The Holiday Murders

The Holiday Murders explores a little-known and sometimes violent corner of Australian history, and finds oddly modern echoes in its paranoia, xenophobia, and ugly fervour.


On Christmas Eve, 1943, the newly formed but undermanned Homicide division of the Melbourne police force is called to investigate the vicious double murder of a father and son. When Military Intelligence becomes involved, Homicide's Inspector Titus Lambert must unravel the personal from the political.

If only the killings had stopped at two. The police are desperate to come to grips with an extraordinary and disquieting upsurge of violence. For Constable Helen Lord, it is an opportunity to make her mark in a male-dominated world where she is patronised as a novelty. For Detective Joe Sable, the investigation forces a reassessment of his indifference to his Jewish heritage. Racing against the clock, the police uncover simmering tensions among secretive local Nazi sympathisers as a psychopathic fascist usurper makes his move.

The Holiday Murders explores a little-known and sometimes violent corner of Australian history, and finds oddly modern echoes in its paranoia, xenophobia, and ugly fervour.



' M ore than just a pulsating procedural thriller, Gott's novel presents an acute socio-political rendering of a nation haunted by an underworld of fascism and the bloodshed of war ... a fascinating cautionary tale that explores the wonderful bond between crime fiction and the shadows lurking in our collective past.'
-Scott Macleod, Australian Book Review

'The Holiday Murders is a new crime novel from Robert Gott, author of the "William Power" crime novels as well as many children's books. I hope it will be the first of many ... Drawing on the political and social milieu of the time and name-checking some of Melbourne's landmark streets and hotels, Gott's story rings true - as well as being a real page-turner. It's also a little grisly in parts. Fans of Kerry Greenwood, Sulari Gentill and any readers who like a little history with their crime will love The Holiday Murders.'
-Pip Newling, Australian Bookseller and Publisher

'Aficionados of all that's hard-boiled will thrill to the frisson.'
-Australian Financial Review