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Detective Sergeant Mark Ariti #1
Cutters End
A scintillating crime thriller, set in the South Australian outback town of Cutters End. A mysterious death on New Year’s Eve 1989 leads to a shocking murder investigation 32 years later...
A desert highway. A remote town. A murder that won’t stay hidden.
New Year’s Eve, 1989. Eighteen-year-old Ingrid Mathers is hitchhiking her way to Alice Springs. Bored, hungover and separated from her friend Joanne, she accepts a lift to the remote town of Cutters End.
July 2021. Detective Sergeant Mark Ariti is seconded to a recently reopened case, one in which he has a personal connection. Three decades ago, a burnt and broken body was discovered in scrub off the Stuart Highway, 300km south of Cutters End. Though ultimately ruled an accidental death, many people - including a high-profile celebrity - are convinced it was murder.
When Mark’s interviews with the witnesses in the old case files go nowhere, he has no choice but to make the long journey up the highway to Cutters End.
And with the help of local Senior Constable Jagdeep Kaur, he soon learns that this death isn’t the only unsolved case that hangs over the town...
A desert highway. A remote town. A murder that won’t stay hidden.
New Year’s Eve, 1989. Eighteen-year-old Ingrid Mathers is hitchhiking her way to Alice Springs. Bored, hungover and separated from her friend Joanne, she accepts a lift to the remote town of Cutters End.
July 2021. Detective Sergeant Mark Ariti is seconded to a recently reopened case, one in which he has a personal connection. Three decades ago, a burnt and broken body was discovered in scrub off the Stuart Highway, 300km south of Cutters End. Though ultimately ruled an accidental death, many people - including a high-profile celebrity - are convinced it was murder.
When Mark’s interviews with the witnesses in the old case files go nowhere, he has no choice but to make the long journey up the highway to Cutters End.
And with the help of local Senior Constable Jagdeep Kaur, he soon learns that this death isn’t the only unsolved case that hangs over the town...
352 pages, Paperback
First published August 3, 2021
176 people are currently reading
2667 people want to read
About the author
Margaret Hickey
14 books312 followersMargaret Hickey is an award-winning author and playwright from North East Victoria. She has a PhD in Creative Writing and is deeply interested in rural lives and communities. She is the author of Cutters End and Stone Town.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 322 reviews
February 8, 2022
I chose to read Cutters End while confined to the house during a raging blizzard and more to come. I always felt transported by the heat and atmosphere of Aussie outback noir thrillers. I noticed very few mentions of the heat and dryness, but the book was cluttered with Australian colloquialisms and references. Although I lived there for 3 years, I only understood a bit of the slang, and wonder how well the book would work outside that country.
The plot was well done and compelling, but I thought it was too slow-paced and stilted to be regarded as a thriller. This was a slow-burn novel that depicted a gruesome unsolved murder near the remote town of Cutters End thirty-two years earlier. The mystery was tantalizing, but the various strands did not flow smoothly. I felt there were too many unnecessary fillers, especially for junk food and beverages. Curried sausage legs? Is this a popular dish?
Sergeant Mark Arti, on home leave in Adelaide, is assigned a cold case that eventually leads him to the outback town of Cutters End. His marriage to a lawyer is dissolving. Two of the witnesses he interviewed were old girlfriends from High School who were backpacking near the death scene at that time. Reading the case file and witnesses' reports led to a dead end in his investigation. He joins up with police officer Jagdeep Kaur in Cutters Creek to look further into the case. In 1989, the, badly burned and broken body of Michael Denby was found near his vehicle. Denby, a local man, was considered a hero for saving the life of a famed TV personality and her mother during a flood. Denby's death was considered accidental, but she demands it to be exposed as murder. Police want it quickly resolved as an accident, and the case closed again.
Arti and Jagdeep discover some worrisome instances in the hero's past. It seems Denby's was not the only unsolved murder or disappearance in Cutters End. I thought the twists and revelations of what happened to Denby to be startling and horrifying. But was justice ever done? This should have been a terrific thriller but was not feeling the suspense and the resolution of the case bothered me. Cutters End is inclined to keep its secrets. I would have given 4 stars for the plot, but the story was too long and uneven for me.
The plot was well done and compelling, but I thought it was too slow-paced and stilted to be regarded as a thriller. This was a slow-burn novel that depicted a gruesome unsolved murder near the remote town of Cutters End thirty-two years earlier. The mystery was tantalizing, but the various strands did not flow smoothly. I felt there were too many unnecessary fillers, especially for junk food and beverages. Curried sausage legs? Is this a popular dish?
Sergeant Mark Arti, on home leave in Adelaide, is assigned a cold case that eventually leads him to the outback town of Cutters End. His marriage to a lawyer is dissolving. Two of the witnesses he interviewed were old girlfriends from High School who were backpacking near the death scene at that time. Reading the case file and witnesses' reports led to a dead end in his investigation. He joins up with police officer Jagdeep Kaur in Cutters Creek to look further into the case. In 1989, the, badly burned and broken body of Michael Denby was found near his vehicle. Denby, a local man, was considered a hero for saving the life of a famed TV personality and her mother during a flood. Denby's death was considered accidental, but she demands it to be exposed as murder. Police want it quickly resolved as an accident, and the case closed again.
Arti and Jagdeep discover some worrisome instances in the hero's past. It seems Denby's was not the only unsolved murder or disappearance in Cutters End. I thought the twists and revelations of what happened to Denby to be startling and horrifying. But was justice ever done? This should have been a terrific thriller but was not feeling the suspense and the resolution of the case bothered me. Cutters End is inclined to keep its secrets. I would have given 4 stars for the plot, but the story was too long and uneven for me.
April 21, 2022
4.5* Highly recommended.
Cutters End is an evocative and disturbing mystery-thriller, set along South Australia's Stuart Highway, a lonely and harsh landscape in which the inexperienced can easily become lost and others simply vanish without trace.
The book opens with a undated prologue, in which a terrified young woman finds herself bound and alone in the scrub, having chosen to hitchhike north on South Australia's Stuart Highway. There are haunting echoes of Joanne Lees' testimony, following the disappearance of her partner Peter Falconio. There are also references to the Belanglo murders of the early 1990s, in which several Australian and foreign hitchhikers were brutally murdered, and to the film "Wolf Creek", which drew upon the facts of both cases.
On New Year's Eve 1989, 18-year-old Ingrid Mathers and her schoolfriend, Joanne Morley, are intending to travel from the rather depressing town of Port York (in which we recognise similarities to the real life Port Augusta), 500km north to the town of Cutter's End, where a legendary New Year's Eve party takes place at the famous Underground Hotel. But the girls become separated and Ingrid finds herself alone at a remote roadhouse, where she's leered at by the sleazy proprietor and waits anxiously for Joanne's expected arrival by bus. When Joanne doesn't show, Ingrid reluctantly decides to accept a lift offered by a man driving a ute, who says he'll drop her off in Cutters End.
We then move forward to 2021, meeting Adelaide-based police detective Mark Ariti, who's just been assigned a reinvestigation of a mysterious death that occurred in the outback over thirty years previously. Acting DI Ariti drives north to Port York to interview a potential witness, none other than Ingrid Mathers. But Ingrid is no stranger to Mark - they attended school together in rural SA, and as adolescents were in a romantic relationship.
The narrative unfolds with longer sections detailing the progress of Ariti's investigation interspersed with contemporary police and news reports from the late 1980s and early 1990s, and Ingrid's own recollections of events over the intervening time. Ariti heads further north to the town of Cutters End, where he's aided by keen and resourceful young police officer, Senior Constable Jagdeep Kaur. Gradually, the two officers uncover decades of suspicion, in a community that remains reticent in reporting domestic and sexually-motivated violence, preferring to turn a blind eye and mind one's own business. It transpires that several young women have gone missing over the years on this particular stretch of the Stuart Highway.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Margaret Hickey's dual-timeline mystery-thriller, which brought to mind Garry Disher's excellent Hirschhausen series. Both are set in the sparse and somewhat gothic atmosphere of South Australia's scrubby backblocks, northeast and several hours drive from the cultured capital Adelaide. Based on descriptions of time and distance, as well as several landmarks, we can glean that Hickey's fictional town of Cutters End is based largely upon the opal mining town of Coober Pedy. Sadly, the premise of the novel is based around fact - there remain a number of unsolved murders and disappearances, predominantly of women, in this area and in the vicinity of the Stuart Highway generally.
