Book Review - 'Beams Falling' by P.M Newton

I was already a big reader of female authors but taking part in the Australian Women Writers Challenge has led me to more Australian writers and consequently some cracking reads, as you can see by my recent reviews. The latest was P.M Newton and her crime novel ‘Beams Falling’. This is the second in a series featuring Sydney detective Nhu ‘Ned’ Kelly, who in this novel has been seconded into the Asian Crime squad in Cabramatta. P.M Newton’s first Nhu Kelly novel ‘The Old School’ was a success in 2010 but I was not aware of it; however Newton has been featured heavily in the media with ‘Beams Falling’ and I was interested in her detective background so I picked this new release up with high expectations. It delivered. Newton’s background gave the genre a good dose of authenticity and the plot, while it delved into drug trafficking and police corruption, never felt sensationalised or over the top.The character of Ned was nuanced but realistic, with enough psychological issues to be interesting but not a clichéd female detective basket case. I also appreciated the small inclusion of a romantic story line that was incidental to the plot, and painted Ned as human, without making “finding a man” the main mission for this unmarried protagonist. Newton cleverly gave the reader insights into Ned’s attitude to those around her: her absolute dislike for another female detective, her resentment towards a young victim of rape causing Ned to endure the questioning process, and Ned’s irritation at the coyness of a young female Vietnamese translator. I thought it was an accurate portrayal of the usually unjust little resentments we all have in our everyday lives towards those around us.

As well as drawing on her work to make the descriptions of the detective and police work realistic, Newton portrays Sydney and its contrasting suburbs engagingly: the differences between Greenwich and Cabramatta are set up continuously, and the steamy and muggy summer afternoons are described vividly – “So humid and still that the hum of voices from other backyards rippled along the edge of the bay...The darkness smelt of sausages and onions and cooling fat”. I mentioned on Twitter that it was pleasing to read a novel set in Sydney for a change, rather than the all pervasive Melbourne. In addition to recently watching the ABC’s Rake, set in the Sydney legal district, the familiar streets and landmarks have been an enjoyable focus. In this novel the secondary characters are nicely realised, and I felt the Hong Kong detective Joe, the creepy corrupt uniformed “Funnel-web”, and the undercover cop Murph were particularly convincing. The tie to the title ‘Beams Falling’ was revealed at the resolution of the novel and was a nice touch.

I’d recommend this to any reader who loves crime fiction as it really brings something fresh to the detective novel genre and Newton has a beautifully understated style.

*This review is part of the Australian Womens Writers Challenge 2014
http://australianwomenwriters.com/