Crime Fiction

The second book in the Syd Fielding series, THE ICON MURDERS follows on closely from the opening salvo, MURDER AND REDEMPTION.

Syd Fielding is a WA based cop who, in the first book, got himself into a lot of hot water with a drugs investigation and the death of a childhood friend. Here we're continuing with many of the themes from the debut - a childhood spent in a brutal Catholic boy's home, mateship, the illicit drugs trade, the sometime uncomfortably close ties between law and order and criminals, and love in all the wrong places.

THE ICON MURDERS does, however, go more into child abuse perpetrated by members of various religious orders, as there is a serial killer out there brutally murdering men with suspect backgrounds. And he's framing Fielding along the way. That's either subtle (murders taking place all over the country whilst Fielding happens to have been in the same area), or through actual physical evidence. Needless to say Fielding's enemies within the local force are more than happy to put their backs into a guilty finding, whilst Fielding works against the tide to prove otherwise.

The style of both of these books tends towards the laid-back, laconic, sarcastic. Probably because Fielding is, himself, a bit of a lone wolf, a man accustomed to pissing off everybody around him and someone not given to a heap of empathy or the warm fuzzies. Whilst it does come as a bit of a mild surprise that there are lusting women on his trail, it's not so unlikely when you consider that it's a rather pragmatic pursuit, and really more about alliances. Which is also part of the point of the whole book - the shifting alliances and loyalties that spring up as a result of some very inconvenient, and frequently decidedly stroppy roosters coming home to roost.

THE ICON MURDERS, is not, however, without problems. The more I think about it, the more I suspect you're going to have to read the first book. There's a lot of backtracking, a lot of past connections, and a lot of interactions between characters that may not make sense without it. Having said that, even though I had read it, I really struggled sometimes to get everything straight - there's been a lot of books between then and now. Unfortunately it did contribute to a feeling of possible points being missed, which rapidly led to a tendency to lose the plot. And whilst the basic premise of the book isn't overly complex, the number of characters with history with Fielding did mean that it all got a tad muddled at times.

Given that it's "yet another serial killer book" and the circumstances of the killings are clearly telegraphing another nutter on the prowl, the connections backwards are really spotlights strafing the night sky. It's not that hard to take an educated guess at the why's of the killings, and from there narrow the suspect list down to a very neat little group which is fed by clues and details along the way. But these books don't always have to be about who. The why is often as important, and despite the problems, if it casts a bit of light into some very dark corners of our recent history, then that's not a bad thing.

THE PRICE OF FAME is firstly RC Daniells' first crime fiction book (she writes fantasy under her fullname Rowena Cory Daniells), albeit with a hefty paranormal subtext. It's also, by way of disclaimer, a book that Clan Destine Press publishes, although I had absolutely nothing to do with either the editorial or business decisions behind the book. Thirdly, it wasn't a book that I was particularly clamouring to read, what with being mildly allergic to anything paranormal.

To be fair though, THE PRICE OF FAME, doesn't start out really pushing the paranormal aspects. Sure there are increasingly odd goings on, and not just moving shaving kits, a cat that appears out of nowhere, water droplets that won't go away, strange feelings and odd dreams. There's also a lot of reality going on as well - Antonia is battling against the remaining band members and a lot of vested interests. She's also battling a creepy ex-husband, and a very present day attraction to old friend, and "Director of Photography", Monty. In all, Antonia is a very real person, with a very approachable voice.

There are a couple of clever aspects to the way that the plot unfolds. The current day story is told mostly from Antonia's point of view, whilst the historical story, from the time when the band was rising and Genevieve's death, is told via snippets of a book being written by a witness, and friend of the main suspect. It's a rather clever technique as not only does it break up the viewpoint, it also means that Antonia and Monty are finding out what went on, at the same time as the reader.

The way that St Kilda worked in the 80's, the trials of a band trying to find its way to popularity and fame, the very nature of punk rock, all come across as very realistic and very believable. The paranormal aspects, for a large part of the story are subdued and almost believable, although I will admit that whilst I got the pathos of the ending, I could have lived without the pyrotechnics. To my mind, fans of stock standard, straight crime fiction would be able to stay with this story, because the basic premise is strong and really well done. In fact I finished THE PRICE OF FAME hoping that Daniells would have a go at a straight crime fiction book. The story here certainly feels like she would do a very good job indeed.
 

Romantic caper, with just a smidgen of edge, ROUGH DIAMOND is the first book in a new Melbourne based series built around a typically untypical pair - Erica Jewell and Jack Jones.

Erica Jewell - recently separated from a husband who left her bank balance and her life in tatters. Working in PR for a major corporation her life is now pretty much devoted to avoiding the ex, paying off his debts, keeping a roof over her head, and deflecting her best friend's attempts at getting her out and about again.

Jack Jones - man of mystery and danger, gorgeous, and seemingly perfect, despite the bullet wound in his shoulder when Erica falls over him in her front garden one rainy Melbourne night. You'd think that in most people's lives getting shot would be a fairly major thing, but Jones seems to have other things on his mind. And a seemingly never ending supply of cash, fancy cars, minders and a very big beautiful house.

They soon find themselves on the same side, in a secret and private organisation set up by a not very mysterious benefactor to fight the threat of big plot terrorism. Which, in this case, involves the theft of a truckload of fertiliser, the Bolte Bridge and the Melbourne Cup.

Styled very much in the way of most romantic comedy caper novel these days, there's a good dose of what readers might expect. He's gorgeous, she's a bit clumsy, he's clever and richer than Croesus, she's more attractive than she thinks she is. She's also brave, up for a challenge, and he's cautious and extremely resourceful. She's a bit slow on the uptake on some things, and quick as a whip on others. Is there a romantic attraction between these two or is it just the pressure of everyone else trying to kill them? And, of course, there is the madcap pet, in this case Axle the kitten who goes from dead sleep to whirlwind in the length of a cat's whisker. In ROUGH DIAMOND, it all does seem to work. Which I must admit was a bit of a surprise. Perhaps it's because it is light-hearted and funny and you can't help but wonder just a little about a tongue placed firmly in cheek. It doesn't hurt that the threat, as you'd expect, is big and faceless, and the power behind the plot to save the world (well Melbourne anyway) is mysterious and much closer to home than even Jewell could have guessed. It also doesn't hurt that there are points at which I was laughing a lot.

Of course, there may have to be some filing away of disbelief, but who cares when you're having fun and frankly the pace rips along very well, keeping the reader engaged even though it does get dangerously close to a tiny bit mad more than once.

For this reader there is also a lot about the ending that appealed enormously, although I suspect I can hear the sound of some reader's teeth grinding, particularly if you're the type that likes everything wrapped up neat and tidy. It seems this is the first book in an ongoing series, and really why not. It's fun, it's local and it's entertaining.

This title was reviewed for the Newtown Review of Books

This novel of murder and military intelligence in wartime Melbourne is inspired by history.

While The Holiday Murders isn’t, sadly, a new William Powell book, Robert Gott has delivered another masterful crime novel steeped in Australia’s past.

For the full review: http://newtownreviewofbooks.com/2013/02/26/crime-scene-robert-gott-the-holiday-murders-reviewed-by-karen-chisholm/