Review: Murder in Mosman

Real Housewives meets Dick Tracy - Murder In Mosman is a corny crime thriller about vanity, greed, and the danger of badly kept secrets. 

Released in September 2025 and apparently only available on Amazon, Murder In Mosman is a self-published, 86-page novella by unknown writer, Billie Harrow. 

There is no bio on the author and all Google searches come up blank, so the name is possibly a pseudonym. 

Set in Mosman, the plot revolves around the murder of Marcus Thornleigh, a high-end property developer who is discovered in his office with fatal head injuries inflicted in a seemingly frenzied attack.  The list of possible suspects is long thanks to Thornleigh’s involvement in a high-rise project that threatens the aesthetics of the neighbourhood and the water views for some influential and unimpressed residents. 

Detective Inspector Chen is assigned to the case. Gradually, what Chen uncovers is a series of illicit dealings, dark conspiracies and mobster level financial fraud. And it seems that before the Detective Inspector made these discoveries, the murder victim, Thornleigh, had also become aware of them, and he was taking notes — and photos. 

Among those under suspicion are a real estate agent with quite the portfolio; an ageless councillor with big ambitions; a work-at-home cosmetic surgeon who is expert in covering blemishes; and several insular, elitist country-club types who find the whole thing an inconvenience. 

DI Chen is the narrator of the story. We never learn Chen’s gender but we certainly get a good idea of Chen’s opinion of the people of Mosman. From the get-go, Chen scoffs at the wealth and lifestyle of the locals. It is relentless and, for the reader, irritating. 

Virtually every description, whether of a person, car, house, or activity, is given with a palpable sense of disdain and a simplistic assumption of wealth and privilege. The word “expensive” appears 41 times in a story that is just over 80 pages long. 

The images of affluence and the attitudes described belong in a 1980s American mini-series about oil-rich families. They are horribly cliched and would not ring true for Mosman locals. 

The writing style is imitative of a 1940s American crime paperback and feels at odds with the suburban Sydney setting. Some of the elements in the story also suggest that old American movies and crime shows represent the level of research done by the author. For example, there is reference to a chalk-outline around a body — something that isn’t done in Australia and is no longer done in most places around the world. 

Characters voices all tend to sound the same. They all have the same acerbic humour and cocky cynicism - even the young, Eastern European au pair sounds like Detective Inspector Chen.

Harrow has the qualities of a good writer, but indulges a little too much in similes and fails to find authenticity in story-telling or character development. 

Murder In Mosman is a quick, easy read, and, for those less bothered by the above-mentioned grievances, may be a fun page-turner.  You can get your copy here: www.amazon.com.au/Murder-Mosman-Billie-Harrow