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Linda J Bettenay has now published two books in her Secrets Series - fictional novels set in Western Australia. Linda was born in Roleystone, into a pioneering orcharding family who have farmed the land since 1901 and lived in the area since 1895.
Linda’s current occupation is editor of a community magazine, The Roleystone Courier. This monthly publication has existed in Roleystone since 1977 and, along with her husband Mike, has owned and operated this business since January, 2008. This is a labour of love, providing a much loved magazine for this delightful rural community.
Linda and Mike have two sons, Joe and Brett, two daughters-in-law Bethany and Rebecca and three very cherished grandchildren Leigh, Violet and Mirabelle.
Linda’s stimulus to write her first novel ‘Secrets Mothers Keep’ came from the discovery of an amazing true story, from her husband’s family’s past. This story was kept secret since 1928 and was only recently uncovered. Her second novel, based on her father’s stories, ‘Wishes For Starlight’ is set largely in the Perth Hills area - a location Linda is very passionate about.
These form part of Linda’s ‘Secrets Series’ - fictionalised stories based in the rich history of Western Australia.
Reviewed by Raanan Geberer for Readers' Favorite
Secrets Mothers Keep by Linda J. Bettenay is a well-written, fascinating fictionalization of a real-life murder in rural West Australia in the late 1920s. The plot brings together two people who couldn’t have had less in common. One is Harold Smith, landowner, businessman, devoted husband and father. The second is Smith’s farm hand Clifford Hulme, who suffers from mental illness, grew up in a dysfunctional family and has been made a scapegoat more than once. Smith administers Hulme’s mood-stabilizing “tablets” – actually heroin – but after they’re declared illegal, Hulme’s “black moods” return, and the voices in his head make him kill Smith, rape his wife and brutally assault his children. A sensational trial will determine whether Hulme lives or dies.
Secrets Mothers Keep is written in a somewhat unusual style in that it traces the history of Hulme, Smith and their respective families and friends at length before the two of them ever meet. Indeed, it isn’t until halfway through the book that “The Day the World Ended” – Linda J. Bettenay’s name for the brutal murder – is described. However, Bettenay’s skill as a writer is so good that this technique works. The book also depicts its characters very well – you’ll cringe when reading about Hulme’s Dickensian childhood in Leeds, England. For those who want to read a good, literate crime novel, or those who are interested in the history of Australia, Secrets Mothers Keep is a must. The fact that Bettenay’s husband is the grandson of Harold Smith makes the book even more real.
