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Mick Goodenough #2
The Carnival Is Over
1971—Hal is seventeen, with dreams of escaping from Moorabool to a life in the city. But right now he’s on a good behaviour bond and stuck in a job he hates, paying off the car he ‘borrowed’ and crashed. Hal’s packing-room job makes him a target for workplace bullies and the friendship of the older, more worldly Christine is all that makes each day bearable. So when she doesn’t turn up for work, he’s on the alert.
So is Sergeant Mick Goodenough. But he already knows what’s happened to Christine: the same thing that happened to the newly elected deputy mayor. When another gruesome ‘accident’ occurs in Moorabool, Goodenough suspects there’s something sinister going on behind the scenes at the abattoir.
Mick and Hal are both determined to dig up the truth. Before long each of them is going to find himself in mortal danger and running for his life.
Greg Woodland, author of the acclaimed The Night Whistler, returns with another nailbiting rural thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat.
So is Sergeant Mick Goodenough. But he already knows what’s happened to Christine: the same thing that happened to the newly elected deputy mayor. When another gruesome ‘accident’ occurs in Moorabool, Goodenough suspects there’s something sinister going on behind the scenes at the abattoir.
Mick and Hal are both determined to dig up the truth. Before long each of them is going to find himself in mortal danger and running for his life.
Greg Woodland, author of the acclaimed The Night Whistler, returns with another nailbiting rural thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat.
416 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2022
10 people are currently reading
292 people want to read
About the author
Greg Woodland
2 books83 followersGreg's first crime novel ‘The Night Whistler’ was published by Text Publishing in 2020, and the sequel, The Carnival is Over was published in 2022. The Night Whistler was shortlisted for the 2021 Ned Kelly Awards Best Debut Crime Novel. The Carnival Is Over was shortlisted for the 2023 Ned Kelly Awards for Best Crime Fiction.
Greg is the director of leading Australian script service www.scriptcentral.com.au His award-winning short films and documentaries have screened at national and international film festivals and TV channels. His screenplays The Whistler and Pangs won several national script competitions and three Varuna Fellowships. Greg has lectured in Scriptwriting at Macquarie University, UTS, and AFTRS. Script editing credits include feature films ‘Moon Rock for Monday’, 'Shayda', ‘Don’t Tell’, ‘Needle’, ‘Cold Turkey’, ‘The Bet’, The Tropfest 2013 Best Film Winner 'We've All Been There', 2016 AWG John Hinde Science Fiction script award winner and many others.
Greg is the director of leading Australian script service www.scriptcentral.com.au His award-winning short films and documentaries have screened at national and international film festivals and TV channels. His screenplays The Whistler and Pangs won several national script competitions and three Varuna Fellowships. Greg has lectured in Scriptwriting at Macquarie University, UTS, and AFTRS. Script editing credits include feature films ‘Moon Rock for Monday’, 'Shayda', ‘Don’t Tell’, ‘Needle’, ‘Cold Turkey’, ‘The Bet’, The Tropfest 2013 Best Film Winner 'We've All Been There', 2016 AWG John Hinde Science Fiction script award winner and many others.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
August 16, 2022
EXCERPT: Just before seven he sat at his desk. The paperwork in his in-tray beckoned, but his thoughts kept flitting back to the funeral and the dead woman. He opened his drawer and slid out the envelope of photographs he'd taken of her. The scientifics from Inverell had taken their own photos at the morgue - two full rolls of black and white - and hadn't even mentioned the circle on her temple or the rest of it. Nor had Angus Hawley, the clerk of court, who ashed his cigar and coughed dismissively at Goodenough's suggestion.
Angus doubled as the sector's coroner and worked out of a large converted junk room crammed with boxes of files, which he referred to grandly as his chambers, out the back of Moorabool Petty Sessions Court. Angus's findings had been informed by the scientific's notes and photos, and had found nothing that would challenge Dr Fischman's call of suicide.
Goodenough took out his close-up of the small circular abrasion on Christine's left temple and studied it through his magnifying glass. How come no one else but him thought the mark looked like he muzzle of a rifle had been pressed against Christine's temple?
ABOUT 'THE CARNIVAL IS OVER': 1971—Hal is seventeen, with dreams of escaping from Moorabool to a life in the city. But right now he’s on a good behaviour bond and stuck in a job he hates, paying off the car he ‘borrowed’ and crashed. Hal’s packing-room job makes him a target for workplace bullies and the friendship of the older, more worldly Christine is all that makes each day bearable. So when she doesn’t turn up for work, he’s on the alert.
So is Sergeant Mick Goodenough. But he already knows what’s happened to Christine: the same thing that happened to the newly elected deputy mayor. When another gruesome ‘accident’ occurs in Moorabool, Goodenough suspects there’s something sinister going on behind the scenes at the abattoir.
Mick and Hal are both determined to dig up the truth. Before long each of them is going to find himself in mortal danger and running for his life.
MY THOUGHTS: I was excited to see a new book from Greg Woodland after having loved The Night Whistler. And although The Carnival is Over doesn't ooze the same atmosphere, and the palpable air of menace is missing, it's still a good solid read with a lot of action and intrigue.
Five years on from The Night Whistler, Mick's been promoted to sergeant and now calls the shots. He's still not what you might call lucky in love, but what he has works for him - sort of.
Hal's been in a bit of trouble and is paying the price, and Allie has her eyes set firmly on a better future, one that probably won't include Hal.
Again, there are multiple layers to this mystery - corruption, greed, violence, workplace sexual and racial harassment (completely normal in the early '70s), and suspicious deaths.
Somehow Woodland's writing doesn't seem quite as vivid as it did in the first book. I didn't get as good a sense of place this time around, and while I was looking forward to going back and visiting these friends, something had changed. Me? Them? I don't know. Or maybe five years is just too long between visits. There's obviously been a fair bit of water flowed under the bridge in that time, and we've missed out on most of it.
But having said that, The Carnival is Over is a cracking good read. Small town politics, resentments and rivalries, liaisons and affairs, all form the backdrop for a story of corruption and greed set in a small, outback New South Wales town. Mick keeps hitting brick walls as he tries to investigate two deaths only he seems to find suspicious, and he is unsure who he can trust. There are car chases and hostage situations, so plenty of tense action and thrills.
The Carnival is Over can easily be read as a stand-alone.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.4
#TheCarnivalisOver #NetGalley
I: @gregwoodlandauthor @text_publishing
T: #GregWoodlandAuthor @text_publishing
#australiancrimefiction #crime #detectivefiction #historicalfiction #mystery #smalltownfiction #thriller
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Greg Woodland is an author, screenwriter and former film director. Since 2000 he's worked as a freelance script developer and script editor and taught screenwriting at Sydney film schools and universities.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Text Publishing via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Carnival is Over by Greg Woodland for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
Angus doubled as the sector's coroner and worked out of a large converted junk room crammed with boxes of files, which he referred to grandly as his chambers, out the back of Moorabool Petty Sessions Court. Angus's findings had been informed by the scientific's notes and photos, and had found nothing that would challenge Dr Fischman's call of suicide.
Goodenough took out his close-up of the small circular abrasion on Christine's left temple and studied it through his magnifying glass. How come no one else but him thought the mark looked like he muzzle of a rifle had been pressed against Christine's temple?
ABOUT 'THE CARNIVAL IS OVER': 1971—Hal is seventeen, with dreams of escaping from Moorabool to a life in the city. But right now he’s on a good behaviour bond and stuck in a job he hates, paying off the car he ‘borrowed’ and crashed. Hal’s packing-room job makes him a target for workplace bullies and the friendship of the older, more worldly Christine is all that makes each day bearable. So when she doesn’t turn up for work, he’s on the alert.
So is Sergeant Mick Goodenough. But he already knows what’s happened to Christine: the same thing that happened to the newly elected deputy mayor. When another gruesome ‘accident’ occurs in Moorabool, Goodenough suspects there’s something sinister going on behind the scenes at the abattoir.
Mick and Hal are both determined to dig up the truth. Before long each of them is going to find himself in mortal danger and running for his life.
MY THOUGHTS: I was excited to see a new book from Greg Woodland after having loved The Night Whistler. And although The Carnival is Over doesn't ooze the same atmosphere, and the palpable air of menace is missing, it's still a good solid read with a lot of action and intrigue.
Five years on from The Night Whistler, Mick's been promoted to sergeant and now calls the shots. He's still not what you might call lucky in love, but what he has works for him - sort of.
Hal's been in a bit of trouble and is paying the price, and Allie has her eyes set firmly on a better future, one that probably won't include Hal.
Again, there are multiple layers to this mystery - corruption, greed, violence, workplace sexual and racial harassment (completely normal in the early '70s), and suspicious deaths.
Somehow Woodland's writing doesn't seem quite as vivid as it did in the first book. I didn't get as good a sense of place this time around, and while I was looking forward to going back and visiting these friends, something had changed. Me? Them? I don't know. Or maybe five years is just too long between visits. There's obviously been a fair bit of water flowed under the bridge in that time, and we've missed out on most of it.
