Your Preview Verdict: An Ill Wind by Margaret Hickey

Buy a copy of An Ill Wind here.

Read some great reviews from our Preview readers here:

An eerily realistic portrayal of a small country town adding to the intrigue and suspense of the story. Keeps you guessing until the very end! Jacqui, NSW, 5 stars

What a great book this is, “An Ill Wind” by Margaret Hickey. With so many twists & turns, so suspenseful, I couldn’t wait to turn the next page & read the next chapter. If you love a good crime/thriller read, I highly recommend this. Mel, VIC, 5 stars

I found the storyline very engaging, and thought that the descriptions of the dynamics of living in a small rural community (as I do) were quite accurate. The story is about the murder of a rich philanthropist, Geordie Pritchard, who owns a wind farm in his own small hometown. Some of the local residents made a lot of money by selling farmland to the windfarm, but not everyone is happy about having a wind farm in the area, with complaints about noise, possible carcinogens, and the blight on the landscape. The question is, who was angry enough to decide to murder Geordie? The case is worked by married police officers Belinda and Will. Belinda is a local girl who has returned to the town, but Will, with his private school education and RM Williams boots, has just never really fitted in. All of the characters are interesting with their own backstories. I enjoyed this story, and loved that it kept me guessing right to the end. Dari, WA, 5 stars

This was the first book by Margaret Hickey that I have read and I quite enjoyed it. I normally don’t read crime fiction, but this one sounded intriguing and I wasn’t disappointed. The story was interesting and had plenty of twists and turns. I liked the setting in a small town in rural Victoria and enjoyed following the police investigation and trying to work out who the murderer was and their reasons behind it. This book has great characters and great writing. I would recommend this book to lovers of rural crime fiction and fans of Jane Harper. I’m now looking forward to reading Hickey’s other books. Sue, TAS, 5 stars

An Ill Wind is a story of a town divided. Not just by the wind turbines, whether they are an eyesore or good for the community, but also by the haves and have nots, the rich and the poor. Where the past and it’s secrets have a huge impact on the here and now. An enjoyable read. Lucia, VIC, 5 stars

‘An Ill Wind’ is a great read. Set in a country town in Victoria with a large wind farm and a divided community. The investigation of an unusual death creates additional tension in the town. I loved the character development of the various people in the Carabeen and surrounds. Married police officers Belinda and Will are particularly interesting as is Belinda’s colourful father. I enjoyed learning about the operation of wind farms. The descriptions of scenery are excellent. This book kept me entertained on a long flight and time seemed to fly. Can’t wait for the next Belinda and Will crime solving book. Sandra, NSW, 5 stars

Margaret Hickey’s modern rural ‘outback noir’ crime thriller starts with a gripping discovery of a shockingly chilling death scene at a wind turbine. An Ill Wind, without pushing an agenda or overpowering the crime thriller storyline, delves into the current political and environmental arguments around wind farms and their impacts, both positive and negative, in rural farming communities. The novel reflects the interconnectedness of rural communities, where there are so many links between people and events, where local history is long remembered, and connections can extend well beyond the local town. There is beauty and foreboding in both the local scenery and the local relationships. The wind farms are a presence that tower over all. Our lead characters are policing couple Senior Sergeant’s Belinda Burney and Will Lovell, they’re doing rural service together in expectant Belinda’s former home town, while she also cares for her aging father. Belinda is a force to be reckoned with despite being heavily pregnant and underestimated by other policing investigators. Will makes a wonderful counterpoint to her character as well as adding a layer of discussion around class and connections through his ‘old boys’ school network and more privileged upbringing. A great read!! Lisa, QLD, 5 stars

I haven’t read any Margaret Hickey books before but l will be looking out for this author now. I really enjoyed this book and it kept me in suspense till the end. Love books that you know the areas they are set in. The wind farms really intrigue me so it was an interesting read. Would recommend tthis book to everyone. Kaye, VIC, 5 stars

In a small country town of Carrabeen, Victoria, Alan Crowe is woken by the constant alarm of one of the turbines not working properly. He begrudgingly gets out of bed and drives his Ute up to the hill the locals call Mont Blanc, where 300 turbines owned by Clean Energy Solutions Australia are located. Only trouble is that number 82 has stopped working and when he gets closer he can see a body hanging from it. The body of Geordie Pritchard, the owner of Clean Energy and the turbines. In this small country town, who could have done this crime? There are many that are against the turbines as they are eyesore on the rolling hills and have taken so much farm land. Could it have been his wife who was trying to take over as CEO? Or maybe Doug Hay who buys land but works it and are bitter rivals. There is also the school project, could one of the teachers have held a grudge? I was guessing all the way through the book as to who it could be, but it held me right to the very end. Yet another great read from Margaret Hickey, Loved it. Sue A, NSW, 5 stars