I'd recommend Cutters End to anyone who enjoys well-paced and gritty crime thrillers, especially those readers who find isolated Australian outback and rural settings and the characters who inhabit them enthralling.
Cutters End is an evocative and disturbing mystery-thriller, set along South Australia's Stuart Highway, a lonely and harsh landscape in which the inexperienced can easily become lost and others simply vanish without trace.
The book opens with a undated prologue, in which a terrified young woman finds herself bound and alone in the scrub, having chosen to hitchhike north on South Australia's Stuart Highway. There are haunting echoes of Joanne Lees' testimony, following the disappearance of her partner Peter Falconio. There are also references to the Belanglo murders of the early 1990s, in which several Australian and foreign hitchhikers were brutally murdered, and to the film "Wolf Creek", which drew upon the facts of both cases.
On New Year's Eve 1989, 18-year-old Ingrid Mathers and her schoolfriend, Joanne Morley, are intending to travel from the rather depressing town of Port York (in which we recognise similarities to the real life Port Augusta), 500km north to the town of Cutter's End, where a legendary New Year's Eve party takes place at the famous Underground Hotel. But the girls become separated and Ingrid finds herself alone at a remote roadhouse, where she's leered at by the sleazy proprietor and waits anxiously for Joanne's expected arrival by bus. When Joanne doesn't show, Ingrid reluctantly decides to accept a lift offered by a man driving a ute, who says he'll drop her off in Cutters End.
We then move forward to 2021, meeting Adelaide-based police detective Mark Ariti, who's just been assigned a reinvestigation of a mysterious death that occurred in the outback over thirty years previously. Acting DI Ariti drives north to Port York to interview a potential witness, none other than Ingrid Mathers. But Ingrid is no stranger to Mark - they attended school together in rural SA, and as adolescents were in a romantic relationship.
The narrative unfolds with longer sections detailing the progress of Ariti's investigation interspersed with contemporary police and news reports from the late 1980s and early 1990s, and Ingrid's own recollections of events over the intervening time. Ariti heads further north to the town of Cutters End, where he's aided by keen and resourceful young police officer, Senior Constable Jagdeep Kaur. Gradually, the two officers uncover decades of suspicion, in a community that remains reticent in reporting domestic and sexually-motivated violence, preferring to turn a blind eye and mind one's own business. It transpires that several young women have gone missing over the years on this particular stretch of the Stuart Highway.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Margaret Hickey's dual-timeline mystery-thriller, which brought to mind Garry Disher's excellent Hirschhausen series. Both are set in the sparse and somewhat gothic atmosphere of South Australia's scrubby backblocks, northeast and several hours drive from the cultured capital Adelaide. Based on descriptions of time and distance, as well as several landmarks, we can glean that Hickey's fictional town of Cutters End is based largely upon the opal mining town of Coober Pedy. Sadly, the premise of the novel is based around fact - there remain a number of unsolved murders and disappearances, predominantly of women, in this area and in the vicinity of the Stuart Highway generally.
I'd recommend Cutters End to anyone who enjoys well-paced and gritty crime thrillers, especially those readers who find isolated Australian outback and rural settings and the characters who inhabit them enthralling.
November 12, 2021
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**3.5 stars**
Cutters End by Margaret Hickey. (2021).
New Year's Eve, 1989. 18-year-old Ingrid is hitchhiking. Bored, hungover and separated from her friend Joanne, she accepts a lift to the remote town Cutters End.
Spring, 2021. Detective Sergeant Mark is seconded to a recently reopened case when it looks like he has a personal connection. 30 years ago a burnt and broken body was discovered in scrub off the Stuart Highway, 300km south of Cutters End. Ruled an accident, many are convinced it was murder. Mark is interviewing witnesses and ends up making the journey to Cutters End, and with the help of local Senior Constable Jagdeep he soon learns that this death isn't the only unsolved case hanging over the town...
This novel is the crime fiction debut for the author and I think it was a pretty good debut. With many twists and turns, it's not easy to predict what is going to happen in the story (I even got wrong who the murder victim was, so that's actually pretty impressive!). My biggest criticism would be that the pacing felt too slow to me. In fairness I think the speed suited the storyline and fitted the atmosphere of it all, I just personally prefer a faster moving story. At the beginning I found Mark a bit off-putting, perhaps because he was clearly unhappy with his current lot in life which resulted in a negative undertone, but by the middle of the book he had grown on me. At the end of the book was an author question and answer section where the author revealed she is working on a sequel featuring Mark; I would be interested to read that when published.
Overall, I would recommend for those that appreciate Australian rural crime stories and don't mind a slow pace.
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**3.5 stars**
Cutters End by Margaret Hickey. (2021).
New Year's Eve, 1989. 18-year-old Ingrid is hitchhiking. Bored, hungover and separated from her friend Joanne, she accepts a lift to the remote town Cutters End.
Spring, 2021. Detective Sergeant Mark is seconded to a recently reopened case when it looks like he has a personal connection. 30 years ago a burnt and broken body was discovered in scrub off the Stuart Highway, 300km south of Cutters End. Ruled an accident, many are convinced it was murder. Mark is interviewing witnesses and ends up making the journey to Cutters End, and with the help of local Senior Constable Jagdeep he soon learns that this death isn't the only unsolved case hanging over the town...
This novel is the crime fiction debut for the author and I think it was a pretty good debut. With many twists and turns, it's not easy to predict what is going to happen in the story (I even got wrong who the murder victim was, so that's actually pretty impressive!). My biggest criticism would be that the pacing felt too slow to me. In fairness I think the speed suited the storyline and fitted the atmosphere of it all, I just personally prefer a faster moving story. At the beginning I found Mark a bit off-putting, perhaps because he was clearly unhappy with his current lot in life which resulted in a negative undertone, but by the middle of the book he had grown on me. At the end of the book was an author question and answer section where the author revealed she is working on a sequel featuring Mark; I would be interested to read that when published.
Overall, I would recommend for those that appreciate Australian rural crime stories and don't mind a slow pace.
August 19, 2021
This is a debut novel full of Australian colloquialisms, that I would call a rural fiction. Non-Australian readers may find this a bit tricky. There were many strands in this novel which I didn’t find to flow together. I found this an unusual type of mystery, one that I do not believe to be edge of your seat. The relationships seemed stilted and I felt the jump around nature of the storyline to be distracting. Some inconsistencies I believed made me feel like I was concentrating on these more than the book, such as searching online in the early 90’s and podcasts at this time. I found that there were a lot of song references to the certain time frames, which were used to set the scene in a forced way, and I wasn’t feeling at ease with the story. Those looking for a cosy mystery could like this, with a large amount of Australianness popped in for good measure.
I struggled with things such as this.
Poured tea. Drank tea.
Ate his food, chewed it. Swallowed it.
Some odd references. Curried sausage legs. Maybe bow legged, but the curry part? I’m so confused!
Too many Big Ms, Mars Bars, meat pies, Country Road reference to signify the 90’s.
One couple of lines I did like was in reference to adult siblings. We take these relationships for granted, they are one of the most consistent and longest relationships, but one we are so casual about.
I don’t think I’m the right demographic for this, but a debut novel shows hard work and determination, and most readers liked it more than I which in the long run is a great thing.
My thanks to Better Reading Magazine for a uncorrected advance preview copy to review, which did contain a lot of errors. I'm sure these will be rectified.
I struggled with things such as this.
Poured tea. Drank tea.
Ate his food, chewed it. Swallowed it.
Some odd references. Curried sausage legs. Maybe bow legged, but the curry part? I’m so confused!
Too many Big Ms, Mars Bars, meat pies, Country Road reference to signify the 90’s.
One couple of lines I did like was in reference to adult siblings. We take these relationships for granted, they are one of the most consistent and longest relationships, but one we are so casual about.
I don’t think I’m the right demographic for this, but a debut novel shows hard work and determination, and most readers liked it more than I which in the long run is a great thing.
My thanks to Better Reading Magazine for a uncorrected advance preview copy to review, which did contain a lot of errors. I'm sure these will be rectified.
