The enemy within by Tim Ayliffe

John Bailey is a former war correspondent starting a new job for an upcoming magazine back in Sydney, continuing his investigative journalism pursing the truth in hard issues. He's recovering from losing the one woman who was there for him, he's given up drinking and his daughter got him a dog. He's chasing a new story, and reconnects with an old source - but then his home is subjected to a Federal Police raid, where they have unprecedented powers. Violence is increasing in the streets of Sydney, and contacts of his are turning up dead. There's something going down in Sydney, and someone who wants John to be unable to get to the truth. John will need help to work out what's going on, in the form of an old friend in the CIA. 

There's violence, mystery and crime in this contemporary Australian crime novel based in Sydney. A relatively simple narrative, there are several points of view through the book, the majority of which is that of the main character, John. There is plenty of description regarding Sydney and the surrounding suburbs throughout the book, and flashbacks to international locations. A variety of characters fill the pages, though their relatability is questionable - some of the characters have unrealistic dialogue, while others are predictable, there to fill the pages. While the story of this book is interesting, the writing style is simple, and lacks an immersive quality for this reviewer. Despite this, the author has written a novel that has a satisfactory story, which will appeal to readers of Australian crime.

Themes: Australian Fiction, Sydney, Journalism, Mystery, Crime, White Supremacy, Terrorism, Murder.

Melanie Pages