12th out of 17 books
—
1 voter
The Brotherhood
by
Y.A. Erskine
One dead cop, one small island, and an impact that will last a lifetimeWhen Sergeant John White, mentor, savior, and all-round good guy, is murdered during a routine call-out, the tight-knit world of Tasmania Police is rocked to the core. An already difficult investigation into the death of one of their own becomes steeped in political complexities when the main suspect is...more
Paperback, 320 pages
Published
December 1st 2011
by Random House Australia
(first published August 16th 2011)
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It's just another day in Hobart. A call out to a suspected burglary. A much respected sergeant and a rookie female police officer take the call.It ends in tragedy when the sergeant is fatally stabbed by one of the fleeing youths..
THE BROTHERHOOD is not a whodunit, or even a whydunit. THE BROTHERHOOD is an exploration of the effect that the death of the officer has on those around him. The rookie, colleagues, friends, the offenders, defence lawyer, journalist, the high ups in the police force. T...more
THE BROTHERHOOD is not a whodunit, or even a whydunit. THE BROTHERHOOD is an exploration of the effect that the death of the officer has on those around him. The rookie, colleagues, friends, the offenders, defence lawyer, journalist, the high ups in the police force. T...more
I found this a frustrating book. I enjoyed the writing on a line-by-line basis, and also the Tasmanian setting - I live in Tassie and a lot of it rang true. But after a while I started to get the sense that I was treading water, that there wasn't really a story happening. Partly a problem of expectations, perhaps - the book started with the killing of a cop, so I thought the story would follow the investigation. Instead, what we got was a whole lot of flashbacks from different points of view, sh...more
Review: Y A Erskine – The Brotherhood
April 30, 2012 by Sarah | Edit
Tasmania is a region I know little about but which conjures up images of beautiful scenery in a temperate climate. The Brotherhood written by Y A Erskine, a former Tasmanian police officer, provides an alternative view of the island. In this excellent book, racial tensions and stresses of police work combine to provide a snapshot of the realities of law enforcement on the island.
The plot opens with the murder of Sergeant John Whi...more
April 30, 2012 by Sarah | Edit
Tasmania is a region I know little about but which conjures up images of beautiful scenery in a temperate climate. The Brotherhood written by Y A Erskine, a former Tasmanian police officer, provides an alternative view of the island. In this excellent book, racial tensions and stresses of police work combine to provide a snapshot of the realities of law enforcement on the island.
The plot opens with the murder of Sergeant John Whi...more
Compelling reading. A study of relations among various people associated with the Hobart police force. Told from a series of viewpoints, it builds a compelling portrait a small-city community wracked by corruption, fraught Black-white relations, political correctness, professional jealousies and peccadillos.
Don't be put off by the bad language and the occasional repeated phrases. Erskine spent 10 years with the police force and knows the lingo. It's confronting but - in my opinion - not gratuit...more
Don't be put off by the bad language and the occasional repeated phrases. Erskine spent 10 years with the police force and knows the lingo. It's confronting but - in my opinion - not gratuit...more
(Kylie) Where to begin? How about – wow! Y.A. Erskine totally blew me away with the clever concept and execution of this story. I hesitate to use the “debut author” tag, because The Brotherhood would have been equally brilliant if it were an author’s tenth book – the fact that it is her first, only makes it all the more impressive.
Erskine breaks out of the mould of typical of crime fiction with her original (and quite brave) approach to telling this story. Each chapter is told from the point-of-...more
Erskine breaks out of the mould of typical of crime fiction with her original (and quite brave) approach to telling this story. Each chapter is told from the point-of-...more
This novel was not what I expected.
It starts, almost exactly as I expected, introducing an investigator, a victim and mysteriousness. What exactly happened? And why? The first, brief chapter is very good - lots of detail, no substantial information. And then we plunge in; the story progressing with a different narrator each chapter.
Had it not been for the many positive reviews of this book, coupled with the fact that I have listed it as one for the Australian Women Writers Reading Challenge 201...more
It starts, almost exactly as I expected, introducing an investigator, a victim and mysteriousness. What exactly happened? And why? The first, brief chapter is very good - lots of detail, no substantial information. And then we plunge in; the story progressing with a different narrator each chapter.
Had it not been for the many positive reviews of this book, coupled with the fact that I have listed it as one for the Australian Women Writers Reading Challenge 201...more
I remember reading the first book in what is now one of my favourite series quite a few years ago, I really really hoped that the author felt better about life once they'd finished. I think the same sort of reaction to THE BROTHERHOOD bodes well for what I hope is going to be an ongoing series.
Mind you, you can't help but wonder if Yvette Erskine's going to be able to get back into Tasmania for research purposes if a few of the upper echelon characters in THE BROTHERHOOD are recognisable real pe...more
Mind you, you can't help but wonder if Yvette Erskine's going to be able to get back into Tasmania for research purposes if a few of the upper echelon characters in THE BROTHERHOOD are recognisable real pe...more
Really enjoyed this one when I read it a few months ago. The author, being an ex-cop, really knows how the Tassie police force works. She pulls no punches and is often very critical of the "system." The way she presents the situation from the pov of all concerned gives this novel depth. It's not just a procedural yarn but better than that, and I found it highly readable. As so often with Goodreads I wish I could give four and half stars because that's probably what it deserves.
