THE DEVIL’S GRIP: A True Story Of Shame, Sheep And Shotguns

By Neal Drinnan

This new book from Drinnan is a complete departure – his first non-fiction title, a mash-up of memoir and true crime.

This is atypical of true crime writing, though. It doesn’t simply evaluate the facts and details leading to a startling revelation. Yes, the book examines the circumstances that led to the murder of Darcy Wettenhall and his family, but what this book does brilliantly is excavate the gay underside of the murder.

Although the secret homosexual life of Darcy was revealed in the wake of the murders, this aspect has never been examined so comprehensively before, exploring the tyranny of the closet in a conservative rural community and the secrecy, fear and stigma around HIV/ AIDS at this time. But what really elevates The Devil’s Grip is that Drinnan has had the inside story from the horse’s mouth – Bob Perry was Darcy’s secret lover for ten years and cooperated extensively with the writing of the book.

Drinnan does not confine himself to the murder. He includes considerable detail about himself, how he came upon this story, his friendship with Bob Perry, and his own seachange from Surry Hills, Sydney, to opening a bookshop in Colac in country Victoria.

The book recalls bestseller Midnight In The Garden Of Good Evil by John Berendt, which also explored a murder involving gay men, though set in the atmospheric southern American city of Savannah.

The rural backdrop against which this story plays out is similarly atmospheric and will likely seem exotic, almost foreign, to urban readers who know little about the intricacies of farming and breeding prize sheep. They will probably be stunned to learn of the vast sums of money that these stud sheep command!

The Devil’s Grip is a remarkable new step in Drinnan’s career and a well-deserved return to working with a major publisher after labouring as an indie author for almost a decade.