Book Review – The War Widow by Tara Moss @VERVE_Books

About the Book

It’s 1946, and though war correspondent Billie Walker is happy to finally be back home in glamorous Sydney, for her the heady post-war days are tarnished by the loss of her father and the disappearance of her husband, Jack. To make matters worse, newspapers are now sidelining her reporting talents to prioritise jobs for returning soldiers.

Determined to take control of her future, she reopens her late father’s private investigation agency, and, slowly, the women of Sydney come knocking.

At first, Billie’s work consists of tailing cheating husbands. But when a young man goes missing, Billie finds herself on a dangerous new trail that will lead her to the highest levels of Sydney society, and down into its underworld.

As the risk mounts, Billie realises that there is much more than one man’s life at stake. Though the war was won, it is far from over.

Format: Paperback (320 pages) Publisher: Verve Books
Publication date: 7th March 2024 Genre: Historical Fiction, Crime

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My Review

I’ve read a lot of books set in WW2 but I’m beginning to find books set shortly after the war just as interesting. That’s the case here because the story is shot through with reminders of the legacy of war, including the continuing mystery of just what happened to Billie’s husband, Jack. The terrible atrocities committed during the war, some of which Billie herself witnessed during her time as a war correspondent, also loom large.

A historical crime mystery set in Sydney is not something I’ve come across before. As well as being a reminder of the contribution – and sacrifices – made by soldiers from Australia to the Allied war effort, I liked how the author also incorporated into the story the issue of the treatment of indigenous people.

Billie Walker makes a sassy, feisty heroine not afraid to jump right in when needed armed with her trusty pearl-handled Colt revolver tucked in her garter and a generous helping of chutzpah. Thanks to an astute appointment, she now has a loyal assistant in the shape of Sam Blake, himself bearing the physical scars of war. Other characters include Billie’s aristocratic mother, Ella, vainly attempting to hide the evidence of her financially straitened circumstances whilst quaffing Martinis and the dashing Detective Inspector Hank Cooper with whom Billie has struck up quite a rapport.

I worked out where the plot was going pretty early on and there were a few ‘information dumps’, such as the derivation of the word nostalgia, that I felt were superfluous. However, the twists and turns of the story, some dramatic scenes such as a perilous car chase, and Billie’s tenacious pursuit of the truth were enough to keep me absorbed. I’m looking forward to reading the next in the series, The Ghosts of Paris.

I received a proof copy courtesy of Verve Books.

In three words: Intriguing, spirited, dramatic
Try something similar: The Comfort of Ghosts by Jacqueline Winspear

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About the Author

Tara Moss is an internationally bestselling author, passionate and inspiring chronic pain and disability advocate, human rights activist, documentary and podcast host, and model. Her crime novels have been published in nineteen countries and thirteen languages, and her memoir, The Fictional Woman, was a #1 bestseller.

Moss is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and has received the Edna Ryan Award for significant contribution to feminist debate and for speaking out on behalf of women and children. In 2017, she was recognised as one of the Global Top 50 Diversity Figures in Public Life. (Photo: Goodreads)

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