On a hot morning in 1991 in the regional town of Clarke, Barney Clarke (no relation) is woken by the unexpected arrival of many policemen. They are going to search his backyard for the body of a missing woman.
Next door, Leonie Wallace and little Joe watch the police cars through their kitchen window. Leonie has been waiting six years for this day. She is certain that her friend Ginny Lawson is buried in that backyard.
But the fate of Ginny Lawson is not the only mystery in Clarke. Barney lives alone in a rented house with a ring on his finger, but where is Barney’s wife? Leonie lives with four-year-old Joe, but where is Joe’s mother?
Clarke is a story of family and violence, of identity and longing, of unlikely connections and the comedy of everyday life. At its centre stands Leonie Wallace, a travel agent who has never travelled, a warm woman full of love and hope and grief, who would do anything in the world for Joe.
Clarke is a compelling new novel from the bestselling author of Goodwood and Cedar Valley, Holly Throsby. Throsby is an accomplished Australian singer-songwriter and author, with exceptional storytelling capabilities across both mediums. She is no stranger to writing small-town Australian mysteries set in the 1990s. In fact, each of her three novels are named after the fictional small-towns in which they are set, and they are all set in the 90s. She has developed a wonderful knack for evoking the nostalgia of this decade.
Like in Goodwood and Cedar Valley, the heart and soul of Clarke lies in its eclectic residents. Like most country towns, everything moves at a slow pace. The novel begins as a slow burn with vivid descriptions of everyday life that are quintessentially Australian. Readers will become heartily invested in the backstories of neighbours Barney and Leonie, as the police operation to look for missing woman Ginny begins in Barney’s backyard. Throsby said she was partially inspired by the murder of Lynette Dawson which became widely publicised through The Teacher’s Pet podcast. As the mystery behind Ginny’s disappearance unravels, so do the pasts of Barney and Leonie, building intrigue that is felt across the town of Clarke.
Clarke will appeal to readers of Australian crime and literary fiction who enjoy a good dose of mystery without the break-neck speed of a thriller.
Clarke will be released on November 1 2022.
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