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Gunnawah
It's 1974 in the Riverina
The weather is hot
But the body in the Murray River is stone cold . . .
A captivating and compulsive crime thriller about guns, drugs and a young woman dead on the money
Riverina 1974:
When nineteen-year-old farmgirl Adelaide Hoffman applies for a cadetship at the Gunnawah Gazette, she sees it as her ticket out of a life too small for her. Its owner, Valdene Bullark, sees something of the girl she once was in young Adelaide.
Val puts Adelaide straight to work. What starts as a routine assignment covering an irrigation project soon puts Adelaide on the trail of a much bigger story. Water is money in farming communities, and when Adelaide starts asking questions, it's as if she's poked a stick in a bull ant's nest. Violence follows. Someone will do whatever it takes to stop Adelaide and Val finding out how far the river of corruption and crime runs.
Shady deals. Vested interests. A labyrinth of lies. It seems everyone in Gunnawah has a secret to keep. But how many want to stop Adelaide dead?
Set deep in the heart of rural Australia during the era of Gough Whitlam, pub brawls and flared jeans, Gunnawah is a compulsive crime thriller of corruption, guns and drugs from Australian Noir's most arresting new voice.
The weather is hot
But the body in the Murray River is stone cold . . .
A captivating and compulsive crime thriller about guns, drugs and a young woman dead on the money
Riverina 1974:
When nineteen-year-old farmgirl Adelaide Hoffman applies for a cadetship at the Gunnawah Gazette, she sees it as her ticket out of a life too small for her. Its owner, Valdene Bullark, sees something of the girl she once was in young Adelaide.
Val puts Adelaide straight to work. What starts as a routine assignment covering an irrigation project soon puts Adelaide on the trail of a much bigger story. Water is money in farming communities, and when Adelaide starts asking questions, it's as if she's poked a stick in a bull ant's nest. Violence follows. Someone will do whatever it takes to stop Adelaide and Val finding out how far the river of corruption and crime runs.
Shady deals. Vested interests. A labyrinth of lies. It seems everyone in Gunnawah has a secret to keep. But how many want to stop Adelaide dead?
Set deep in the heart of rural Australia during the era of Gough Whitlam, pub brawls and flared jeans, Gunnawah is a compulsive crime thriller of corruption, guns and drugs from Australian Noir's most arresting new voice.
319 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 1, 2025
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January 16, 2025
EXCERPT: Somewhere where the Murray River streamed down from the Great Dividing Rage, flowing sinewed and calm before hitting the swampy flat lands, somewhere down in the water's depths, a human skull sat settled and still, eye sockets filled with mud, facing straight up. The skull was wedged under the largest rock in the lagoon, weighed down with the mud only an ancient river system could deposit. Underneath the skull, a chain pulled back and forth in the water's ebb, caught on what could have been a human spine, there were too many body parts jammed in to tell. All the clay had turned to sludge, stirred up by the yabbies way down there where the Murray cod shit. A hand on the skeleton was trapped beneath something large and solid, something weighing the skeleton down. There were two hands in all. Two feet. One spine. One skull.
ABOUT 'GUNNEWAH': Riverina 1974:
When nineteen-year-old farmgirl Adelaide Hoffman applies for a cadetship at the Gunnawah Gazette, she sees it as her ticket out of a life too small for her. Its owner, Valdene Bullark, sees something of the girl she once was in young Adelaide.
Val puts Adelaide straight to work. What starts as a routine assignment covering an irrigation project soon puts Adelaide on the trail of a much bigger story. Water is money in farming communities, and when Adelaide starts asking questions, it's as if she's poked a stick in a bull ant's nest. Violence follows. Someone will do whatever it takes to stop Adelaide and Val finding out how far the river of corruption and crime runs.
Shady deals. Vested interests. A labyrinth of lies. It seems everyone in Gunnawah has a secret to keep. But how many want to stop Adelaide dead?
MY THOUGHTS: Gunnawah is a strong debut novel from Ronni Salt, Australian political and media commentator. Salt draws on her career, using some historic political and news events of the era for inspiration including the infiltration of the Ndrangheta (Calabrian Mafia) in the rural NSW, the scandal of the Petrov Affair, and the disappearance of Donald Mackay, a well-known anti-drugs campaigner, as background for her novel.
Gunnawah has quite a large cast of characters and a good portion of the early part of the book is spent familiarizing the reader with them and their various relationships. Woven into this information is the knowledge that main character Adelaide Hoffman has suffered a trauma in her recent past, but exactly what that is, isn't revealed until later in the narrative.
The characters are colorful but realistic, particularly Wayne, who is often to be found propping up the bar of the local pub or lurking in the old dunny in the backyard, studying his racing papers. I couldn't help but admire Valdene, owner of the local newspaper. She is a strong-willed woman with a great sense of justice and the chutzpah needed to deliver it. She recognises a need in Adelaide and sets out to fill it, providing her with much needed support.
Adelaide is an interesting character. She doesn't bother with make-up or fashion but can easily gap a spark plug or head tackle a ram. She feels at a distance with her mother who seems to have a closer relationship with her wine glass than with her daughter.
The storyline embraces police corruption, drug cultivation, mafia, Russian spies and sexual assault, all set in a small town in rural NSW and delivers plenty of action alongside the building of relationships between some superb characters whom I hope we are going to be seeing more of.
If I had to describe this book in one word, that word would be authentic.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.4
#Gunnawah #NetGalley
MEET THE AUTHOR: Ronni Salt is a political and media commentator with a rural and legal background and a strong interest in environmental issues. She hails from the Riverina and much prefers dogs to people. Gunnawah is her debut novel.
Ronni Salt is a pseudonym.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Hachette Australia and New Zealand for providing a digital ARC of Gunnawah by Ronni Salt for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
Gunnawah by Ronni Salt was published Jan 01, 2025.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
ABOUT 'GUNNEWAH': Riverina 1974:
When nineteen-year-old farmgirl Adelaide Hoffman applies for a cadetship at the Gunnawah Gazette, she sees it as her ticket out of a life too small for her. Its owner, Valdene Bullark, sees something of the girl she once was in young Adelaide.
Val puts Adelaide straight to work. What starts as a routine assignment covering an irrigation project soon puts Adelaide on the trail of a much bigger story. Water is money in farming communities, and when Adelaide starts asking questions, it's as if she's poked a stick in a bull ant's nest. Violence follows. Someone will do whatever it takes to stop Adelaide and Val finding out how far the river of corruption and crime runs.
Shady deals. Vested interests. A labyrinth of lies. It seems everyone in Gunnawah has a secret to keep. But how many want to stop Adelaide dead?
MY THOUGHTS: Gunnawah is a strong debut novel from Ronni Salt, Australian political and media commentator. Salt draws on her career, using some historic political and news events of the era for inspiration including the infiltration of the Ndrangheta (Calabrian Mafia) in the rural NSW, the scandal of the Petrov Affair, and the disappearance of Donald Mackay, a well-known anti-drugs campaigner, as background for her novel.
Gunnawah has quite a large cast of characters and a good portion of the early part of the book is spent familiarizing the reader with them and their various relationships. Woven into this information is the knowledge that main character Adelaide Hoffman has suffered a trauma in her recent past, but exactly what that is, isn't revealed until later in the narrative.
The characters are colorful but realistic, particularly Wayne, who is often to be found propping up the bar of the local pub or lurking in the old dunny in the backyard, studying his racing papers. I couldn't help but admire Valdene, owner of the local newspaper. She is a strong-willed woman with a great sense of justice and the chutzpah needed to deliver it. She recognises a need in Adelaide and sets out to fill it, providing her with much needed support.
Adelaide is an interesting character. She doesn't bother with make-up or fashion but can easily gap a spark plug or head tackle a ram. She feels at a distance with her mother who seems to have a closer relationship with her wine glass than with her daughter.
The storyline embraces police corruption, drug cultivation, mafia, Russian spies and sexual assault, all set in a small town in rural NSW and delivers plenty of action alongside the building of relationships between some superb characters whom I hope we are going to be seeing more of.
If I had to describe this book in one word, that word would be authentic.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.4
#Gunnawah #NetGalley
MEET THE AUTHOR: Ronni Salt is a political and media commentator with a rural and legal background and a strong interest in environmental issues. She hails from the Riverina and much prefers dogs to people. Gunnawah is her debut novel.
