'Ghostlines is rough cut, grainy and good … earthy and exciting, with a bluesy, wistful air.'

A thriller with a neat psychological twist, Gadd's Trudeau is a convincing central character whose own story is just as compelling as the mystery at the heart of the story ... Gadd neatly avoids the cliches of the genre - Trudeau may fit the crime fiction mould, but his story and personality is strong enough to stand on its own.'

'With Ghostlines and the Trudeau character, Gadd has created an opportunity for a series of novels, perhaps even a rival for Shane Maloney's wonderful and wonderfully funny Murray Whelan series.'

'Nick has written a crisp, clever, economical, satisfyingly rounded crime thriller. And not just an effective thriller, but a good book … Nick writes in a lean, stripped-down prose, shorn of ornamentation and effect. He has written about a journalist; but he's also written like a journalist, at least an old-fashioned one before real estate became such an important consideration.'

'This is an atmospheric, intriguing and spooky debut by a Melbourne writer who won last year's Victorian Premier's Literary Award.'

'Trudeau is a marvellously flawed hero, driven by the ghosts of this past and mired in a world where everything is falling apart around him ... Crime fans will enjoy the compelling narrative, the succinct writing and the pleasing lack of blood, gore and psychopathic behaviour that mars most contemporary crime stories. I suspect and hope that this isn’t the last we see of Trudeau. FOUR STARS'

Ghostlines 'packs a very strong narrative punch as it tells the story of a one-time respected investigative journalist who has stepped on the wrong toes ... Strong dialogue, a tight structure, and an exceptional narrative voice take the reader on a journey to a provocative conclusion.'

'In a word: Compelling.'

'Ghostlines is a fascinating book.'