Renewable energy, the future some say and Geordie Pritchard is one of them, building 300 wind turbines on his newly acquired land, much to the delight is some locals & to the dismay of others. Locals are yet shocked by the sight of the landowner swinging from the towering height of the blades of turbine 82. What follows is a police and forensic investigation to discover the motive & the killer, but just as it begins to get momentum another body is discovered. We follow police officers Bel & Will on their quest to unearth the truth. This story will keep you page turning as secrets and lives are laid bare. Wendy, SA, 5 stars

An Ill Wind by Margaret Hickey was a gripping, page turner full of twists and turns keeping the reader on the edge of their seat. The central protagonists Senior Sergeants Belinda Burney and Will Lovell are strong , relatable characters trying to solve murders in the small Victorian country town of Carrabeen. The uncertainty of the wind farm and loss of farming land has ripped the small community in two, could this be linked to the murders? The setting, dialogue, characters and incorporating climate change issues worked so very well. I did not see the ending coming! So very clever ! Highly recommend reading this fabulous book ! Ilona, VIC, 5 stars

An Ill Wind by Margaret Hickey ticked all the boxes for this crime book junkie! I’ve read all her books and I am loving her ability to incorporate a vivid outline of rural life and well drawn characters in her stories. In this latest novel, featuring the hot topic of clean sourced energy with wind turbines and balancing food production within rural communities, Margaret Hickey has set the scene for fiery and dangerous conflict between longstanding community members and rich business owners alike. Husband and wife team, Will and Belinda have only moved back to the town of Carribeen for a year to fill a vacant position. There is only a couple of months left in their contract but their actions to solve the crime are making them indispensable, heroes in some eyes! A few red herrings along the way had me wondering who the killer was. I loved the suspense of this!! Julie, VIC, 4 stars

I absolutely loved this book. It was so hard to put it down. It sucked me in right from the beginning. Christine, QLD, 4 stars

I really enjoyed this book, it had a great mix of mystery and small-town drama. The setting felt real, like I could picture the dust, the landscape, and the locals just from the way it was described. The mystery itself starts off strong and stays interesting the whole way through. I liked the two detectives, especially Belinda, she felt like a real person with flaws and strengths. Some parts were a bit slower than others, but I didn’t mind because the characters and atmosphere kept me hooked. A solid, thoughtful read. I’d definitely read more by Hickey. Sarah, VIC, 4 stars

The story line of this book concerns the proximity of the growing forest of wind turbines to the farmers and residents of this Victorian country town and it would have been easy to take sides on the matter. The people of the town are about evenly divided between liking or loathing the wind farms, but the author has been careful not to express any bias or influence the reader one way or the other.. When a prominent local personality is found hanging from one of the blades, high in the air, he is thought initially to have taken his own life, but to Senior Sergeant Belinda Thurley, who, by the way, is eight months pregnant, things do not add up, as it seems the man had every reason to live. But somebody wanted him dead, and an investigation team is called in from Ballarat. The main protagonist is appealing, as is her ‘shiny shoes’ husband Will, also a local policeman. The townspeople all have their own stories, and any one of them could be the murderer. This is an intriguing story; well thought out and with an unexpected but satisfactory ending. In parts, the dialogue is something only an Aussie would understand. Words like ‘flanny’, and the phrase “I didn’t do my deb” would not be understood, I’m sure, anywhere else the in world. I enjoyed the book, and look forward to reading another one of Margaret Hickey’s novels. Marion, VIC, 4 stars

Margaret Hickey can do no wrong. Once again she has skilfully catapulted the reader into the life and community of a small country town. She accurately portrays the ties that bind people to the town they grew up in and the history that is shared with those you were in the trenches with as you navigated the teenage years. What happens when this history and the present combines is ultimately the heart of Hickey’s latest book, An Ill Wind. While conducting a murder investigation, Senior Sergeants Belinda Burney and her husband Will Lovell find both their pasts being woven into the case. How they navigate these events is where Hickey’s character development really shines. She portrays real down to earth characters who are as flawed as the rest of us. The current topical issue of windfarms is expertly woven into the storyline from the very beginning yet does not detract from the novel as a whole or come across with a political stance for or against. Hickey has become an auto buy author for me and is leading the charge of Australian outback noir writers. Mel, NSW, 4 stars

This outback noir kept me guessing. The rural setting, with the addition of a wind farm that has divided the town, is racking up the dead bodies. The author’s descriptions are easily visualised, with her vivid word pictures. A great read! Cheryl, NSW, 4 stars