Ronni Salt is a pseudonym.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Hachette Australia and New Zealand for providing a digital ARC of Gunnawah by Ronni Salt for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
Gunnawah by Ronni Salt was published Jan 01, 2025.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
January 8, 2025
Ronni Salt's debut thriller takes us to a made-up town on Gunnawah in Riverina, New South Wales, in 1974, during Gough Whitlam's era. It was an interesting time in history for Australia as well.
I loved that the main character was a female. In this case, Adelaide, the daughter of a farmer, is working as a cadet journalist at the local newspaper. The owner, Valdene Bullark, takes Adelaide under her wing, shows her the ropes, and introduces her to people.
Adelaide seems shy and withdrawn, but she's inquisitive and has a keen eye for details.
As I've declared before, characterisations, descriptions, and writing style are my main focus when I read, even when it comes to plot-driven novels. Salt's writing checks all those boxes. It was obvious even to this lifelong city dweller that Salt is a local, with good knowledge of the countryside and its issues, and its people. In many ways, some of those issues and topics are still current.
Speaking of topics, the main themes are: organised crime relating to drugs, organised crime relating to irrigation and land, and the police and the politicians' corruption and/or ineptitude.
Gunnawah is another worthy addition to the Australian noir crime genre.
I'm looking forward to reading Salt's sophomore book, although I hope the writing won't take her away from the politically driven investigations, they are much needed.
I loved that the main character was a female. In this case, Adelaide, the daughter of a farmer, is working as a cadet journalist at the local newspaper. The owner, Valdene Bullark, takes Adelaide under her wing, shows her the ropes, and introduces her to people.
Adelaide seems shy and withdrawn, but she's inquisitive and has a keen eye for details.
As I've declared before, characterisations, descriptions, and writing style are my main focus when I read, even when it comes to plot-driven novels. Salt's writing checks all those boxes. It was obvious even to this lifelong city dweller that Salt is a local, with good knowledge of the countryside and its issues, and its people. In many ways, some of those issues and topics are still current.
Speaking of topics, the main themes are: organised crime relating to drugs, organised crime relating to irrigation and land, and the police and the politicians' corruption and/or ineptitude.
Gunnawah is another worthy addition to the Australian noir crime genre.
I'm looking forward to reading Salt's sophomore book, although I hope the writing won't take her away from the politically driven investigations, they are much needed.
March 26, 2025
Gunnawah is a fantastic new addition (and possible series? 🤞) to the burgeoning sub-genre of Australian rural noir fiction. I've followed author Ronni Salt (a pseudonym) on Twitter for years and was delighted to learn that she'd applied her journalistic writing skills to fiction.
It's early 1974, Gough Whitlam's Labor government have been in power for just over a year, and it couldn't be a more fascinating time for 19-year-old Adelaide "Addy" Hoffman to begin her career in journalism. The Gunnawah Gazette's only a local paper, but owner-editor Valdene Bullark is a force to be reckoned with, and with a planned irrigation scheme being mooted, times are changing in the western Riverina region of New South Wales. (Gunnawah is a fictional setting on the banks of the Murray River, which the reader imagines to be somewhere in the region between real-life Corowa and Tocumwal, with Wagga Wagga the major town some distance to the north-east).
A foreboding prologue reveals that there are human remains secreted deep in the lagoon on the town's southern boundary, unbeknownst to the characters until quite late in the novel, but hanging in the reader's consciousness as the plot unfolds.
The prospect of a major irrigation scheme draws new and dangerous players into the market for farming properties around Gunnawah, with the potential for industrial-size farming of marijuana under the cover of conventional irrigated crops such as citrus, wine grapes and soybean. The stage is set for all sorts of political game-playing and skullduggery, mirroring the real-life events that transpired further north around Griffith and Colleambally during the 1970s. These events culminated in the disappearance and murder of politician and anti-drugs campaigner Donald Mackay in 1977 and a Royal Commission that identified several figures representing the Calabrian mafia ('Ndrangheta) organised crime network in Australia, led by the notorious Robert Trimbole, as persons of interest. The events were depicted in the 2009 television series Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities.
Back to the book... Sharp-eyed Adelaide notices some unusual crops while undertaking an assignment for the Gazette about the planned irrigation scheme. She returns under cover of darkness to investigate further, and has a scary encounter evading two armed men on the property previously owned by the Branson family. Meanwhile, Gunnawah is preparing for the visit of Prime Minister Gough Whitlam and his wife Margaret, to announce the scheme in the lead-up to the May 1974 Australian federal election. This is a great scene in the book, with local dignitaries, regardless of prior political affiliation, scrambling to ingratiate themselves with the great man, while suspicious characters lurk in the crowd and attempt to intimidate local Liberal Party candidate Michael Di Rossi, himself of Calabrian descent.
As Adelaide, Valdene and Valdene's wonderful long-time associate / bagman Wayne Trevaskis team up to surreptitiously investigate what's going on at the Branson property, young local constable Jack Overlund is pursuing his own suspicions concerning the movement of certain trucks through town, although he struggles to draw any interest from his lackadaisical superior officer, Craig "Boxer" Nunn. Information is obtained and exchanged at three major hubs within the town, Kon and Tina Katapodis's Apollo Café, the Victoria Hotel, owned and run by Russian émigrée Oksana Babich, and - of course - the local bowls club. Then newly-elected local MP Michael Di Rossi disappears from the carpark of the local Shire Council offices, following a nighttime meeting, in circumstances that closely resemble the real-life disappearance of Donald Mackay from Griffith in July 1977. Adelaide, Valdene and Wayne have a pretty good idea of who's behind Di Rossi's disappearance, but who can they trust as police from the wider Riverina and further affield descend on Gunnawah to investigate?
The action ramps up to a dramatic climax as the protagonists try to keep one step ahead of the 'Ndrangheta henchmen. As the book draws to a conclusion, the identity of the body in Saddleback Lagoon is finally revealed, solving more than one mystery from Gunnawah's dark past.
Gunnawah was a stimulating read and an impressive fiction debut for journalist-commentator Ronni Salt. The book features a twisty crime/intrigue plot set against an evocative recent-historical setting in 1970s regional NSW (I grew up in nearby Wagga in the 1970s and 80s, and while a "townie" unlike farm-girl Addy, I can attest to the realism of the small town and rural surrounds). The characters are brilliant, from gutsy heroine/protagonist Adelaide, to her boss Valdene and sidekick Wayne, to the broader supporting cast who well represent the personalities and preoccupations of small town regional Australia in the latter 20th century. This was an absolute joy to read, and I'm hopeful that the wonderful Ronni Salt will continue with a series featuring these characters.
It's early 1974, Gough Whitlam's Labor government have been in power for just over a year, and it couldn't be a more fascinating time for 19-year-old Adelaide "Addy" Hoffman to begin her career in journalism. The Gunnawah Gazette's only a local paper, but owner-editor Valdene Bullark is a force to be reckoned with, and with a planned irrigation scheme being mooted, times are changing in the western Riverina region of New South Wales. (Gunnawah is a fictional setting on the banks of the Murray River, which the reader imagines to be somewhere in the region between real-life Corowa and Tocumwal, with Wagga Wagga the major town some distance to the north-east).
A foreboding prologue reveals that there are human remains secreted deep in the lagoon on the town's southern boundary, unbeknownst to the characters until quite late in the novel, but hanging in the reader's consciousness as the plot unfolds.
The prospect of a major irrigation scheme draws new and dangerous players into the market for farming properties around Gunnawah, with the potential for industrial-size farming of marijuana under the cover of conventional irrigated crops such as citrus, wine grapes and soybean. The stage is set for all sorts of political game-playing and skullduggery, mirroring the real-life events that transpired further north around Griffith and Colleambally during the 1970s. These events culminated in the disappearance and murder of politician and anti-drugs campaigner Donald Mackay in 1977 and a Royal Commission that identified several figures representing the Calabrian mafia ('Ndrangheta) organised crime network in Australia, led by the notorious Robert Trimbole, as persons of interest. The events were depicted in the 2009 television series Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities.
