of ground – small-town politics and corruption, endemic racism against the Aboriginal population (it’s pre-referendum), domestic violence, apathetic policing and underlying it all, the evolution of a psychopath into an inevitable, but still shocking, conclusion. Greg Woodland is an interesting and accomplished new addition to the Australian crime fiction scene. – Emma, NSW, 5 Stars
The Night Whistler by Greg Woodland is an amazing Australian debut novel set in Moorabool Regional Victoria in 1966. You dive into the Australian scene with homes backing on to paddocks, views of hills from back doorsteps, magpies and cicada’s doting the written landscape. It follows the escapades of Hal and his new friend Mick, a wonderful and unexpected bond that grows quickly until an evil threatens to destroy it completely. The main characters Hal and Mick develop into quick friends, each one with their own personalities and backgrounds weaving together into this mesmerising neighbourhood of characters, some good, some not so good and some just downright murderous! It follows their detective work in finding out who the Whistler is, a snowdropper tormenting Hal’s mum. The storyline hooks you in with its twists and turns, capturing side stories along the way which deepens the intensity of the story and keeps you reading. Unexpected love liaisons, broken hearts, demoted coppers and two kids finding their feet in a country town. I cannot wait to see more novels featuring Mick and Hal and see what adventures unfold in their little country town. – Jodi, QLD, 5 Stars
This was a great crime thriller that sucked you in and kept you guessing. The characters and story drew you in and made this a book you wanted to read in one sitting. I highly recommend this debut novel and the author will be one to watch. – Vanessa, NSW, 5 Stars
The Night Whistler by Greg Woodland is absolutely amazing. Set in Moorabool in NSW in the 60’s it’s the story of Hal & his family moving there for his fathers work. Constable Nick Goodenough is the new cop in town after being demoted from Sydney after a big case went south. These are the two main characters of the story with their paths crossing after Hal’s dad leaves for work & strange things start happening at home. One of Nicks dog is killed & Hal finds it near an abandoned caravan that has a history itself. With a supporting cast of amazing characters bringing this amazing story together. Allie, Hal’s sort of sidekick adds to the story and fills the reader and Hal with the town’s history. A good ending that keeps you guessing with who’s who until the end and bringing a lot of secrets to the surface. Would highly recommend this for crime/mystery fans. Thanks to better reading for an advance copy of The Night Whistler. – Terry, NSW, 5 Stars
Unputdownable. Once this book got started I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. Highly recommended! – Belinda, NSW, 5 Stars
The Night Whistler is a debut novel from Greg Woodland. Greg is a screenwriter based in Sydney. Set in 1966 in Moorabool which is in regional Victoria and has a population of around 4000. Hal and his younger brother have recently come to Moorabool with their mother and father. One day they are at a creek near their house when they find a dead dog. The dog it seems has been recently been mutilated. Constable Mick Goodenough who is a former detective and has been demoted from Sydney and now living there has a dog that has gone missing. Constable Mick has enough experience to know what it means when an animal has been tortured until it dies. Hal and his brother are witnessing their parents’ marriage disintegrate in front of them. Soon Hals’ mother starts getting strange phone calls at home. The phone calls are of a threatening nature when someone whistles and hangs up. Constable Mick thinks they are linked to a spate of pets that have been murdered, and takes the phone calls seriously and know they need investigating. I enjoyed this book so much and highly recommend it. I had a few sleepless nights as it literally had me on the end of my seat. – Freda, QLD, 5 Stars
The Night Whistler by Greg Woodland is a chilling tale of small-town violence. Set against a 1960s rural Australian backdrop, the narrative is both nostalgic and haunting. An undercurrent of social commentary on themes including racism, corruption and misogyny add depth to the storyline and serve well in keeping the reader continually guessing as to the identity of the mysterious night whistler. The narration switch between characters both young and old really adds to this book’s complexity and success. Young Hal is the perfect narrator in the way he proves the incredible intuition of children despite their innocence and naivety. Superbly crafted writing with expert level tension makes this one a must-read! Thank you to Better Reading Preview and Text Publishing for the advanced copy! – Sarah, VIC, 5 StarsI was completely drawn into The Night Whistler from the first few pages. I found myself getting completely immersed in the characters and the storyline, trying to predict what was going to happen next. The book is written in such an engaging way, my heart would be beating fast, yet I always wanted to read ‘just one more page’. It was easy to imagine the typical Aussie small town in the middle of a never ending summer, but what is hard to imagine is what takes place in this small town, over this summer. It should be noted that there is some graphic and distressing content which may not appeal to all readers. However, I found The Night Whistler to be a very enjoyable and engaging book by Greg Woodland. – Kathryn, VIC, 5 Stars
