Retribution

Another entry in the expanding Rural Noir category, it's sometimes hard not to come to these novels with a slight sense of foreboding. The "new big thing" is all too often a marketing ploy - more experienced in the hype than the actuality. Fear not however, RETRIBUTION is a good one, different, unusual and a refreshing twist on crime fiction as a whole. Up front - there's not a human murder to be seen here, although the fate of one animal in particular will not impress those readers from the "don't care what you do to the people, but touch one hair on that animal's head and..." camp. A category I will admit a leaning towards, particularly if there's the slightest sense that animal deaths are gratuitous, for shock value. In this case show more there's a sinking inevitability about it, but to be honest, the reaction of central character Graeme Sweetapple made up for that in many many ways.

But the book itself. RETRIBUTION is as laid back, disaffected and disarming as they come. The central character is an interesting choice in that you can almost see him flinching from the limelight. He's one of those blokes, last in a long line of farmers where the trickle down effect of kicking small farmers in the head over many generations has finally achieved something. His family farm shrunk to a small holding, his small place in the world supported by a bit of cattle rustling, a bit of horse handling for wealthier "townie" farmers, and a bit of whatever it takes to get you through the day. He's a resourceful, quiet, purposeful sort of a bloke, imbued with ingrained sadness and regret, possessed of enormous ingenuity when it comes, in particular, to the cattle rustling game. There were tricks of the trade revealed in this book that impressed - bald tyres, night time drives without headlights, and best of all a stunt to get around the DNA police that had never ever occurred. A slightly distant character, Sweetapple is a real and very appealing human being.

You can certainly see why he would appeal to young Carson - another local with little desire to move away, and yet an underlying yearning for something that she can't quite describe, but knows damn well is there. The attraction between these two is beautifully understated, underplayed and realistic. There is much here that is bittersweet - content in a way with their lot, never indulging in wool over eyes pretence, it kind of makes sense that when eventually jolted from a sort of life on auto-pilot scenario, there's something slightly haphazard about their response - as determined and utterly understandable as it is.

Add to this mix an incomer with agenda's in all directions, and you've got a catalyst, a nuisance, an explainer, a potential rival, part of a revenge plot and an instigator of one of his own and you've got a firey mix, destined to go pear-shaped no matter how you look at it.

Elegantly written, beautifully evocative of the sense of place, and people in it, Richard Anderson knows that of which he writes. The subtle interplay between incomer and long-time local, the tension between "amateur" farmer with money versus lifelong farmers with affinity for the land and the livestock is nicely done - never preachy, never overt. There's also heaps of social issues from the bush that are drawn out, from those local problems right through to the coal mine activists and the mixed feelings about their activities.

All in all this is good rural-noir. It comes from the place and the people that it's written about and it's got the authority, and the touch that comes from living in the world that it's describing.

https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/retribution-richard-anderson-0 show less

Setting aside the conveniently named horse at the center of this story, I was pleasantly surprised by the twists and turns I encountered while reading this novel. What seem initially to be the central events turn out to only be instigating actions. Characters make decisions that would have seemed unforeseen pages earlier, but are consistent with their personalities as we get to know more about them. All of this was what kept the story engaging as various plotlines meandered to and from the forefront.
Others have noted that this seems to fit the “rural noir” category, but I’m not sure it’s quite dark enough to be considered noir. To me, this seems more in the vein of the southern gothic, though placed in an Australian terrain that show more I’m less familiar with. The pacing is not blistering, but it moved along well enough to keep me engaged, and by the end I found plenty to enjoy.
There are no saints in this story, and even though the characters I may have felt an affinity toward at one point or another are flawed, the author did manage to give each of them distinctive personalities (with one or two exceptions perhaps – Bob Statham felt a fairly one-note, though this isn’t necessarily a shortcoming). Sweetapple (an awesome, Flannery O’Connor style name), as the central character, is well defined and his bond with the horses kept the narrative rooted.
While this tips more into 3-star territory (perfectly enjoyable, but not quite a certain re-read on my scale) than 4-star (definite re-visit at some point, with potential to make the 5-star faves list), this is a pretty solid 3.5 star rating. Worth the investment in time, and an enjoyable glimpse into a part of the world at once foreign and awfully familiar. show less

