Allen & Unwin

An Irresistible Temptation: The true story of Jane New and a colonial scandal

sunniefromoz — Tue, 06 May 2008 16:21:43 +1000

In 1829 at the Supreme Court in Sydney, the bewitching Jane New was sentenced to death. Her crime: shoplifting a bolt of printed French silk. But was she guilty? Many had their doubts.

Although a legal technicality soon quashed Jane's sentence, the autocratic Governor Ralph Darling refused to set her free. Like bees to the honey pot, the gentlemen of Sydney swarmed to Jane's defence including barrister and political agitator William Charles Wentworth and Supreme Court Registrar John Stephen Jr, who were both vigorous and manipulative in their appeals to set her free.

An Irresistible Temptation is set against the backdrop of a particularly divisive period in colonial New South Wales. Not only did the scandal titillate Sydney and its legal and political ramifications push the colony to the brink of a constitutional crisis, but it contributed to the savagery of Governor Darling's public vilification and bestowed upon Jane New a place in the annals of Australian colonial history.

Compelling and fast-paced, An Irresistible Temptation is a meticulously researched history that takes us from the court docks of industrialising England, to Tasmania's raw penal settlement, the rough-house world of Sydney's Rocks and eventually back to the rarefied atmosphere of Britain' House of Commons.

Breaking the Bank: An extraordinary colonial robbery

sunniefromoz — Tue, 06 May 2008 16:17:41 +1000

It was the largest bank robbery in Australian history. On Sunday 14 September 1828, thieves tunnelled through a sewage drain into the vault of Sydney's Bank of Australia and stole 14 000 in notes and cash - the equivalent of $20 million in today's currency. This audacious group of convicts not only defied the weekly exhortation 'thou shalt not steal!', they targeted the bank owned by the colony's self-anointed nobility.

Delighted at this affront to their betters, Sydney's largely criminal and ex-criminal population did all they could to undermine the authorities' attempts to catch the robbers and retrieve the spoils. While the desperate bank directors offered increasingly large rewards and the government officers cast longing looks at the gallows, the robbers continued to elude detection. Then one day ...

With a rich cast of characters who refused to abase themselves to the establishment, this meticulously researched and fast-paced history tells the story of the daring Bank of Australia robbery and of the scheming robbers, greedy receivers and unfortunate suspects whose lives were irrevocably changed by this outrageous crime.

A Corpse At the Opera House

helen — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 15:54:40 +1000

ISBN: 1863733213

Blurb from the book:

Contents:

Ghost writer - Peter Corris
Portfolio - Brian Castro
Lady Meredith's jam - Elizabeth Jolley
Dead roses - Archie Weller
Critical differences - Marion Halligan
The three of spades - Steve Wright
Cousin to death - Jean Bedford
Bloody hide - Robert Hood
First victim - Kate Stephens
Bee sting - Robert Wallace
Unpleasantness at the big boys club - Marele Day
The Tarpeian Way - Martin Long
Threshold - Garry Disher
A corpse at the Opera House - Janette Turner Hospital

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Submitted by helen on Sun, 14/10/2007 - 3:54pm.

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A Dangerous Life

Karen — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 12:20:52 +1000

ISBN 9781865084886

Blurb from the book:

A powerful blend of biography and the detective novel, Huckstepp investigates the murder of a charismatic woman who has fascinated many Australians since she first appeared on national television to accuse New South Wales detectives of shooting her boyfriend, Warren Lanfranchi, in cold blood. Throughout her short life, Sallie-Anne Huckstepp lived a dangerous existence. This is a true story, brilliantly told, of a courageous woman who spoke out against corruption and murder.

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Submitted by helen on Sun, 09/09/2007 - 5:14pm.