But having said that, The Carnival is Over is a cracking good read. Small town politics, resentments and rivalries, liaisons and affairs, all form the backdrop for a story of corruption and greed set in a small, outback New South Wales town. Mick keeps hitting brick walls as he tries to investigate two deaths only he seems to find suspicious, and he is unsure who he can trust. There are car chases and hostage situations, so plenty of tense action and thrills.
The Carnival is Over can easily be read as a stand-alone.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.4
#TheCarnivalisOver #NetGalley
I: @gregwoodlandauthor @text_publishing
T: #GregWoodlandAuthor @text_publishing
#australiancrimefiction #crime #detectivefiction #historicalfiction #mystery #smalltownfiction #thriller
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Greg Woodland is an author, screenwriter and former film director. Since 2000 he's worked as a freelance script developer and script editor and taught screenwriting at Sydney film schools and universities.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Text Publishing via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Carnival is Over by Greg Woodland for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
July 16, 2022
It’s 1971 and five years since the events of Greg Woodland's debut novel The Night Whistler and Mick Goodenough is now a Sergeant and in charge of the station at the New England town of Moorabool. His young friend Hal’s is now seventeen and his childhood is over. After being caught joyriding and crashing a stolen car with his friend Lloyd, Hal is on a twelve month good behaviour bond, working in the meat packing room of the local abbatoir to pay for the car they wrecked. Although he hates the job, he is grateful that his supervisor Christine is friendly and supports him when the local bullies target him for his bookish ways.
Mick is suspicious when the Deputy Mayor is found dead in his car from a gunshot wound. The rifle he is holding suggests suicide but Mick finds that hard to believe. When Christine is also later found dead in an apparent suicide, he begins to suspect that something bad is happening in his town.
Greg Woodland has perfectly captured the feel of a small Aussie country town in the 1970s. It was good to meet Hal and his childhood friend Allie again as teenagers and to see Mick Goodenough now settled and respected in the town. His love life has improved and he has a good relationship with the members of his team as evidenced by the easy banter between them. The suspense builds gradually as the plot unfolds, taking Mick to the local rodeo looking for a man with a grudge and later culminating in a nightmare chase where his own life is at risk. It all makes for a very enjoyable and gripping read and a terrific sequel to The Night Whistler.
With thanks to Text Publishing via Netgalley for a copy to read
Mick is suspicious when the Deputy Mayor is found dead in his car from a gunshot wound. The rifle he is holding suggests suicide but Mick finds that hard to believe. When Christine is also later found dead in an apparent suicide, he begins to suspect that something bad is happening in his town.
Greg Woodland has perfectly captured the feel of a small Aussie country town in the 1970s. It was good to meet Hal and his childhood friend Allie again as teenagers and to see Mick Goodenough now settled and respected in the town. His love life has improved and he has a good relationship with the members of his team as evidenced by the easy banter between them. The suspense builds gradually as the plot unfolds, taking Mick to the local rodeo looking for a man with a grudge and later culminating in a nightmare chase where his own life is at risk. It all makes for a very enjoyable and gripping read and a terrific sequel to The Night Whistler.
With thanks to Text Publishing via Netgalley for a copy to read
August 4, 2022
This turned out to be an excellent follow up to The Night Whistler set five years later but featuring the same characters notably Sergeant Mick Goodenough and Hal. Sergeant Goodenough is really the main character in the book and what an excellent character he is. Definitely worthy of a series.
The story is set in the small rural town of Moorabool and most of the drama centres around the town's main place of employment, the abattoir. When we were all purchasing meat in the 1970's I am pretty sure we did not realise the disgusting way it was killed and prepared. Anyway, that apart there was workplace bullying, racism and underhand financial dealings ultimately followed on by a succession of murders. Mick Goodenough had his hands full.
The author writes well, the story is good and the characters are well described and interesting. I enjoyed my read very much and look forward to more from Sergeant Goodenough in the future.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
The story is set in the small rural town of Moorabool and most of the drama centres around the town's main place of employment, the abattoir. When we were all purchasing meat in the 1970's I am pretty sure we did not realise the disgusting way it was killed and prepared. Anyway, that apart there was workplace bullying, racism and underhand financial dealings ultimately followed on by a succession of murders. Mick Goodenough had his hands full.
The author writes well, the story is good and the characters are well described and interesting. I enjoyed my read very much and look forward to more from Sergeant Goodenough in the future.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
June 24, 2022
There have been so many excellent Australian books lately and this was no exception. After enjoying the author’s first book, The Night Whistler, I was happy to get stuck into this one. Goodness it’s almost historical fiction, set as it is in 1971 in the small rural town of Moorabool. Sergeant Mick Goodenough heads up the police presence in the town.
It all starts with the apparent suicide of Deputy Mayor Tony Poulos, found dead in his car from a rifle shot. Soon after that Christine Makepeace, a supervisor at the abattoir, is found dead in her home. Another suicide? A circular mark on her temple could be that of a gun held to her head, Mick theorises, but the pathologist disagrees.
Still, Mick is curious about a few things. When Allie, an Aboriginal worker from the abattoir, gives him a key and tells him that Christine left her a note and the key asking her, in the event of her death, to get a notebook from her locker and take it to a particular journalist his curiosity is piqued. But when he gets the notebook he is whacked on the head and the notebook is taken. He is starting to smell a very big rat!
Things really hot up after that. It looks like there is a big cover up going on and no one is safe from the perpetrators who will stop at nothing to get what they want. The characters are priceless and the author gets the small town vibe spot on. There is much intrigue and a lot of humour and snarky dialogue. I enjoyed this sequel as much as the first book, it’s a little step back into a past that I lived through and the author gets it so right. This was a very entertaining story. Many thanks to Netgalley and Text Publishing for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.
It all starts with the apparent suicide of Deputy Mayor Tony Poulos, found dead in his car from a rifle shot. Soon after that Christine Makepeace, a supervisor at the abattoir, is found dead in her home. Another suicide? A circular mark on her temple could be that of a gun held to her head, Mick theorises, but the pathologist disagrees.
Still, Mick is curious about a few things. When Allie, an Aboriginal worker from the abattoir, gives him a key and tells him that Christine left her a note and the key asking her, in the event of her death, to get a notebook from her locker and take it to a particular journalist his curiosity is piqued. But when he gets the notebook he is whacked on the head and the notebook is taken. He is starting to smell a very big rat!
Things really hot up after that. It looks like there is a big cover up going on and no one is safe from the perpetrators who will stop at nothing to get what they want. The characters are priceless and the author gets the small town vibe spot on. There is much intrigue and a lot of humour and snarky dialogue. I enjoyed this sequel as much as the first book, it’s a little step back into a past that I lived through and the author gets it so right. This was a very entertaining story. Many thanks to Netgalley and Text Publishing for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.
August 3, 2022
It's 1971 in Moorabool, not far from Armidale in NSW and Sergeant Mick Goodenough was shocked at the apparent suicide of the deputy mayor - and man who had been looking forward to his future with happiness. Mick was suspicious but everything pointed to suicide. Then not long after, Christine, from the abattoir where a lot of the town's young people worked, was found dead, also by suicide. Mick knew deep down there was something bad going on at the abattoir, and he was determined to find out what it was.
Seventeen year old Hal was on a 12 month good behaviour bond, working at the abattoir which he hated, and he was being bullied by three toughs who also worked there. Lloyd, Hal's good friend and partner in crime, tried to help Hal, but often wasn't successful. But Hal had seen the stress Christine had been under. Would he talk to Mick or not? He wasn't sure what to think but wanted to help Mick investigate what was happening. It wasn't long before they were facing intense danger. Would they escape with their lives?
The Carnival is Over is the 2nd in the Mick Goodenough series and is set 5 years after the events in Aussie author Greg Woodland's debut, The Night Whistler. Catching up with Hal and Allie, now teenagers stuck in Moorabool, was great, and seeing Mick's elevation to Sergeant and his acceptance in the town worked well. Filled with corruption, greed, violence and murder, The Carnival is Over is an excellent rural thriller, and great sequel which I highly recommend.
With thanks to Text Publications via NetGalley for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
Seventeen year old Hal was on a 12 month good behaviour bond, working at the abattoir which he hated, and he was being bullied by three toughs who also worked there. Lloyd, Hal's good friend and partner in crime, tried to help Hal, but often wasn't successful. But Hal had seen the stress Christine had been under. Would he talk to Mick or not? He wasn't sure what to think but wanted to help Mick investigate what was happening. It wasn't long before they were facing intense danger. Would they escape with their lives?
