S G Bryant launches his new historical novel Fresh Air and Foul Play at the Street Theatre on Wednesday, 19 February. Photo: Supplied.
What does a retired public servant and former farmer know about the seedy underworld of historical Australia?
Quite a lot, it turns out, and Simon Bryant has spent his retirement researching days long gone and turning that research into gripping murder mysteries based on real events and characters.
Historical novels have a special place in the hearts of avid readers, as Bryant has found out with the way his past three books have been embraced at home and abroad.
Under his pen name, S G Bryant, his books have been extremely well received – critically and in sales – and his latest novel, Fresh Air and Foul Play, is about to be launched at Canberra’s Street Theatre.
It’s his fourth novel but the third in a series that features switched-on detective Harry Holloway.
Based in 1898 in Victoria’s Sorrento, Inspector Holloway’s family holiday is interrupted by another murder he must solve.
“As with all my books, this novel features real events of the day and even a number of the characters are true historical figures,” Bryant says.
“And with Holloway, I have been able to explore how detecting techniques were transforming at the time from some very rudimentary practices to some quite innovative and modern police work.
“Holloway is at the forefront of this and is often quite groundbreaking in his approach to solving crimes.
“This is quite a thriller and hopefully people will find it a very enjoyable read.”
While Fresh Air and Foul Play is the third in the Holloway series, it is a stand-alone novel with no prior knowledge of the previous volumes required.
Holloway, his family, boss and co-workers flow through all three novels, but this story starts and finishes intact in the one read.
While Bryant’s latest offering centres on a summer holiday playground, Holloway’s previous encounters (in the first two books of the series) have seen him on the case of baby farming and child murders in 1890s St Kilda, threats over women’s suffrage, and the mysterious death of a star Collingwood Football Club player.
His first novel, 2018’s Boss, was written before Holloway was created and is somewhat different to the murder mysteries that followed.
It is a historical novel based on mid-19th century diaries detailing the harsh lives and the impacts of white settlement in regional South Australia.
“One way or another, I’ve been writing all my life,” Bryant says.
“I studied for a degree in English Literature at university before going into farming and then into communications and policy roles with the public service.
“Forty years ago, I came across the diaries of Minnie Hunter, whose father, James, was the original lessee of Kalangadoo station in the 1840s and 50s, part of which became the soldier settler block where I grew up.
“That was my first decision, to write a fictionalised biography from those diaries.
“My research led me to Melbourne where Minnie lived for a while and then I got immersed in the underworld of that time and place in Australia.
“From there, I created the Harry Holloway character for my future novels and built murder mysteries around real events that took place.
“I’ve been retired for 12 years now and the novels keep coming. I’ve already got the idea for my next one.”
Fresh Air and Foul Play by S G Bryant will be launched at Street Theatre on Wednesday, 19 February, by Katy Mutton, the CEO of Marion (the ACT Writers Centre). It is a free event, starting at 6 pm with free drinks and cheese platters, but registration is required for catering purposes – email rsvp@thestreet.org.au.
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