September 3, 2022
The debut crime novel by Margaret Hickey, Cutters End has used a remote setting and deft plotting that has taken me on a winding trail that continued to surprise me. I felt this was a very strong first outing.
The 30 year old death of Michael Denby was originally ruled death by car accident but there were doubts over a few of the details. Was it a terrible fiery accident or was Denby murdered and then set up to look like an accident?
Cold case investigations are, almost by definition, a hard slog and this is no exception. For the longest time it appears there is little to no progress being made as Acting Inspector Mark Ariti conducts fruitless interview after interview.
New Year’s Eve 1989, a couple of school friends, Ingrid Mathers and Joanne Morley were supposed to meet up in the small town of Port York where they were going to celebrate the new year together at an “awesome party”. They become separated and, the next day, instead of travelling together to Cutters End as planned, Ingrid is left to catch a lift with a man she meets at a roadhouse.
In 2021, Acting Inspector Mark Ariti is investigating Michael Denby’s death. He died on the same stretch of road that Ingrid had travelled around the Christmas / New Year period. During the course of his investigation it becomes clear that several young women have also gone missing along that same stretch of road.
It seems very much that there is more than one cold case to be investigated here.
Cutters End is a quality crime novel, an outstanding debut that skips the reader from the past to the present in an effortless process that gradually uncovers the events, slowly lifting the veil to reveal one tantalising clue after another.
There are plenty of twists to keep you unbalanced. Certainly, quite a few assumptions I had made along the way were blown out of the water by a clever deviation confirming some expert plotting.
As with many police procedural crime novels, a somewhat slow build up provides a pay-off that’s worth the wait. A seemingly straightforward death has somehow developed into a much more intricate web of smalltown intrigue, dark secrets and tragic consequences.
Equally pleasing was the introduction of the capable Mark Ariti who, it appears, will be making another appearance in the sequel, Stone Town. His more than capable off-sider, Senior Constable Jagdeep Kaur provided valuable assistance and the pair worked very nicely together, adding to the enjoyment of the book.
Set in rural South Australia, Cutters End is another strong example of the blossoming rural crime fiction sub-genre that is currently gaining traction. The remote locations provide plenty of atmosphere and tension, playing on all of the inconveniences that long distances and lack of reliable telecommunications can cause.
I found this to be a solid crime novel that built nicely to a barnstorming climax with enough unexpected twists along the way to keep me unbalanced and suitably impressed.
https://crimefictionhq.com/cutters-en...
The 30 year old death of Michael Denby was originally ruled death by car accident but there were doubts over a few of the details. Was it a terrible fiery accident or was Denby murdered and then set up to look like an accident?
Cold case investigations are, almost by definition, a hard slog and this is no exception. For the longest time it appears there is little to no progress being made as Acting Inspector Mark Ariti conducts fruitless interview after interview.
New Year’s Eve 1989, a couple of school friends, Ingrid Mathers and Joanne Morley were supposed to meet up in the small town of Port York where they were going to celebrate the new year together at an “awesome party”. They become separated and, the next day, instead of travelling together to Cutters End as planned, Ingrid is left to catch a lift with a man she meets at a roadhouse.
In 2021, Acting Inspector Mark Ariti is investigating Michael Denby’s death. He died on the same stretch of road that Ingrid had travelled around the Christmas / New Year period. During the course of his investigation it becomes clear that several young women have also gone missing along that same stretch of road.
It seems very much that there is more than one cold case to be investigated here.
Cutters End is a quality crime novel, an outstanding debut that skips the reader from the past to the present in an effortless process that gradually uncovers the events, slowly lifting the veil to reveal one tantalising clue after another.
There are plenty of twists to keep you unbalanced. Certainly, quite a few assumptions I had made along the way were blown out of the water by a clever deviation confirming some expert plotting.
As with many police procedural crime novels, a somewhat slow build up provides a pay-off that’s worth the wait. A seemingly straightforward death has somehow developed into a much more intricate web of smalltown intrigue, dark secrets and tragic consequences.
Equally pleasing was the introduction of the capable Mark Ariti who, it appears, will be making another appearance in the sequel, Stone Town. His more than capable off-sider, Senior Constable Jagdeep Kaur provided valuable assistance and the pair worked very nicely together, adding to the enjoyment of the book.
Set in rural South Australia, Cutters End is another strong example of the blossoming rural crime fiction sub-genre that is currently gaining traction. The remote locations provide plenty of atmosphere and tension, playing on all of the inconveniences that long distances and lack of reliable telecommunications can cause.
I found this to be a solid crime novel that built nicely to a barnstorming climax with enough unexpected twists along the way to keep me unbalanced and suitably impressed.
https://crimefictionhq.com/cutters-en...
August 17, 2021
Two nights ago, while I (in Sydney) was reading this book, I felt like some orange juice. So, I got myself a glass of orange juice with some ice. Just as finished my glass, the line I read was a thought by a South Australian protagonist;
"Orange juice clinking with ice! he thought. Is it a Sydney thing?
A bit of a funny coincidence but one I can't really answer that question because to me, it was a habit I picked up from hubby as he has ice with whatever drink he's having. But I just made it seems like the answer is yes though, didn't I?! Do you have ice with your orange juice? Are you a Sydneysider?
As I drafted this review, I noticed that the description (which I copied from publisher's website) read, July 2021, but in the book (chapter 2), it is actually October 2021. There was a reference in the book about it being post-covid where our protagonist can travel freely. And here I am, mid August 2021, in 8th week of Sydney's lockdown and cannot foresee being able to travel anywhere by October either. Such a difficult period in writing & publishing, surely, when you can't really pretend covid didn't happen and yet, when do you set the period of your story?! Reckon they should have just set in October 2019 before the world went completely mad.
Our protagonist, Mark Ariti, is a detective with the South Australian police but he is in the middle of his long service leave when he was requested to take on a secondment due to a connection he had with a witness. This assignment took him on a lonely trip along Sturt Highway to interview witnesses and review old case files. Even as he slowly discovered the truth of this mysterious death, the question is what is justice?
While I appreciate Mark as a character as he contemplates aging, purpose in work, and just general philosophising of human nature as he investigates, I find that I'm rather sick of detective protagonists with marriage problems. The author did highlight this issue in the police force so while this is realism, I'm just over it.
Cutters End is a striking outback noir debut as it explores human nature; of secrecy, violence, and justice. It is easily a page turner even as I thought I knew the bad guy, I was completely off-based! So there is that twist on twist to look forward to. And to end with, a question you'd perpetually be asking yourself... what is justice? what would you do in his or her shoes?
My thanks to Penguin Random House for this paperback copy of book in exchange of my honest thoughts
"Orange juice clinking with ice! he thought. Is it a Sydney thing?
A bit of a funny coincidence but one I can't really answer that question because to me, it was a habit I picked up from hubby as he has ice with whatever drink he's having. But I just made it seems like the answer is yes though, didn't I?! Do you have ice with your orange juice? Are you a Sydneysider?
As I drafted this review, I noticed that the description (which I copied from publisher's website) read, July 2021, but in the book (chapter 2), it is actually October 2021. There was a reference in the book about it being post-covid where our protagonist can travel freely. And here I am, mid August 2021, in 8th week of Sydney's lockdown and cannot foresee being able to travel anywhere by October either. Such a difficult period in writing & publishing, surely, when you can't really pretend covid didn't happen and yet, when do you set the period of your story?! Reckon they should have just set in October 2019 before the world went completely mad.
Our protagonist, Mark Ariti, is a detective with the South Australian police but he is in the middle of his long service leave when he was requested to take on a secondment due to a connection he had with a witness. This assignment took him on a lonely trip along Sturt Highway to interview witnesses and review old case files. Even as he slowly discovered the truth of this mysterious death, the question is what is justice?
While I appreciate Mark as a character as he contemplates aging, purpose in work, and just general philosophising of human nature as he investigates, I find that I'm rather sick of detective protagonists with marriage problems. The author did highlight this issue in the police force so while this is realism, I'm just over it.