Greg Barron http:/...more
Greg Barron http:/...more
I was really looking forward to reading this debut novel by Australian author, YA Erskine. I am terribly disappointed as it is nothing like I expected! I read a lot of police procedures/crime/mystery novels, and I guess I was expecting something along the lines of those.
But after reading the first few chapters, I couldn’t get beyond the fact that Erskine seemed to need to use foul language on a continual basis, and to extreme excess, to try to get her point across. I found I wasn’t thinking abou...more
But after reading the first few chapters, I couldn’t get beyond the fact that Erskine seemed to need to use foul language on a continual basis, and to extreme excess, to try to get her point across. I found I wasn’t thinking abou...more
Sergeant John White is a Tasmanian Police legend. Mentor, saviour and all-round good guy he is the apitomy of what all other officers want to be. But when White and and rookie cop Judy attend what is thought to be a routine burgulry things will go horribly wrong when he is killed after being stabbed. His death will rock the local police to it's core. The investigation will be futher complicated when it is revealed that the alleged killer is a local Aboriginal youth and if the authorities don't p...more
The Brotherhood is a gritty police drama by debut author YA (Yvette) Erskine. It was on the recommendation of Bernadette (http://ReactionstoReading.com) that I picked this up at my local library for the AWW Challenge, delighted to discover another Australian crime novelist.
The Brotherhood begins with the shooting of an experienced and well liked police officer during a routine break and enter investigation in suburban Tasmania. His murder however, is almost incidental to the story in that the ho...more
The Brotherhood begins with the shooting of an experienced and well liked police officer during a routine break and enter investigation in suburban Tasmania. His murder however, is almost incidental to the story in that the ho...more
It’s a routine call out for a rookie probationary constable and a sergeant - a reported break and enter in progress. But that routine call out turns tragic when Sergeant John White, all-round good guy and respected copper is murdered, fatally stabbed. One of the suspects is apprehended at the scene but the other escapes. And it proves to be a political hotpot when the suspects are revealed as a pair of brothers who identify as Aboriginal.
Although well known to police and having been in and out o...more
Although well known to police and having been in and out o...more
An absorbing Australian police procedural set in Tasmania and written by debut author and former Tasmanian policewoman YA Erskine. I read this over a couple of days and literally could not put it down. Perhaps the use of language was a bit gratuitous in parts, but I thoroughly enjoyed the idea of looking at a significant event and the lead-up individually through the eyes of each of the main characters. No suspense or intrigue as such, but an honest and enjoyable police drama.
I picked up this book because a crime novel set in Hobart is something I can't resist, and it doesn't disappoint. I may have gotten an extra kick out of recognising places etc, but I think despite my added enjoyment it still stands out as a well told story that doesn't run along the lines of standard crime. The ending did leave me wanting to know what happened next as it seemed like there's a whole other story in that, that wasn't told.
Growing up in Tassie and having knowledge of the Police environment, I can highly recommend this book. I was captivated from the first page and the author has accurately captured the state and the characters that make up this intriguing tale. I thoroughly enjoyed the alternative perspectives and story lines of each character and I am looking forward to reading more from Yvette Erskine!
Good, but not great. A lot of the "rude" language I found to be unnecessary. Predictable storyline, anti-climatic ending. Maybe I'm a little numbed to the story because both my parents are/were in the Tasmanian Police force, so I'm at the point where I've "heard it all". Still a good read, just don't expect it to be a showstopper.
Jan 17, 2012
Nic
added it
Enjoyed this a lot, after I'd struggled through the first chapter. Each of the characters, while obviously of a "type", is deftly portrayed with a clear voice; and the web of interactions betweem, again, while somewhat contrived, is satisfyingly constructed. The local references were a bonus.
I found this book one that I did not want to put down!! I thought the characters were interesting and believable. Storyline was great and gives the reader an insight into the camaraderie of the police. I believe that the way the Author has written this book it has allowed her the ability to write further novels featuring some of the same characters. I will be most definitely be watching out for the next Y A Erskine instalment of Aussie crime.
This novel weaved an incredible story that was hard to put down. The murder of a police officer in Tasmania is definitely not a storyline that comes up frequently. Great realistic characters. Erskine uses a little too much foul language and jargon for my liking, though I know this is the necessary evil of an Australian police force story. A great first novel by Erskine.
This novel is in equal parts interesting and unsatisfying. We navigate a nasty day in the Tasmanian police department through the eyes of a different character each chapter which is a unique way of doing things, but this also means that no character is fully fleshed out and many story threads are left hanging. There were some nice reveals but other moments seemed obvious or forced. Also, I really wanted more dedication to the Hobart/Tasmanian setting but it really was peripheral. A solid novel,...more
May 12, 2013
Alison
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Apr 30, 2013
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marked it as to-read-wishlist
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Jan 26, 2012 01:47pm