Reviews
Review in The SMH/Age – 8 Jan 2025
Ronni Salt is a pen name for a witty and incisive political and environmental commentator on various social media sites. She is based in rural Australia and so it’s not surprising that her first novel is set in an eponymous town in the Riverina where local farm girl Adelaide Hoffman has joined the local newspaper. (It’s set in 1974 so there were still lots of them around.)
Investigating local irrigation leads to a much bigger story of marijuana, the need for regular and large amounts of water to make it grow, the mafia and murder.
Read more here (paywall)
REVIEWED BY SHELLEY RAE FOR BOOK’D OUT – 27 DEC 2024
“Gunnawah is an impressive debut historical crime novel from Australian political and media commentator, Ronni Salt. Salt proves to have a talent for creating authentic mannerisms and dialogue that bring her characters to life.”
https://bookdout.wordpress.com/2024/12/27/review-gunnawah-by-ronni-salt/
REVIEWED BY MICHELE THE BOOK DRAGON ON INSTAGRAM – 27 DEC 2024
“It’s hard to believe that this was a debut novel ‘cos that was a bloody ripper folks.
Another debut Aussie author absolutely hitting it out the park. We are beyond lucky to have so many amazing voices telling our stories.”
REVIEWED BY JEFF POPPLE FOR MURDER, MAYHEM AND LONG DOGS – 22 DEC 2024
“There is a strong crime story underpinning the quirkiness, and the occasional flash of gunfire and violence adds the necessary excitement and tension. It is also quite moving at times, and there is plenty to reflect on.”
REVIEWED BY KAREN CHISHOLM FOR THE NEWTOWN REVIEW OF BOOKS – 17 DEC 2025
Ronni Salt’s debut is historical crime fiction at its best, with a strong sense of place and time and wonderful characters at its core.
https://newtownreviewofbooks.com.au/ronni-salt-gunnawah-reviewed-by-karen-chisholm/
“Whip smart and witty; masterly plotting and thrilling storytelling; a rich and deeply human ensemble of characters; everything moving along at an absorbing clip, Gunnawah is a real treat of a read.”
ReadFasterLizzie, GoodReads
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/216463546-gunnawah#CommunityReviews
“Ms Salt brings both era and place to life through her characters (especially Adelaide, Valdene, and Wayne Trevaskis), introducing both a mystery and a crime to be solved. Gunnawah is a small community doing it tough: irrigation rights are gold, and opportunities to make money invite some to ignore the law. As I read the novel, I was reminded of the disappearance of anti-drugs campaigner Donald Mackay in 1977 and of the drug cultivation and trade associated with the Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta. Crime, corruption and violence. A terrific debut novel that held my attention from beginning to end.”
Jennifer Cameron-Smith, NetGalley
https://www.netgalley.com/book/463604/reviews
“Loved it. It’s funny and its serious and the fact that it’s set in 1974 in a time of great change in Australia is a really interesting perspective. For me, the stand out was the authenticity of the author’s voice because this is obviously somebody that knows that part of rural Australia very, very well. Some of the landscape writing is just beautiful. I loved the scenes with the Whitlams too, I laughed out loud sometimes.”
Polly Smith-Jones, StoryGraph
https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/69dbbdce-5200-4068-b7d0-973b4b0e48ab
“This is a thrilling ride through the hot heart of Australia where there is a lot going on. Crime, drugs, corruption and secrets that need to be delved into. But should the questions be asked by a young farmgirl and now newspaper cadet? This book will keep you on your toes. It is thrilling and is also a great debut book for this author and can’t wait to see what she writes next.”
Donna R, NetGalley
https://www.netgalley.com/book/463604/reviews
“This book was a lot of fun. It’s very evocative of Australia in the 70s, even down to bottles of Blue Nun wine. It pulls events from real life. The kidnap of one of the characters borrows events from the disappearance of Donald Mackay …. and the towering figures of Gough and Margaret Whitlam. There are some amusing characters, the dialogue is so 70s and other cultural references are so spot on. I was back there again.”
Jennifer Jansson, GoodReads
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/216463546-gunnawah#CommunityReviews