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Allen & Unwin - April Newsletter New Historical Mystery Series & Crime Fiction

Karen — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:48:46 +1000


	Crime City \| April 2008

Click here to view this newsletter online

Are you An Expert in Murder? Nicola Upson’s exciting new series cleverly blends fact and fiction to bring out the sleuth in you this month. April also introduces the thrilling new Regency mystery series. Meet the enigmatic Sebastian St Cyr as he sets out to catch a killer within the political intrigue of C.S. Harris’ What Angels Fear before following him into a world of hidden passions in When Gods Die. Or slip into classic icy noir from the master of American fiction, Walter Mosley, in his latest shifty tale of dark secrets and silent desires, Diablerie.

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What Angels Fear

CS HARRIS

Gripping tales of murder and passion in the new Regency mystery series

It is 1811, and a beautiful young woman is found savagely murdered, and a duelling pistol belonging to Sebastian St Cyr is recovered at the scene. Now a fugitive running for his life, Sebastian must catch the killer and prove his own innocence ... Harris deftly combines political intrigue, cleverly concealed clues and vivid characters with fast-moving stories that will have readers eagerly anticipating the return of Sebastian St Cyr.

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Read an extract (PDF)

A reader's review of What Angels Fear (Rebecca Fung, NSW)

"CS Harris draws out a large enough cast to keep you thinking 'whodunit' without giving it away too early. A well drawn cast of larger than life characters romp in and out of her novel, with suspicion cast in almost any and every direction ... those who like a good old-fashioned murder mystery and characters who jump off the page, will not be disappointed. The dialogue flows naturally and the easy prose keeps the reader hooked. This is the kind of book I would recommend for a holiday or a weekend read."

When Gods Die

CS Harris

On a summer evening the beautiful young wife of an aging marquis is found dead in the arms of the Prince Regent himself. Lured into a dangerous murder investigation, Sebastian St Cyr finds himself thrust into a world of hidden passions and disguised ambition. Sebastian St Cyr returns in another gripping tale of murder and passions.

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Diablerie

Walter Mosley

Icy noir from a master of American fiction

Ben Dibbuk has a beautiful wife, a lovely daughter and a good job. Then he meets Star, a mysterious woman at a launch for the hop magazine Diablerie. Star claims to share a gruesome secret that Ben just can't remember. As Ben's grip on the truth begins to falter, the line between how things really turned out, and how they might have done, becomes harder and harder to negotiate in this slippery tale of dark secrets and silent desires.

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An Expert in Murder

Nicola Upson

It's March, 1934, and Tey is travelling to London to celebrate what should be the triumphant final week of her celebrated play. Then a seemingly senseless murder takes place and Detective Inspector Archie Penrose feels sure it is connected to Tey's work - putting her reputation, and even her life, under threat. Cleverly blending fact and fiction, An Expert in Murder is an atmospheric detective novel and a tribute to one of the most enduringly popular writers of crime.

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A reader's review of An Expert in Murder (Catherine Laughlin)

"Nicola Upson set herself an unusual task by using real people as fictional characters. Josephine Tey, though not a recluse by any means, was essentially a private person so her thoughts can only be gleaned through her writings. Her gentle wit, with a cutting edge, is echoed in Nicola Upson's writing ... The actors and actresses (this IS before politically correct times) are all well drawn, suitably theatrical and believable, but why could, at least the principal actor, not have his real name too? "

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Set up a virtual bookshelf

Do family and friends ask you to recommend books all the time? Or maybe you're curious about what other people are reading.

We recently discovered www.booktagger.com, a website that allows you to create a virtual bookshelf and write reviews, which you can then share with family and friends.

You can also join a forum to discuss a particular book or topic, and there's even a widget which you can add to your own blog, website or MySpace page.

Win a copy of What Angels Fear by CS Harris

We have two to give away, to enter: send an email to enewsletter@allenandunwin.com and tell us in 25 words or less why you want to read What Angels Fear. Send in your entries before Friday 25th April and make sure you include your name and postal address in your email.

Competition is open to subscribers of this eNewsletter only and must be residents of Australia or New Zealand.

Last month's winners:
Maggie W, Qld
Cheryl H, Vic
Debbie S, Qld

The winners will be notified by email and their name published in the next issue of this eNewsletter.