Cutters End is a striking outback noir debut as it explores human nature; of secrecy, violence, and justice. It is easily a page turner even as I thought I knew the bad guy, I was completely off-based! So there is that twist on twist to look forward to. And to end with, a question you'd perpetually be asking yourself... what is justice? what would you do in his or her shoes?
My thanks to Penguin Random House for this paperback copy of book in exchange of my honest thoughts
January 30, 2022
Anyone who grew up in the country in the 70s (as I did) or the 80s as Margaret Hickey did will know the thrill and fun and the occasional terrors of hitchhiking. Even as a teenage boy, I had some scary experiences and near misses putting my life in the hands of crazies behind the wheel; but girls I knew had it worse. And yet out of poverty, or the love of adventure, or because we could, we did it. Not something I would encourage any kid of mine to do these days. But different standards applied back then. Now we know bad people were out there, predators, waiting for young girls. Acting Inspector Mark Ariti is brought from Adelaide to his old home town to rake through 30-year-old ashes for answers for a cold case in the wake of a celebrity presenter accusing police of botching an investigation what was surely the murder of a local hero on New Year’s Eve, 1989. Mark Ariti and smart local copper, Senior Constable Jagdeep Kaur form an entertaining double act as they sift through the clues, that is not without its challenges for Ariti, who has awkward memories of his own to deal with.
This book is also incredibly evocative of living and driving in rural and outback areas. The tyranny of distance between towns, the long straight stretches, the sense of a whole lot of nothing out there, and the subtle beauty of the big landscape are all here in @margaret.hickey.35 ’s atmospheric and tense writing. There’s an gripping interplay between the two former teenage hitchhikers past and present with their big secret, and the detective chasing the slippery truth. Like a lot of good rural noir, this is a slow and steady build towards a deadly climax that deals with violence towards women in a way that’s provocative and angry, without ever becoming preachy or painting the women as victims. Read quickly in just a few sessions with late night reading leaving eyes like scratched marbles. And more Mark and Jagdeep on the way it seems. Highly recommended.
This book is also incredibly evocative of living and driving in rural and outback areas. The tyranny of distance between towns, the long straight stretches, the sense of a whole lot of nothing out there, and the subtle beauty of the big landscape are all here in @margaret.hickey.35 ’s atmospheric and tense writing. There’s an gripping interplay between the two former teenage hitchhikers past and present with their big secret, and the detective chasing the slippery truth. Like a lot of good rural noir, this is a slow and steady build towards a deadly climax that deals with violence towards women in a way that’s provocative and angry, without ever becoming preachy or painting the women as victims. Read quickly in just a few sessions with late night reading leaving eyes like scratched marbles. And more Mark and Jagdeep on the way it seems. Highly recommended.
September 23, 2025
An excellent start to a new (for me) Aussie police procedural series. Narration, mainly by Henry Nixon, was really well suited.
Mark Ariti is lured back from long service leave by a temporary promotion to DI in order to re-investigate a high profile death. It's not high profile because of the identity of the deceased, but because there is a vocal TV celebrity making a fuss about it. Initially classified as an accidental death, there are just one or two aspects of the case that give Acting DI Ariti pause. So off he goes to Cutters End, up the Stuart Highway from Adelaide, to team up with Senior Constable Jagdeep Kaur. The tiny outback town holds lots of secrets, some of which have been hidden for over 30 years. Ariti and Kaur seem to be constantly coming up against dead ends until some historic photographs send them off in an unexpected direction.
I was totally absorbed in this story and listened at every opportunity. Ariti and Kaur are both great characters - like chalk and cheese - but also both very good at their jobs. I know Mark Ariti returns in the subsequent books, but I hope Jagdeep Kaur pops up again too. I'm about to find out, as I decided to roll straight in to Book #2!
Mark Ariti is lured back from long service leave by a temporary promotion to DI in order to re-investigate a high profile death. It's not high profile because of the identity of the deceased, but because there is a vocal TV celebrity making a fuss about it. Initially classified as an accidental death, there are just one or two aspects of the case that give Acting DI Ariti pause. So off he goes to Cutters End, up the Stuart Highway from Adelaide, to team up with Senior Constable Jagdeep Kaur. The tiny outback town holds lots of secrets, some of which have been hidden for over 30 years. Ariti and Kaur seem to be constantly coming up against dead ends until some historic photographs send them off in an unexpected direction.
I was totally absorbed in this story and listened at every opportunity. Ariti and Kaur are both great characters - like chalk and cheese - but also both very good at their jobs. I know Mark Ariti returns in the subsequent books, but I hope Jagdeep Kaur pops up again too. I'm about to find out, as I decided to roll straight in to Book #2!
March 24, 2023
4.5*
RTC
RTC
August 26, 2021
*https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com
Award-winning author and playwright Margaret Hickey has a keen interest in rural life and outback communities, which follows her experiences growing up in country Victoria. Cutters End is the culmination of these past experiences and what emerges from Hickey’s recollections is a vibrant Australian crime fiction tale. From the opening hooking prologue to the final page, Cutters End takes the reader on a tumultuous double timeline mystery extravaganza. With twists, turns, deviations, curves and plot spirals, Cutters End is a hardboiled outback crime novel. I enjoyed the process of untangling the many tricky layers crime tale and speculating as to how this puzzling tale would conclude. Cutters End is an assured set piece that is peppered with intriguing characters, interesting dialogue feeds, fast pacing, a plausible narrative direction, credible police work and a robust Australian rural setting. Margaret Hickey has penned a solid crime offering with Cutters End, signalling her easy entry into the burgeoning rural crime fiction genre!
*Thanks is extended to Better Reading/Penguin Books Australia for providing a free copy of this book for review purposes.
Cutters End is book #78 of the 2021 Australian Women Writers Challenge
Award-winning author and playwright Margaret Hickey has a keen interest in rural life and outback communities, which follows her experiences growing up in country Victoria. Cutters End is the culmination of these past experiences and what emerges from Hickey’s recollections is a vibrant Australian crime fiction tale. From the opening hooking prologue to the final page, Cutters End takes the reader on a tumultuous double timeline mystery extravaganza. With twists, turns, deviations, curves and plot spirals, Cutters End is a hardboiled outback crime novel. I enjoyed the process of untangling the many tricky layers crime tale and speculating as to how this puzzling tale would conclude. Cutters End is an assured set piece that is peppered with intriguing characters, interesting dialogue feeds, fast pacing, a plausible narrative direction, credible police work and a robust Australian rural setting. Margaret Hickey has penned a solid crime offering with Cutters End, signalling her easy entry into the burgeoning rural crime fiction genre!
*Thanks is extended to Better Reading/Penguin Books Australia for providing a free copy of this book for review purposes.
Cutters End is book #78 of the 2021 Australian Women Writers Challenge
September 8, 2021
When public pressure results in a thirty-two year old case being reopened, Acting Inspector Mark Ariti is recalled from long service leave and tasked with reinvestigating the death of Michael Denby on a lonely stretch of the Stuart Highway. Discovered by his fire damaged car with burns and a broken leg, the original finding was one of accidental death, and there is no real expectation Ariti will learn anything new after all this time. Re-interviewing witnesses certainly seems to be a dead end, but Ariti along with Senior Constable Jagdeep Kaur, stationed at Cutters End, stumble upon some information that paints the dead man in a new light and changes the direction of the investigation.
Though touted as a thriller, I feel Cutters End is better described as a police procedural. The prologue introduces some suspense with a harrowing scene, but there’s no real sense of urgency related to what may have really happened to Denby during the novel given he has been dead for several decades. There is an intriguing mystery though that unravels at a measured pace as Ariti and Kaur piece together disparate pieces of information and the reopened investigation prompts questions about a range of other suspected historical crimes.
I’d say a key theme examined by Hickey in Cutters End is the difference between the application of law and the administration of justice, particularly in regards to the poor response of police and courts to crimes against women, especially those involving sexual assault and domestic violence. This issue has relevance both in the present, as Ariti’s wife prosecutes an abusive husband, and the past, as Mark and Jagdeep learn about its secrets.
I’m not sure how I feel about Mark Ariti to be honest. Seemingly in the midst of a midlife crisis, with a failing marriage, an apathetic attitude towards his children, and shallow concerns about ageing, I felt he was quite a morose, self involved character. He is a dedicated investigator though, which I admired, and to be fair, he surprised me somewhat in the end.