Long-held grudges and petty grievances lurk under the surface in any small country town and Margaret Hickey cleverly reveals the hidden secrets and vengeful motives lurking beneath the wind turbines in Carrabeen. A master of the rural police procedural, Hickey plots a twisted tale in An Ill Wind, where the town’s old-timers, big money and climate change collide. Husband and wife detective duo Will Lovell and Belinda Burney quickly discover that clean energy encroaching on a traditionally wheat- farming community can have murderous consequences. Hickey’s insightful characterisation and sharp observations of small-town idiosyncrasies help to build intrigue, as it becomes evident that there are plenty of people in town that have something bothering them. But which ones are bothered enough to seek revenge? An Ill Wind cements Hickey’s place among the most popular rural crime writers in Australia. Louise, NSW, 4 stars

This has an interesting and twisty crime with an original setting. The wind turbine farm in rural Victoria continues the popular Aussie outback noir theme but this book also has a husband and wife police duo investigating the crime which is not something I’ve come across before. Tundra, ACT, 4 stars

As a fan of the ‘outback noir’ genre, I was delighted to receive a review copy of ‘An Ill Wind’ from Better Reading. Senior Sergeants Will Lovell and Belinda Burney, a couple expecting their first child, work together in the small town of Carrabeen in rural Victoria. A man is found hanging from the blade of a wind turbine outside town and turns out to be the owner of the wind farm, a rich local philanthropist, Geordie Pritchard. Was it suicide, or murder? Tensions have been running high with many people against the wind farms, but others relying on it for their livelihood. Belinda and Will’s posting to Carrabeen for a year is almost over and he is looking forward to returning to the city. Belinda was brought up in Carrabeen by her single father in the poorest part of town and is still very aware of her poor background and her perceived place in the town’s pecking order. Will, on the other hand, comes from a quite different background and is a well off city boy who moved in the same circles as Geordie. The pair have different ideas of the reasons behind the murder, and a number of likely suspects. Having enjoyed Margaret Hickey’s previous books I had high expectations, and I wasn’t disappointed as this story kept me guessing until the end. Catherine, QLD, 4 stars

A murder mystery with the Australian outback playing a role as a character in the novel. I really enjoyed this story with its twists and turns. It had me guessing right until the end. Loved it! Tayla, VIC, 4 stars

This is the first book I have read by this author and thoroughly enjoyed it. Set in a small country town, there were quite a few characters that I thought may have been involved in the death of Geordie Pritchard. But I was wrong! I loved how the author had a way of making you think of all the possible suspects and then change your mind! Definitely a good twist at the end of the book as well. Also loved the main characters police husband and wife team Belinda and Will, they complimented each other in their policing and their private lives. Great style of writing and I look forward to reading more from this author. Jo-Anne, NSW, 4 stars

This story An Ill Wind by Margaret Hickey is my second read from this author. I love to read about Australian country towns and town life. From the first chapter my favourite character Sergeant Belinda Burney makes her arrival and tells us a story about her home town of Carrabeen. Coming back to her home town now a Police woman along with her Husband Senior Sergeant Will Lovell we learn about wind energy farms. A death to solve and now a baby on the way Belinda must solve the death of her school friend Geordie Pritchard while reconnecting with her father. Debbie, WA, 4 stars

Margaret Hickey’s latest Aussie rural crime read is her best yet. Set in the small town of Carrabeen, it was the perfect setting to explore the main themes of wealth and the impact and controversies of wind turbines on rural communities. I also liked how interconnected and how far back all the characters were. I really enjoyed the police procedural side of this novel and husband and wife detective team Will and Belinda who moved back to Belinda’s home town to help look after her Dad for a year. It is coming closer to them moving back to Melbourne and it was interesting to see their different thoughts on that and how they adjusted to being in a small town. The main investigation was the death of well known local community leader. Intertwined with this investigation was a number of thefts that happened at the local school, a number of accidents and a second murder. I had fun guessing how and if all these events were and enjoyed seeing how it all played out. I certainly didn’t expect the ending. Another gripping read from Hickey, I hope to see more of Will and Belinda in the future. Kirsten, ACT, 4 stars

Margaret Hickey has shown us yet again that she is a skilful and clever author. The plot keeps moving at a steady pace and all the while keeping the reader interested. Her characters are well developed, so that they feel real and what’s more, relatable to the reader. Part of her talent as a good writer is to enable us to see both sides of the way the town felt towards these monsters being built. The town is torn between those who welcome the wind turbines for the jobs and prosperity they can bring, or those who are appalled with the turbines that take so much farmland, are noisy and one persons belief that they can cause cancer! And in amongst this are a few dead bodies! Phew!! All in all a great novel that adds up to a gem of a story. Chris, VIC, 3 stars

Buy a copy of An Ill Wind here.