Show Me the Sky
Nicholas Hogg
Canongate, Apr 2009, $15.00
ISBN: 9781847671899
One year has past since rock and roll superstar Billy K vanished while walking and reading along a Cornish cliff. London Detective Inspector James Dent has led the frustrating investigation that is gong nowhere. Rather than cold case the inquiry, he takes a fresh look based on the clue that Billy K was reading the 1834 journal Show Me the Sky by London based missionary Nelson Babbage nee Naqarase Baba of Fiji. The cop follows Nelson’s travels to Australia with plans of going on to Kenya and Fiji but he vanishes in the Outback.
Also disappearing in the Outback is English biker Cal Smith, who vanishes after crashing his motorcycle. Dent seeks Smith, who he thinks might be Billy K or at least know where he is. If that fails he will continue following Nelson’s trail.
The concept is exciting, but the execution is difficult to follow as men simply vanish with revelations late explaining the common why. The story line is at its best with the nineteenth century journal extracts especially when Nelson goes home as a missionary. The key male characters are developed so that the audience can understand their universal anguish. Although somewhat convoluted, SHOW ME THE SKY is an intriguing character study.
Harriet Klausner
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