Offering a well crafted mystery that takes place in an atmospheric rural Australian setting, Cutters End is a solid crime fiction debut from Margaret Hickey.
Though touted as a thriller, I feel Cutters End is better described as a police procedural. The prologue introduces some suspense with a harrowing scene, but there’s no real sense of urgency related to what may have really happened to Denby during the novel given he has been dead for several decades. There is an intriguing mystery though that unravels at a measured pace as Ariti and Kaur piece together disparate pieces of information and the reopened investigation prompts questions about a range of other suspected historical crimes.
I’d say a key theme examined by Hickey in Cutters End is the difference between the application of law and the administration of justice, particularly in regards to the poor response of police and courts to crimes against women, especially those involving sexual assault and domestic violence. This issue has relevance both in the present, as Ariti’s wife prosecutes an abusive husband, and the past, as Mark and Jagdeep learn about its secrets.
I’m not sure how I feel about Mark Ariti to be honest. Seemingly in the midst of a midlife crisis, with a failing marriage, an apathetic attitude towards his children, and shallow concerns about ageing, I felt he was quite a morose, self involved character. He is a dedicated investigator though, which I admired, and to be fair, he surprised me somewhat in the end.
Offering a well crafted mystery that takes place in an atmospheric rural Australian setting, Cutters End is a solid crime fiction debut from Margaret Hickey.
October 7, 2021
First off, let me break all the "rules" of reviewing and say from the outset that I really enjoyed CUTTERS END.
Set in the South Australian outback town of Cutters End, this is a two timeline mystery, with the story harking back to the death of Michael Denby in the scrub off the Stuart Highway, 300km south of Cutters End on New Years Eve in 1989. Originally flagged as an accident, there's always been something not quite right about the investigation at the time, and the conclusions drawn. Not helped by the victim being a local hero - the man who saved a young girl and her mother from a devastating flood, that young girl going on to become a high profile television identity, and somebody with enough clout to kick off a re-investigation 32 years later.
Set within the vast distances and sparse population of the Australian outback, the idea that DS (Acting DI) Mark Ariti is recalled from long service leave to investigate this death makes a lot of sense. He's a remote town boy himself, but it's his close, personal connections to two of the witnesses that puts him front and centre in the personnel choice. His old school girlfriend, Ingrid Mathers, who is in the area at the time of the murder, and her best friend from school, Joanne, are witnesses. But it's not just them, it might be the middle of nowhere, but there are people around, strangers stand out, people notice things, the victim's character matters in this case, and Ariti's sure that Ingrid saw something - but not sure if she knows she did or not.
Alongside an absolutely spot on sense of place in CUTTERS END, are a cast of characters who are sometimes deeply flawed, dripping with life experience (good and bad) and not all they seem. All of the characters here work really well, the taciturn station head, the barmaids and pub owners, the local eccentric photographer, the determinedly cheerful local cop Jagdeep Kaur whose interactions with her frequently invisible boss are funny, and real. Her determination to chase down the small things, the details is admirable, but at the heart of the novel is Mark Ariti. Almost apathetic to start out he's a man with the obligatory complications at home (wife's affair / his affair with a colleague / tensions over child care in a double working household etc), enough problems to make him seem almost morose. This investigation, so far from home, and with so much time to reflect back to his teenage years is giving him a chance to work through the layers of his life, in the same way that the investigation starts to peel back the layers of small town secrets. It's not surprising that the "good bloke" narrative and who goes along with it and who knows otherwise is at the heart of this case.
Woven into what's ultimately a police procedural novel with a cold case perspective, is that exposure of social failings that this reader is particularly partial to in crime fiction. It comes as no surprise that the investigation into a man's accidental death starts to reveal the mysterious disappearances of a number of young women, in the same sort of area and timeframe. The fact that nobody bothered to get too excited about those sorts of cases has been reflected in a lot of true crime exposes I've been reading lately as well and you do have to wonder about a world in which people just disappear and some are deemed important enough to investigate and some aren't. There's some very telling lines about attitudes to that in this novel that really made me sit up and pay attention.
Ultimately, for this reader, CUTTERS END was a compelling mystery with a fantastic sense of place, and time, populated by some quintessential small outback town characters, with a complex investigator at the centre of it. Refreshingly, it's not trying hard to make you like Ariti, but it definitely expects you to admire his tenacity, and his determination, even when the final result isn't as by the book as some would have, it's definitely all about the administration of justice.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/revi...
Set in the South Australian outback town of Cutters End, this is a two timeline mystery, with the story harking back to the death of Michael Denby in the scrub off the Stuart Highway, 300km south of Cutters End on New Years Eve in 1989. Originally flagged as an accident, there's always been something not quite right about the investigation at the time, and the conclusions drawn. Not helped by the victim being a local hero - the man who saved a young girl and her mother from a devastating flood, that young girl going on to become a high profile television identity, and somebody with enough clout to kick off a re-investigation 32 years later.
Set within the vast distances and sparse population of the Australian outback, the idea that DS (Acting DI) Mark Ariti is recalled from long service leave to investigate this death makes a lot of sense. He's a remote town boy himself, but it's his close, personal connections to two of the witnesses that puts him front and centre in the personnel choice. His old school girlfriend, Ingrid Mathers, who is in the area at the time of the murder, and her best friend from school, Joanne, are witnesses. But it's not just them, it might be the middle of nowhere, but there are people around, strangers stand out, people notice things, the victim's character matters in this case, and Ariti's sure that Ingrid saw something - but not sure if she knows she did or not.
Alongside an absolutely spot on sense of place in CUTTERS END, are a cast of characters who are sometimes deeply flawed, dripping with life experience (good and bad) and not all they seem. All of the characters here work really well, the taciturn station head, the barmaids and pub owners, the local eccentric photographer, the determinedly cheerful local cop Jagdeep Kaur whose interactions with her frequently invisible boss are funny, and real. Her determination to chase down the small things, the details is admirable, but at the heart of the novel is Mark Ariti. Almost apathetic to start out he's a man with the obligatory complications at home (wife's affair / his affair with a colleague / tensions over child care in a double working household etc), enough problems to make him seem almost morose. This investigation, so far from home, and with so much time to reflect back to his teenage years is giving him a chance to work through the layers of his life, in the same way that the investigation starts to peel back the layers of small town secrets. It's not surprising that the "good bloke" narrative and who goes along with it and who knows otherwise is at the heart of this case.
Woven into what's ultimately a police procedural novel with a cold case perspective, is that exposure of social failings that this reader is particularly partial to in crime fiction. It comes as no surprise that the investigation into a man's accidental death starts to reveal the mysterious disappearances of a number of young women, in the same sort of area and timeframe. The fact that nobody bothered to get too excited about those sorts of cases has been reflected in a lot of true crime exposes I've been reading lately as well and you do have to wonder about a world in which people just disappear and some are deemed important enough to investigate and some aren't. There's some very telling lines about attitudes to that in this novel that really made me sit up and pay attention.
Ultimately, for this reader, CUTTERS END was a compelling mystery with a fantastic sense of place, and time, populated by some quintessential small outback town characters, with a complex investigator at the centre of it. Refreshingly, it's not trying hard to make you like Ariti, but it definitely expects you to admire his tenacity, and his determination, even when the final result isn't as by the book as some would have, it's definitely all about the administration of justice.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/revi...
August 17, 2021
A desert highway. A remote town. A murder that won’t stay hidden.
1989, New Years Eve, through a missed connection with her travelling buddy, Ingrid is hitchhiking to meet back up with her.
Present Day, 2021, Detective Sergeant Mark Ariti is seconded to a recently reopened case and it appears to have some personal connections. A body was found by the highway, 300km south of Cutters End and while it was badly burnt and broken, it was ruled an accident. Now it's time to go back over the same investigation to see if any threads lead to different clues. As Mark works together with local police, Senior Constable Jagdeep Kaur, interviewing witnesses and going over old case files, the mystery begins to unfold.
While this one was at a slower pace than my usual frantic crime fiction reads, it was an enjoyable one. The writing was so engaging, I found myself completely immersed in the outback town and interested in the backstories of the characters. While I had some clue early on as to which way the story was heading, I didn't mind as the story still revealed plenty of surprises. Another enjoyable one and I look forward to more by this author.