The Carnival is Over is the 2nd in the Mick Goodenough series and is set 5 years after the events in Aussie author Greg Woodland's debut, The Night Whistler. Catching up with Hal and Allie, now teenagers stuck in Moorabool, was great, and seeing Mick's elevation to Sergeant and his acceptance in the town worked well. Filled with corruption, greed, violence and murder, The Carnival is Over is an excellent rural thriller, and great sequel which I highly recommend.
With thanks to Text Publications via NetGalley for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
October 4, 2022
4.5★
“All we wanted to do was borrow a car for a few days to go up north and get a job on the trawlers… Now this.”
In their late teens, Hal and his friend Lloyd were tearing up the road, heading from northern NSW for Queensland, the destination of choice for so many young people from the inland country towns of Australia. Wrapping their car around a tree was not a great start.
“September, 1971. Spring had finally hit Moorabool, draping the winter streets and back roads with bright yellow explosions of wattle and creamy eucalyptus blooms.”
Hal would rather be out on those back roads, but he’s now working off his community service job in the local abattoir to avoid a jail sentence, and it is as miserable as it sounds. He is bullied and is at the very bottom of the pecking order in the meatworks.
I lived in this part of the country where there were few places for high school kids and older teens to earn money except as farm hands or, if they were lucky, possibly score a few hours in a supermarket or retail shop.
There were no fast food outlets in town then, turning over young staff. In the abattoir, they start sweeping and cleaning, working their way from the offal and sausage areas up through the hierarchy.
“When they got out at the car park behind the huge sheds, Lloyd would sniff the foetid air, listen to the bleating of a new truckload of sheep and say, ‘Another day in paradise…’ ”
Yeah, right, but it beat sitting in jail, although Hal would have been safer in the local lockup. It seems the Moorabool Abattoir has already been investigated for dodgy dealings.
“Her eyes on the door, Christine lowered her voice to a whisper, ‘I know someone that’s very interested in what happened, after all the... shenanigans?’
‘The mutton-as-lamb shenanigans? That was months ago and the cops let ’em all off. It was all bullshit, wasn’t it?’
She cracked a joyless laugh. ‘Allie, girl. You have no idea. You’re a babe in the woods.’
‘I’m not stupid.’ Allie tossed her head. ‘But those Sydney coppers didn’t find anything.’
‘They found plenty, don’t you worry,’ Christine smirked.”
There’s a lot of local politicking going on, with the big wheels in the small towns rolling over everybody else. The power players are in all the positions of influence, and as in many small communities, a lot of them are related to each other through past alliances or by marriage.
When people stay put, they can capitalise on their high school popularity or sporting prowess, get elected to public office, get promoted to positions of authority. From there, it’s just a short step to looking the other way and only another step or two to becoming involved in increasingly questionable ‘shenanigans’.
These are the steps that have tripped up many characters, which causes friction between old friends, co-workers, and families.
Hal and Allie Tenpenny were playmates and close friends as kids, and she’s working in the admin part of the business. Being Aboriginal, she brings another dimension to the story of a rural community. They are both trying to dodge the local toughs.
Meanwhile, Constable Mick is trying to sort out the causes of death of a mounting body count.
I enjoyed seeing Mick and Hal and Allie again, after meeting them in The Night Whistler, which precedes this story. Mick may have been demoted to constable, but he outshines the real detectives here.
“Maybe coincidence. But coincidence is a luxury former Homicide detectives can’t afford. Better follow it up with the bank, thought Goodenough.”
In small towns, there are a lot of coincidences. If everybody doesn’t know you, they certainly know people who do, so if you report something to the police, you may need to watch your back.
I think this one is a cut above the previous book, and it stands alone very well. I’m looking forward to what’s next.
Thanks to NetGalley and Text Publishing for the copy for review from which I’ve quoted.
“All we wanted to do was borrow a car for a few days to go up north and get a job on the trawlers… Now this.”
In their late teens, Hal and his friend Lloyd were tearing up the road, heading from northern NSW for Queensland, the destination of choice for so many young people from the inland country towns of Australia. Wrapping their car around a tree was not a great start.
“September, 1971. Spring had finally hit Moorabool, draping the winter streets and back roads with bright yellow explosions of wattle and creamy eucalyptus blooms.”
Hal would rather be out on those back roads, but he’s now working off his community service job in the local abattoir to avoid a jail sentence, and it is as miserable as it sounds. He is bullied and is at the very bottom of the pecking order in the meatworks.
I lived in this part of the country where there were few places for high school kids and older teens to earn money except as farm hands or, if they were lucky, possibly score a few hours in a supermarket or retail shop.
There were no fast food outlets in town then, turning over young staff. In the abattoir, they start sweeping and cleaning, working their way from the offal and sausage areas up through the hierarchy.
“When they got out at the car park behind the huge sheds, Lloyd would sniff the foetid air, listen to the bleating of a new truckload of sheep and say, ‘Another day in paradise…’ ”
Yeah, right, but it beat sitting in jail, although Hal would have been safer in the local lockup. It seems the Moorabool Abattoir has already been investigated for dodgy dealings.
“Her eyes on the door, Christine lowered her voice to a whisper, ‘I know someone that’s very interested in what happened, after all the... shenanigans?’
‘The mutton-as-lamb shenanigans? That was months ago and the cops let ’em all off. It was all bullshit, wasn’t it?’
She cracked a joyless laugh. ‘Allie, girl. You have no idea. You’re a babe in the woods.’
‘I’m not stupid.’ Allie tossed her head. ‘But those Sydney coppers didn’t find anything.’
‘They found plenty, don’t you worry,’ Christine smirked.”
There’s a lot of local politicking going on, with the big wheels in the small towns rolling over everybody else. The power players are in all the positions of influence, and as in many small communities, a lot of them are related to each other through past alliances or by marriage.
When people stay put, they can capitalise on their high school popularity or sporting prowess, get elected to public office, get promoted to positions of authority. From there, it’s just a short step to looking the other way and only another step or two to becoming involved in increasingly questionable ‘shenanigans’.
These are the steps that have tripped up many characters, which causes friction between old friends, co-workers, and families.
Hal and Allie Tenpenny were playmates and close friends as kids, and she’s working in the admin part of the business. Being Aboriginal, she brings another dimension to the story of a rural community. They are both trying to dodge the local toughs.
Meanwhile, Constable Mick is trying to sort out the causes of death of a mounting body count.
I enjoyed seeing Mick and Hal and Allie again, after meeting them in The Night Whistler, which precedes this story. Mick may have been demoted to constable, but he outshines the real detectives here.
“Maybe coincidence. But coincidence is a luxury former Homicide detectives can’t afford. Better follow it up with the bank, thought Goodenough.”
In small towns, there are a lot of coincidences. If everybody doesn’t know you, they certainly know people who do, so if you report something to the police, you may need to watch your back.
I think this one is a cut above the previous book, and it stands alone very well. I’m looking forward to what’s next.
Thanks to NetGalley and Text Publishing for the copy for review from which I’ve quoted.
July 30, 2022
I have been eagerly waiting for The Carnival is Over since reading The Night Whistler. This is the second book by Greg Woodland featuring now Sergeant, Mick Goodenough (pronounced Good-no) It was great to be back in the New England town of Moorabool with these characters, 5 years later.
It is now 1971, 5 years since the events of The Night Whistler. Hal and his mate Lloyd have gotten themselves into trouble, stealing a car and joyriding. They are now paying off their debt by working in the local abattoir. Drama is never very far away, and a series of apparent suicides in town make Hal think that there is more than meets the eye. He isn't giving up on this idea and soon he starts to put the pieces together, with the help of his mate Hal.
I love that this story was set in the 70's, and you have the mindset of the locals of the time. There is some disturbing behavior and comments, but all consistent with the times. There is also no mobile phones or internet so it is good old fashioned police work to solve the case.
This book deserves all the stars and to be a big hit for Greg Woodland. I had the pleasure of meeting him at Bad Crime after the release of The Night Whistler, and we had a great chat about crime fiction and our favourite writers. Another fantastic book Greg!
Thanks to Text Publishing for sending me a copy of this book to read prior to publication. Released in Australia on August 2nd.
It is now 1971, 5 years since the events of The Night Whistler. Hal and his mate Lloyd have gotten themselves into trouble, stealing a car and joyriding. They are now paying off their debt by working in the local abattoir. Drama is never very far away, and a series of apparent suicides in town make Hal think that there is more than meets the eye. He isn't giving up on this idea and soon he starts to put the pieces together, with the help of his mate Hal.
I love that this story was set in the 70's, and you have the mindset of the locals of the time. There is some disturbing behavior and comments, but all consistent with the times. There is also no mobile phones or internet so it is good old fashioned police work to solve the case.
This book deserves all the stars and to be a big hit for Greg Woodland. I had the pleasure of meeting him at Bad Crime after the release of The Night Whistler, and we had a great chat about crime fiction and our favourite writers. Another fantastic book Greg!
Thanks to Text Publishing for sending me a copy of this book to read prior to publication. Released in Australia on August 2nd.
