Diamond Dove by Adrian Hyland

This book is essentially a murder mystery, but its setting is what differentiates it from the pack.  The novel takes place in an aboriginal community in central Australia.  When a leader in this community is killed, an investigation to find the murderer ensues.  There are the obvious suspects, but this book delves deeper into land claim issues that may also have played a role in the death.

This was a solid book and I did think the tensions between the aboriginals and non-aboriginals was well described.   The only real problem that I had with the book is that it was authored by Adrian Hyland, who wrote the much revered Kinglake 350.  This wasn't quite at the level of that book and despite being a murder mystery did not evoke the tension and suspense of Kinglake.  However, it was Hyand's first novel, so it's perhaps not surprising that it wasn't perfect.  On the whole, well done and I'd consider reading the sequel.