The Night Whistler is an intriguing rural crime set in NSW during the late 1960s. 12-year-old Hal and his family are new to town. Hal and his little brother Evan go exploring and come across a pet dog that has been tortured to death. They soon find out that the dog belonged to the new Police Constable, Mick Goodenough. Several locals pets start disappearing and then the murders begin. Greg Woodland’s debut novel is fantastic and had me hooked from the first chapter. Be warned: this story contains lots of animal cruelty. Thanks to Text Publishing and BRP for my ARC – Sharah, QLD, 5 Stars
Wow, what a great book. The Night Whistler by Greg Woodland had me enthralled. The story gripped me from the beginning, it was filled with suspense and drama. A great page-turning thriller that had me from the first page to the last. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and would highly recommend it. Can’t wait for the next book from this author. – Christine, QLD, 5 Stars
Set in the mid 1960’s and typical of a country town. Not a lot to do, everyone knows everyone and nobodies business is their own. The tale takes you on a rollercoaster of incidents, a number of cross stories and backstories that keeps you turning those pages. Hal is the central character along with his ‘good mate’ Goodenough, pronounced Good-No as we’re reminded many times. Together they provide the smarts to this psychotic thriller. I really enjoyed it. It moves fast, it moves well. The Night Whistler set in Moorabool Victoria. I researched the location to get a feel for the place. It’s a rural setting with lots of flies, and the traditional land of the Wathaurung Tribe, which is also mentioned in the book, from memory. The tribe is in relation to Hal’s friend Allie. You won’t be disappointed. Respect for real locations, real references. – Sharon, QLD, 5 Stars
A brilliant first novel set in the 1960’s and a rural small town. The characters are believable and depending on your age you can relate to some of the scenes such as the corporate Christmas parties. The plot grows and has you wondering whodunnit!!, I loved the descriptions of the countryside and township and the well-developed characters bind everything together. Can’t wait for the next novel by this author. – Andrea, VIC, 5 Stars
I loved reading this book. It had me hooked from the first page. Set in a small town in my favourite decade, the 60’s. People in small towns have the same idiosyncrasies as the Big Smoke, they are just intensified in a smaller locale. I look forward to reading more of Greg Woodlands books. – Bridget, VIC, 5 Stars
The novel really set the scene, 1966, small Australian town, summertime, small-town politics, new kids and family in town finding their feet in a way so unexpected. Would certainly make a sinister movie, and the author with this screenwriting kudos paints detailed images which are easy to conjure up in your mind. Mick Goodenough, he’s ‘good enough’ given his troubled past. Hal and his brother, typical new kids on the block, trying to fit in. I thoroughly enjoyed the read, a real page-turner. Didn’t know who was ‘stalking’, and all over something you wouldn’t imagine! Would thoroughly recommend this read, will be watching out for the next novel, and would think they could make this novel into a move that’d I’d certainly watch! – Ingrid, VIC, 5 Stars
A captivating crime novel that grabs your attention from the very beginning and hooks you in until the end. The book takes place in rural NSW in 1966 and is told from the perspective of two different characters, Hal a 12-year-old boy who has just moved to the town and Mick Goodenough, a recently demoted detective from the city. Hal comes across a dead dog that has been tortured but by who we do not know. Mick is missing a dog and knows all too well that killers often start with animal victims before moving onto people. The author really creates a visual rural atmosphere in which you feel like you are in country Australia. The characters including the minor characters are well developed and the two different perspectives work well in telling the story. Overall it is a great read and would definitely recommend. – Meaghan, ACT, 4 Stars
The Night Whistler by Greg Woodland is a good ripping mystery set in an isolated rural town in the 1960’s. I couldn’t put this book down… the realistic setting, the flawed characters and the overall sense of menace and foreboding kept me enthralled to the end. The town of Moorabool is full of intrigue, corruption, economic struggles, loneliness, and racism. The setting is harsh and unforgiving, but totally believable. The authors’ experience as a screenwriter and director helps to bring this story alive. The plot has many twists and turns and is full of tension. The main characters are Mick, an unhappy, thoroughly disgruntled, and emotionally damaged cop, and Hal, a smart, resilient, and determined kid. Set aside an afternoon to read this debut novel, you won’t be disappointed! – Kerrie, NSW, 4 Stars
