Barossa Street by Rob McInroy
20th January 1936, and King George V is dying.
The same day, Bob Kelty accompanies a friend to the house of a local recluse. There, they find Hugh Smithson brutally murdered in his bed.
Horror turns to nightmare as Bob’s friend, Richard Hamill, comes under suspicion of the murder and Bob reluctantly becomes embroiled, once more, in the investigation of a terrible crime in 1930s Perth. Gradually, he begins to uncover the truth, and it is something nobody expected...
Set against the backdrop of the abdication crisis and the looming shadow of war, Barossa Street examines the prejudice of 1930s society and its impact on the justice system. Will this lead to the police jumping to conclusions and prosecuting the wrong man? Or will Bob save the day?
Barossa Street is the follow-up to the CWA John Creasey First Dagger longlisted novel, Cuddies Strip.
Author Bio:
Rob McInroy is the author of Cuddies Strip, a novel based on true crimes in 1930s Scotland, published by Ringwood Publishing. He has won four short story competitions in the past eighteen months (Hissac, ChipLit Fest, Writing Magazine and the Bedford International Writing Competition). His short stories have been placed or shortlisted in a further sixteen competitions in the past eighteen months. In 2018 he was a winner of the Bradford Literature Festival Northern Noir Crime Novel competition with Cuddies Strip and in 2019, he won the Darling Axe Novel First Page Prize with another novel, Cloudland. He was born in Crieff, Perthshire and his writing is all based on the Perthshire area, from the 1920s to the 2010s. He has an MA (with distinction) in Creative Writing and a PhD in American Literature, both from the University of Hull. He currently lives in Yorkshire and is working on a follow-up to Cuddies Strip.
Review
‘Cuddies Strip’ was one of my favourite books in 2020 and I was so looking forward to its follow up ‘Barossa Street’ and it definitely did not disappoint! It had all the magic from the last book and I now love Bob Kelty even more. It’s a great combination of a police procedural and a very accurate piece of historical fiction and these just happen to be my two favourite genres! I may have mentioned before that my favourite time period for books to be set in is the interwar as this was my subject at university so this series is bang up my street. However, Rob also manages to great multidimensional characters and his writing is superb.
Bob Kelty has left the police after the events which take place in ‘Cuddies Strip’ as he is scunnered by the an ineffective justice system. When he is approached by Richard Hamill as he is concerned about his friend not answering his door Bob tries to persuade him to go to the police but eventual goes with him to investigate. Alas, they find Hugh Smithson brutally murdered. Bob is drafted back into the police for a further week due to the death of King George V and tries to help with the investigation as Richard is arrested over the murder and Bob doesn’t believe he has done it.
The historical aspects in this book are superb and it is clear that Rob has done a lot of research on this period. Especially when it comes to the events like the processions for the funerals and coronations of the Kings. I also loved that there were real characters from that time period included in the book like Rosita Forbes - that took me down a huge Googling rabbit hole as I was fascinated by her! But it was how relevant the history felt to today, especially in relation to the monarchy and the comparison to Edward and Wallace with Harry and Megan. It was one comment from Bob that I loved - how Edward was loved in the press in January and hated by December. Doesn’t that sound similar?! It really does show how history is circular at times. I also loved how Bob was the moral compass of this book and it lines up completely with mine.
This is the second book in this series and although it references the events that take place in ‘Cuddies Strip’ you can read it as a stand-alone. I do recommend reading the first one though as it is an excellent read! I have taken the main characters into my heart - Bob, Annie, Bella, Victor and now Richard. I can’t wait to read more about them but I am also afraid for them as I know that the Second World War is coming. Hopefully, Rob will manage to fit in one more book at least before this affects by beloved characters.
Now, I am going to talk about how important it is that Rob is using Scots in this book. I have noticed that a few people in their reviews have struggled with this concept and found it hard to read. As someone who reads a lot of Scottish literature and a lot of Scots over the last couple of years, this is a gentle introduction to this language. And a language it is. There has been a revolution over the last couple of years with authors finally being published with Scots being included in their works - just look at Shuggie Bain winning the Booker Prize. But it is also James Robertson, Ely Percy, Graeme Armstrong, Jenni Fagan, Emma Grae and many many more that is proving that authors can use Scots and it be accessible to people outwith Scotland. I am passionate about this subject and love that Rob has included this in his work! It’s a natural fit and goes hand in hand with the historical details in his book. This makes for a real and authentic read and for me personally it’s a triumph.
I already know that this book will feature in my top ten of the year. Not because it is ground breaking in any way but because it excels in a genre I feel most comfortable in. Everything is on point - the crime, the history, the characters, the narrative. To me it’s one of those perfect crime books that I am going to love even if I read it for a fourth or fifth time. I can’t wait to return to these characters again and again. I just adore this series!