Back to the book... Sharp-eyed Adelaide notices some unusual crops while undertaking an assignment for the Gazette about the planned irrigation scheme. She returns under cover of darkness to investigate further, and has a scary encounter evading two armed men on the property previously owned by the Branson family. Meanwhile, Gunnawah is preparing for the visit of Prime Minister Gough Whitlam and his wife Margaret, to announce the scheme in the lead-up to the May 1974 Australian federal election. This is a great scene in the book, with local dignitaries, regardless of prior political affiliation, scrambling to ingratiate themselves with the great man, while suspicious characters lurk in the crowd and attempt to intimidate local Liberal Party candidate Michael Di Rossi, himself of Calabrian descent.
As Adelaide, Valdene and Valdene's wonderful long-time associate / bagman Wayne Trevaskis team up to surreptitiously investigate what's going on at the Branson property, young local constable Jack Overlund is pursuing his own suspicions concerning the movement of certain trucks through town, although he struggles to draw any interest from his lackadaisical superior officer, Craig "Boxer" Nunn. Information is obtained and exchanged at three major hubs within the town, Kon and Tina Katapodis's Apollo Café, the Victoria Hotel, owned and run by Russian émigrée Oksana Babich, and - of course - the local bowls club. Then newly-elected local MP Michael Di Rossi disappears from the carpark of the local Shire Council offices, following a nighttime meeting, in circumstances that closely resemble the real-life disappearance of Donald Mackay from Griffith in July 1977. Adelaide, Valdene and Wayne have a pretty good idea of who's behind Di Rossi's disappearance, but who can they trust as police from the wider Riverina and further affield descend on Gunnawah to investigate?
The action ramps up to a dramatic climax as the protagonists try to keep one step ahead of the 'Ndrangheta henchmen. As the book draws to a conclusion, the identity of the body in Saddleback Lagoon is finally revealed, solving more than one mystery from Gunnawah's dark past.
Gunnawah was a stimulating read and an impressive fiction debut for journalist-commentator Ronni Salt. The book features a twisty crime/intrigue plot set against an evocative recent-historical setting in 1970s regional NSW (I grew up in nearby Wagga in the 1970s and 80s, and while a "townie" unlike farm-girl Addy, I can attest to the realism of the small town and rural surrounds). The characters are brilliant, from gutsy heroine/protagonist Adelaide, to her boss Valdene and sidekick Wayne, to the broader supporting cast who well represent the personalities and preoccupations of small town regional Australia in the latter 20th century. This was an absolute joy to read, and I'm hopeful that the wonderful Ronni Salt will continue with a series featuring these characters.
December 7, 2024
This book was a lot of fun. It’s very evocative of Australia in the 70s, even down to bottles of Blue Nun wine. It pulls events from real life. The kidnap of one of the characters borrows events from the disappearance of Donald Mackay, there is the Petrov affair, a town in the Riverina with ties to the Calabrian mafia and the towering figures of Gough and Margaret Whitlam.
There are some amusing characters, the dialogue is so 70s and other cultural references are so spot on. I was back there again.
It’s not quite cosy crime, but it certainly borrows from that genre. Everything is tied up quite nicely at the end, and that fits in well with the general tone of the writing.
It is a good read and I flew through it. And never fear, the Kelpie pulls through!
There are some amusing characters, the dialogue is so 70s and other cultural references are so spot on. I was back there again.
It’s not quite cosy crime, but it certainly borrows from that genre. Everything is tied up quite nicely at the end, and that fits in well with the general tone of the writing.
It is a good read and I flew through it. And never fear, the Kelpie pulls through!
December 27, 2024
Gunnawah is an impressive debut historical crime novel from outspoken Australian political and media commentator, Ronni Salt.
In taking the first step to escape the Riverina town of Gunnawah (pop. 989) where she was born and raised, nineteen year old Adelaide Hoffman joins the local newspaper as a cadet journalist. It’s an exciting time for the town, after ten long years of planning it’s been confirmed that a $20 million dollar Southern Riverina Irrigation Scheme is to be built between Gunnawah and the northern town of Burley. It’s on a tour of the scheme’s proposed path led by local federal politician, Michael Di Rossi, that Adelaide notices something strange on a property just out of town. Curious she investigates further, only to stumble upon a dangerous criminal conspiracy and find herself in over her head.
Gunnawah starts slowly. With a multitude of characters to introduce and necessary relationships to establish, it’s a while before it really feels like the plot is advancing. Gradually the connections that reveal the conspirators become clearer, though a few carefully crafted red herrings deftly provide distraction. Most of the action however happens in the last quarter of the book as the various threads of the story begin to unravel, revealing the secrets of more than one townsperson.
Salt proves to have a talent for creating authentic mannerisms and dialogue that bring her characters to life. In need of help, Adelaide turns to the owner of the Gunnawah Gazette Valdene Bullark, and Valdene’s friend Wayne. The trio make great allies as events unfold and I really enjoyed the bond that developed between them. As to who may be involved in the conspiracy there are several suspects including Mayor Barry Heneghan and his brother; pub owner Oksana along with her bar manger Harry; local police Sergeant ‘Boxer’ Nunn and brand new constable Jack Overland; and the aforementioned Michael Di Rossi.
Set in 1975, Salt draws on some historic political and news events of the era for inspiration including the infiltration of the ’Ndrangheta (Calabrian Mafia) in the rural NSW, the scandal of the Petrov Affair, and the disappearance of Donald Mackay, a well-known anti-drugs campaigner. Corruption, the drug trade, and sexual assault are just some of the issues touched upon in the novel.
A few tweaks to the pacing and this would have been a five star book for me, but nevertheless Gunnawah is a great read offering a strong sense of time and place and authentic characterisation.
In taking the first step to escape the Riverina town of Gunnawah (pop. 989) where she was born and raised, nineteen year old Adelaide Hoffman joins the local newspaper as a cadet journalist. It’s an exciting time for the town, after ten long years of planning it’s been confirmed that a $20 million dollar Southern Riverina Irrigation Scheme is to be built between Gunnawah and the northern town of Burley. It’s on a tour of the scheme’s proposed path led by local federal politician, Michael Di Rossi, that Adelaide notices something strange on a property just out of town. Curious she investigates further, only to stumble upon a dangerous criminal conspiracy and find herself in over her head.
Gunnawah starts slowly. With a multitude of characters to introduce and necessary relationships to establish, it’s a while before it really feels like the plot is advancing. Gradually the connections that reveal the conspirators become clearer, though a few carefully crafted red herrings deftly provide distraction. Most of the action however happens in the last quarter of the book as the various threads of the story begin to unravel, revealing the secrets of more than one townsperson.
Salt proves to have a talent for creating authentic mannerisms and dialogue that bring her characters to life. In need of help, Adelaide turns to the owner of the Gunnawah Gazette Valdene Bullark, and Valdene’s friend Wayne. The trio make great allies as events unfold and I really enjoyed the bond that developed between them. As to who may be involved in the conspiracy there are several suspects including Mayor Barry Heneghan and his brother; pub owner Oksana along with her bar manger Harry; local police Sergeant ‘Boxer’ Nunn and brand new constable Jack Overland; and the aforementioned Michael Di Rossi.
Set in 1975, Salt draws on some historic political and news events of the era for inspiration including the infiltration of the ’Ndrangheta (Calabrian Mafia) in the rural NSW, the scandal of the Petrov Affair, and the disappearance of Donald Mackay, a well-known anti-drugs campaigner. Corruption, the drug trade, and sexual assault are just some of the issues touched upon in the novel.
A few tweaks to the pacing and this would have been a five star book for me, but nevertheless Gunnawah is a great read offering a strong sense of time and place and authentic characterisation.
January 1, 2025
Set in 1974 in the rural community of Gunnawah. Nineteen year old Adelaide Hoffman has had a horrific year and is finally confident to leave her house and family property. She is a buddying photographer and takes a cadet ship with the local newspaper in the hopes of writing stories as well as taking photos for the paper.
Her first assignment is a story on an irrigation project that is very poignant to this farming community.
Before Adelaide knows it, as the story unfolds, she is soon in the thick of corruption, lies, and decade old secrets
I really enjoyed this great crime debut. A slow burn, but the characters and backdrop keep you turn each page. It is a walk down Australian memory lane with wonderful 70s nostalgia. I couldn’t put it down!
Thank you @hachetteaus for sending me a copy in exchange for my review
Her first assignment is a story on an irrigation project that is very poignant to this farming community.
Before Adelaide knows it, as the story unfolds, she is soon in the thick of corruption, lies, and decade old secrets
I really enjoyed this great crime debut. A slow burn, but the characters and backdrop keep you turn each page. It is a walk down Australian memory lane with wonderful 70s nostalgia. I couldn’t put it down!
