Lisa Ellery’s second crime thriller strikes gold in Kalgoorlie, where a missing prospector exposes a vein of mystery running deep beneath the red dirt.
By Ara Jansen
You recognise an author really knows the city they are writing about when their wry comments are spot on.
In Lisa Ellery’s new book Hot Ground, the lawyer and author reminds us that Kalgoorlie people don’t care how early Perth people had to get up to catch a flight into town.
She also reminds us of the first rule of travel in WA: you must “confess in advance if there was someone who ought to know you’re in town, otherwise you’d be guaranteed to run into them in the street”.
It’s these quirky and astute daily life observations which pepper Lisa’s latest crime story, set in Kalgoorlie, a city where she has lived for more than two decades.
You might even go so far as to say it’s a bit of a love letter to one of the state’s largest regional cities.
While Lisa’s first book Private Prosecution was set in Perth, the author felt it was time to write about her own backyard.
“I love Kalgoorlie,” Lisa says. “I love the environment and I love the people here, the community, the sense of excitement and opportunity. There’s an ongoing gold boom; people are continuing to travel from all over the world to build their careers here.
“This book is a crime story and it has the added element of being located regionally. While it’s not ocker, I haven’t shied away from the things which make the story very West Australian and specifically very Kalgoorlie. We are very different here. It’s a different life.
“I feel like Kalgoorlie has all the benefits of a larger centre, while at the same time the benefits of a country town. Everyone has your back and if you don’t know people, you know of them. It was important in writing this book that I didn’t want to use all the cliches, like the skimpies, but show the place as it really is.”
In Hot Ground Detective Jessy Parkin, from Private Prosecution, takes centre stage after being sent to policing purgatory in Kalgoorlie. Her first big case is to find a missing prospector, a mystery built on the shifting sands of much coveted gold.
Lisa says she didn’t gel well with her character Jessy in the first book, but a conversation with a young police officer revealed that as an anxious person, when she put on the uniform, she became the person she wanted to be.
This gave the author an idea as to where she could take Jessy and she grew into the main character in Hot Ground.
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“I got to know her really well through this book and like her a lot. When I first wrote the story, I wasn’t happy with the policing side of it because it didn’t have enough accurate detail about how cops might conduct an investigation on a day-to-day basis, and that also impacted the character development.
“I wound up speaking to a police consultant who helped me turn Jessy into who I wanted her to be.”
In the four years between books, Lisa sold her law practice and considers herself semi-retired while working for a small select group of clients.
“I’m really happy about how it has turned out. The fact that I have been able to get a publishing contract for two books is just such an opportunity. I wanted to put my heart and soul into writing and it seems I’m good at it. Book three is already well on the way.”
Alongside writing, this has also allowed her to commit more time to her other passion – running. While it might seem crazy to be a runner in a region as hot as the Goldfields, Lisa says it’s a glorious sport for the area. You just have to get up a little earlier.
“It’s a great place to run – the bush is beautiful here. You can head out on a bush track and by 8.30am be sitting at your desk ready for your workday. In summer we run at 5.30am.
“I’ve probably been running for 20 years. I get a high from it. I love running with friends and tend not to run on my own anymore. The social side of it is important. With running you meet new friends all the time, which I love.
“I run for a lot of reasons, and one is mental health, including social connection, even if you’re too puffed to speak. I also like being in nature – there’s something about the Goldfields bush in the morning sunlight.”
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