Thanks so much to Penguin Books Australia for this gifted advance review copy.
1989, New Years Eve, through a missed connection with her travelling buddy, Ingrid is hitchhiking to meet back up with her.
Present Day, 2021, Detective Sergeant Mark Ariti is seconded to a recently reopened case and it appears to have some personal connections. A body was found by the highway, 300km south of Cutters End and while it was badly burnt and broken, it was ruled an accident. Now it's time to go back over the same investigation to see if any threads lead to different clues. As Mark works together with local police, Senior Constable Jagdeep Kaur, interviewing witnesses and going over old case files, the mystery begins to unfold.
While this one was at a slower pace than my usual frantic crime fiction reads, it was an enjoyable one. The writing was so engaging, I found myself completely immersed in the outback town and interested in the backstories of the characters. While I had some clue early on as to which way the story was heading, I didn't mind as the story still revealed plenty of surprises. Another enjoyable one and I look forward to more by this author.
Thanks so much to Penguin Books Australia for this gifted advance review copy.
August 23, 2021
I found the first 100 pages of this novel slow going which made for a stilted read for a few days of picking it up reading a chapter and putting it down again.
Once Mark, the lead detective arrives in Cutters End things get a bit more interesting.
There were a lot of twists uncovered at the end, maybe the last 30 or so pages that made the crime worse than it had originally seemed. It took a slow amble to get there and the police aren't shown in a good way, with Mark's boss wanting things tied up so they could close the case and not cast doubt of the old investigation.
I found most of the characters, other than Senior Constable Jagdeep Kaur to be not overly likeable. I found Mark's relationship with his wife to be a sad one, with both of them only semi engaged in working on a broken marriage.
Overall, an OK read.
Thanks to Better Reading and Penguin for a review copy of this novel in return for an honest review.
Once Mark, the lead detective arrives in Cutters End things get a bit more interesting.
There were a lot of twists uncovered at the end, maybe the last 30 or so pages that made the crime worse than it had originally seemed. It took a slow amble to get there and the police aren't shown in a good way, with Mark's boss wanting things tied up so they could close the case and not cast doubt of the old investigation.
I found most of the characters, other than Senior Constable Jagdeep Kaur to be not overly likeable. I found Mark's relationship with his wife to be a sad one, with both of them only semi engaged in working on a broken marriage.
Overall, an OK read.
Thanks to Better Reading and Penguin for a review copy of this novel in return for an honest review.
January 1, 2025
Gripping dual-timeline, Australian crime thriller, set in the South Australian outback town of Cutters End, and along the Stuart Highway. This story is set in the rugged outback with many sinister themes including long-unsolved crimes, an isolated roadhouse, small-town secrets, domestic violence and the fear associated with hitchhiking in Australia.
New Years Eve 1989 - An eighteen-year-old is hitchhiking her way to Alice Springs. Bored and separated from her friend, she accepts a lift to remote Cutters End.
July 2021 – Detective Sergeant Mark Ariti is involved in a recently reopened case, one where he has a personal connection. With the help of Senior Constable Jagdeep Kaur, he soon learns there is more than one unsolved case that hangs over the town of Cutters End.
This is an incredible debut novel (Penguin Random House in 2021) full of Australian colloquialisms, which would likely be difficult for non-Australians.
New Years Eve 1989 - An eighteen-year-old is hitchhiking her way to Alice Springs. Bored and separated from her friend, she accepts a lift to remote Cutters End.
July 2021 – Detective Sergeant Mark Ariti is involved in a recently reopened case, one where he has a personal connection. With the help of Senior Constable Jagdeep Kaur, he soon learns there is more than one unsolved case that hangs over the town of Cutters End.
This is an incredible debut novel (Penguin Random House in 2021) full of Australian colloquialisms, which would likely be difficult for non-Australians.
June 20, 2022
This is the perfect crime novel for an imperfect crime. First-time fiction author Margaret Hickey shows she has a superlative grasp on our vast dry landscape and uncomfortable small town atmosphere. The story of “Cutters End” excels in the finer details, the misleading conversations and chilling moments. While the hitchhiker plot is not new, the way this one is handled is both clever and gripping, and gives certain police procedurals a run for their money.
A series of events conspire to pull Detective Sergeant Mark Ariti out of long service leave and send him inland to Cutters End as an Acting Inspector to investigate the unexplained death of local man Michael Denby, hopefully to solve this decades-old case. The big question is “Tragic accident or murder?” And will the result give Ariti a career boost or convince him to leave the force? He has Superintendent Conti breathing down his neck asking for updates at every turn.
Things about the single vehicle crash don’t add up yet held my interest and kept me concentrating. To compound matters, Ariti is having troubles at home (hhmm) and coincidently was an old school friend of two women, Ingrid and Joanne, the original hitchhikers who are entwined in this cold case. There is an interesting side story about Ingrid’s travels and her overseas partner Sander. Joanne is now a high-profile celebrity with her own agenda.
At the Cutters End police station, Ariti meets Senior Constable Jagdeep Kaur and she shines in her role as the understated country cop. The characters, from pub owners to laconic farmers and the town’s snap-happy crazy man distinguish themselves as Ariti begins collecting old data and uncovering new information. It is intriguing how author Margaret Hickey has woven and looped the plot so that I found it tricky to discern fact from fiction and who was telling the truth.
Life goes on in Cutters End; the rundown motel, the struggling petrol station, the lacklustre pubs against a backdrop of hundreds of kilometres of flat, wide open country. Intentionally or not, the townspeople are good at telling only half the story about Michael Denby. A vital link is discovered, suspects come sharply into focus and it’s game on. I am really looking forward to reading “Stone Town” Margaret Hickey’s second book in this series.
My blog review https://thoughtsbecomewords.com/2022/...
A series of events conspire to pull Detective Sergeant Mark Ariti out of long service leave and send him inland to Cutters End as an Acting Inspector to investigate the unexplained death of local man Michael Denby, hopefully to solve this decades-old case. The big question is “Tragic accident or murder?” And will the result give Ariti a career boost or convince him to leave the force? He has Superintendent Conti breathing down his neck asking for updates at every turn.
Things about the single vehicle crash don’t add up yet held my interest and kept me concentrating. To compound matters, Ariti is having troubles at home (hhmm) and coincidently was an old school friend of two women, Ingrid and Joanne, the original hitchhikers who are entwined in this cold case. There is an interesting side story about Ingrid’s travels and her overseas partner Sander. Joanne is now a high-profile celebrity with her own agenda.
At the Cutters End police station, Ariti meets Senior Constable Jagdeep Kaur and she shines in her role as the understated country cop. The characters, from pub owners to laconic farmers and the town’s snap-happy crazy man distinguish themselves as Ariti begins collecting old data and uncovering new information. It is intriguing how author Margaret Hickey has woven and looped the plot so that I found it tricky to discern fact from fiction and who was telling the truth.
Life goes on in Cutters End; the rundown motel, the struggling petrol station, the lacklustre pubs against a backdrop of hundreds of kilometres of flat, wide open country. Intentionally or not, the townspeople are good at telling only half the story about Michael Denby. A vital link is discovered, suspects come sharply into focus and it’s game on. I am really looking forward to reading “Stone Town” Margaret Hickey’s second book in this series.
My blog review https://thoughtsbecomewords.com/2022/...
October 28, 2024
I read this book after a recommendation from a Goodreads friend (Thanks Gretchen)
Australian crime bush noir is a growing field in the landscape of modern Australian novels. I enjoy reading the stories and especially discovering new authors. It is a field being filled by many women writers.
Like many in this genre this book is a “slow burn”, it has the pace of the Newcastle to Central all stops train. There is very little excitement or tension, and the author relies on setting descriptions and character development as the story unfolds. There is no development in the investigation, no hints, or clues as to who is the culprit and what happened. Hickey discloses little.
The opening paragraphs are somewhat of a bate and switch affair. There is a description that hangs in the reader’s mind as they read through the book.
There was a murder in 1989 and now 30 years later officer Detective Sergeant Mark Ariti is re-examing the case. The town of Cutters End has many secrets. Two school friends of Ariti, Ingrid and Joanne are involved in the case. Their relationship made me reflect on reunions or when you run into long lost friends. Sometimes it is a joyous occasion other times you realise you are now two very different people.
