'When a secretive American cult moves to the Gold Coast, freelance journalist Scout Davis's investigative antennae start quivering. She sets out to expose the cult's lunatic beliefs and bizarre practices, but when she learns the identity of a recent recruit, her quest becomes personal. And dangerous.
'The cult isn't the only case on Scout's agenda. Someone is cutting up girls' underwear at an exclusive school and Scout agrees to look into it. And the sinister secret behind the vandalism is not nice. Not at all.
'But Scout has her secrets too. In the dead of night she sneaks out with an underground group of yarn bombers to decorate the locality with artworks. The next mission ticks all the right boxes - it's risky, difficult and extremely silly. However, not everyone is amused, and Scout has a sneaking suspicion that the local police sergeant, Rafe Kelly, is hot on her tail.
'Mad Men, Bad Girls and the Guerilla Knitters Institute is frequently hilarious, always surprising, and delivered with a strong cast of charmingly eccentric characters.' (From the publisher's website.)
2013 Davitt Winner - Best Adult Novel : Judges Report
This debut novel by Maggie Groff is instantly appealing – there’s the great title, yarn bombing, the Byron Bay setting and the delicious names of Scout and her sister, Harper. Scout Davis is a freelance investigative journalist given the job of investigating an American cult which has moved to the Gold Coast. She is also asked by her sister to quietly look into who is cutting up students’ underwear at an exclusive girls’ school.
Marketed as light relief, à la Janet Evanovich, there is more to Mad Men... than a kooky and impulsive accidental investigator stumbling from one crazy scenario to the next. For one thing, Scout is a bit older than the usual protagonist of such books, and for another thing, she’s not actually kooky, irrational or silly at all. Sure, there are raging hormones and a sexy love interest, but Maggie also deftly tackles some very sensitive issues. What she handles so well is the balance between the humour and dark subjects, such as losing a loved one to a cult and bullying. This is a very impressive debut, and Maggie Groff, and her heroine, Scout Davis, are welcome additions to the Australian crime writing scene.' (Source: Sisters in Crime Australia)
