A uniquely Australian take on the classic “locked room” thriller; with wide open spaces, suspects galore and enough twists and turns to keep you guessing.
Feature image credit: Penguin Books Australia
Michael Trant and his dogged “dogger” Gabe Ahern are back in the Outback. This time, they’re in the far north of Western Australia, up in the Pilbara, on a family-owned-and-operated cattle property turned tourist attraction.
Set a few years on from Trant’s first Gabe Ahern novel Wild Dogs, Gabe has secluded himself away, shunning the limelight that shone on him following the events of the previous novel and eking out a quiet existence, knowing that his recent past is never far away and is determined to catch up with him.
Following a phone call, which alerts him to the status of one of the only survivors of the climactic events of the previous novel, a series of bizarre, seemingly unrelated, catastrophes cascade across Goldmont Station. Some are natural, some man-made, but all of them put Gabe on edge. Coincidence or calculation? Like the saying goes: just because you’re paranoid, doesn’t mean no one is out to get you. The question is – who?
With No Trace, Michael Trant has reinvented the locked room thriller, with no door or walls, but rather utilising the relentlessness of Mother Nature. He also corrals a diverse and eclectic group of potential suspects, whose only link appears to be their proximity to each other. At the helm, rather than a seasoned detective, he’s placed the gut-instinct driven Gabe Ahern.
This novel is driven by the central character of Gabe and the behaviours of the guests and family members, with the countryside serving as only a minor character, though it still manages to play its part with finesse. This is especially true of the unexpected and unseasonal flooding rain, which is essential to “locking the door” – and, ironically, is something this reviewer experienced during his own time in the Pilbara, in 2022, making me laugh out loud.
No Trace is a worthy partner to its predecessor, seeding enough from the past, while taking things in a new direction. The twists and turns are edgy and surprise-filled and the characters genuine, well-rounded and enhanced by Gabe’s grumbled assessments of them, while the climax is a screen-worthy thrill.
In the end, several questions remain unanswered. The most glaring being: have we seen the last of Gabe Ahern? I certainly hope not, because I am not ready to let him go – I hope Michael Trant isn’t, either.
Reviewed by Glen Christie
The views expressed in this review belong to the author and not Glam Adelaide, its affiliates, or employees.
Distributed by: Penguin Books Australia
Released: May 2023
RRP: $32.99