August 31, 2022
I didn’t read the first book in this series, but that did not stop me from thoroughly enjoying this fabulous story, set in a small country town Moorabool near Armidale and in 1971, this one pulled me in from the start till the end, a great crime, mystery story that will keep you thinking.
Sergeant Mick Goodenough is called out the apparent suicide of the you deputy Mayor, a shocking site to find, and the local doctor says death by misadventure but Mick is thinking other things, when not long after another suicide this time a young popular woman, Christine who works at the local abattoir is found by her estranged husband and now Mick is convinced there is something going on and it is related to the abattoir.
Young Hal is seventeen and working of a debt to society by working at the abattoir and he does not like it at all, bullying seems to be rife but his supervisor Christine is very helpful and the have become friends, he is also very good friends with a young aboriginal girl Allie, but when Allie and Hal receive a message from Christine they are pulled into the mystery that is happening in Moorabool.
This is a page turner as danger lurks just about around every corner, will there be another death and will Mick get to the bottom of it all and find out who and why this is all happening, Hal is a fabulous character who is determined to help were he can even when his life is on the line he shows such strength. The characters are fabulous in this book Woodlands has bought them to life the good and the bad ones and now I need to read book one in this series and I do hope that there will be more Mick Goodenough stories this is a town I would love to revisit.
My thanks to Text Publishing and Netgalley for my copy to read and review.
Sergeant Mick Goodenough is called out the apparent suicide of the you deputy Mayor, a shocking site to find, and the local doctor says death by misadventure but Mick is thinking other things, when not long after another suicide this time a young popular woman, Christine who works at the local abattoir is found by her estranged husband and now Mick is convinced there is something going on and it is related to the abattoir.
Young Hal is seventeen and working of a debt to society by working at the abattoir and he does not like it at all, bullying seems to be rife but his supervisor Christine is very helpful and the have become friends, he is also very good friends with a young aboriginal girl Allie, but when Allie and Hal receive a message from Christine they are pulled into the mystery that is happening in Moorabool.
This is a page turner as danger lurks just about around every corner, will there be another death and will Mick get to the bottom of it all and find out who and why this is all happening, Hal is a fabulous character who is determined to help were he can even when his life is on the line he shows such strength. The characters are fabulous in this book Woodlands has bought them to life the good and the bad ones and now I need to read book one in this series and I do hope that there will be more Mick Goodenough stories this is a town I would love to revisit.
My thanks to Text Publishing and Netgalley for my copy to read and review.
July 30, 2022
A small town dominated by the local abattoir, scandals (mutton labelled as lamb!), affairs, threats and murders disguised as suicide. Only sergeant Mick Goodenough tries to stand up to the bad guys. Easy to read crime novel, likeable enough characters, and fast paced. Set in the early seventies so there’s plenty of racism, sexism etc.
December 13, 2022
The Carnival Is Over is the second book in the Mick Goodenough series by Australian author, Greg Woodland. Sergeant Mick Goodenough doesn’t get to see the body before Deputy Mayor Tony Poulos’s shooting is ruled “death by misadventure”. It looks like suicide, but something doesn’t sit quite right with Mick. For one thing, nobody who really knew him believes he would kill himself. Two cheque stubs for $1500 each are also puzzling.
When Moorabool Abattoir forewoman Christine Makepeace ends her life by drinking weedkiller, Mick’s Homicide training again niggles: is that a gun barrel impression on her forehead? Then a child is shot, and it somehow ties in with the suicides, when it really shouldn’t. Mick is determined to dig deeper, but certain people of power and influence would rather he didn’t.
At seventeen, life isn’t quite going how Hal Humphries planned. A bungled car theft that could have seen him doing jail time instead has him on a good behaviour bond, working off his debt in the Moorabool Abattoir offal room, courtesy Mick Goodenough. Many of his co-workers are bullies, but at least the forewoman, Christine is fair and friendly. When he hears of her death, he recalls how upset she was about the Deputy Mayor’s recent death.
As Mick continues, despite the cases being closed, to look into the two deaths, he begins to wonder just who of those he has to deal with in his job can be trusted. As sergeant, he also has to deal with a lazy and somewhat dim-witted constable, while trying to rein in an eager and enthusiastic female probationary constable. Meanwhile, Hal and his one-time good friend, Allison Tenpenny share some disturbing correspondence.
Mick manages some clever detective work and the occasional use of bluff to get the information he needs. In the lead up to a nail-biting climax (or two), Mick and Ross attend a rodeo, there’s a car hijack and, later, a nasty altercation where weapons conventional and improvised are wielded to bloody effect, the latter two events involving quite a bit of violence. Moorabool Police Station’s young probie defies orders to show courage and initiative in a tense standoff with a gunman.
Woodland conveys his New England setting, and the early 1970s era, with consummate ease. While the rampant workplace bullying, the racism and the sexism will not be fondly remembered, the popular cultural references of the time may generate some nostalgia in readers of a certain vintage. This is another excellent helping of Australian rural crime fiction, and more of this cast will be most welcome.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Text Publishing
When Moorabool Abattoir forewoman Christine Makepeace ends her life by drinking weedkiller, Mick’s Homicide training again niggles: is that a gun barrel impression on her forehead? Then a child is shot, and it somehow ties in with the suicides, when it really shouldn’t. Mick is determined to dig deeper, but certain people of power and influence would rather he didn’t.
At seventeen, life isn’t quite going how Hal Humphries planned. A bungled car theft that could have seen him doing jail time instead has him on a good behaviour bond, working off his debt in the Moorabool Abattoir offal room, courtesy Mick Goodenough. Many of his co-workers are bullies, but at least the forewoman, Christine is fair and friendly. When he hears of her death, he recalls how upset she was about the Deputy Mayor’s recent death.
As Mick continues, despite the cases being closed, to look into the two deaths, he begins to wonder just who of those he has to deal with in his job can be trusted. As sergeant, he also has to deal with a lazy and somewhat dim-witted constable, while trying to rein in an eager and enthusiastic female probationary constable. Meanwhile, Hal and his one-time good friend, Allison Tenpenny share some disturbing correspondence.
Mick manages some clever detective work and the occasional use of bluff to get the information he needs. In the lead up to a nail-biting climax (or two), Mick and Ross attend a rodeo, there’s a car hijack and, later, a nasty altercation where weapons conventional and improvised are wielded to bloody effect, the latter two events involving quite a bit of violence. Moorabool Police Station’s young probie defies orders to show courage and initiative in a tense standoff with a gunman.
Woodland conveys his New England setting, and the early 1970s era, with consummate ease. While the rampant workplace bullying, the racism and the sexism will not be fondly remembered, the popular cultural references of the time may generate some nostalgia in readers of a certain vintage. This is another excellent helping of Australian rural crime fiction, and more of this cast will be most welcome.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Text Publishing
September 11, 2023
On the way back they stopped at the Black Lion Inn, a faux Tudor oddity just off the highway, surrounded by stony olive-green sheep paddocks all the way to the grey horizon. They sat in the beer garden drinking schooners of Resch’s and carving their way through plate-sized steaks.
Set in 1971, 4 years on from The Night Whistler, author Greg Woodland returns to Moorabool, in the New England area of northern New South Wales. Here teenagers Hal – on a good-behaviour bond after a stolen car incident – and indigenous Allie are both working at the town’s main employer, the abattoir. Hal is friendly with supervisor Christine – in a clandestine relationship with the council’s deputy mayor, while the Mayor Adam Streeton turns a blind eye to his own wife’s infidelity with police sergeant Mick Goodenough. But when both the deputy mayor and the supervisor are ‘offed’ in circumstances Mick finds suspicious, he is surprised when the local doctor Ruth signs the cause-of-death as ‘accidental death’ or ‘suicide’.
But then nothing in this town is above scrutiny – the abattoir itself, caught earlier in a meat-fixing scandal which quietly went away. Add time-serving police, heavy-handed detectives from the nearest city, some vicious local ‘uglies’ (also at the abattoir) and Mick has his work cut out.
I like the way these thrillers depart from the ‘YA’ stable or established police procedurals, giving a multi-generational aspect, though for a while the anger (and agony) seem to overwhelm the storyline, with Allie’s dad offering her timely advice.
‘Maybe I don’t understand. But I do know that hate takes more out of you than it ever gives you back. And I done plenty of it in my time.’
All changes when the real killer is revealed.
As a sequel, this one meets but not outshines the original, capturing the atmosphere of New England towns in the mid-seventies, with well-drawn characters (even those with a minor role) leading up to a gripping chase around northern NSW. Sadly, the author’s geography fails him when he moves interstate.
Overall, a good read, but I doubt if there will be a follow-up.
