The early part of the action takes place in Sydney. Mr. Stacpoole's concern is not with the tall new buildings, nor with the clatter of traffic. He skirts round these things and places his hero in a modest boarding house by the waterside. Harding (the hero) is a rolling stone, who has passed through many occupations, but seems to have an affinity with the soft tang of the sea. Thus, when he has an hour or two to spare he wanders by the harbour side and makes the acquaintance of curious characters there. But Sydney is only the prelude to adventure on a broader scale. Mr. Stacpoole was never one to limit himself to civilised haunts; and before long he has scooped up a little crowd of people and placed them on a boat bound for the Gulf of Carpentaria. It is a treasure hunt, no less; complete with a clue to the hiding-place written in cipher. All seems set foe a conventional yarn. But the dramatic developments come crowdlng in with the unexpected quality of events in real life. The ending though happy, is almost absurdly different from what one had expected a third of the way through the story. The scenes are conjured up with unusual vividness; and, altogether, "Due East of Friday" holds interest persistently.
– The Sydney Morning Herald, 22 January 1940, p3
