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 some 5 star reviews from our Preview readers 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
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