The community referred to in the title began its (fictional) life as an earnest, environmentally conscious estate on the Sunshine Coast, which – like many such ventures – soon became a haven for the wealthy. Early residents, Lars Nilsson and his friend Joe McDonald, were lured to the area with dreams of green space and a quieter life. The transition to an elitist community is seen in the make-up of the community’s board, which is now controlled by a newcomer: the rich bully, John Schultz.
The community idyll is shattered when a female body is discovered next to a local swimming spot, with her identity initially withheld from the community (and the reader). The narrative follows Nilsson – a journalist freelancing with a local newspaper after years as crime reporter for the SMH. Run-ins with the police in Sydney are alluded to. Nilsson has split from his wife and has irregular visits from his daughter, Annika, who’s studying law. Annika is friends with the McDonalds’ daughter, Skye, who is in turn in thrall to the Schultz daughter, Amber. Two backpackers from Israel, Talia and Ezra, are also visiting the Schultz family.
The body is discovered after a party at Amber’s, and Talia, Ezra and Skye are missing … but whose body is it? Annika left early and doesn’t know what happened. Amber was too stoned to know. Suspicion quickly falls on the drug-dealing Ezra. The McDonalds are desperate to know what has happened to Skye.
As befitting convention, there’s a riveting and almighty twist at the end. The writing is assured, with a subplot involving Lars’s potential love interest, and his history of crime reporting in Sydney possibly fueling a prequel or sequel.
Reviewed by Bob Moore
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Christine Gregory is an Australian writer of crime and general fiction. An earlier version of The Community, was runner up for the 2022 Banjo Prize. Christine has previously been shortlisted in the Sisters in Crime, Scarlett Stiletto Awards.
Christine is a former international aid worker and now works as a Director in a national-not for-profit, working on the prevention of violence against women and children. She lives and works in Naarm (Melbourne) with her husband and two children.
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