Set in 1971, 4 years on from The Night Whistler, author Greg Woodland returns to Moorabool, in the New England area of northern New South Wales. Here teenagers Hal – on a good-behaviour bond after a stolen car incident – and indigenous Allie are both working at the town’s main employer, the abattoir. Hal is friendly with supervisor Christine – in a clandestine relationship with the council’s deputy mayor, while the Mayor Adam Streeton turns a blind eye to his own wife’s infidelity with police sergeant Mick Goodenough. But when both the deputy mayor and the supervisor are ‘offed’ in circumstances Mick finds suspicious, he is surprised when the local doctor Ruth signs the cause-of-death as ‘accidental death’ or ‘suicide’.
But then nothing in this town is above scrutiny – the abattoir itself, caught earlier in a meat-fixing scandal which quietly went away. Add time-serving police, heavy-handed detectives from the nearest city, some vicious local ‘uglies’ (also at the abattoir) and Mick has his work cut out.
I like the way these thrillers depart from the ‘YA’ stable or established police procedurals, giving a multi-generational aspect, though for a while the anger (and agony) seem to overwhelm the storyline, with Allie’s dad offering her timely advice.
‘Maybe I don’t understand. But I do know that hate takes more out of you than it ever gives you back. And I done plenty of it in my time.’
All changes when the real killer is revealed.
As a sequel, this one meets but not outshines the original, capturing the atmosphere of New England towns in the mid-seventies, with well-drawn characters (even those with a minor role) leading up to a gripping chase around northern NSW. Sadly, the author’s geography fails him when he moves interstate.
Overall, a good read, but I doubt if there will be a follow-up.
September 28, 2022
We return to the small NSW town of Moorabool and it’s 1971, 5 years after the events chronicled in The Night Whistler. Mick Goodenough has now become the town police sergeant and he still seems to be waging a one-man battle against locals intent on undermining his authority at every turn.
As was evidenced in The Night Whistler, Woodland once again displays his ability to completely immerse his reader in the rural flavour of the local landscape and the time in which it is set. The early 70s has a distinct feel and through the descriptions of the shopfronts, the fashions of the time and the prejudices that were the norm, he manages to bring Moorabool in 1971 to life.
Young Hal Humphries is now a late teen and prone to getting himself into trouble, enough trouble that Mick had to intervene after a joyride in a stolen car went wrong. Mick’s intervention results in Hal being placed at the local abattoirs rather than doing gaol time.
And it’s the abattoirs that lies at the epicentre of the mystery and intrigue in the book. A couple of apparent suicides take place close together. The first is the town’s deputy mayor who also holds a board position at the abattoirs and the second is Christine, a shift supervisor in the boning room of the abattoirs. It’s really only Mick who has suspects there is something a lot more sinister than suicide at play here.
Given no corroborating support from the pathologist, he finds himself pushing the proverbial uphill in getting any momentum with a possible double murder investigation. In fact, it comes down to enlisting some help from a young aboriginal woman, Allie, who herself has been sacked from the abattoirs.
She provides Mick with a key and a crucial letter from Christine which galvanises him into action and puts the abattoirs directly in his crosshairs. After following a series of cryptic clues, copping a heavy knock to the head and a relationship breakdown (all related to his investigation, mind you) things move into high gear in the town of Glen Innes of all places.
The Carnival Is Over is an intriguing story of greed and corruption on a small-town scale. Woodland manages to capture the mood and prejudices of the 1970s very well, the sexism and misogyny, the out and out racism and the disrespect for authority are all key parts of the story. Another interesting side story running through is the restlessness of the town’s youth, their desire to get out of the place and the havoc they’re capable of raising just out of sheer boredom.
I was very pleased to return to NSW’s New England region and the town of Moorabool, more so to discover the development of the main characters from the first book have given them even greater depth. The fast-moving action, quirky humour and solid crime investigation makes it a series that all crime readers should be looking out for.
As was evidenced in The Night Whistler, Woodland once again displays his ability to completely immerse his reader in the rural flavour of the local landscape and the time in which it is set. The early 70s has a distinct feel and through the descriptions of the shopfronts, the fashions of the time and the prejudices that were the norm, he manages to bring Moorabool in 1971 to life.
Young Hal Humphries is now a late teen and prone to getting himself into trouble, enough trouble that Mick had to intervene after a joyride in a stolen car went wrong. Mick’s intervention results in Hal being placed at the local abattoirs rather than doing gaol time.
And it’s the abattoirs that lies at the epicentre of the mystery and intrigue in the book. A couple of apparent suicides take place close together. The first is the town’s deputy mayor who also holds a board position at the abattoirs and the second is Christine, a shift supervisor in the boning room of the abattoirs. It’s really only Mick who has suspects there is something a lot more sinister than suicide at play here.
Given no corroborating support from the pathologist, he finds himself pushing the proverbial uphill in getting any momentum with a possible double murder investigation. In fact, it comes down to enlisting some help from a young aboriginal woman, Allie, who herself has been sacked from the abattoirs.
She provides Mick with a key and a crucial letter from Christine which galvanises him into action and puts the abattoirs directly in his crosshairs. After following a series of cryptic clues, copping a heavy knock to the head and a relationship breakdown (all related to his investigation, mind you) things move into high gear in the town of Glen Innes of all places.
The Carnival Is Over is an intriguing story of greed and corruption on a small-town scale. Woodland manages to capture the mood and prejudices of the 1970s very well, the sexism and misogyny, the out and out racism and the disrespect for authority are all key parts of the story. Another interesting side story running through is the restlessness of the town’s youth, their desire to get out of the place and the havoc they’re capable of raising just out of sheer boredom.
I was very pleased to return to NSW’s New England region and the town of Moorabool, more so to discover the development of the main characters from the first book have given them even greater depth. The fast-moving action, quirky humour and solid crime investigation makes it a series that all crime readers should be looking out for.
December 13, 2022
The Carnival Is Over is the second book in the Mick Goodenough series by Australian author, Greg Woodland. The audio version is narrated by Nic English. Sergeant Mick Goodenough doesn’t get to see the body before Deputy Mayor Tony Poulos’s shooting is ruled “death by misadventure”. It looks like suicide, but something doesn’t sit quite right with Mick. For one thing, nobody who really knew him believes he would kill himself. Two cheque stubs for $1500 each are also puzzling.
When Moorabool Abattoir forewoman Christine Makepeace ends her life by drinking weedkiller, Mick’s Homicide training again niggles: is that a gun barrel impression on her forehead? Then a child is shot, and it somehow ties in with the suicides, when it really shouldn’t. Mick is determined to dig deeper, but certain people of power and influence would rather he didn’t.
At seventeen, life isn’t quite going how Hal Humphries planned. A bungled car theft that could have seen him doing jail time instead has him on a good behaviour bond, working off his debt in the Moorabool Abattoir offal room, courtesy Mick Goodenough. Many of his co-workers are bullies, but at least the forewoman, Christine is fair and friendly. When he hears of her death, he recalls how upset she was about the Deputy Mayor’s recent death.
As Mick continues, despite the cases being closed, to look into the two deaths, he begins to wonder just who of those he has to deal with in his job can be trusted. As sergeant, he also has to deal with a lazy and somewhat dim-witted constable, while trying to rein in an eager and enthusiastic female probationary constable. Meanwhile, Hal and his one-time good friend, Allison Tenpenny share some disturbing correspondence.
Mick manages some clever detective work and the occasional use of bluff to get the information he needs. In the lead up to a nail-biting climax (or two), Mick and Ross attend a rodeo, there’s a car hijack and, later, a nasty altercation where weapons conventional and improvised are wielded to bloody effect, the latter two events involving quite a bit of violence. Moorabool Police Station’s young probie defies orders to show courage and initiative in a tense standoff with a gunman.
Woodland conveys his New England setting, and the early 1970s era, with consummate ease. While the rampant workplace bullying, the racism and the sexism will not be fondly remembered, the popular cultural references of the time may generate some nostalgia in readers of a certain vintage. This is another excellent helping of Australian rural crime fiction, and more of this cast will be most welcome.
When Moorabool Abattoir forewoman Christine Makepeace ends her life by drinking weedkiller, Mick’s Homicide training again niggles: is that a gun barrel impression on her forehead? Then a child is shot, and it somehow ties in with the suicides, when it really shouldn’t. Mick is determined to dig deeper, but certain people of power and influence would rather he didn’t.
At seventeen, life isn’t quite going how Hal Humphries planned. A bungled car theft that could have seen him doing jail time instead has him on a good behaviour bond, working off his debt in the Moorabool Abattoir offal room, courtesy Mick Goodenough. Many of his co-workers are bullies, but at least the forewoman, Christine is fair and friendly. When he hears of her death, he recalls how upset she was about the Deputy Mayor’s recent death.
As Mick continues, despite the cases being closed, to look into the two deaths, he begins to wonder just who of those he has to deal with in his job can be trusted. As sergeant, he also has to deal with a lazy and somewhat dim-witted constable, while trying to rein in an eager and enthusiastic female probationary constable. Meanwhile, Hal and his one-time good friend, Allison Tenpenny share some disturbing correspondence.
