My best friend has been telling me for years that I need to read Dorothy Porter’s poetry and particularly her verse novels. Considering this is on the list for a lit subject i’m thinking of taking next year I began with this one. I’ve read verse novels before and I’m kind of on the fence about them. I don’t always like poetry so an entire book made up of the stuff is sometimes too much. “El Dorado” blew me away. It is tense, confronting and brilliant with the very distinct voices of the characters building and their friendship unravelling before coming back together while the plot unfolds around them.
Children are being murdered but their deaths look peaceful and they are buried in a ritualistic manner that seems respectful and all are left with gold on their forehead. Letters have been sent to the newspaper signed El Dorado claiming they are rescuing and saving children not killing them. Bill is the detective in charge of the case and is a “good Aussie Bloke” he is a single father whose best friend is Cath – who works in Hollywood but keeps coming home for a dose of reality. She sees things in a way that Bill can’t so he brings her in to help with his case.
The poems switch perspective from Bill to Cath both of whom have interesting ways to see things. Bill is a jaded cop, he’s tough, and under pressure from his bosses to sort this out. Cath is a creative free spirit who throughout the story falls in love with a woman much younger than she is which is causing her to question everything.
The mystery of who is killing these children is central to pretty much everything including Cath’s building romance. The killer leaves signs that they are linked to Bill and Cath’s childhood together making them question each other and the past. To say any more would be to give far too much away but simply put this book is brilliant and i’m adding the rest of Dorothy Porter’s works to my list of books to read.
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