You’ve got to love all the new Australian outback mystery/crime books coming out lately and The Night Whistler, Greg Woodland’s debut novel, does not disappoint. The Night Whistler is a well-written thriller, written through the eyes of teenager Hal and Mick Goodenough, a demoted police officer who both move to a rural town of Moorabool for totally different reasons. These two characters form a friendship while trying to work out who is killing and torturing animals and who is making strange phone calls to Hal’s mum at night and whistling Elvis songs. I enjoyed reading The Night Whistler and couldn’t put the book down. The twists and turns kept me reading. One minute I thought I knew who the whistler was and then had no idea or was the whistler the same person as the animal killer? Trying to work this out while also learning more about the characters in the book kept me going. I so want to learn more about Mick’s past, and I must say that Allie, Hal’s tomboy friend, was my favourite character. At times I thought that I could see a bit of ‘Jasper Jones’ in the setting and storytelling. Woodland’s also gave us a look into how racism against local Aboriginal people was commonplace in rural Australia. And how corruption exists in the country towns. Looking forward to reading Greg Woodland’s next novel. – Maria, SA, 4 Stars
The Night Whistler is a book that starts off with a slow burn, establishing the period in time when the book is set, the late 1960’s. It introduces us to the main characters Mick, Hal and Allie. The book is full of twists, and there’s corruption and hatred. The characters show sheer grit and determination to see justice done. It is a good story that kept me captivated. – Lisa, QLD, 4 Stars
This year I have been trying to read more Aussie authors and broaden the genres that I like to read. I have been pleasantly surprised to discover a number of crime thrillers set in rural/outback Australia. This debut novel, The Night whistler, by Greg Woodland, did not disappoint. It was a bit slow at the start but once it got going it was a real page-turner that I simply could not put down. I read the majority of it in a single sitting. The story was told through the voices of the two main characters – Hal, a 12-year-old boy, who had recently moved to the small town of Moorabool with his parents and younger brother, and Mick, a one-time homicide detective in Sydney, but now demoted to a country constable at a four-man police station. It began with some animal killings, but Mick was worried that the killer might move on to killing humans – and this formed the basis for one of the best psychological thrillers I have read this year. There were lots of twists and red herrings to keep me interested, and the characters were interesting and well-drawn. There was plenty of tension and conflict and it kept me guessing as to who the killer was. I highly recommend this book and I hope it turns out to be a series of books. – Ruth, WA, 4 Stars
Easy to read, well-paced and with a twist that gave an ah-ha moment as it all fitted together. The stereotypical viewpoint of Mark’s damaged detective is balanced nicely against Hal’s innocence. The characters were believable and the settings well described without being overly flowery. What’s more Australian than a skinny Santa in the back of a ute? The themes of obsession, adultery and racial discrimination are cleverly woven together. I stayed up late, wanting to know just that bit more. Is the whistler the killer? Or someone else? It will appeal to fans of Christian White. – Katie, NSW, 4 Stars
This is about a young boy named Hal and how he helped a demoted detective help solve murders that were happening in an outback town, way out west. In the town of Moorabool. Both had previously come to the town and so were newbies. Together through the twists and turns, they try to solve recent murders. One minute you think you know who the murderer is then things turn around and you think it is someone else. I liked the book as it was akin to when I was growing up. I was probably a year or two younger but remember the Christmas work parties the parents had, and you HAD to go. Also, My Dad smoked Craven A’s, what a blast. A lot of Aussie ocker-ism I thought, but back then and in the outback, that was the go. – Sue, NSW, 4 Stars
This book pretty much had me in right from the very start and I found it hard to put down. The writing had me imagining I was in the small town, riding the streets with the kids, playing in the creek and generally being a kid in that era. The characters were well written and they each played their part well. It had just enough storylines to keep you interested and guessing but not enough to confuse you. Overall a really great read! – Katrina, VIC, 4 Stars
