Beams Falling in Aussie Readers

Jan 14, 2014 Brenda rated it liked it

Shelves: 2014-release, mystery, read-on-kindle, aussie-authors, net-galley, own-read, arc, australian-thriller

Recovering from injury, Detective Nhu (Ned) Kelly has been transferred to Cabramatta Police Station. With her Vietnamese heritage, it was thought that she could help with the rampant violence which had erupted in the suburb. But Ned wasn’t herself – her lack of control and deep fear was taking over her life and her workmates weren’t helping. With her ongoing visits to counsellors and doctors, being put on light duties was frustrating – her sister being in another country doing her PhD meant she Recovering from injury, Detective Nhu (Ned) Kelly has been transferred to Cabramatta Police Station. With her Vietnamese heritage, it was thought that she could help with the rampant violence which had erupted in the suburb. But Ned wasn’t herself – her lack of control and deep fear was taking over her life and her workmates weren’t helping. With her ongoing visits to counsellors and doctors, being put on light duties was frustrating – her sister being in another country doing her PhD meant she was alone with her thoughts and fears.

In the searing heat of one afternoon, a young school boy was shot dead in a brazen murder. With Ned at the scene, the horrors of her own attack hit her full force. But she knew she needed to find out who was responsible, and she needed to know why. Battling her own demons, her workmates and the Vietnamese drug gangs would take everything out of her; she was determined to find the answers –find her “normal”, find her “routine”. With the help of Cynthia and her damaged group, would her peace return?

As the investigation deepened, the teenage gang members continued to laugh at the cops, knowing they were one step ahead all the time; the heroin invasion along with the violence and murders meant the police needed to find a way to combat the lawlessness once and for all – but could they? Ned desperately needed to get to the criminal drug lord, but he was untouchable –wasn’t he?

This is my first novel by this author and I think with the amount of confusion I felt for at least 40% of the book meant I should have read The Old School first. The lack of description regarding Ned’s injuries and what occurred from her previous case and the identifying of workmates (from her previous case) made it frustrating; a little bit of background would have made the world of difference. I was disappointed with this one, which is a shame, but I will read The Old School when I can, as it has many great reviews.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy to read and review.
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Jan 19, 2014 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it it was amazing

Shelves: aussie-author, arc-are, netgalley-reviews

Beams Falling by Pamela Newton follows her lauded 2010 debut, The Old School, featuring Detective Nhu 'Ned' Kelly.

Following the shooting that left Kelly wounded and a corrupt police officer dead (in The Old School ), she is shunted from her Bankstown unit to Taskforce Acorn in Cabramatta, the token Asian officer on a team investigating the area's criminal activity. Though officially restricted to light duties, Ned is drawn into the investigation of a brazen shooting of a schoolboy, which leads
Beams Falling by Pamela Newton follows her lauded 2010 debut, The Old School, featuring Detective Nhu 'Ned' Kelly.

Following the shooting that left Kelly wounded and a corrupt police officer dead (in The Old School ), she is shunted from her Bankstown unit to Taskforce Acorn in Cabramatta, the token Asian officer on a team investigating the area's criminal activity. Though officially restricted to light duties, Ned is drawn into the investigation of a brazen shooting of a schoolboy, which leads the team into the world of the 'ra choi' - teen hitmen, drug mules, dealers and thieves, corrupted by easy money and the illusion of power.

The gritty plot reveals a confronting mire of crime, including murder, drugs and prostitution, tainting the Sydney suburb. Newton doesn't pull any punches, twelve year old boys are assassinated in broad daylight and fourteen year old girls are raped in front of their fathers as object lessons. The violence is brutal and dispiriting and the solution an enigma.
The investigating police are hindered in their brief by language and cultural barriers, part of which Ned is supposed to address based on her half Vietnamese ethnicity. Frustration with their lack of progress pushes some to manipulate circumstances in the hope that the means will justify the end, despite the threat of ICAC.

Newton's exploration of trauma is as compelling as the police investigation. Though her physical wounds are healing, Kelly is struggling with the psychological impact of being shot and Newton's portrayal of Ned's distress is raw and affecting. Kelly is hyper-alert, fearful and barraged by flashbacks of both past and recent trauma yet determined to deny her PTDS, until she is forced into group therapy after a humiliating incident.

Though this novel can be read as a stand-alone, I regret I didn't have the opportunity to read The Old School before the release of Beams Falling. I found Beams Falling to be powerful, gripping and authentic crime fiction offering complex plot and characters. I really hope we won't have to wait another four years for the next installment. ...more

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Dec 01, 2016 Catsalive rated it really liked it

Shelves: aww, 2016

I can't imagine what is was like to be a cop in Cabramatta in the early 90s - absolute hell, I suspect. Assigned there on light duties after being shot, Ned is tracking a murderer in the Vietnamese community. The community is closed & fearful, & no one is talking. Drugs have a habit of causing death, one way or another. Between Cabra & PTSD, Ned's not coping very well with life & work.

Newton's done a good job of showing the crippling effect PTSD can have on a person. For Ned, her recent trauma w I can't imagine what is was like to be a cop in Cabramatta in the early 90s - absolute hell, I suspect. Assigned there on light duties after being shot, Ned is tracking a murderer in the Vietnamese community. The community is closed & fearful, & no one is talking. Drugs have a habit of causing death, one way or another. Between Cabra & PTSD, Ned's not coping very well with life & work.

Newton's done a good job of showing the crippling effect PTSD can have on a person. For Ned, her recent trauma would be enough to cope with, but it's also brought back the trauma she experienced as a child when her father was shot down. Undealt with then, PTSD is debilitating her now.

Very well-written, I enjoyed this one almost as much as the first book, The Old School . I could ask for just a little more joy - they're all so damned miserable. There's a point in the book where some of the characters work out why they stick with the job, & that's all well and good, but if it's grinding you down so there's no lightness in your life at all, what's left? That's traumatising in itself.

There's the tiniest little spark of hope with Ari, but I don't think it's enough, &, if there were another book, I'm sure that would go haywire too. That's it. There isn't another book. Why not? Is there ever going to be? Arrgh!

blurb:
On the inside, Detective Nhu 'Ned' Kelly is a mess. Stitched up after being shot, her brain's taking even longer to heal than her body. On the outside, though, she's perfect, at least as far as the top brass are concerned. Cabramatta is riding high on the new 'Asian crime wave', a nightmare of heroin, home invasions, and hits of all kinds, and the cops need a way into the world of teenaged dealers and assassins.

They think Ned's Vietnamese heritage is the right fit but nothing in Cabra can be taken at face value. Ned doesn't speak the language and the ra choi – the lawless kids who have 'gone out to play' – are just running rings around her. The next blow could come from anywhere, or anyone. And beyond the headlines and hysteria, Ned is itching to make a play for the kingpin, the person behind it all with the money and the plan and the power.

Beams Falling is the brilliantly compelling and gritty second novel by the rising star of Australian crime writing. A portrait of our recent past, it's also a compulsive and utterly authentic insight into the way both cops and criminals work.

P. M. Newton spent over a decade as a detective in the NSW police force, including time in Sydney's southwest and the Drug Enforcement Agency. ...more

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Mar 17, 2014 Michael Livingston rated it liked it

This ticks most of my crime fiction boxes: a strong and convincing sense of place, a messed up main character, ethical dilemmas and a system that actively works to prevent good outcomes, but it didn't quite work for me as well as Newton's first book. The plot felt a bit more stapled together, and some of the joins weren't super convincing. Still, you'll rip through it and find plenty to enjoy along the way. ...more

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