Thank you @hachetteaus for sending me a copy in exchange for my review
Read
December 16, 2024
Ronni Salt’s debut is historical crime fiction at its best, with a strong sense of place and time and wonderful characters at its core. Full review at Newtown Review of Books
January 29, 2025
Fantastic sense of time and place. Let down by the ending which seemed to be too conveniently, and hurriedly, tied up by the main protagonist explaining it to a small circle of acquaintances.
January 19, 2025
I received a copy of Gunnawah from Hachette Australia to review.
Rating of 4.5.
New Australian author Ronni Salt presents a compelling new crime fiction debut with the fantastic novel Gunnawah, an intriguing and distinctive read that explores an intriguing period of rural Australian history.
Gunnawah was an excellent first book from Ronni Salt that was an amazing and entertaining bit of Australian fiction to start 2025 on. Cleverly examining the unique landscape of Australia’s Riverina area in the 1970s and diving into its controversial history, Gunnawah was a fast-paced and surprisingly complex read that blended big characters with an addictive crime fiction narrative.
The book has an interesting, if slow, start to it, as the reader is introduced to the protagonist, Adelaide Hoffman, as well as the various other memorable inhabitants of the town. Much of the first third of Gunnawah is dedicated to building these figures up, while also hinting at the many secrets surrounding the town. While readers don’t get a lot of excitement off the bat in Gunnawah, I felt that this slow burn start was vital to the book’s later impact, especially as Salt loads up a ton of clues and hints about the later events of the book.
Things begin to heat up when the protagonists discover that there is a darker side to their small town, especially when it becomes clear a vital new irrigation project has ties to a local drug operation, while other crimes remain hidden in the shadows. There are some tense scenes as Adelaide, Val and their offsider Wayne begin to uncover what’s really going on around Gunnawah. However, it is the last third of the book that really ensures Gunnawah sticks in the mind. Starting off with a big event that is reminiscent of a particularly infamous Australian crime, the protagonists are soon thrust into greater danger and are forced to fight back like the battling Australian farmers they are. There are some awesome scenes here, especially as damaged protagonist Adelaide shows how badass she is, and I liked some of the satisfying conclusions that occur to the main story. Salt also cleverly ties up some other intriguing mysteries that have been running alongside the central plot, and I liked the solutions that emerged, especially as the resulting reveals were well built up in the earlier parts of the book. Readers come away very satisfied with how Salt concludes Gunnawah, and there is some potential to continue this book as a series if the author wants to.
Salt pulls together an intriguing book for her debut that blends a fantastic crime fiction read with some cool historical inclusions and a subtle web of humour that proves hard to get away from. Featuring a mass of interesting perspective characters, Gunnawah’s plot revolves around finding out all their relevant secrets and working together the storylines of the various big personalities in the town. These multiple perspectives help to create a complex and layered narrative, and they often backup the fantastic central characters of Adelaide and Val. The author builds up some excellent character development and human moments throughout Gunnawah, especially as there are some complex and damaged protagonists featured throughout. For example, Adelaide comes into the narrative traumatised by a previous incident that is expanded on as the book continues, and it was great to see her regain her confidence as Gunnawah continues.
The rest of the characters in the novel are an excellent combination of outrageous small-town folk, and a lot of Gunnawah’s humour is built from the fantastically funny interactions between these entertaining figures. For example, Val and Wayne, long-time friends who have history with the seedier side of Sydney before coming to small-town Gunnawah, prove to be a highly entertaining duo, and I enjoyed how they took events into their own hands, especially when it comes to protecting Adelaide. Other great humorous figures include the ambitious, if slightly hapless, mayor of Gunnawah and his social-climbing wife, whose antics in face of the serious crimes going on around town prove to be a lot of fun. These figures, as well as a range of other great exaggerated small-town folk in Gunnawah, add a lot to how entertaining Gunnawah proved to be, and I am curious to see if Salt will revisit them in any future books.
Another amazing aspect of Gunnawah that I really enjoyed was the fantastic historical background surrounding the main setting of the plot. Salt did a great job emulating a Riverina town for this book, and you really got the sense of a small Australian town in the 1970s, with the mixture of farmers, local politics and other country folk. Small towns always work well in Australian crime fiction, especially as readers love to see antics out in the bush, and Salt makes her story stand out by tying the narrative into real-life crime aspects of 1970s Australia. In particular, the narrative features representatives of a criminal organisation active during the period, and one of the major events of the books is highly reminiscent of the Donald Mackay incident. The author also includes a lot of references to larger events occurring around Australia during the period, especially rampant police corruption in New South Wales, as well as a focus on Australian politics. I personally enjoyed seeing the references to the Gough Whitlam era, and Salt actually includes a visit from Whitlam to Gunnawah as part of the plot, which proves to be quite a fun scene, especially when two of the book’s more entertaining personalities become involved. These intriguing historical inclusions give Gunnawah some real authenticity, especially if you are familiar with how bad things got in the Riverina area during the period, and I appreciated how Salt worked it into her narrative.
Ronni Salt comes out of the gate swinging with her first novel as Gunnawah proves to be an outstanding and compelling piece of Australian fiction. An amazing debut to start 2025 on, Gunnawah featured a great blend of crime fiction and historical inclusions to create a gripping and entertaining read. I had an awesome time reading Gunnawah, and I look forward to seeing what Salt writes next.
An abridged review of this book also ran in the Canberra Weekly on 17 January 2025:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2025/01/19/...
For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
https://unseenlibrary.com/
Rating of 4.5.
New Australian author Ronni Salt presents a compelling new crime fiction debut with the fantastic novel Gunnawah, an intriguing and distinctive read that explores an intriguing period of rural Australian history.
Gunnawah was an excellent first book from Ronni Salt that was an amazing and entertaining bit of Australian fiction to start 2025 on. Cleverly examining the unique landscape of Australia’s Riverina area in the 1970s and diving into its controversial history, Gunnawah was a fast-paced and surprisingly complex read that blended big characters with an addictive crime fiction narrative.
The book has an interesting, if slow, start to it, as the reader is introduced to the protagonist, Adelaide Hoffman, as well as the various other memorable inhabitants of the town. Much of the first third of Gunnawah is dedicated to building these figures up, while also hinting at the many secrets surrounding the town. While readers don’t get a lot of excitement off the bat in Gunnawah, I felt that this slow burn start was vital to the book’s later impact, especially as Salt loads up a ton of clues and hints about the later events of the book.
Things begin to heat up when the protagonists discover that there is a darker side to their small town, especially when it becomes clear a vital new irrigation project has ties to a local drug operation, while other crimes remain hidden in the shadows. There are some tense scenes as Adelaide, Val and their offsider Wayne begin to uncover what’s really going on around Gunnawah. However, it is the last third of the book that really ensures Gunnawah sticks in the mind. Starting off with a big event that is reminiscent of a particularly infamous Australian crime, the protagonists are soon thrust into greater danger and are forced to fight back like the battling Australian farmers they are. There are some awesome scenes here, especially as damaged protagonist Adelaide shows how badass she is, and I liked some of the satisfying conclusions that occur to the main story. Salt also cleverly ties up some other intriguing mysteries that have been running alongside the central plot, and I liked the solutions that emerged, especially as the resulting reveals were well built up in the earlier parts of the book. Readers come away very satisfied with how Salt concludes Gunnawah, and there is some potential to continue this book as a series if the author wants to.
Salt pulls together an intriguing book for her debut that blends a fantastic crime fiction read with some cool historical inclusions and a subtle web of humour that proves hard to get away from. Featuring a mass of interesting perspective characters, Gunnawah’s plot revolves around finding out all their relevant secrets and working together the storylines of the various big personalities in the town. These multiple perspectives help to create a complex and layered narrative, and they often backup the fantastic central characters of Adelaide and Val. The author builds up some excellent character development and human moments throughout Gunnawah, especially as there are some complex and damaged protagonists featured throughout. For example, Adelaide comes into the narrative traumatised by a previous incident that is expanded on as the book continues, and it was great to see her regain her confidence as Gunnawah continues.
