The username or password you entered is incorrect. Please try again or use the Forgot Password link
You have been successfully logged-in
Log in to your account
Password Recovery
To recover your password please fill in your email address
Create An Account
Please fill in below form to create an account with us
There were errors updating your password:
Your password was successfully updated
Password Reset
Please set your new password
ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- Matthew Finnerty is a good kid who wants to be a newspaperman, despite the grinding poverty of his life. His Mum died when he was a baby, his loving but hopeless father is one of the town's drunks, his violent grandfather (with whom they live) recently suffered a stroke and has to be regularly fetched from the corner shop where he tries to steal food.
Treachery, his home town, is a NSW north coast town that's seen better days. When Matty hears police sirens early one morning, his curiosity leads him to the town's lookout and an obvious body. He takes photos on his Kodak, and then turns up at the local newspaper to talk to the journalist, Stuart Dryden. Dryden is marking time, drinking himself into an early grave, so he reluctantly pays attention to Matty's story – which turns into a bigger scoop than Dryden wants to deal with, when the body turns out to be the wife of the local bigwig, and Matty's favourite teacher. Meanwhile, Matty becomes involved with new neighbours who treat him well but obviously have been in trouble with the law; his Dad becomes the target of the town's suspicion; and the police don't really seem to be taking the death seriously ...
Lots of things are happening in this book, but the debut author controls them all well. Matty is a character you want the best for; his optimism in the face of reality is endearing. Whilst there are some standard tropes amongst the characters, the writing is tight and the story satisfying, and I hope to read more from Mitch Jennings in the future! Lindy
A deadbeat dad. A curious boy. A journo drowning in the past ... and a town full of secrets. Can the truth ever be found in a town called Treachery?'One of a kind,' Malcolm Knox 'The best journo-noir debut since Scrublands ... Mesmerising authenticity,' Jack Heath 'Comes alive on the page,' Hayley Scrivenor
A brutal murder in a town called Treachery? It's a story most journos would kill for, but for Stuart Dryden, it's a major inconvenience. He didn't take the gig at the local rag for its bustling crime beat. He'd sacrifice a career-making story for happy hour at the pub, but not even he can let a grisly murder through to the keeper. Especially when he keeps getting scooped by a persistent kid with a disposable Kodak.
Life's tough for eleven-year-old Matty Finnerty. His mother's gone, his father's gone most of the time and, as hard as he tries, he just can't get the kids at school to like him. When his favourite teacher Wendy Millburn turns up dead on the beach, it puts his dad Robbie in the crosshairs of a town that never liked him anyway. Worse than the bricks through the window, the dead animals on the lawn and the fish heads in the mailbox is the fact no one seems to be looking for the killer.
Matty starts to wonder whether Robbie knew Wendy better than he's let on. He needs a hero, and Dryden will have to do – that is, if he can just stay sober for a night or two. He might even cast off the ghosts of his own past.
As they stumble their way to answers, can they find the truth about Wendy – and what they're really made of?
Praise for A Town Called Treachery
'One of a kind ... A coming-of-age story, a crime investigation and a gripping dark drama brought to life with affection, humour and sharp insight,' Malcolm Knox
'The best journo-noir debut since Scrublands ... Mesmerising authenticity, balancing darkness with laugh-out-loud wit,' Jack Heath, bestselling author of Kill Your Husbands
'Comes alive on the page ... Filled with affectionate detail, shot through with a profound understanding of the darker parts of our natures, and the light that keeps us going. I'll be putting this book in the hands of every reader I know,' Hayley Scrivenor, bestselling author of Dirt Town
'A gripping mystery suffused with warmth, humour and authenticity. A Town Called Treachery is clear-eyed about the sometimes brutal reality of small towns without ever losing sight of the humanity and heart of those who live in them. Uniquely Australian in the best way possible,' Gabriel Bergmoser, bestselling author of The Caretaker
'A brilliant and accomplished debut, chock-a-block with Aussie spirit. Mitch Jennings delivers a complex crime story bursting with humour that will keep you guessing until the last compelling page. Australia has a new star of small-town crime,' Matthew Ryan Davies, author of The Broken Wave
By:
Mitch Jennings Imprint: HARPER360 Country of Publication: Australia Dimensions:
Height: 235mm,
Width: 153mm,
Spine: 29mm
Weight: 475g ISBN:9781460765418 ISBN 10: 1460765419 Pages: 384 Publication Date:01 August 2024 Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format:Paperback Publisher's Status: Active
Mitch Jennings is a writer, journalist, radio host, sports commentator, podcaster and comedian. His debut novel A Town Called Treachery was shortlisted for the 2022 Harper Collins Banjo Prize. Mitch is Chief Sports Writer for the Illawarra Mercury and also hosts various sporting podcasts and live radio programs for the SEN network. He holds a BA from Western Sydney University (2010) and an MA (Writing) from Swinburne University (2015). He lives and works on Dharawal Country in Wollongong with his wife Angela and their French Bulldog Guinness.
Reviews for A Town Called Treachery
ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- Matthew Finnerty is a good kid who wants to be a newspaperman, despite the grinding poverty of his life. His Mum died when he was a baby, his loving but hopeless father is one of the town's drunks, his violent grandfather (with whom they live) recently suffered a stroke and has to be regularly fetched from the corner shop where he tries to steal food.
Treachery, his home town, is a NSW north coast town that's seen better days. When Matty hears police sirens early one morning, his curiosity leads him to the town's lookout and an obvious body. He takes photos on his Kodak, and then turns up at the local newspaper to talk to the journalist, Stuart Dryden. Dryden is marking time, drinking himself into an early grave, so he reluctantly pays attention to Matty's story – which turns into a bigger scoop than Dryden wants to deal with, when the body turns out to be the wife of the local bigwig, and Matty's favourite teacher. Meanwhile, Matty becomes involved with new neighbours who treat him well but obviously have been in trouble with the law; his Dad becomes the target of the town's suspicion; and the police don't really seem to be taking the death seriously ...
Lots of things are happening in this book, but the debut author controls them all well. Matty is a character you want the best for; his optimism in the face of reality is endearing. Whilst there are some standard tropes amongst the characters, the writing is tight and the story satisfying, and I hope to read more from Mitch Jennings in the future! Lindy
