Book review: Don’t Say His Name by Rachel Givney

Don’t Say His Name by Rachel Givney is a great read that I whipped through in one sitting. (Thank god for air-fryer dinners because my pre-dinner bath/read went longer than expected.) I’m not a fan of supernatural-themed novels but, though this novel is soused in folklore, it’s more about it being manipulated which is often the case and more palatable for pragmatic logic-lovers such as moi!

When Detective Stayer takes a job in the idyllic Australian beach town of Thoorgala, he hopes it will offer a chance to reconnect with his sister, Ruby, who he has barely spoken to in fifteen years.

As local women are found murdered on the sand dunes, marked with a peculiar symbol, locals begin blaming Tall Harry, a shadowy urban legend, as the culprit. And when Ruby also goes missing, Stayer finds himself reluctantly teaming up with Sister Catherine Kelley, a woman steeped in the town’s folklore, to help solve the crime.

Digging deeper, the detective and nun discover Ruby may be harbouring secrets of her own. As the investigation intensifies, Stayer must confront the dark side of picturesque Thoorgala before this folkloric figure exacts any more of his promised revenge....

I probably would have liked a little more backstory in relation to DS Matthias Stayer and his sister Ruby. There’s no sense of a fall-out, more that they’ve never been close both leaving their widowed father’s home when given the opportunity. I was kinda horrified however that he didn’t know her birth date (or year) or middle name!

Stayer is a likeable lead but more context in general would have been appreciated. We get some snippets re his Olympic swimming career but it wasn’t clear why he’d moved to Thoorgala other than to mend his relationship with his sister. It was the same with Sister Catherine who we learn is a former foster child and researches mystic and mythical stuff but doesn’t believe in it. (Well, other than god of course!) It made me wonder if Givney intends to kick off a series featuring Stayer (and others we meet here) as that would explain some unexplored themes I felt were lurking beneath the surface of some of our characters. Not to mention an interesting ‘reveal’ of sorts at the very end of the novel.

I did enjoy the investigation on offer… with women’s bodies being marked – implying something otherworldly. Ultimately however we learn of past secrets, unrequited anger and festering revenge. Whether it’s deserved or not. The Tall Harry myth offering the opportunity to tag the dead women not as victims, but as wrong-doers.

This is an enjoyable read with a few surprises scattered throughout to keep readers’ interest and Givney instills a sense of suspense and urgency when Ruby goes missing and her brother is faced with that proverbial race against time. I noted that Givney has worked in television and there is a sense of something dramatic or theatrical about this. In a good way.

Don’t Say His Name by Rachel Givney was published in Australia by Ultimo Press.

I received a copy of this book for review purposes.