The rest of the characters in the novel are an excellent combination of outrageous small-town folk, and a lot of Gunnawah’s humour is built from the fantastically funny interactions between these entertaining figures. For example, Val and Wayne, long-time friends who have history with the seedier side of Sydney before coming to small-town Gunnawah, prove to be a highly entertaining duo, and I enjoyed how they took events into their own hands, especially when it comes to protecting Adelaide. Other great humorous figures include the ambitious, if slightly hapless, mayor of Gunnawah and his social-climbing wife, whose antics in face of the serious crimes going on around town prove to be a lot of fun. These figures, as well as a range of other great exaggerated small-town folk in Gunnawah, add a lot to how entertaining Gunnawah proved to be, and I am curious to see if Salt will revisit them in any future books.
Another amazing aspect of Gunnawah that I really enjoyed was the fantastic historical background surrounding the main setting of the plot. Salt did a great job emulating a Riverina town for this book, and you really got the sense of a small Australian town in the 1970s, with the mixture of farmers, local politics and other country folk. Small towns always work well in Australian crime fiction, especially as readers love to see antics out in the bush, and Salt makes her story stand out by tying the narrative into real-life crime aspects of 1970s Australia. In particular, the narrative features representatives of a criminal organisation active during the period, and one of the major events of the books is highly reminiscent of the Donald Mackay incident. The author also includes a lot of references to larger events occurring around Australia during the period, especially rampant police corruption in New South Wales, as well as a focus on Australian politics. I personally enjoyed seeing the references to the Gough Whitlam era, and Salt actually includes a visit from Whitlam to Gunnawah as part of the plot, which proves to be quite a fun scene, especially when two of the book’s more entertaining personalities become involved. These intriguing historical inclusions give Gunnawah some real authenticity, especially if you are familiar with how bad things got in the Riverina area during the period, and I appreciated how Salt worked it into her narrative.
Ronni Salt comes out of the gate swinging with her first novel as Gunnawah proves to be an outstanding and compelling piece of Australian fiction. An amazing debut to start 2025 on, Gunnawah featured a great blend of crime fiction and historical inclusions to create a gripping and entertaining read. I had an awesome time reading Gunnawah, and I look forward to seeing what Salt writes next.
An abridged review of this book also ran in the Canberra Weekly on 17 January 2025:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2025/01/19/...
For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
https://unseenlibrary.com/
December 25, 2024
Really enjoyed this Australian country town thriller. Well written with great characters. Thank you to the author. Thank you to # NetGalley and the publisher.
January 2, 2025
a fantastic read!
A brilliant read. Hard to put down with so much Australian nostalgia tied effortlessly into the story. So well written . Thank you.
A brilliant read. Hard to put down with so much Australian nostalgia tied effortlessly into the story. So well written . Thank you.
December 26, 2024
4.5⭐/5
That was a bloody ripper folks.
I love my Aussie fiction, but that was so quintessentially 'strayan' and was so full of nostalgia that I thought I was there (well I was a kid in '74 so I guess I was there).
Gunnawah was a great story covering many topics - environmental issues, political corruption, police corruption, the Calabrian mob, even the KGB.
Gunnawah is a small town of close to a thousand citizens in the Riverina where everyone knows your name and your business. And if they don't know, well Cheryl-Ann will tell them.
When young Adelaide Hoffman gets a job as a cadet journalist at the Gunnawah Gazette, no one, not even Cheryl-Ann, could foresee what will be uncovered about their little town over the next couple of months.
What starts as a good news story about an irrigation scheme that will bring jobs and prosperity to Gunnawah soon becomes a game of cat and mouse after what Adelaide uncovers one night after acting on a hunch.This little town will be shocked and may very well lose its innocence.
This was such a great book and I was hooked from the start as the lead characters, namely Adelaide, Valdene, Kon and Tina, and Jack the rookie cop had an air of realism about them that was engaging.
The massive hit of nostalgia from the references and people in this story was so good, but really shows my age 😭. From Al Grassby, the best dressed politician in Australia at the time, to Gough Whitlam, Donald McKay, lambs fry and bacon and a glass of Blue Nun at the bowlo, the Leyland Brothers and Paul Hogan being on TV and a link to the Petrov Affair, made this book so memorable.
Another debut Aussie author absolutely hitting it out the park. We are beyond lucky to have so many amazing voices telling our stories.
That was a bloody ripper folks.
I love my Aussie fiction, but that was so quintessentially 'strayan' and was so full of nostalgia that I thought I was there (well I was a kid in '74 so I guess I was there).
Gunnawah was a great story covering many topics - environmental issues, political corruption, police corruption, the Calabrian mob, even the KGB.
Gunnawah is a small town of close to a thousand citizens in the Riverina where everyone knows your name and your business. And if they don't know, well Cheryl-Ann will tell them.
When young Adelaide Hoffman gets a job as a cadet journalist at the Gunnawah Gazette, no one, not even Cheryl-Ann, could foresee what will be uncovered about their little town over the next couple of months.
What starts as a good news story about an irrigation scheme that will bring jobs and prosperity to Gunnawah soon becomes a game of cat and mouse after what Adelaide uncovers one night after acting on a hunch.This little town will be shocked and may very well lose its innocence.
This was such a great book and I was hooked from the start as the lead characters, namely Adelaide, Valdene, Kon and Tina, and Jack the rookie cop had an air of realism about them that was engaging.
The massive hit of nostalgia from the references and people in this story was so good, but really shows my age 😭. From Al Grassby, the best dressed politician in Australia at the time, to Gough Whitlam, Donald McKay, lambs fry and bacon and a glass of Blue Nun at the bowlo, the Leyland Brothers and Paul Hogan being on TV and a link to the Petrov Affair, made this book so memorable.
Another debut Aussie author absolutely hitting it out the park. We are beyond lucky to have so many amazing voices telling our stories.
December 22, 2024
Ronni Salt has written a truely Australian crime book. Given her presence on “X” formally twitter and her incisive and useful commentary it’s not surprising that that its crime with a dose of 1970’s politics for a backdrop. The characters are wonderful, you will know them all, they are subtle, accessible and straight out of any town more than 2 hours drive from a city. The roles of a smart cadet journalist, the new cop in town, the Greek cafe owners and the owner of the local paper not to mention the Russian pub owner make for a great combination. The story of drug growing in the Riverina was common knowledge at the time but Ronnie Salt brings it together in a real page turner. Thanks to @netgalley and @hachette.au for an advance reader copy
March 1, 2025
It's a bit of a "tall story". The amount of guns and gangs in a small country town on Australia beggared belief. The thing is I actually think dirty politics around water is a real thing so the superficial way it gets depicted in the book (I can't say too much more without spoilers) was disappointing.
The 70s setting was enjoyable in a laid on thick with lots of stereotypes sort of a way. Similarly the characters were loveable in a tropey "true blue aussie" kind of a way. The cops were overly polarised into "good" and "bad" cops I initially expected nuance....that was actually the way with all the characters. There was more Gough Whitlam in the story than I was expecting but older people do seem to have a weird idolatrous streak about him (is it only because everyone after him has ranged from faintly disappointing to really scary bad?)
I had a lot of trouble relating to and believing in "Adds"" but this whole book was like an extgended blue heelers episode (albeit mostly not centred on the cops) with far too many mentions of (junk) food thrown in for nostalgia.
The 70s setting was enjoyable in a laid on thick with lots of stereotypes sort of a way. Similarly the characters were loveable in a tropey "true blue aussie" kind of a way. The cops were overly polarised into "good" and "bad" cops I initially expected nuance....that was actually the way with all the characters. There was more Gough Whitlam in the story than I was expecting but older people do seem to have a weird idolatrous streak about him (is it only because everyone after him has ranged from faintly disappointing to really scary bad?)
I had a lot of trouble relating to and believing in "Adds"" but this whole book was like an extgended blue heelers episode (albeit mostly not centred on the cops) with far too many mentions of (junk) food thrown in for nostalgia.
February 26, 2025
As a former bird app user (the social media equivalent of hellhole now known by a single alphabetical letter), I was well aware of Ronni Salts wit and humour and ability to eviscerate Internet trolls with a few well chosen words within a 280 character word limit. When I heard she’d written a book, I was looking forward to reading it.
What happened? This is not the book I expected. The bones of a good story was there but it was missing the witty word play I know she is capable of. In my read it tended to drag, and I was so tempted to give up numerous times. If the book was written to fit in the Australian Bush Noir style popular at the moment, it failed. I wanted to like it, but it was only the last couple of chapters which could place it in the thriller category, even then I felt there were large plot holes which you could have driven a red Bedford truck through.
