(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

Detective Sergeant Harry Belltree, back on the job after a near-fatal confrontation with corrupt colleagues, has become a departmental embarrassment. The solution is a posting away from Sydney and a quiet life in Newcastle.
Or maybe not so quiet. A body’s been found buried just offshore on Ash Island; there may be more. There’s also Harry’s unfinished business. The car crash that killed his parents and blinded his wife happened not far from Newcastle. And Harry knows it was no accident.
The other unfinished business is Jenny’s longed-for pregnancy. Which means that now the stakes are higher than ever.

This is the second Harry Belltree novel and, in some respects, exceed the previous one. It is recommended that you read the previous book before getting stuck into this one, just to gain the background of what is happening as some of the characters from the first book appear in this one, although Harry has been transferred away from the city.

In this story, Harry has a number of cases open before him. Bodies have been discovered on Ash Island and he is there to investigate. Also, Newcastle is close to where his parents were killed and his wife was blinded - so there is a little backstory to delve into here as well. Add to that, the appearance of Kelly Pool, the investigative journalist from the previous book, whose own search for justice brings her to Newcastle. She again shares info with Harry and all the strings of this story get brought together perfectly.

I found the pacing of this book to be better than the first one. Paradoxically, some of the backstory here is repetitive and slows the story up somewhat (but probably not for those who didn't read the first book.) The development of Harry and Kelly as characters has been fascinating to watch (read?) and enjoyed the addition of some new secondary characters.

Another gripping novel in this series and I look forward to the final book of the trilogy.


Paul
ARH

Ash Island is the second book in the Harry Belltree trilogy. While I have read a lot of Barry Maitland’s novels. I haven’t read Crucifixion Creek, the first part of this trilogy. While allusions to previous events are spread throughout the book, these aren’t always fully explained, and key details emerge slowly.
Ash Island opens as journalist Kelly Pool and Sydney policeman Harry Belltree are still recovering from those past events and trauma. Harry has been transferred from Sydney to Newcastle and is finding the move difficult; he is treated with suspicion by the local command. Everything changes when Harry and his partner are called to a bush grave on Ash Island.
It soon emerges that there are links between Harry’s current case, previous events at Crucifixion Creek, and the fatal accident involving Harry’s parents in which his wife lost her sight. Kelly Pool also starts looking for more information about the people who held her hostage, which brings her to Newcastle and the hinterlands.
Maitland weaves a complex web between past and present events, with economical references to previous events. Each reveal is exquisitely plotted, for example I was a fair way in I learned that Harry’s father was Australia’s first indigenous judge, a pivotal element of the plot. Loved the reference to Charlie Perkins and the Freedom Ride.
The plot is topical - organised crime, drug smuggling, coal mining and land rights, As always with Maitland’s writing, the landscape and built environment are effortlessly evoked. You feel like you are there. Likewise Jenny’s learning to adapt to being blind is effortlessly woven in.
I need to read Crucifixion Creek now and before the final book comes out! Highly recommended but it may be best to start with Crucifixion Creek if you haven’t already read it.