With barely a job, a relationship that is going through its last death throes, not enough money to pay the rent each month and a thug on his tail bent on revenge, the prospect of a job from a wealthy man such as David Bolt comes as a godsend. Bolt's daughter, Avalon, has gone missing and, wracked with guilt over his neglect as a parent, he wants to find her so that he can reconcile and he wants Donovan to do the searching for him.

This isn't as straightforward as it first sounds because not only is Avalon over 18, she has moved out of home and in fact, she has moved all the way to Sydney, Australia.

So it's off to Australia for Barry Donovan for the culture shock of his life as he begins his hunt for Avalon Bolt. To his amazement, one of the first sights he sees upon reaching Sydney is a huge billboard with the face of none other than Avalon Bolt on it. But this starting point is as easy as his job is going to get.

Donovan soon finds himself on a sleazy roundabout of visits to brothels, sex shops, adult video shops and night clubs that cater for very questionable tastes. It would seem that Avalon had let her standards slip since leaving daddy and had descended into the more tawdry side of life. But the most disturbing thing for Donovan is that it seems that no matter where he goes, people around him connected to Avalon are dying and none of the deaths are accidental.

Barry Donovan is a cynical man and through his eyes we are treated to a very disparaging view of the world - and Sydney in particular. He is also blasé about the job that he has to do, expecting it to be rather simple. So it's interesting to note the change in both of these initial feelings as he grows to appreciate both the he's in and the dangerous nature of his job.

As with many PI novels, the story starts off quite slowly before building in intensity. Wright does a good job of adding gradually to the danger that his main characters are in, finely measuring the tension before unleashing a frantic ending as everything comes together at once.

Although there was a lot to like about this book, I do have a major criticism and it involves a major aspect of the story. I thought the story centered around an unreasonable reliance on coincidence to kick the investigation off. Donovan has barely settled in Sydney, in fact, he is taking his first walk around the streets of the city, when he just happens to spot a hooker who bears an uncanny likeness to Avalon. This then gets carried further when Donovan decides that he's going to stake out the woman and then follows her when she is picked up by a customer. Naturally, this proves to be a jumping off point that carries him deeply into his investigation, but the coincidences mounted quickly and I felt it was way too far-fetched. (Generally, when my eyes start rolling, my patience with a plot falls away, and my eyes were fairly spinning out of their sockets).

On the positive side I liked the Donovan character, particularly his dry wit and unassailable ability to push emotion aside when in danger. And believe me, there are quite a few moments when this ability is given a stern test.

On the parochial side, as a resident of Sydney, I enjoyed the commentary of the city as seen through the eyes of a visitor. We are taken through Donovan's impressions of the cultural norms and city layout that would otherwise be taken for granted. Reading a little bit like a travel guide, the layout of Sydney is described in very clear detail, as are the social classes of the different parts of the city. Basically, Steve Wright has nailed the city of Sydney perfectly.

Love, Avalon is the first book in a 3 book series featuring Barry Donovan and, my problem with a piece of the plot notwithstanding, I think it is a PI series that is well worth following up on. The other 2 books are A Drop In the Ocean and A Break In the Traffic.