Mick manages some clever detective work and the occasional use of bluff to get the information he needs. In the lead up to a nail-biting climax (or two), Mick and Ross attend a rodeo, there’s a car hijack and, later, a nasty altercation where weapons conventional and improvised are wielded to bloody effect, the latter two events involving quite a bit of violence. Moorabool Police Station’s young probie defies orders to show courage and initiative in a tense standoff with a gunman.
Woodland conveys his New England setting, and the early 1970s era, with consummate ease. While the rampant workplace bullying, the racism and the sexism will not be fondly remembered, the popular cultural references of the time may generate some nostalgia in readers of a certain vintage. This is another excellent helping of Australian rural crime fiction, and more of this cast will be most welcome.
Read
November 18, 2022The following book reviews have been shared by Text Publishing – publisher of The Carnival is Over
‘The Carnival Is Over was a hair-raising, heart-racing rollercoaster ride of a read. Loved it!’
Claudine Tinellis
‘The Carnival is Over starts with a bang and doesn’t let up. Woodland is unafraid to tackle dark themes and his books are a welcome addition to Aussie rural noir.’
Natalie Conyer, author of Present Tense winner of the 2020 Ned Kelly Best Debut Fiction Award
‘With vivid characters adding local colour to the familiar tale of corruption in regional politics…the women in [The Carnival is Over] take centre stage and leave a lasting impression.’
Sue Turnbull, SMH
‘You don’t have to have read Greg Woodland’s acclaimed debut novel The Night Whistler to thoroughly enjoy his latest, The Carnival is Over…But (five years later) everyone has moved on and become better and worse versions of themselves, but their underlying complexities, strengths and weaknesses are ever apparent…the run through to the climax is a series of twists and turns helmed by a villain grisly enough to cause nightmares. Another stellar performance from a writer at the top of his game.’
Loraine Peck, author of The Second Son, winner 2021 Ned Kelly Award for Best Debut Crime Award
‘This atmospheric, fast-paced and suspense-filled novel grabbed me from the first page and didn’t let up until the last. A thoroughly entertaining and terrific sequel.’
Rae Cairns author of The Good Mother
‘The Carnival is Over is a complex but tightly woven page-turner, full of expertly portrayed characters that are battling against an array of dark and menacing crimes…if they’re not committing them!...and interspersed with wonderful moments of kindness and humour. If you love well-written Aussie crime thrillers, you’re going to devour this.’
Lyn Yeowart, author of The Silent Listener
‘Greg Woodland's cinematic imagination delivers with this fast-paced journey into 1970s small-town Australia. A thrill-ride into the past.’
Hayley Scrivenor, author of Dirt Town
‘Moving between multiple character’s perspectives through short and sharp chapters, from the sergeant to town locals, The Carnival is Over is a fast-paced read that really takes you back in time. Woodland joins a growing number of Australian authors writing brilliant rural crime, and we can’t get enough of them. Fans of Margaret Hickey and Chris Hammer will devour this.’
Better Reading
‘Woodland…[draws] the story forward five years...delivering a very different type of crime story, one that digs deep into the culture of small towns at the time...The Carnival is Over is another atmospheric and engaging work of crime fiction from Woodland.’
Robert Goodman, Pile by the Bed
‘Gripping.’
SA Weekend
‘Thrilling.’
Australian
‘The Carnival Is Over was a hair-raising, heart-racing rollercoaster ride of a read. Loved it!’
Claudine Tinellis
‘The Carnival is Over starts with a bang and doesn’t let up. Woodland is unafraid to tackle dark themes and his books are a welcome addition to Aussie rural noir.’
Natalie Conyer, author of Present Tense winner of the 2020 Ned Kelly Best Debut Fiction Award
‘With vivid characters adding local colour to the familiar tale of corruption in regional politics…the women in [The Carnival is Over] take centre stage and leave a lasting impression.’
Sue Turnbull, SMH
‘You don’t have to have read Greg Woodland’s acclaimed debut novel The Night Whistler to thoroughly enjoy his latest, The Carnival is Over…But (five years later) everyone has moved on and become better and worse versions of themselves, but their underlying complexities, strengths and weaknesses are ever apparent…the run through to the climax is a series of twists and turns helmed by a villain grisly enough to cause nightmares. Another stellar performance from a writer at the top of his game.’
Loraine Peck, author of The Second Son, winner 2021 Ned Kelly Award for Best Debut Crime Award
‘This atmospheric, fast-paced and suspense-filled novel grabbed me from the first page and didn’t let up until the last. A thoroughly entertaining and terrific sequel.’
Rae Cairns author of The Good Mother
‘The Carnival is Over is a complex but tightly woven page-turner, full of expertly portrayed characters that are battling against an array of dark and menacing crimes…if they’re not committing them!...and interspersed with wonderful moments of kindness and humour. If you love well-written Aussie crime thrillers, you’re going to devour this.’
Lyn Yeowart, author of The Silent Listener
‘Greg Woodland's cinematic imagination delivers with this fast-paced journey into 1970s small-town Australia. A thrill-ride into the past.’
Hayley Scrivenor, author of Dirt Town
‘Moving between multiple character’s perspectives through short and sharp chapters, from the sergeant to town locals, The Carnival is Over is a fast-paced read that really takes you back in time. Woodland joins a growing number of Australian authors writing brilliant rural crime, and we can’t get enough of them. Fans of Margaret Hickey and Chris Hammer will devour this.’
Better Reading
‘Woodland…[draws] the story forward five years...delivering a very different type of crime story, one that digs deep into the culture of small towns at the time...The Carnival is Over is another atmospheric and engaging work of crime fiction from Woodland.’
Robert Goodman, Pile by the Bed
‘Gripping.’
SA Weekend
‘Thrilling.’
Australian
August 15, 2022
Greg Woodland’s debut novel The Night Whistler was one of the many new voices in the last few years producing Australian rural crime that sets itself a little apart by also having a historical edge (see also: Matt Nable’s Still, Maryrose Cuskelly’s The Cane and Hayley Scrivenor’s Dirt Town). Set in a New South Wales New England town of Moorabool in the late 1960s, the narrative of that original book oscillated between a disgraced policeman with a secret in his past and a twelve year old boy keen to be a detective. Woodland has found a way to follow this debut up without repeating himself, drawing the story forward five years and delivering a very different type of crime story, one that digs deep into the culture of small towns at the time.
The Carnival is Over opens in 1971 with a car crash. Seventeen year old Hal and his best friend (and bad influence) Lloyd have flipped a stolen vehicle which they were hoping to use to escape the town. Instead of going to jail, and thanks to the intercession of local Sergeant Mick Goodenough, they are put on a good behaviour bond which they have to serve out by working in the local abattoir. A few months later Mick finds himself investigating two apparent suicides, both leading back to the abattoir. The second of these, the death of a floor manager Christine, gets his alarm bells ringing. This death also leaves Hal and his old friend Allie exposed to the darker elements of the workplace. Christine’s death pulls Hal and Allie into Mick’s investigation and as the edges of a conspiracy start to emerge, the situation spirals out of control.
Woodland deliberately starts his two protagonists in very different places to where they were at the end of The Night Whistler – Hal is a disillusioned teenager and Mick has been promoted to running the small country police station. Woodland then he produces a work that operates on a number of different registers. It starts with a procedural element and the bullying culture that can emerge in small towns. Once the procedural element has kicked into gear and the main plot starts to unravel, the narrative switches into more of a thriller mode. But alongside that, Woodland does not forget his main characters and their private lives, including the nascent relationship between Hal and Allie. He particularly highlights Allie and her specific struggles as a young Aboriginal woman with ambition in 1970s country Australia.
The Carnival is Over is another atmospheric and engaging work of crime fiction from Woodland, taking elements from his earlier work and building on them successfully. Authors like Garry Disher have shown that there can be mileage from returning to a small rural area for a number of books. So it will be interesting to see if Woodland finds a way to pivot again and continue this series or move on to something else.
The Carnival is Over opens in 1971 with a car crash. Seventeen year old Hal and his best friend (and bad influence) Lloyd have flipped a stolen vehicle which they were hoping to use to escape the town. Instead of going to jail, and thanks to the intercession of local Sergeant Mick Goodenough, they are put on a good behaviour bond which they have to serve out by working in the local abattoir. A few months later Mick finds himself investigating two apparent suicides, both leading back to the abattoir. The second of these, the death of a floor manager Christine, gets his alarm bells ringing. This death also leaves Hal and his old friend Allie exposed to the darker elements of the workplace. Christine’s death pulls Hal and Allie into Mick’s investigation and as the edges of a conspiracy start to emerge, the situation spirals out of control.