One character I particularly like was Senior Constable Jagdeep Kaur. My kind of police officer. I did find Ariti somewhat of a cookie-cutter policeman. One reviewer wrote that Hickey should have made Ariti a her, interesting. But then I guess many police officers fit a particular profile.
Near the end, the novel hits Strathfield, and picks up its pace, racing to Central and a conclusion. Hickey delves into the issue of violence to women and, until recently its acceptance by the community and the legal service. She also deals with the idea of justice. I thought her ending was fraught with problems. Without disclosing too much, Ariti competently concludes his investigation and the reader finishes with a full disclosure of what happened, however, Ariti’s actions would appear questionable to many. Did Hickey venture into a populist view, a Current Affair perspective of crime? Were the goodies extra good and the baddy, evil personified?
I thought the ending lifted the story from it, at times, tedious temperament.
I have added Ms Hickey’s first novel to my collection of Australian outback crime noir and will search out her Stone Town.
Australian crime bush noir is a growing field in the landscape of modern Australian novels. I enjoy reading the stories and especially discovering new authors. It is a field being filled by many women writers.
Like many in this genre this book is a “slow burn”, it has the pace of the Newcastle to Central all stops train. There is very little excitement or tension, and the author relies on setting descriptions and character development as the story unfolds. There is no development in the investigation, no hints, or clues as to who is the culprit and what happened. Hickey discloses little.
The opening paragraphs are somewhat of a bate and switch affair. There is a description that hangs in the reader’s mind as they read through the book.
There was a murder in 1989 and now 30 years later officer Detective Sergeant Mark Ariti is re-examing the case. The town of Cutters End has many secrets. Two school friends of Ariti, Ingrid and Joanne are involved in the case. Their relationship made me reflect on reunions or when you run into long lost friends. Sometimes it is a joyous occasion other times you realise you are now two very different people.
One character I particularly like was Senior Constable Jagdeep Kaur. My kind of police officer. I did find Ariti somewhat of a cookie-cutter policeman. One reviewer wrote that Hickey should have made Ariti a her, interesting. But then I guess many police officers fit a particular profile.
Near the end, the novel hits Strathfield, and picks up its pace, racing to Central and a conclusion. Hickey delves into the issue of violence to women and, until recently its acceptance by the community and the legal service. She also deals with the idea of justice. I thought her ending was fraught with problems. Without disclosing too much, Ariti competently concludes his investigation and the reader finishes with a full disclosure of what happened, however, Ariti’s actions would appear questionable to many. Did Hickey venture into a populist view, a Current Affair perspective of crime? Were the goodies extra good and the baddy, evil personified?
I thought the ending lifted the story from it, at times, tedious temperament.
I have added Ms Hickey’s first novel to my collection of Australian outback crime noir and will search out her Stone Town.
October 22, 2023
Gritty Australian mystery set in the outback desert. An opening of a cold case into the death of a local hero some twenty years ago brings up some disturbing new evidence for Detective Sergeant Mark Ariti. Evidence that touches his life.
The stark reality of times when backpackers went missing and people didn’t want to be involved.
The stark reality of times when backpackers went missing and people didn’t want to be involved.
November 13, 2021
‘He wasn’t coming back.’
On New Year’s Eve, 1989, near Cutters End in South Australia, a body is discovered near a fire damaged car. Michael Denby’s body had burns and a broken leg. A finding of accidental death was made.
But thirty-two years later, the case is reopened. Several people, including a high-profile celebrity for whom Michael Denby was a hero, believe that he was murdered. In July 2021, Acting Inspector Mark Ariti is seconded to the case. He knows some of the witnesses from 1989. After interviewing those he can from the old case files, Ariti travels to Cutters End. Ariti works with local Senior Constable Jagdeep Kaur and soon discovers that there are other unsolved cases linked to Cutters End.
During their investigation Ariti and Kaur find some new information which seems to demonstrate that Michael Denby was not the hero some thought him to be. And in the background, Ariti has some domestic issues to deal with.
So, what really happened to Michael Denby? And what other secrets are being held by both other locals and witnesses?
I enjoyed this novel. I thought I had the mystery worked out, and then a twist took me by surprise. Ms Hickey has created a remote rural setting in which I could feel both the heat and the wretched flies. I enjoyed Senior Constable Jagdeep Kaur and her diligent police work and wondered whether Acting Inspector Mark Ariti would be able to move beyond the domestic issues that are troubling him.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
On New Year’s Eve, 1989, near Cutters End in South Australia, a body is discovered near a fire damaged car. Michael Denby’s body had burns and a broken leg. A finding of accidental death was made.
But thirty-two years later, the case is reopened. Several people, including a high-profile celebrity for whom Michael Denby was a hero, believe that he was murdered. In July 2021, Acting Inspector Mark Ariti is seconded to the case. He knows some of the witnesses from 1989. After interviewing those he can from the old case files, Ariti travels to Cutters End. Ariti works with local Senior Constable Jagdeep Kaur and soon discovers that there are other unsolved cases linked to Cutters End.
During their investigation Ariti and Kaur find some new information which seems to demonstrate that Michael Denby was not the hero some thought him to be. And in the background, Ariti has some domestic issues to deal with.
So, what really happened to Michael Denby? And what other secrets are being held by both other locals and witnesses?
I enjoyed this novel. I thought I had the mystery worked out, and then a twist took me by surprise. Ms Hickey has created a remote rural setting in which I could feel both the heat and the wretched flies. I enjoyed Senior Constable Jagdeep Kaur and her diligent police work and wondered whether Acting Inspector Mark Ariti would be able to move beyond the domestic issues that are troubling him.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
October 26, 2021
If you took Poison Orchids By Sarah A. Denzil & Anni Taylor and squished any Chris Hammer book together then you would have Cutters End.
Im not sure if thats a complement to Margaret Hickey or constructive criticism
Im not sure if thats a complement to Margaret Hickey or constructive criticism
December 25, 2022
Rep: Indian Australian side character
August 17, 2021
Cutters End Review
Honestly, I went into this book a bit reluctantly. I thought this is probably just another author trying to emulate ‘The Dry’. But I was wrong. Margaret Hickey finds a way of making this her own, but also follows in the footsteps of other authors who have put Australian crime on the map.
32 years ago the body of Michael Denby, the town hero from Cutters End, was found in the middle of the desert severely burnt and with a broken leg. His death was ruled an accident, but now the cold case is reopened and there’s a push for answers. Was the town hero as saintly as people claimed? Did the townspeople know more than they were saying? Was this death linked to the other disappearances that haunted the outback town? Detective Sergeant Mark Ariti is called to investigate all the secrets lurking in Cutters End.
I was drawn into this by the layers that this mystery had and the artful way Hickey slowly and purposefully drew back the covers. It was a slow burn that felt realistic. It wasn’t convenient clue after clue that ended tied up with a perfect bow. There was patience involved, but it was worth it for that satisfying and unexpected ending.
I’ve grown to love these slower-paced but equally intriguing mysteries because they really allow the time for the reader to connect to the characters. I enjoyed reading through the eyes of the protagonist Mark. His laidback, relatable voice was what really kept me invested. The character and the tone was reminiscent of ‘The Dry’ by Jane Harper or ‘The Ruin’ by Dervla McTiernan. These types of characters show us that it’s ok to be flawed. A perfect character is unattainable and a bit unlikeable, whereas someone with grit and failings is relatable.
Hickey has this blunt, succinct style of writing, that is interwoven with these brilliant, colourful analogies. It mirrors the laidback, but also intuitive personality of Mark. She really captures the outback, Australian setting without spoon feeding it to the reader.
If you’re looking for an action packed, fast paced book then this isn’t the book for you. However, if you want a gradual mystery that builds to a fulfilling conclusion then give this a shot.
Honestly, I went into this book a bit reluctantly. I thought this is probably just another author trying to emulate ‘The Dry’. But I was wrong. Margaret Hickey finds a way of making this her own, but also follows in the footsteps of other authors who have put Australian crime on the map.