I really enjoyed The Night Whistler. The setting of the book in 1960s rural Australia was wonderfully and faithfully evoked. The sections narrated by 12-year-old Hal were gripping and enjoyable, as he grew up and tried to make sense of the world around him. I found Mick’s sections less interesting, partially because I read a lot of mysteries and I didn’t feel like there was anything unique in this version of the “extremely talented but outcast” policeman trope. The secondary characters (especially Hal’s new friend Allie) were well fleshed out and interesting. The mystery comes together fairly well, although I did find everything tidied up way too nicely in the end – like a policeman’s fantasy about a watertight case! I found the final line of the book was cringingly corny. There were also a few continuity issues – for example, a dog’s name changed from Katie to Katy midway through the book with no explanation. Overall I really enjoyed it, and would certainly read more from this fantastic world-builder. – Kestrel, NSW, 4 Stars
This book had me reading into the wee hours. I just couldn’t put it down. I was drawn in immediately and found myself reminiscing about my youth as the accurate descriptions of a rural Australian town threw me back to a time where I spent a lot of time playing in creeks, riding my bike, and staying out until dark. The author highlights many dark issues (racism, domestic violence, mental illness) and contrasts them with feelings of nostalgia and childhood freedom. I loved the characters, particularly Mick, Hal and Allie. I found myself wanting to know more about Mick and why he’d been demoted. I was cheering on young Hal as he navigated his way through unsettled family life whilst attempting to solve his very own Sherlock Holmes crime. I really ‘saw’ Allie and felt her hurt and anger at the unfair judgemental world around her. I loved the way our Australian language and culture was portrayed so accurately. I enjoyed the suspense and fast pace and was completely invested in catching ‘The Whistler’. Fans of Jane Harper will thoroughly enjoy this one. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for more by this author! – Tammy, SA, 4 Stars
Set in a hot 1967 summer in a small country town in the New England area of NSW, The Night Whistler by Greg Woodland is a great read. It captures the good and the bad of this era from culturally ingrained misogyny, racism and bullying to the (usually) care-free days of bikes, bush and friends during the school summer holidays. The writing is atmospheric and the story is gripping as the characters race against time to identify and stop the mysterious ‘Night Whistler’. I enjoyed reading the story from the two different points of view of the curious and determined boy and the disgraced cop, who were both struggling to find their places in the town and the world. There were characters to like and hate and some that left the reader curious to learn more of them in the future. The story had me guessing and on the edge of my seat right to the end, making it a very quick read. An entertaining read from anyone who enjoys a good character-driven mystery/thriller. I would highly recommend this book. – Virginia, NSW, 4 Stars
The Night Whistler by Greg Woodland is a slow-burning suspenseful mystery that rollicks towards the finale with gusto. Woodlands first novel is set in the late 60’s in a small country town. The setting is evocative and completely immersive, realistically transporting you back in time and place. The characters are varied and well-formed covering the breadth and width of a small community. In a timely manner, Woodlands touches on racial injustices and attitudes and the complications of relationships viewed through the innocent eyes of a child. The main characters are Hal Humphries who is on the verge of becoming a teenager and an amateur sleuth and disgraced former Detective Mick Goodenough (“It’s Good-no”) dealing with the fallout of his choices in both his professional and personal life. This pairing makes for an interesting dynamic as the mystery unfolds. The narration was a little hard to follow a couple of parts and the motivation reveal was a little clunky but overall, it was very engrossing and a solid mystery with intriguing characters that hopefully we will hear more from, including the back story of Mick Goodenough. Thanks to Better Reading, Greg Woodland and Text Publishing for an honest review. – Nerida, VIC, 3 Stars
It was a nice change to read a book set in 1960s country New South Wales, I felt the way the author described the landscape was perfect. It was a carefree time when kids could run free during summer – and get up to mischief. I really felt the frustration from Goodenough, being demoted and sent to a faraway, foreign land and trying to get people to understand and see the dangerous signs which everyone is ignoring. The suspense builds really well I thought, ending with a big ending. I would have liked to learn more about Goodenough and really delve into his relationship with his daughter and background. I loved some characters and loathed others – but the really strong character here is the outback. – Rochelle, VIC, 3 Stars
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