Woodland deliberately starts his two protagonists in very different places to where they were at the end of The Night Whistler – Hal is a disillusioned teenager and Mick has been promoted to running the small country police station. Woodland then he produces a work that operates on a number of different registers. It starts with a procedural element and the bullying culture that can emerge in small towns. Once the procedural element has kicked into gear and the main plot starts to unravel, the narrative switches into more of a thriller mode. But alongside that, Woodland does not forget his main characters and their private lives, including the nascent relationship between Hal and Allie. He particularly highlights Allie and her specific struggles as a young Aboriginal woman with ambition in 1970s country Australia.
The Carnival is Over is another atmospheric and engaging work of crime fiction from Woodland, taking elements from his earlier work and building on them successfully. Authors like Garry Disher have shown that there can be mileage from returning to a small rural area for a number of books. So it will be interesting to see if Woodland finds a way to pivot again and continue this series or move on to something else.
September 22, 2022
I loved Greg Woodland's first novel The Night Whistler so was excited when I saw he had a new novel out. Set once again in the small town of Morrabool in 1971, 5 years on from the last book, Sergeant Mick Goodenough is once again trying to get to the bottom of crimes that are being covered up as suicides and being thwarted by the bigwigs of the town. Mick knows something is going on but doesn't know who he can trust and who is involved.
Hal the young boy from book one is now 17 and working in the local abattoir paying the price for car theft. He and his friend Allie become embroiled in what is going on and are in danger of ending up like the other victims.
Mick isn't afraid to say what needs to be said and butts heads with whoever he needs to uncover the truth, making himself less than popular with some. He's lucky that while he has one very lazy and incompetent colleague his other two officers make up for this and even when they don't quite believe his claims they are ready to follow him anyway.
Corruption is rife in Moorabool as is racism and bullying, and money it seems is more important than people's lives for some of its residents.
While I didn't quite enjoy this as much as the first book, it was still a great crime read that once I reached halfway I didn't want to put down.
Thanks to NetGalley and Text Publishing for a digital copy of this novel.
Hal the young boy from book one is now 17 and working in the local abattoir paying the price for car theft. He and his friend Allie become embroiled in what is going on and are in danger of ending up like the other victims.
Mick isn't afraid to say what needs to be said and butts heads with whoever he needs to uncover the truth, making himself less than popular with some. He's lucky that while he has one very lazy and incompetent colleague his other two officers make up for this and even when they don't quite believe his claims they are ready to follow him anyway.
Corruption is rife in Moorabool as is racism and bullying, and money it seems is more important than people's lives for some of its residents.
While I didn't quite enjoy this as much as the first book, it was still a great crime read that once I reached halfway I didn't want to put down.
Thanks to NetGalley and Text Publishing for a digital copy of this novel.
July 27, 2022
What a wonderful Australian noir crime thriller. The writing is up there with other great Australian authors like Candice Fox, Garry Disher and Tony Cavanaugh. Set in the 1970's in country Australia, where policeman Sergeant Mick Goodenough investigates suspected 'suicides'. There are many twists and turns, humour and romance throughout the story that led to a very exciting and rewarding finish. The novel is well worth five (5) stars and highly recommended to all noir, crime, thriller readers.
January 16, 2023
The Carnival is Over is the second book in the Mick Goodenough series featuring Sergeant Goodenough and local teen Hal Humphries. This story is set several years later, in the early 1970s, and Hal is now 17 and trying to survive in his job at the Moorabool abattoir. Several suspicious suicides occur in short succession and Mick and Hal are suddenly drawn into a dangerous situation. I love Greg Woodland's Australian crime stories and hope this series continues. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital copy.
August 12, 2022
Thrillingly creepy! I loved meeting back up with Hal and Mick Goodenough. This is a thriller that covers it all; greed, corruption and violence; it’s got a car chase and a hostage situation..what more could you want in a police procedural? I loved the exploration of workplace sexism; poor Neridah and her endless cups of normal tea and Dickless Tracey nicknames…as well as racism ‘your people don’t go to university, you don’t even finish high school. It’s not in you…’, workplace bullying (that rat on the sandwich scene) and it is definitely making a statement on cruelty to animals ‘she couldn’t eat meat after working in that place’…It certainly couldn’t be anywhere but regional NSW in the early 1970s ‘the stunted scribbly gums stretched from road to horizon…What a thriller!!!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 13, 2022
The Carnival is Over by Greg Woodland is an excellent and enjoyable sequel to The Night Whistler, which I enjoyed immensely.
Set in 1971 is the New England district of New South Wales, Australia we find Sergeant Mick Goodenough ( pronounced Good-no) who is the head of police in a small country town called Moorabool. The location is superbly presented as is the period of the 1970s reflecting the attitudes of society at that time, especially in a small country town, including those towards women and aboriginal people. An assortment of characters who are realistically developed and with dynamic dialogue bringing the story alive and making the plot even more intriguing.
A couple of suicides start to look suspicious to Mick and his attempts to investigate are being thwarted from several directions. This fails to stop Mick whose down to earth attitude and approach equates to total perseverance no matter what the odds.
This story has plenty of twists and turns with humour, romance and pathos thrown into the mix.
Highly recommended read.
This review is based on a complimentary copy from Text Publishing via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Set in 1971 is the New England district of New South Wales, Australia we find Sergeant Mick Goodenough ( pronounced Good-no) who is the head of police in a small country town called Moorabool. The location is superbly presented as is the period of the 1970s reflecting the attitudes of society at that time, especially in a small country town, including those towards women and aboriginal people. An assortment of characters who are realistically developed and with dynamic dialogue bringing the story alive and making the plot even more intriguing.
A couple of suicides start to look suspicious to Mick and his attempts to investigate are being thwarted from several directions. This fails to stop Mick whose down to earth attitude and approach equates to total perseverance no matter what the odds.
This story has plenty of twists and turns with humour, romance and pathos thrown into the mix.
Highly recommended read.
This review is based on a complimentary copy from Text Publishing via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
September 17, 2022
A follow up on The Night Whistler, The Carnival is Over is set approximately 5 years after the events in The Night Whistler. Hal and Allie are on the verge of adulthood and Mick Goodenough promoted to Sergeant and quite settled in Moorabool. And yet, he still likes to rock the boat especially when he's got his teeth into a puzzling mystery.
The Carnival is Over is a thoroughly enjoyable complex mystery that kept you guessing all the time with just enough suspense to get your heart racing. The switch of views from character to character were done smoothly and flawlessly that I had no problem following. If you like The Night Whistler, then you'd love The Carnival is Over.
My thanks to Text Publishing for ecopy of book via NetGalley in exchange of my honest thoughts
The Carnival is Over is a thoroughly enjoyable complex mystery that kept you guessing all the time with just enough suspense to get your heart racing. The switch of views from character to character were done smoothly and flawlessly that I had no problem following. If you like The Night Whistler, then you'd love The Carnival is Over.
My thanks to Text Publishing for ecopy of book via NetGalley in exchange of my honest thoughts
March 22, 2023
Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.
My love affair with Australian crime novels continues. This second book by Greg Woodland exceeded my expectations. Hope there is more to come from Mick Goodenough and his crew.
My love affair with Australian crime novels continues. This second book by Greg Woodland exceeded my expectations. Hope there is more to come from Mick Goodenough and his crew.
October 11, 2023
Another great book in this series. I hope this isn't the last one and that we get to see these characters many more times in the future. I love Allie so much and I wouldn't mind if she becomes the main character in the future.
July 31, 2022
Greg Woodland is back with the sequel to his blistering Aussie crime thriller The Night Whistler. The Carnival is Over sees returning characters from his debut including Mick Goodenough who had now been made a police sergeant.
I loved the setting of Moorabool in 1971, it was a refreshing reminder of the classic Aussie cars and a time with no mobile phones and internet just good old fashioned police work.
With a town full of corruption starting at the local abattoir and leading straight to the top of town in local council, Mick and his team are being run in circles to find the leaks and solve the so called suicides that are becoming commonplace. But with many people standing in their way it is no easy task.
A brilliant book with amazing charterer development, five years on from the first book I love the growth in the returning townsfolk and thoroughly enjoyed losing myself in this one.
A fast paced edge of your seat thrill ride, The Carnival is over is one I highly recommend for lovers of Aussie crime fiction. Congratulation Greg Woodland I can not wait to see what comes next!
I loved the setting of Moorabool in 1971, it was a refreshing reminder of the classic Aussie cars and a time with no mobile phones and internet just good old fashioned police work.
With a town full of corruption starting at the local abattoir and leading straight to the top of town in local council, Mick and his team are being run in circles to find the leaks and solve the so called suicides that are becoming commonplace. But with many people standing in their way it is no easy task.
A brilliant book with amazing charterer development, five years on from the first book I love the growth in the returning townsfolk and thoroughly enjoyed losing myself in this one.
A fast paced edge of your seat thrill ride, The Carnival is over is one I highly recommend for lovers of Aussie crime fiction. Congratulation Greg Woodland I can not wait to see what comes next!