I do hope Ronnie writes another. The concept was good but the execution needs the assistance of a better editor.
What happened? This is not the book I expected. The bones of a good story was there but it was missing the witty word play I know she is capable of. In my read it tended to drag, and I was so tempted to give up numerous times. If the book was written to fit in the Australian Bush Noir style popular at the moment, it failed. I wanted to like it, but it was only the last couple of chapters which could place it in the thriller category, even then I felt there were large plot holes which you could have driven a red Bedford truck through.
I do hope Ronnie writes another. The concept was good but the execution needs the assistance of a better editor.
February 23, 2025
This was fabulous and I read it in less than 24 hours. Set in 1974 in the Riverina district of NSW so much of this story resonated with me. Why? Because in 1974 I was living in a country town bordering the Riverina and not unlike Gunnawah. Of course now I have to send a copy to my sister living in the US as we both reminisced and had a laugh about the reference to Jade Hurley! Now I have to go and listen to that 70’s hit ‘Down in the Riverina.’ Great first novel by this author.
April 17, 2025
Oh dear, what a train wreck. Unnecessarily, and unsuccessfully, convoluted. It takes real talent to write readable action scenes and, sadly, our pseudonymed author does not yet possess such talent. And boy oh boy, are there a lot of action scenes included!
Also, we get that the story is set in 1974. Probs don’t need the eleventy gajillion advertising references 🤦♀️
Also, we get that the story is set in 1974. Probs don’t need the eleventy gajillion advertising references 🤦♀️
March 24, 2025
A few too many characters meant this story jumped all over the place and, at times, lacked coherence. I liked the premise and the setting, with the ode to actual happenings of that time.
January 4, 2025
Gunnawah is the intense and compelling debut novel from media commentator, Ronni Salt.
The year is 1974 and in Gunnawah, a small Riverina town, nineteen year old Adelaide Hoffman applies for a cadetship at the Gunnawah Gazette. Valdene Bullark, the paper’s owner, sees something of her young self in Adelaide and puts her straight to work. While writing about the upcoming Southern Riverina Irrigation Scheme, Adelaide uncovers a far bigger story of crime and corruption. However, her investigating brings her to the attention of some pretty unsavoury types who will stop at nothing to keep their secrets.
This debut crime thriller was so tense and pacy. There were moments where I was holding my breath as I watched the danger to Adelaide play out on the page.
I enjoyed the Gunnawah setting and its colourful characters, many of them with their own buried histories. I loved Adelaide, a farm girl with plenty of smarts and courage, she does not back away from finding the truth, even when she is threatened. I also loved her boss Valdene and Wayne, who is so much more than what you initially see.
Set against the backdrop of the Whitlam era and the Calabrian Mafia in the Riverina, the 1970s time period was quite nostalgic and I enjoyed that historical events were woven into the narrative.
The year is 1974 and in Gunnawah, a small Riverina town, nineteen year old Adelaide Hoffman applies for a cadetship at the Gunnawah Gazette. Valdene Bullark, the paper’s owner, sees something of her young self in Adelaide and puts her straight to work. While writing about the upcoming Southern Riverina Irrigation Scheme, Adelaide uncovers a far bigger story of crime and corruption. However, her investigating brings her to the attention of some pretty unsavoury types who will stop at nothing to keep their secrets.
This debut crime thriller was so tense and pacy. There were moments where I was holding my breath as I watched the danger to Adelaide play out on the page.
I enjoyed the Gunnawah setting and its colourful characters, many of them with their own buried histories. I loved Adelaide, a farm girl with plenty of smarts and courage, she does not back away from finding the truth, even when she is threatened. I also loved her boss Valdene and Wayne, who is so much more than what you initially see.
Set against the backdrop of the Whitlam era and the Calabrian Mafia in the Riverina, the 1970s time period was quite nostalgic and I enjoyed that historical events were woven into the narrative.
February 28, 2025
3 1/2 stars.
Gunnawah, by the pseudonymous Ronnie Salt, is a crime mystery novel set in the Riverina region of NSW in the mid-1970s.
I enjoyed the nods to historical events (the disappearance of Donald McKay, the Calabrian drug cartels operating in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area at that time, the Petrov Affair, NSW Police corruption, Federal politics and so on). The characters were believable with realistic dialogue. The setting also rang true - although the repetition of place did become ridiculous at times with the 'Riverina heat', 'Riverina wind', etc etc.
I also didn't need the many reminders early in the novel that the weather was hot - why Australian authors feel compelled to labour this point is one of life's little mysteries.
The humour in this novel was scarce but welcome. The novel moved relatively slowly until a burst of energy enlivened things towards the somewhat rushed ending.
Gunnawah is a solid addition to the Australian crime novel genre - although, more thorough editing was needed in places - and I look forward to more of Ms Salt's fiction.
Gunnawah, by the pseudonymous Ronnie Salt, is a crime mystery novel set in the Riverina region of NSW in the mid-1970s.
I enjoyed the nods to historical events (the disappearance of Donald McKay, the Calabrian drug cartels operating in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area at that time, the Petrov Affair, NSW Police corruption, Federal politics and so on). The characters were believable with realistic dialogue. The setting also rang true - although the repetition of place did become ridiculous at times with the 'Riverina heat', 'Riverina wind', etc etc.
I also didn't need the many reminders early in the novel that the weather was hot - why Australian authors feel compelled to labour this point is one of life's little mysteries.
The humour in this novel was scarce but welcome. The novel moved relatively slowly until a burst of energy enlivened things towards the somewhat rushed ending.
Gunnawah is a solid addition to the Australian crime novel genre - although, more thorough editing was needed in places - and I look forward to more of Ms Salt's fiction.
January 23, 2025
First you meet the people, the singularly Australian mix of locals and long -established migrants typical of towns in regional areas. Captured with a Dickensian eye for particularity and salted with a dry, wry wit and affection.
Then the drama unfolds, stomach-wrenching, sinister, compelling and for readers of a certain age, very familiar historically.
The plot is a movie waiting to happen, if only we had a vibrant local film industry to create this world, show us ourselves, framed in the rich and complex Australian cultural soup, and showcase us to the world.
Then the drama unfolds, stomach-wrenching, sinister, compelling and for readers of a certain age, very familiar historically.
The plot is a movie waiting to happen, if only we had a vibrant local film industry to create this world, show us ourselves, framed in the rich and complex Australian cultural soup, and showcase us to the world.
January 26, 2025
4.5 stars.
An outstanding mystery with (mostly) great characters!
An outstanding mystery with (mostly) great characters!
April 29, 2025
A gripping yarn set in vivid rural Australia. I could see this narrative in my mind throughout in terms of its setting and characters. Familia to anyone who has lived and dealt in small town politics.
February 11, 2025
Gunnawah is set in the Riverina in 1974, an interesting time for Australia. There is the involvement of the Mafia in politics and drugs, and how this affected this little township. It's a good look at a time of change.
August 14, 2025
The body in the Murray River wasn’t the missing politician. It was the editor.
July 22, 2025
I have been following Ronni Salt on Twitter for some time. I think of her as Annie ( Annie get your gun!) as she has previously casually commented on Twitter about being good with a firearm. She’s sharp, droll, and witty so I’ve been looking forward to reading Gunnawah. It did not disappoint.
I enjoyed Ronni’s Stephen King quote about small town people:
“In small towns, people scent the wind with noses of uncommon keenness.”
It's 1974. Whitlam's Labor government has been in power for a year or so. Adelaide is 19 and begins a career in journalism. It’s a first step towards escaping Gunnawah, a town of 900 and odd people. The story is set in the Riverina where times they are a changing! Addy is employed by the Gunnawah Gazette's, Valdene who is a tough cookie.
In the prologue, it’s revealed there are human remains concealed in the lagoon on the town's southern boundary. The characters don’t know this until late in the book, albeit the reader being conscious of it throughout their read.
There’s a planned irrigation scheme for the Riverina, which attracts dodgy characters towards aspiring to own land in the area.
I enjoyed the plot and the introduction of real people into the story, like anti-drugs campaigner Donald Mackay in 1977 and a Royal Commission that identified a number of figures representing the Calabrian mafia organised crime network in Australia, led by Robert Trimbole, shown a while back a la the Underbelly tv series.
