Brunswick Heads the setting for new crime mystery

AUTHOR Paul Thomas will launch his latest book, The Sunbaker, at The Book Room in Byron Bay on Friday July 11.

Set in Brunswick Heads, the crime mystery follows an overworked forensic pathologist who arrives at her holiday home for a long-overdue break — only to discover someone sunbaking on a lounge chair in her backyard. The twist? The person has been dead for some time.

Teaming up with a journalist from the local newspaper, she sets out to solve the mystery. The story connects with Thomas’s debut novel, The Beacon — named after the fictional newspaper in the first book — which was shortlisted for a Ned Kelly Award.

While The Beacon was set in Byron Bay, where Thomas lives, he chose to change the setting for his second novel to highlight other parts of the Northern Rivers.

“I chose Brunswick Heads because I’m very fond of it and spend a lot of time there,” he said. “The third book in the series, to be released next year, is based in Bangalow.”

The book’s main characters are regulars at The Rails Hotel, and Hotel Brunswick features prominently. The narrative also includes local landmarks like Cape Byron (with scenes of hang gliding), the clothing-optional beach at Tyagarah and Mullumbimby markets. Alongside these real places, Thomas has invented fictional entities such as the Northern Rivers Shire Council, The Jetty Hotel and a silent retreat in Repentance Creek.

Thomas said he follows the common advice given to aspiring writers: write what you know.

“Fortunately, Byron Bay is a fascinating place with a character all its own and lots of interesting people and stories to provide inspiration,” he said.

Although his books are rich with local detail — including potholes in The Beacon — Thomas said that some artistic licence was necessary, particularly when inventing crime scenes or unsavoury characters.

“Hopefully the characters I’ve created, which are entirely fictional, capture the essence of local residents without coincidentally being too like a particular individual,” he said.

Originally from Newcastle, Thomas — who writes under the name PA Thomas — worked as a nuclear medicine specialist at the Royal Brisbane Hospital before retiring to Byron Bay to focus on writing. He is also a passionate photographer, with wilderness landscapes published in Australian Geographic and exhibited alongside renowned photographer Peter Dombrovskis.

“I’m hoping to hold a local exhibition sometime in the next couple of years when I find time between writing novels,” he said.

Following the Byron Bay launch, Thomas will speak about The Sunbaker at Goonellabah Library on Friday July 25, and participate in a crime fiction panel at the Byron Writers Festival on Friday August 8.

To register for the launch at The Book Room, visit thebookroomcollective.com