by J.P. Powell
Publisher: Brio Books, 2022
Review
by Sherryl Clark
I don’t think I have ever read a historical novel set in Brisbane in World War II – it was interesting to see the difference that being filled with American troops made to the city back then. Did they really turn it into a den of villainry, or did they make Brisbane into a city instead of a large country town? I did wonder if this was where the term ‘BrisVegas’ originated (it appears not).
The historical context is the foundation of Deception Bay, with so much detailed description the reader can immerse themself in wartime Brisbane. The central characters are Joe, an American investigator and Rose, a codebreaker. Joe is unsatisfied that a suspicious suicide and an arm found in the river are being properly investigated. For me, the crime elements of the story were a little overwhelmed by the history, but for those readers who love their historical crime fiction this book will be an enjoyable read.
The villain, Frank Bischof, is a corrupt detective. He reminded me of Bjelke-Petersen, and the later years of police corruption that were eventually unveiled and led to prosecutions.
Joe and Rose make an enigmatic pair. Are they going to fall in love or not? Mostly, it felt not, as they never quite connect in the way we anticipate. I liked that Rose was her own woman, not afraid to try new things and say no when she wanted to. Instead of a clichéd brash American, Joe comes across as quiet and methodical, tracking down clues one by one, trying hard to filter the truth from the bulldust.
The book sparked my curiosity to conduct my own searches, to check whether artist Donald Friend was really there (he was), and I discovered that there was a code-breaking setup like Bletchley Park operating in Brisbane at the time. The author’s research shines through!
Publisher’s blurb
Deceit is usually wrong, sometimes necessary and often the best course of action
DECEPTION BAY continues JP Powell’s magnificent Brisbane wartime saga. American MP Joe Washington, an investigator with the Provost Marshall’s Office, and Australian Rose McAlister are swept back together when she returns to join Central Bureau, General MacArthur’s code-breaking group of eccentrics in ‘Brisbane’s Bletchley Park’.
Again and again, Joe is drawn to the Brisbane River. Reports of a man who jumped from a bridge, a code breaker allegedly drowned by suicide, and an arm with an unrecognisable tattoo fished out of the water at the submarine base.
Together they follow the clues but are quickly drawn into the city’s dark tank stream, filled with predators and conmen and Joe’s nemesis, corrupt Queensland detective Frank Bischof.