A Prescription for Murder, Summer 1942/3

It is late summer 1942-1943. The close-knit community of Bexford North is brought face to face with one of the by-products of war when one of their own is admitted to the newly established Army Mental Hospital. As the ladies of the village, led by the eccentric Annie Watson, come to know the young hospitalised soldiers – especially the black American soldier – they become alarmed.

In this period of the White Australia Policy, all is not as it seems. Their consternation turns to anguish when murders occur which appear to be motiveless. Inspector Bob Peters and his team have their work cut out to solve the problem – but how do you find a particular mad-man in a mad-house?

Review

"This delightful 1940s war time murder mystery is full of uncynical thrills and spills. As it gathers pace to a generous and satisfying finish the main impression is of close relationships and – gasp – the basic goodness of people.

With kindness and companionship the townspeople work out how to deal  with some of the realities of war (WW2) affecting their town – the terrible injuries and traumas of returning soldiers, the wickedness and cruelty, racism and poverty of spirit and the challenges of wartime rationing and shortages.

Brennan manages to engage the reader thoroughly and to weave a series  of mysteries with laughter and tears so that, in the end, everything is changed and well again (except for the unfortunates who have died) in the small village.Plenty of humour, a great and pacey read, guaranteed not to leave you in despair for the human condition."

– Sava Pinney. Writer and daughter of famed writer Peter Pinney of ABC ‘Dust on my Shoes’ documentary.

About the Author

Tony Brennan gained Post Grad degrees from University and spent some years lecturing in English Lit and then tutoring in Abnormal Psychology. He wrote academic articles then turned to Fiction. He began with Short Stories and his first book, 'Is There Anyone There?' was accepted and published by Ginninderra Press in 2016 which surprised him greatly. He then entered an International Short Story competition and was a prize-winning runner-up. With this boost to his ego he set about writing a six part Mystery series, called the 'Annie Watson Mysteries,' on the situation of those who were left at home during WW2. He spent a couple of years researching this period which changed the face of Australia. The first book in the series, 'And The Dance Goes On' was published early 2017 while the second book in the series,'The Black Lamb'  was released this month (August 2017). His third book, 'The Blight of Lady Emily' is ready for the publisher once they have finished with another book of his; this time of Short Stories which he's called: 'Eminently Respectable Capers' which is just for fun.
Tony Brennan is Australian and lives in Sydney.