Set in rural Australia, Anderson's novel weaves together a cast of characters to explore the topic of revenge and the lengths people will go to (or not) to extract it. Graham Sweetapple, a reclusive, live-and-let-live sort, is also a modern-day cattle rustler, stealing only what he needs to get by. Luke has been sent by a coal company to spy on protesters but becomes disillusioned when they pay him only part of what he's owed. Carson is a local girl who is tired of her dead-end job and the constant harassment by married men. Bob is a shady businessman who owns the land Sweetapple lives on, while his wife Caroline is a politician searching for purpose in her life after having been recently defeated for reelection. In short, everyone is a show more little broken and nurses a grievance. When Bob offers to pay Sweetapple to steal a horse, Retribution, for mysterious reasons, their lives and fates become intertwined through acts of vengeance, corruption, and deceit. This novel has been labeled rural noir, a genre that, broadly defined, means set in the country and involving crime, and both are certainly present here. Rural Australia is an unfamiliar setting for most American readers, but Anderson makes it both familiar and alive. Strong plotting and believable characters raise this book above similar titles. Recommended for crime fiction fans, although mainstream fiction readers might like it as well. show less

3 1/2 stars
This was one of those stories that when it was good it was really, really good, but otherwise seemed to fall a bit flat. I wanted to know more about the characters, even Sweetapple who was the most fleshed-out of the lot. I mean, after 300+ pages, I still don't know anything about Luke, Caroline was a shadow, and Carson was, well, Carson. And sorry, but the ending was anything but "retribution."
But damn, Mr Anderson can write. What kept me going was the prose, those literary hooks that kept me turning the pages. The writing is pure "rural noir" and is dark and unflinching. I just wish the overall story was a bit more cohesive.
I look forward to reading more of Richard Anderson's works, and I thank Scribe Publications for the show more copy of Retribution. show less

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars for a slow starting story of crime in a small town in rural New South Wales, Australia.
The blurb summarizes the opening: Graeme Sweetapple, a man down on his luck, is heading home with a truck full of stolen steers when he comes across an upended ute {Jeep for Americans}that has hit a tree.
Because he stops to help, he becomes involved with protesters who have stolen a bomb from a mine.
Some of the other characters: Anna--protester who stole the bomb and gives it to Graeme
Luke--ostensibly another protester, but in reality a company spy
Carson--a young woman at loose ends and determined to escape the small town. She has a wild streak.
Caroline Statham--a local politician who recently lost the last election.
Bob show more Statham --Caroline's husband, and a ruthless, amoral businessman.
In the beginning I thought that this was a poor imitation of Elmore Leonard's books about crime among low life criminals, but it blossomed into more than that, with a bit of romance thrown in.
How these people interact makes for a satisfying mystery/thriller with an ending that will make animal lovers happy. You have to keep reading past the part where an animal is killed that moves the plot along.
The author bio states that he is a second generation farmer in northern New South Wales.
Thanks to Scribe/Richard Anderson/LibraryThing for sending me this book. show less

In Retribution author Richard Anderson gathers together an interesting collection of characters, each with a grudge against something or something, each seeking to get even, in their own way. Set in the ranchlands of Australia, and revolving around Sweetapple, a struggling rancher, the characters work out their plans in fits and starts. Sometimes they find success, but for most of them the revenge they exact is frustrated and incomplete. The denouement was lacking, in that as the principal villain got a taste of his own medicine the readers weren't privileged to see what it tasted like. Overall, I found Retribution to be an interesting, even compelling read.

I definitely don't regret having read this book, but I will admit that I had trouble getting into its beginning because it just moved too slowly, and I couldn't fathom the connection(s) among the major characters for awhile. I do admit that the characters were fairly well developed, and as such served as strong tools to set-up the various conflicts that resolved around several contemporary and universal conflicts although a couple of them could have been better fleshed-out thereby enhancing the plot and conflicts. While the novel is set in rural Australia, readers do not need to know the country or it's rural residents and issues to understand and even sympathize with the main characters as they engage internal and external conflicts show more although there are unanswered questions such as why is Luke a company spy/what is his motivation to do so. Fortunately such unaddressed questions do not really hamper an effective, satisfying read. show less