Crucifixion Creek

Barry Maitland's Brock & Kolla series is notable for, amongst many things, the way that he always takes a location in London and builds it into the story, almost as another character. In the first of the Harry Belltree trilogy, CRUCIFIXION CREEK, set in Sydney, there is a similar approach, this time with a location of notorious reputation. Crucifixion Creek is the scene of a massacre of Aboriginal people by early colony British marines. Extending that history into the current day, Harry Belltree is the son of Sydney's first Aboriginal Judge, and a veteran special forces soldier who served in Afghanistan. He's also morally ambiguous, unafraid to step over the line in the pursuit of the truth and extremely likeable. His behaviour is not show more so extreme as to make him a lone wolf, anti-hero type; he's simply one-eyed and single-minded in pursuit of answers.

One of which is finding out the truth about the car accident that killed his parents and blinded his wife. As is his off-the-record investigation into the murder of his brother-in-law. There are complicated connections peppered throughout CRUCIFIXION CREEK - both in Belltree's family and his partnerships in the force; in the way that journalist Kelly Pool is pulled into the story; in the connections between people living in the same street as the outlaw-bikie headquarters at the centre of much of the activity; and the bikies themselves. From the past, into the present and it's not hard to imagine, Belltree's future.

Comparisons between this first Belltree book and Maitland's other main series are inevitable. Both police procedurals, both with strong main characters, Belltree and Kolla are similar in personality type, although he takes to the lone hand part much earlier in the piece than Kolla ever did. There is also something more edgy and darker in this book than ever was in the earlier series. Overall Maitland's pulled off a favourite of this reader - developing a morally ambiguous character who is also very likeable, whilst tackling a lot of current day real-life Australian issues head on. There's also something sneakily Australian about the investigation style - whilst the Brock & Kolla series is ordered, procedural, detailed and cautious (fitting perfectly with Brock's personality in particular), in CRUCIFIXION CREEK, Belltree is anything but. From the poke a stick into an ant's nest school of investigation, Belltree's methods are effective, if you don't mind a bit of fallout, and as a result somehow endearingly Australian. Matter of fact, not afraid to stir things up a bit, less interested in the procedure than the outcome, Belltree's not a typical cop, but not an ineffectual or unexpected cop at the same time. He also has a life outside the force, and the interactions and his care and concern for his blinded wife is nicely balanced by friendships, and niggles within families.

CRUCIFIXION CREEK is a brilliant opening salvo in the trilogy, and it will be interesting to see how Maitland develops this character, and his ongoing use of place. Is it a bad thing, that at the end of book one, it was hard to suppress a certain sense of disappointment that there's only going to be 2 more?

http://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/review-crucifixion-creek-barry-maitland-0 show less

Great start to an Australian-based crime trilogy that is a little different to the norm.
Detective Harry Belltree is still reeling from the events three years ago that left his parents dead and his wife blind. He's the only person who doesn't believe that it was just an accident, and he just can't leave it alone, which doesn't please his superiors.
Journalist Kelly Pool is investigating a spate of recent deaths. They all keep leading her back to the Crucifixion Creek area of the city.
Initially unwilling to cooperate with the media, Harry soon realizes that Kelly may be on to something and that they need each other to uncover the secrets of Crucifixion Creek.
There was so much going on in this story... deaths, arson, shootings, drugs, show more gangs, human trafficking, corruption... fast moving and really dark and gruesome at times, but then there were those little moments between Harry and his wife that were so touching. I loved the character of Harry. He was complex, having his own agenda and willing to cross boundaries.
This was my first book by Harry Maitland, and I have to admit it took me a little while to get used to his style of writing. Short sentences, present tense, all very succinct. But it really suited the pace of the narrative. Some brilliant twists and red herrings made this difficult to put down and events towards the end left me gasping. I am now desperate to get my hands on the second book.
Highly recommended if you enjoy some rogue cop action embedded in a complex storyline.
Thanks to Text Publishing for my copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. show less

Reviewed for Reviewing the Evidence. Brilliant first half, introducing a mixed-race ex-soldier police detective in Australia who want to find out how his parents were killed and his wife left blind after a car wreck. The second half goes off the rails and over the top with an awful lot of violence and mayhem. Still, a promising start to a trilogy that also features a reporter who won't stop chasing the story. Rather reminiscent of Peter Temple more than Maitland's Kolla and Brock series.

Readers may be familiar with Maitland's Brock and Kolla series set in London. He has also dabbled with the stand-alones set in Australia. So this trilogy is quite a new direction for him.

Harry Belltree is the son of a prominent solicitor who killed three years earlier in the same road crash that left his wife Jenny blind. Harry is an ex SAS soldier with experience in Afghanistan. He doesn't reject using violence if he thinks it is necessary. He and his wife Jenny, a computer expert, make a formidable investigative team even though she is blind.

So Harry doesn't always play by the rules, and that tendency combined with corruption in high places in New South Wales, links between bikies and a loan shark, and between them and politicians, show more makes for a very noir novel, darker than others I have read by Maitland. The cover also tells us that this is the first in a trilogy, so there is more to look forward to.

Very very readable. show less

My main reason for re-reading this title is that I have decided to read the two remaining novels in the trilogy, and couldn't trust my memory of the first novel.

The author says in his Afterword that "Harry Belltree is an entirely fictitious character and his activities in no way represent the real behaviors of the New South Wales police." However it does show corruption and self-serving among police, politicians, and bikie gangs. There is a horrendous level of violence, and Harry Belltree, ex-soldier who served in Afghanistan, is really a loose cannon. His wife, blinded in the car crash that killed his parents, has become an IT expert who can break into security systems, wipe CCTV records, and disable alarm systems.

A good novel that show more fairly gallops along. show less

This was a real page turner, and I liked all the investigators. It was a little dark and I am glad I didn't read the earlier instalment about Flora. The whole plot was borderline believable, but the pace carried me along, apart from the very end: I find it laughable that [a hitman would refuse to be called off - surely they'd take the money and stay in and watch TV.

After reading "Ash Island" (Book2 in the Belltree Trilogy), I thought I'd better read Book 1. So I have. Knowing some of the future story didn't hurt much and the details were filled in nicely. Maitland writes in a straightforward linear way which makes for an easy (and fast) read. There's plenty of action, mostly murderous, and the main character, Harry Belltree, is amazing, occasionally lucky, and particularly ruthless.