Ben’s Book Club - ‘The Death of John Lacey’ by Ben Hobson

Join author Chris Hammer as he swaps seats with Ben Hobson to discuss Ben’s new novel The Death of John Lacey.

Ben Hobson is a teacher, and an author, based in Brisbane. To Become a Whale, his debut novel, was released in 2017. It was longlisted for the ABIA Debut Fiction award and shortlisted for the Courier-Mail's People's Choice Award. His second novel, Snake Island, was released in 2019. He also runs the Burgers, Beers and Books podcast. The Death of John Lacey is his third novel.

During this digital book club, guests will have the opportunity to ask questions, interact with the authors, and enjoy a well-rounded bookish discussion.

Ben’s Book Club is a free monthly digital book club hosted by author Ben Hobson - brought to you by OverDrive Australia. We welcome guests to join us the fourth Tuesday of each month to engage and interact with authors from all genres. This event will be hosted on Zoom, the link will be emailed to all attendees on the day of the event.

This month’s featured title, The Death of John Lacey, should be available to borrow from your local library with no waitlists or holds! If not, you can request your library buys this title. Download Libby and find your local library to start reading: meet.libbyapp.com

ABOUT THE TITLE

An Australian Western set in the goldfields of Ballarat, The Death of John Lacey is a viscerally powerful story of greed, power and violence from the author of Snake Island.

He felt the lump of gold still in his pocket. He would find his way out of this place and leave his brother happy and he would etch his name into the red earth or be damned.

John Lacey's lust for power and gold brings him riches and influence beyond his wildest dreams. Only he knows the terrible crime he committed to attain that wealth. Years later, as Lacey ruthlessly presides over the town he has built and named after himself, no one has the courage to question his power or how he wields it.

Brothers Ernst and Joe Montague are on the run from the law. They land in Lacey's town and commit desperate crimes to avoid capture. Lacey vows retribution and galvanises those in the town to hunt them down. But not everyone is blind to Lacey's evil, and a reckoning is approaching.

A powerful dissection of dispossession, colonisation and the crimes committed in their name, The Death of John Lacey is also a moving and tender account of the love between brothers and a meditation on the true meaning of mercy and justice.

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