Addy notices some unusual looking crops while doing an assignment for the Gazette about the irrigation scheme. She returns to the property at night time to check it out more closely.
Gunnawah is preparing for a visit by Prime Minister Gough Whitlam and his wife Margaret, to announce the irrigation scheme, prior to the May 1974 Australian federal election. All the ambitious locals and dignitaries are desperate to suck up to Gough and get his attention. Other sinister characters try to intimidate local Liberal Party candidate Michael Di Rossi, who is himself Calabrian.
Addy, Valdene, and Valdene's sidekick, Wayne get together to investigate on the down low what's going on at the property where Addy spotted the “unusual” crops. A young copper, Jack Overlund is following up on the movement of particular trucks through town. His boss, Craig has little interest in Jack’s suspicions about the trucks.
Information is shared about the mysterious goings on they’ve observed at three places in the town, Kon and Tina’s Apollo Café, the Victoria Hotel, owned by a Russian, Oksana, and the local bowls club. Michael Di Rossi, newly elected MP disappears from the carpark of the local Shire Council offices, at night, mirroring the real-life disappearance of Donald Mackay from Griffith in 1977. Addy, Valdene, and Wayne believe they know who abducted Michael but are unsure who they can trust police wise with their belief.
The story heats up as Addy and the crew try to evade the Calabrians who they believe are running a drugs cartel. This was a fast paced and engaging read, with the presence and identity of the body in the town’s lagoon finally being revealed, resolving a mystery from Gunnawah’s murky past.
I read Gunnawah over a short period. It spans 319 pages. I didn’t want to put it down once I’d started it. It’s a well written and absorbing novel. I highly recommend this suspenseful crime read to others, and I hope that Ronni writes a sequel to the novel.
I enjoyed Ronni’s Stephen King quote about small town people:
“In small towns, people scent the wind with noses of uncommon keenness.”
It's 1974. Whitlam's Labor government has been in power for a year or so. Adelaide is 19 and begins a career in journalism. It’s a first step towards escaping Gunnawah, a town of 900 and odd people. The story is set in the Riverina where times they are a changing! Addy is employed by the Gunnawah Gazette's, Valdene who is a tough cookie.
In the prologue, it’s revealed there are human remains concealed in the lagoon on the town's southern boundary. The characters don’t know this until late in the book, albeit the reader being conscious of it throughout their read.
There’s a planned irrigation scheme for the Riverina, which attracts dodgy characters towards aspiring to own land in the area.
I enjoyed the plot and the introduction of real people into the story, like anti-drugs campaigner Donald Mackay in 1977 and a Royal Commission that identified a number of figures representing the Calabrian mafia organised crime network in Australia, led by Robert Trimbole, shown a while back a la the Underbelly tv series.
Addy notices some unusual looking crops while doing an assignment for the Gazette about the irrigation scheme. She returns to the property at night time to check it out more closely.
Gunnawah is preparing for a visit by Prime Minister Gough Whitlam and his wife Margaret, to announce the irrigation scheme, prior to the May 1974 Australian federal election. All the ambitious locals and dignitaries are desperate to suck up to Gough and get his attention. Other sinister characters try to intimidate local Liberal Party candidate Michael Di Rossi, who is himself Calabrian.
Addy, Valdene, and Valdene's sidekick, Wayne get together to investigate on the down low what's going on at the property where Addy spotted the “unusual” crops. A young copper, Jack Overlund is following up on the movement of particular trucks through town. His boss, Craig has little interest in Jack’s suspicions about the trucks.
Information is shared about the mysterious goings on they’ve observed at three places in the town, Kon and Tina’s Apollo Café, the Victoria Hotel, owned by a Russian, Oksana, and the local bowls club. Michael Di Rossi, newly elected MP disappears from the carpark of the local Shire Council offices, at night, mirroring the real-life disappearance of Donald Mackay from Griffith in 1977. Addy, Valdene, and Wayne believe they know who abducted Michael but are unsure who they can trust police wise with their belief.
The story heats up as Addy and the crew try to evade the Calabrians who they believe are running a drugs cartel. This was a fast paced and engaging read, with the presence and identity of the body in the town’s lagoon finally being revealed, resolving a mystery from Gunnawah’s murky past.
I read Gunnawah over a short period. It spans 319 pages. I didn’t want to put it down once I’d started it. It’s a well written and absorbing novel. I highly recommend this suspenseful crime read to others, and I hope that Ronni writes a sequel to the novel.
November 16, 2024
Whip smart and witty; masterly plotting and thrilling storytelling; a rich and deeply human ensemble of characters; everything moving along at an absorbing clip, Gunnawah is a real treat of a read.
Gunnawah, Australian Riverina, 1974: farms and vast pastoral holdings and a small regional town smack bang in the middle of it all where locals jostle around and the ‘not born here’ folks find a place to fit in where they can, some of them moving deftly indeed. A small, remote town can attract all sorts of outsiders, trouble-makers and those holding deep secrets among them. This setting makes for a rich backdrop against which the author conjures a crime story packed with intrigue and mystery. The author’s ability to transport the reader through moments of true breath-holding tension to laugh-out loud comic moments; to passages full of human tenderness and pathos, only to jolt us into the oncoming paths of hapless characters careening through capers that the Coen Brothers would have been proud to conjure; the skill to meld all of this so coherently and successfully into a whole is to observe a writer crank a creative super power into gear. Gunnawah is wonderfully entertaining and compulsively readable. It is an accomplished first novel. Gunnawah is an accomplished work, full stop.
Ronni Salt has written a book that is all at once an exciting mystery and crime caper, a nostalgic trip through the seventies for those who lived it, or a rich canvas of the times for those who didn’t, and a love letter to regional Australia which shines through in all the pages. It’s in the characters, given such vibrant life and engaging human stories. And did I mention the incredibly fine ear for dialogue? That too. Hosting the plot and characters is a town so richly created and authenticity drawn that Gunnawah itself becomes its own character in the book. From great sweeps of menacing grasslands, the Dubbin wax and Thibenzole drench found in the hardware store to the sensuous journey of a trickle making its way down the outside of a pot as Wayne nudges it along the front bar counter, the authenticity of the work reveals itself in glorious detail. The cinematic quality of this work fairly leaps off every page and I’m sure I won’t be the first or last person hoping that Gunnawah can take flight as a TV series too.
This fine book has everything you could want, plus for me there was even more. Ronni Salt writes beautifully. All of the writing is wonderful. Sometimes though I came upon sentences so perfect that I had to stop, go back and read them again, to sit and dwell in the beauty of them and have my day be even better still for those moments.
Gunnawah was a joy to read and it’s a pleasure to recommend.
Gunnawah, Australian Riverina, 1974: farms and vast pastoral holdings and a small regional town smack bang in the middle of it all where locals jostle around and the ‘not born here’ folks find a place to fit in where they can, some of them moving deftly indeed. A small, remote town can attract all sorts of outsiders, trouble-makers and those holding deep secrets among them. This setting makes for a rich backdrop against which the author conjures a crime story packed with intrigue and mystery. The author’s ability to transport the reader through moments of true breath-holding tension to laugh-out loud comic moments; to passages full of human tenderness and pathos, only to jolt us into the oncoming paths of hapless characters careening through capers that the Coen Brothers would have been proud to conjure; the skill to meld all of this so coherently and successfully into a whole is to observe a writer crank a creative super power into gear. Gunnawah is wonderfully entertaining and compulsively readable. It is an accomplished first novel. Gunnawah is an accomplished work, full stop.
Ronni Salt has written a book that is all at once an exciting mystery and crime caper, a nostalgic trip through the seventies for those who lived it, or a rich canvas of the times for those who didn’t, and a love letter to regional Australia which shines through in all the pages. It’s in the characters, given such vibrant life and engaging human stories. And did I mention the incredibly fine ear for dialogue? That too. Hosting the plot and characters is a town so richly created and authenticity drawn that Gunnawah itself becomes its own character in the book. From great sweeps of menacing grasslands, the Dubbin wax and Thibenzole drench found in the hardware store to the sensuous journey of a trickle making its way down the outside of a pot as Wayne nudges it along the front bar counter, the authenticity of the work reveals itself in glorious detail. The cinematic quality of this work fairly leaps off every page and I’m sure I won’t be the first or last person hoping that Gunnawah can take flight as a TV series too.
