[Sandra Mahoney Mystery 01] • The Trojan Dog

"I should ask your department's accountant whether he's missing nine hundred thousand bucks." This is the anonymous message that will change Sandra Mahoney's life. When a powerful but unpopular bureaucrat is accused of theft and computer fraud, Sandra is convinced that the charge is false. But how to track down the culprit when almost anyone could be an enemy? In her search for the truth, Sandra finds herself in a battle of wits against an elusive and unscrupulous opponent, a battle in which no-one's allegiance can be taken for granted. In the first of a remarkable new series, Dorothy Johnston has produced a compelling story of computer crime, loyalty and betrayal against the backdrop of a city - and a country - on the cusp of political change.

From Publishers WeeklyAustralian author Johnston's literary, character-driven crime debut explores white-collar corruption as well as a modern woman's personal transformation. Sandra Mahoney, a self-described "wife on pause," is feeling stifled after her husband departs Australia to work in the States for a year, leaving her behind to take care of their young son. Sandra takes a job at Canberra's Department of Labor Relations, where she oversees a report on discriminatory wage practices against home-based workers. Her boss, the cool and reserved Rae Evans, has been suspected of siphoning off department money by illegally adjusting a large grant given to a bogus company. Convinced that Evans has been framed, Sandra devotes herself to quietly investigating the case. Readers will applaud as she comes into her own, aided by a gregarious and eccentric co-worker, Ivan Semyonov, who soon becomes her lover. Though there are a lot of interesting technical details about computer hacking and fraud, the sluggish, murder-free plot may frustrate some American mystery readers. Another weak point is a largely unexplored plot strand involving Rae and Sandra's now-deceased mother. Still, to quote from Ken Bruen's blurb, Sandra is "a terrific creation and achingly real." Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

ReviewInternational Praise for The Trojan Dog:

"The investigator, a mother with all the burdens of modern life, is a terrific creation and achingly real."- Ken Bruen, author of The Killing of the Tinkers

"A page-turner."- The Canberra Times (Australia)

"The Trojan Dog is a thriller that deals in emotions and ideas while offering the reader a pacy, political plot. (It is) a subtle absorbing piece about an ordinary woman who is deeply affected by what she uncovers in others and herself. Johnston is an exceptionally good writer."- The Age (Australia)

"Johnson's prose is bright, feisty and distinguished."- Bob Hefner, The Canaberra Times (Australia)