Published in 2000 in Australia, and in North America in 2005, The Trojan Dog was one of the first Australian novels to give electronic crime a central place.

Now that he is in school full-time, Mahoney returns to the work force and is hired by Rae Evans, head of the Australian Labor Relations Service Department Industries Branch.

As the investigation into Evans and the theft progresses, Mahoney enlists the aid of an ACT detective sergeant, DS Brook, who is himself suffering from leukaemia.

Mahoney and her team meet a cast of mad public servants, each of whom is, in one way or another, a suspect; these include Bambi, a wordless child-woman who always wears a red cape, and Felix, another IT person, only ever encountered rushing into the department in his jogging shorts.

Johnston is an exceptionally good writer.A delightful protagonist, a fabulous support cast who make the office seem real, and a fantastic look at Canberra.Johnston’s literary, character-driven crime debut explores white collar corruption as well as a modern woman’s personal transformation.