This fine book has everything you could want, plus for me there was even more. Ronni Salt writes beautifully. All of the writing is wonderful. Sometimes though I came upon sentences so perfect that I had to stop, go back and read them again, to sit and dwell in the beauty of them and have my day be even better still for those moments.
Gunnawah was a joy to read and it’s a pleasure to recommend.
February 9, 2025
During my little #LightsOutMETA break from #Instagram, I read @msronnisalt’s #DebutNovel, #Gunnawah.
I’m not normally a reader of #CrimeNovels, mainly because they seem a little too scary for Lisa. But one should be supporting #AustralianAuthors, particularly our fellow women writers, and those identifying as.
I am pleased to report that I had no bad dreams, but I did have to exercise some self control. Got grippED and had to force self to turn the light out on the first night because I had work the next day. I exercised no such control the following night as I HAD to know how it all ended.
I absolutely loved the three main characters! I would not be upset if one or all of them turned up in a second book; #HintHint, Ronni. Their stories were so beautifully unfolded. A little bit at a time so Lisa could prepare herself emotionally for what was coming.
#GoughWhitlam AND #MargaretWhitlam make an appearance, which immediately gets the book one of the four stars I’m giving it! 😉
It was a really beautifully written, thoroughly engaging narrative; hence the two-day binge read. I wouldn’t say there were #RedHerrings; it was more subtle than that.
Loved the local political 1970s rural Australia setting. And as a West Australian, my absolute favourite bit was:
“The story had already hit the newspapers and the evening TV news bulletins in all the major cities across Australia, although Perth had relegated Di Rossi’s … to page five; a barely heard of rural politician from the east was only of moderate interest to them.”
( “…” so no spoilers!)
Too bloody right!! 🤭 You can take the #Sandgroper out of #WesternAustralia and plonk them in #TheEast, but the Sandgroper remains. One day we will secede! #ViveLaRévolution
Totally enjoyed this book. Highly recommend. A great public holiday, staycation, sick bed, Sunday in bed, #TooBloodyHotOutside read. Congrats to Ronni on a most enjoyable debut read!
I’m not normally a reader of #CrimeNovels, mainly because they seem a little too scary for Lisa. But one should be supporting #AustralianAuthors, particularly our fellow women writers, and those identifying as.
I am pleased to report that I had no bad dreams, but I did have to exercise some self control. Got grippED and had to force self to turn the light out on the first night because I had work the next day. I exercised no such control the following night as I HAD to know how it all ended.
I absolutely loved the three main characters! I would not be upset if one or all of them turned up in a second book; #HintHint, Ronni. Their stories were so beautifully unfolded. A little bit at a time so Lisa could prepare herself emotionally for what was coming.
#GoughWhitlam AND #MargaretWhitlam make an appearance, which immediately gets the book one of the four stars I’m giving it! 😉
It was a really beautifully written, thoroughly engaging narrative; hence the two-day binge read. I wouldn’t say there were #RedHerrings; it was more subtle than that.
Loved the local political 1970s rural Australia setting. And as a West Australian, my absolute favourite bit was:
“The story had already hit the newspapers and the evening TV news bulletins in all the major cities across Australia, although Perth had relegated Di Rossi’s … to page five; a barely heard of rural politician from the east was only of moderate interest to them.”
( “…” so no spoilers!)
Too bloody right!! 🤭 You can take the #Sandgroper out of #WesternAustralia and plonk them in #TheEast, but the Sandgroper remains. One day we will secede! #ViveLaRévolution
Totally enjoyed this book. Highly recommend. A great public holiday, staycation, sick bed, Sunday in bed, #TooBloodyHotOutside read. Congrats to Ronni on a most enjoyable debut read!
February 8, 2025
I didn't feel the blurb matched the book in this one. The blurb made it sound action-packed, full of small-town crime, drama and shady drug deals. But what I felt I got was a lot of detail about the town, a LOT of characters and all the action was saved til the last 60 pages or so.
The story centres around 19 year old Adelaide, who's just been appointed for a cadetship at the local paper. She's got history and things that unfold as it goes along, but I didn't find her character overly exciting either. The characters were likeable enough without being memorable.
It was set in the 1970s and had a lot of political references to Gough Whitlam and the Labor party and also had a local politician as a side character. I did enjoy when it was set and felt it added to the character of this book.
The opening paragraph was about the bones in the river - intriguing, but it was 200 pages or maybe even more til there was any reference to this again. And I was hanging for something to happen and didn't find myself grabbing for this without forcing myself as the pacing seemed a bit off at times.
Having grown up in the Riverina, every time they mentioned Wagga, I got a little bit excited, but I felt the descriptions of the landscape and town were a bit lacklustre and boring.
When it all tied together at the end, I did feel a sense of full circle but still felt some ties were left loose and a little too convenient and fast. Overall, I feel it was OK. The last 15% was definitely the best bits of the book, but I felt the rest of the book could have been better. I wasn't rushing to pick it up and wasn't invested. Not bad, just OK for me 🙃
The story centres around 19 year old Adelaide, who's just been appointed for a cadetship at the local paper. She's got history and things that unfold as it goes along, but I didn't find her character overly exciting either. The characters were likeable enough without being memorable.
It was set in the 1970s and had a lot of political references to Gough Whitlam and the Labor party and also had a local politician as a side character. I did enjoy when it was set and felt it added to the character of this book.
The opening paragraph was about the bones in the river - intriguing, but it was 200 pages or maybe even more til there was any reference to this again. And I was hanging for something to happen and didn't find myself grabbing for this without forcing myself as the pacing seemed a bit off at times.
Having grown up in the Riverina, every time they mentioned Wagga, I got a little bit excited, but I felt the descriptions of the landscape and town were a bit lacklustre and boring.
When it all tied together at the end, I did feel a sense of full circle but still felt some ties were left loose and a little too convenient and fast. Overall, I feel it was OK. The last 15% was definitely the best bits of the book, but I felt the rest of the book could have been better. I wasn't rushing to pick it up and wasn't invested. Not bad, just OK for me 🙃
April 20, 2025
The charming characters and locations are the stars of this novel. I also liked the way the political history of the time was interwoven (Gough Whitlam)
It's 1974 in the Riverina
The weather is hot
But the body in the Murray River is stone cold . . .
A captivating and compulsive crime thriller about guns, drugs and a young woman dead on the money
Riverina 1974:
When nineteen-year-old farmgirl Adelaide Hoffman applies for a cadetship at the Gunnawah Gazette, she sees it as her ticket out of a life too small for her. Its owner, Valdene Bullark, sees something of the girl she once was in young Adelaide.
Val puts Adelaide straight to work. What starts as a routine assignment covering an irrigation project soon puts Adelaide on the trail of a much bigger story. Water is money in farming communities, and when Adelaide starts asking questions, it's as if she's poked a stick in a bull ant's nest. Violence follows. Someone will do whatever it takes to stop Adelaide and Val finding out how far the river of corruption and crime runs.
Shady deals. Vested interests. A labyrinth of lies. It seems everyone in Gunnawah has a secret to keep. But how many want to stop Adelaide dead?
Set deep in the heart of rural Australia during the era of Gough Whitlam, pub brawls and flared jeans, Gunnawah is a compulsive crime thriller of corruption, guns and drugs from Australian Noir's most arresting new voice.
It's 1974 in the Riverina
The weather is hot
But the body in the Murray River is stone cold . . .
A captivating and compulsive crime thriller about guns, drugs and a young woman dead on the money
Riverina 1974:
When nineteen-year-old farmgirl Adelaide Hoffman applies for a cadetship at the Gunnawah Gazette, she sees it as her ticket out of a life too small for her. Its owner, Valdene Bullark, sees something of the girl she once was in young Adelaide.
Val puts Adelaide straight to work. What starts as a routine assignment covering an irrigation project soon puts Adelaide on the trail of a much bigger story. Water is money in farming communities, and when Adelaide starts asking questions, it's as if she's poked a stick in a bull ant's nest. Violence follows. Someone will do whatever it takes to stop Adelaide and Val finding out how far the river of corruption and crime runs.
Shady deals. Vested interests. A labyrinth of lies. It seems everyone in Gunnawah has a secret to keep. But how many want to stop Adelaide dead?
Set deep in the heart of rural Australia during the era of Gough Whitlam, pub brawls and flared jeans, Gunnawah is a compulsive crime thriller of corruption, guns and drugs from Australian Noir's most arresting new voice.
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