Those Who Perish is the fourth Caleb Zelic thriller by award-winning Australian author, Emma Viskic. A mysterious text about his brother Anton sees deaf PI Caleb Zelic rushing to Resurrection Bay, and into the range of a sniper. Ant flees unharmed, but another man dies.

Before he has a chance to track his brother down, one of his wife, Kat’s mob ropes him in to investigate the theft of the local football team’s mascot. Larger-than-life Norman Numbat has subsequently been used on social media to troll the members of the Mighty Fighting Numbats football club: suggestive photos with scandalous implications are affecting the Club’s fundraising.

When he does track Ant down, it’s on Muttonbird Island, a small community that has an entrenched distrust of incomers. Slaughtered animals and threatening notes have been left on doorsteps, and Ant’s association with the shooting victim makes him a potential target. If Caleb is to keep Ant safe, he feels he needs to find the shooter.

One big advantage to being in the Bay is being close to Kat, now only weeks from her due date, although that does also mean running the gauntlet of his sisters-in-law and verbal encounters with Kat’s mother which don’t do a lot for his self-esteem: “You’re always welcome, Caleb. Particularly when you don’t track mud and blood through the house.” Investigation is all very well, but keeping danger away from Kat is a priority…

Caleb does seem to have a bit of a scattergun approach to obtaining information, and tends to jump to conclusions, managing to get the wrong ends of several sticks, and deducing conspiracy theories that feature blackmailers, the police and white supremacist groups.

While his emotional intelligence seems to be improving, he is still frequently clueless with relationships, poorly judging just whom he should trust, and managing to queer his pitch with both Ant and Kat (again!). By the final dramatic climax, Caleb has been framed for possession of a firearm, beaten, stabbed, shot at, has almost drowned and barely survived two explosions.

As always, the dialogue between the main protagonists is often clever and funny, the banter between the brothers being especially entertaining, and a particular exchange with his mother-in-law, utterly hilarious. Viskic easily conveys the feel of the coastal Victorian town and an island populated by quirky characters, some reclusive, possibly using false names, possibly a war criminal in hiding: a place where many know what dark deeds are being done but are afraid to tell.

Viskic’s extensive research into the deaf community is apparent on every page, and Caleb’s challenges lip-reading those with poor enunciation, while often amusing, might cause the reader to consider just how easily they themselves might be (mis)understood by the hearing-impaired.

Caleb Zelic’s fourth outing features a fast-paced plot with twists and turns that will keep even the most astute the reader guessing until the final pages. More of this unusual protagonist is most definitely welcome!
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by Echo Publishing