The Signal Line
Reviewed By Janet Mawdesley May 30, 2022
Author Brendan Colley
Distributor: Transit Lounge
ISBN: 978-1-925760-94-1
Publisher: Transit Lounge
Release Date: May 2022
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Captivating and fascinating The Signal Line from Brendan Colley is a work that will entice you into a time and place that is now, but with another aspect of time which, although it is surreal, is in fact very real.
Wes and Geo are brothers as different on the surface as it can possibly be, united in a subliminal way through music. Geo is a professional musician, home in Hobart to sell up the family home. Wes is a detective, down on his luck, drinking heavily and trying to hold onto his past; a past which is crippling him.
As it turns out Geo arrives in Hobart the same night as the Ghost train arrives, delivering a carriage full of Italians to a stop that is no longer there and has not been there for many years. Wes, trying to regain some credit in his workplace, recruits Geo to speak with the Italians, as he is considered to be the only one with enough fluent Italian to speak with the people who declare, actually state categorically, they have arrived from Orvieto.
Geo is not too happy about this but agrees to keep the peace, as he can see a tough road ahead with the sale of the house and the conflict of both of them living in the same house. Next day, a return to the hospital sees the situation of the Italians and the supposed train become even more extraordinary, as there is a note on the windscreen of the car inviting Wes and Geo to call at Phantom Time Books, as the proprietor has information that can help them with this situation.
From there the story gathers its own momentum lacing the schism of time, with the otherworldly Ghost element, creating what is considered a very real phenomenon, that of a Ghost Train that is now arriving in Tasmania, appearing at various stations that are no longer there; very real, very definitely a full steam engine with two carriages in this case, the second one with a door that will allow a passenger to enter or leave.
Geo and Wes find themselves drawn into this supernatural experience while both of them are forced into coming to terms with the confrontational nature of their family history. Brendan Colley has handled the sibling conflict with skill; The characters, who somehow seem to arrive when required to help the bothers, are almost larger than life, each one has a pearl of wisdom to offer the brothers.
The element of mystery is very real; the instinct is to skip a few pages to find out what does happen, but slow down, enjoy the richness of the storytelling and the journey that many of us face, as life slowly moves onward.
The Signal Line is a unique, totally enjoyable moment in time that could become all too real, should you happen to be in the right place, at the right time, when the Ghost train decides to stop at the ghost station that was once there; exactly where you are waiting!