The Father of Forensics

Colin Evans

How Sir Bernard Spilsbury Invented Modern CSI

This is the fascinating story of the life and work of Bernard Spilsbury, history's greatest medical detective, and of the cases that not only made him a celebrity, but also inspired the astonishing science of criminal investigation in our own time.

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Stealing the Scream

Edward Dolnick

The Hunt for a Missing Masterpiece

One morning in 1994, two men in a stolen car skid to a halt in front of Norway s National Gallery. Minutes later, they roar off with Edvard Munch's iconic, tortured, best-known work. In desperation, Norwegian police call on the world s greatest art detective Scotland Yard s enigmatic, irascible, brilliant Charley Hill. The hunt for The Scream will either cap his career or end in a fiasco that will dog him forever.

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We want your book reviews!

If you'd like to be the first to read and review a book before it is published, then send us an email and tell us why you want to read and review The Suspicions of Mr Whicher. We may use quotes from your review in our upcoming eNewsletters.

Send in your entries before Friday 25th April and make sure you include your name and postal address in your email.

Offer is for residents of Australia or New Zealand only.

The Suspicions of Mr Whicher

Kate Summerscale

On a warm summer's night in 1860, an elegant detached Georgian house is serenely quiet. Behind shuttered windows the Kent family lies sound asleep. At some point after midnight a dog barks ... The family awakes the next morning to a horrific discovery: an unimaginably cruel murder has taken place in their home. In The Suspicions of Mr Whicher Kate Summerscale untangles the facts behind this notorious case, bringing it back to vivid, extraordinary life.

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Days of Atonement
Michael Gregorio

Tokyo Year Zero
David Peace

Snake Stone
Jason Goodwin

Shark Island Joan Druett

Critique of Criminal Reason
Michael Gregorio

Angels in the Architecture

Karen — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 12:20:53 +1000

ISBN 9781865080611

Blurb from the book

In a secret chamber uncovered by a fire which nearly destroys the 19th-century chapel at Archangels University, architect Harriet Darling finds a skull. The police have a murderer in mind and rumours on campus are rife, but Harriet wants to save the chapel from further harm and has her own ideas.

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Submitted by Karen on Fri, 21/09/2007 - 11:06am.

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Appeal Denied

Karen — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 09:49:57 +1000

ISBN 9781741750966

Blurb from the Book

Dirty dealings, corrupt cops, computer geeks and a final showdown at an exclusive Sydney beach - is this Cliff Hardy's last adventure?

Stripped of his investigator's licence and with his appeal denied, Cliff Hardy faces an uncertain future. Then something very personal happens that sends him off doing what he does best - confronting, questioning, provoking violence - with the lack of credentials not an issue.

Is policewoman Jane Farrow bent or straight? Will vertically challenged but charismatic media star Lee Townsend be a help or an obstacle? Taking and dealing out punishment, mostly on Sydney's North Shore, Hardy encounters corrupt cops, bereft wives and computer geeks. In a shadowy showdown at Balmoral Beach, Hardy sorts out those who need to be sorted, but his future remains even more clouded than before.

Corris is a tried and true crime writer. Until you've read the Cliff Hardy series, you can't call yourself an aficionado of Aussie detective fiction.'

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Submitted by Karen on Mon, 15/10/2007 - 9:49am.

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APPEAL DENIED - Peter Corris

smik — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 20:27:39 +1000

APPEAL DENIED - Peter Corris

Karen — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 13:18:12 +1100

Apricot Colonel, The

Karen — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 12:21:13 +1000

ISBN 9781741147667 |

Blurb from the book:

A beautiful man, and all she can do is tinker with his prose.

For Cassandra, an editor, books are easy. It's real life that's the challenge: it doesn't sit quietly and let itself be fixed. Right now Cassandra's life seems far too heavy on the suspense, while the romance is distinctly unconvincing.

But that was before the murders started. And before she suspected that her own name was on the killer's hit list.

Murder, match-making and the dark arts of book editing: The Apricot Colonel is Halligan at her light-hearted best.

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Submitted by helen on Mon, 17/09/2007 - 9:57pm.

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