32 years ago the body of Michael Denby, the town hero from Cutters End, was found in the middle of the desert severely burnt and with a broken leg. His death was ruled an accident, but now the cold case is reopened and there’s a push for answers. Was the town hero as saintly as people claimed? Did the townspeople know more than they were saying? Was this death linked to the other disappearances that haunted the outback town? Detective Sergeant Mark Ariti is called to investigate all the secrets lurking in Cutters End.
I was drawn into this by the layers that this mystery had and the artful way Hickey slowly and purposefully drew back the covers. It was a slow burn that felt realistic. It wasn’t convenient clue after clue that ended tied up with a perfect bow. There was patience involved, but it was worth it for that satisfying and unexpected ending.
I’ve grown to love these slower-paced but equally intriguing mysteries because they really allow the time for the reader to connect to the characters. I enjoyed reading through the eyes of the protagonist Mark. His laidback, relatable voice was what really kept me invested. The character and the tone was reminiscent of ‘The Dry’ by Jane Harper or ‘The Ruin’ by Dervla McTiernan. These types of characters show us that it’s ok to be flawed. A perfect character is unattainable and a bit unlikeable, whereas someone with grit and failings is relatable.
Hickey has this blunt, succinct style of writing, that is interwoven with these brilliant, colourful analogies. It mirrors the laidback, but also intuitive personality of Mark. She really captures the outback, Australian setting without spoon feeding it to the reader.
If you’re looking for an action packed, fast paced book then this isn’t the book for you. However, if you want a gradual mystery that builds to a fulfilling conclusion then give this a shot.
November 21, 2021
Wow, considering this novel is the author's debut, I think she did an amazing job! I really felt like I was in outback SA whilst reading this - a place I have never been. I have been to some remote places in Queensland though and reading all about Cutters End and surrounds evoked in me memories of that time too. It is a very Australian book, for sure. You can just about taste the grit in your mouth.
Mark Ariti is a cop who comes from a rural town. His mate in the force asks him to re-examine a cold case. This becomes more problematic when Mark has to interview people he went to school with (including his first girlfriend) and locals who are a mixture of suspicious and friendly. Bit by bit, he unravels the various threads that connect all the players. Meanwhile, he is trying to salvage his marriage to Kelly, a lawyer who deals with some confronting cases herself.
An intense and confronting read at times, the story mostly just weaves around in a subtle way, until all the questions are answered.
5 stars from me.
Mark Ariti is a cop who comes from a rural town. His mate in the force asks him to re-examine a cold case. This becomes more problematic when Mark has to interview people he went to school with (including his first girlfriend) and locals who are a mixture of suspicious and friendly. Bit by bit, he unravels the various threads that connect all the players. Meanwhile, he is trying to salvage his marriage to Kelly, a lawyer who deals with some confronting cases herself.
An intense and confronting read at times, the story mostly just weaves around in a subtle way, until all the questions are answered.
5 stars from me.
July 2, 2022
Poor old South Australia, the state where I was born and raised, gets it’s fair share of being the setting for dark and gruesome goings-on. When I first moved to Sydney my workmates gave me a nickname “the Axe”, short for axe murderer, as a South Australian I may have been storing a few dismembered bodies in my freezer, such was the reputation. So it’s no surprise that in a dusty remote town in SA there are strange characters, seedy hotels and the odd missing backpacker and local identity meeting a grizzly end. Detective Sergeant Mark Ariti, himself a bit of a troubled soul, is sent to investigate a cold case and piece the whole sorry saga together. There were a few parts in the story I thought a bit too unlikely but overall it was an enjoyable read and I’m looking forward to reading Stone Town to see what Mark Ariti does next.
August 23, 2021
⭐ REVIEW ⭐
Cutters End by Margaret Hickey
What a great crime fiction debut!
Yesterday I spent the afternoon of my birthday in the glorious sunshine finishing this off.
I enjoyed it so much, from start to finish.
The unforgiving Australian landscape.
Small town characters and police officers.
Who is hiding something?
Secrets slowly coming to light.
That niggle that you almost have it figured out, but just can't quite get it!
I have seen this likened to The Dry by Jane Harper. It's not quite at that level of fabulousness, but it's pretty darn close.
⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
Thank you to @betterreading for the chance to review this new release.
Cutters End by Margaret Hickey
What a great crime fiction debut!
Yesterday I spent the afternoon of my birthday in the glorious sunshine finishing this off.
I enjoyed it so much, from start to finish.
The unforgiving Australian landscape.
Small town characters and police officers.
Who is hiding something?
Secrets slowly coming to light.
That niggle that you almost have it figured out, but just can't quite get it!
I have seen this likened to The Dry by Jane Harper. It's not quite at that level of fabulousness, but it's pretty darn close.
⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
Thank you to @betterreading for the chance to review this new release.
July 24, 2021
CUTTERS END began well. The prologue and the first chapter were intriguing with a real sense of menace and suspense. The jump to the present and the drawn out cold case investigation tended to lag for me. The big reveal at the end was a welcome surprise.
July 31, 2023
A really good book, totally gripping. There were several times where I thought I had an idea what might have happened and I was never correct, lol. I loved the ending, perfectly layered. Exactly what an Australian noir book should be. I'm looking forward to reading everything by this author now.
August 27, 2021
Cutters End by Margaret Hickey 🧡 🧡
✍️ This debut crime novel follows a three decade long cold case on New Years Eve 1989 in the Australian outback of Cutters End. Fast forward to October 2021 and the case reopens with Detective Sergeant Mark Ariti headlining with local ConstableJagdeep Kaur. He shares an intimate connection to the case and some of the people involved. Will he be able to finally bring this case to justice?
WOW!! This book was unquestionably BRILLIANT! The writing style was remarkably articulate and meticulous throughout with so much atmospheric details. It had an undoubtedly intriguing and capricious storyline. The cast of characters were all exceptional. I couldn't put it down. I devoured it from beginning to end and was kept on my toes guessing from start to finish. One of the best books I have read so far! ✍️
✍️ This debut crime novel follows a three decade long cold case on New Years Eve 1989 in the Australian outback of Cutters End. Fast forward to October 2021 and the case reopens with Detective Sergeant Mark Ariti headlining with local ConstableJagdeep Kaur. He shares an intimate connection to the case and some of the people involved. Will he be able to finally bring this case to justice?
WOW!! This book was unquestionably BRILLIANT! The writing style was remarkably articulate and meticulous throughout with so much atmospheric details. It had an undoubtedly intriguing and capricious storyline. The cast of characters were all exceptional. I couldn't put it down. I devoured it from beginning to end and was kept on my toes guessing from start to finish. One of the best books I have read so far! ✍️
February 17, 2022
30 years ago Michael Denby was found burnt to death beside his burnt out car. Accidental death was the police finding. But was it??
Cutters End tells a good story. A bit slow, which is ok. Slow matched the setting of the Aussie outback.
I found the story a bit haphazard at times. It took a long way into the book for things to start to make sense, for the purpose of what some of the characters were doing to be clear.
I love a good investigative story - interviewing witnesses, gathering evidence, piecing it all together, but there were a few gaps in this one, for my liking.
I did enjoy this book, but I think it could have been a bit tighter, a bit more coherent.
Another book to scare the wits out of backpackers looking to hitchhike around Australia.....
Cutters End tells a good story. A bit slow, which is ok. Slow matched the setting of the Aussie outback.
I found the story a bit haphazard at times. It took a long way into the book for things to start to make sense, for the purpose of what some of the characters were doing to be clear.
I love a good investigative story - interviewing witnesses, gathering evidence, piecing it all together, but there were a few gaps in this one, for my liking.
I did enjoy this book, but I think it could have been a bit tighter, a bit more coherent.
Another book to scare the wits out of backpackers looking to hitchhike around Australia.....
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December 20, 2021I was happily swept along in this rural crime debut, with plenty of nostalgia, tension and flashbacks to the 1980s. As a born and bred South Aussie I liked the inside jokes and familiar locations, the way the relentless heat and isolation added to the angst, and the many flaws among the characters. Hickey has done an excellent job at creating empathy for the main protagonists, with an author voice that was fresh and yet familiar. I purchased the novel at a launch event in rural Victoria, and it was great reading the book whilst the author's insights into her writing process and origin stories were fresh in my mind.
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