November 8, 2022
An abattoir surrounded by scandal. Several bigwigs up to no good. Two victims who are assumed to have committed suicide. Plus one missing gun.
All of these are connected in Sergeant Mick Goodenough's biggest case in years. Also on this action filled ride is Hal Humphries- who just happens to be working at the abattoir serving a one years good behaviour bond.
The Carnival is Over is simply brilliant on its own. Read as a sequel to The Night Whistler, you appreciate Every. Single. Thing. that made you fall in love with the New England town of Moorabool first time around. There's plenty of familiar faces that makes a welcome return, and some new ones just to shake everything up. Has to be said, giving Hal's nemeses and all-round thugs nicknames like Pelican S**t and Spider are quite obscure but very fitting.
The amount of tension, action and hard hitting revelations are turned up to above maximum this time around. My stomach turned at some of the scenes so just be warned for an accidental shooting, a hostage situation and rape. Also, if you detest clowns I give you notice to be extra prepared.
Allie was one of my favourite characters in The Night Whistler and has developed more sass as she matures into a fine young woman. Absolutely appreciate Allie's First Nation representation and the feminisation she constantly delivers in Woodland's story telling. Our Allie is such a shining star that's destined for great things!
Must say, I actually enjoyed this more than it's predecessor. Hoping for a third book because this series is freaking awesome!
🌟🌟🌟🌟✨/5
All of these are connected in Sergeant Mick Goodenough's biggest case in years. Also on this action filled ride is Hal Humphries- who just happens to be working at the abattoir serving a one years good behaviour bond.
The Carnival is Over is simply brilliant on its own. Read as a sequel to The Night Whistler, you appreciate Every. Single. Thing. that made you fall in love with the New England town of Moorabool first time around. There's plenty of familiar faces that makes a welcome return, and some new ones just to shake everything up. Has to be said, giving Hal's nemeses and all-round thugs nicknames like Pelican S**t and Spider are quite obscure but very fitting.
The amount of tension, action and hard hitting revelations are turned up to above maximum this time around. My stomach turned at some of the scenes so just be warned for an accidental shooting, a hostage situation and rape. Also, if you detest clowns I give you notice to be extra prepared.
Allie was one of my favourite characters in The Night Whistler and has developed more sass as she matures into a fine young woman. Absolutely appreciate Allie's First Nation representation and the feminisation she constantly delivers in Woodland's story telling. Our Allie is such a shining star that's destined for great things!
Must say, I actually enjoyed this more than it's predecessor. Hoping for a third book because this series is freaking awesome!
🌟🌟🌟🌟✨/5
October 14, 2022
The Carnival is Over is a gripping Aussie Noir read, combining a twisty plot and great characters with an evocative sense of setting in both time and place - it's 1971 in Moorabool, a (fictional) rural town in central northern NSW.
The central characters from The Night Whistler - Mick Goodenough and Hal Humphries - return five years older, still mates but with both their circumstances having changed somewhat. Mick has been promoted back up to Sergeant and is running the show at the Moorabool police station, where he's enjoying substantially better relations with his fellow officers. He's also conducting a clandestine affair with Eileen Stretton, the wife of Moorabool's Mayor. Meanwhile, 17-year-old Hal is working in the meat packing room of the local abattoir - it's thanks to Mick's intervention that he's on a good behaviour bond and not in juvie, after he and a friend wrote off a stolen Holden Torana. He's the target of derision from his co-workers, and his once close relationship with Allie Tenpenny has deteriorated.
When Moorabool's Deputy Mayor, Tony Poulos, who also happens to be the Deputy Chairman of the abattoir, is found dead in his shiny new GTS with a bullet in his brain, Mick is reluctant to accept Dr. Ruth Fischman's conclusion that his death was suicide. His investigations uncover a murky underbelly beneath the veneer of Moorabool's social elite, reinforced when a second suspicious death occurs, this one closer to home for both Mick and Hal. The drama builds to a thrilling crescendo as the characters converge at a Rodeo event, and are then engaged in a gripping night-time car chase towards the Queensland border.
Author Greg Woodland's character dynamics are superb and multi-layered. The plot is complex and twisty, and the setting evocative of a period in Australian history that will be familiar to many readers, including myself. The small-town setting of Moorabool is well-developed in terms of both physical and socio-cultural character, and we can well believe the nepotism and petty prejudices that both Mick and Hal frequently encounter.
I'd highly recommend both The Carnival is Over and its predecessor The Night Whistler to any reader who enjoys tautly-plotted and grittily realistic crime-thrillers. I found it particularly poignant to have been reading this book when news broke of the sad death of Australian performer Judith Durham, whose 1965 hit "The Carnival is Over" (with the Seekers) presumably inspired the title.
My thanks to the author, Greg Woodland, publisher Text Publishing, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this fantastic title.
The central characters from The Night Whistler - Mick Goodenough and Hal Humphries - return five years older, still mates but with both their circumstances having changed somewhat. Mick has been promoted back up to Sergeant and is running the show at the Moorabool police station, where he's enjoying substantially better relations with his fellow officers. He's also conducting a clandestine affair with Eileen Stretton, the wife of Moorabool's Mayor. Meanwhile, 17-year-old Hal is working in the meat packing room of the local abattoir - it's thanks to Mick's intervention that he's on a good behaviour bond and not in juvie, after he and a friend wrote off a stolen Holden Torana. He's the target of derision from his co-workers, and his once close relationship with Allie Tenpenny has deteriorated.
When Moorabool's Deputy Mayor, Tony Poulos, who also happens to be the Deputy Chairman of the abattoir, is found dead in his shiny new GTS with a bullet in his brain, Mick is reluctant to accept Dr. Ruth Fischman's conclusion that his death was suicide. His investigations uncover a murky underbelly beneath the veneer of Moorabool's social elite, reinforced when a second suspicious death occurs, this one closer to home for both Mick and Hal. The drama builds to a thrilling crescendo as the characters converge at a Rodeo event, and are then engaged in a gripping night-time car chase towards the Queensland border.
Author Greg Woodland's character dynamics are superb and multi-layered. The plot is complex and twisty, and the setting evocative of a period in Australian history that will be familiar to many readers, including myself. The small-town setting of Moorabool is well-developed in terms of both physical and socio-cultural character, and we can well believe the nepotism and petty prejudices that both Mick and Hal frequently encounter.
I'd highly recommend both The Carnival is Over and its predecessor The Night Whistler to any reader who enjoys tautly-plotted and grittily realistic crime-thrillers. I found it particularly poignant to have been reading this book when news broke of the sad death of Australian performer Judith Durham, whose 1965 hit "The Carnival is Over" (with the Seekers) presumably inspired the title.
My thanks to the author, Greg Woodland, publisher Text Publishing, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this fantastic title.
October 16, 2022
Another action packed country policing tale
December 20, 2022
Our Review…
Hot on the heels of ‘The Night Whistler’ this new outback thriller is a beauty.
Set in the 70’s in a struggling small town kept alive by the abattoir and the power wielding family that own it. Young Hal is desperate to escape the bullying from local thugs and Mick Goodenough, local cop trying to keep the locals from killing each other and trying to solve a series of “suicides” that don’t make sense and warrant further investigation from unwilling relatives unwilling to risk intimidation from the powers that be.
Dark and dangerous this new genre of outback crime in rural Australia is more popular each day and clever, sharp young minds are taking us on a great journey. Loved this fresh, new voice, couldn’t put it down till the end and what an ending. Loved it.
Review by Sue @ Great Escape Books
Hot on the heels of ‘The Night Whistler’ this new outback thriller is a beauty.
Set in the 70’s in a struggling small town kept alive by the abattoir and the power wielding family that own it. Young Hal is desperate to escape the bullying from local thugs and Mick Goodenough, local cop trying to keep the locals from killing each other and trying to solve a series of “suicides” that don’t make sense and warrant further investigation from unwilling relatives unwilling to risk intimidation from the powers that be.
Dark and dangerous this new genre of outback crime in rural Australia is more popular each day and clever, sharp young minds are taking us on a great journey. Loved this fresh, new voice, couldn’t put it down till the end and what an ending. Loved it.
Review by Sue @ Great Escape Books
January 5, 2023
Loved this novel and its characters who appear believable given their lack of perfection so to speak. Also, the Australian setting is enjoyable and simply described, perhaps helped by the fact that I know the area fairly well and the towns mentioned. But the story brings one along steadily and gradually reveals the good and the bad. But then makes us want to hanker for justice for all and it just doesn't work that way. I am drawn to go back to the author's first novel but will certainly be keeping an eye out for number three. Recommended holiday read.
December 30, 2022
Another very enjoyable read in the Mick Goodenough series of books.
Like all good mystery stories the plot is convoluted but believable, the characters interesting and the plot is well paced. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and look forward to reading the next in the series.
I was given a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Like all good mystery stories the plot is convoluted but believable, the characters interesting and the plot is well paced. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and look forward to reading the next in the series.
I was given a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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