General News
17 November, 2022
Crime thriller novel bears familiar name
A new crime thriller novel may have local readers flocking to their nearest bookstore on the strength of the title alone. Former federal MP Richard Evans has just released The Mallee - a fictional story of using political power and criminal leverage...
A new crime thriller novel may have local readers flocking to their nearest bookstore on the strength of the title alone.
Former federal MP Richard Evans has just released The Mallee - a fictional story of using political power and criminal leverage to achieve economic and social goals.
And it just so happens the lead character is a female federal member, fighting for her community while trying to salvage her political career.
Though Mr Evans approached Federal Member for Mallee Anne Webster to take part in the book launch, he maintained the novel’s female lead was created without any link or inspiration to any real life people.
“I was still writing the book when the previous member for the Mallee was forced to resign," he told The Horsham Times.
"Then they appointed another member, so it’s totally fictional. It was just a coincidence Anne Webster ended up being a member.
“I’ve always strongly incorporated real, contemporary issues in my stories, and water rights has always been an interest of mine.
“Rain falls from the sky but people make a profit as soon as they use the ground, and there was a lot of discussion associated with Murray-Darling River water rights.
“When I started writing and planning the book, there hadn’t been a female member of the Mallee at all, so I thought I’ll just toss in a female character and make it a female local member. And, because the Murray is the biggest river in Australia, I thought ‘Let’s write about that’.”
As a federal MP during the 1990s Keating-Howard era, Evans said he brings an authentic insider knowledge to his writing.
“I understand the different characters, the bullying, the intimidation, and how it really works in the dark art of politics," he said. "And that’s what attracted me to including that in my writing.
“There’s so many issues and so many things that the community doesn’t understand or doesn’t know, so I sort of thought, 'Well, okay, let’s try and explain a bit of what goes on and tie it to an interesting story'.”
Mr Evans said, overall, he looks back on his career in parliament fondly and is happy to write stories as he follows politics from afar.
“It was a privilege to have served in parliament.” he said. “But at the same time I was concerned about what I was being exposed to - the personalities and the egos in how they manipulate things. And of course, the bullying associated before that.
“So my reflection upon my service is positive, but at the same time, that’s why I’m drawing upon my experiences to write about crime and using political themes."