Kirsty Brooks

Australian Crime Fiction Snapshot: Kirsty Brooks

Matilda — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 14:52:00 +1100

1. Your books have been described as "Romantic comedy meets noir crime". Does living in Adelaide - sometimes described as the weird crime capital of Australia - have anything to do with your choice of genres? Or is it just the quality of the wine that makes the difference?

Ah, yes. The crime weirdness. I think it's just distilled (check excellent relevant wine reference...) by population and our hysterical tabloid newspaper. I am a keen reader of interstate papers to get some perspective, but yes, if you only read The Advertiser you'd think we were the kinky crime capital of the world (very exciting in theory but not so in real life). In fact, one of the reason the publishers at Hachette (Livre - Hodder headline) were so quick to sign my first three books was because they thought I did a good job of making Adelaide "seem exciting", which is a glimpse at the other side of the opinion coin, that Adelaide is all church spires and hedges. Being a private school girl with a doctor, lawyer and school teacher in the family, I get to explore a lot of the seedy underbelly of our fine city without losing the boring beige posh sensibilities I've been brought up with... It's an interesting parallel to why I think crime fiction makes for such interesting reading - it's danger at a safe distance. So, reading about danger is exhilarating, but I get to do all the dodgy things late at night, but still (hopefully) duck home and drink good red wine until my heart stops leaping about in my chest. As someone who runs like toddler on acid and is prone to a good thumping faint, I am the very model of a crap sleuth, so I base a lot of Cassidy's misadventures on (sadly) real life.

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Bossy Boots

Karen — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 12:20:55 +1000

Blurb from the book

In Lady Luck, university graduate Phoebe Banks was dumped on the side of the road by her boyfriend and left to fend for herself. She ended up getting into more trouble than a twenty-something with a bad bleach job could hope for, but when her housemate attacked her after killing two men, she saved her own life and that of her friend and police officer, Jackson Sinclair.

In the sequel, Bossy Boots, Phoebe finds herself living in sin but discovers too late that the only sin in Sebastian's house is washing whites in with the coloureds. Sharing the same bathroom with her fantasy date turns out to be slightly less steamy than she'd hoped; there are just some things you want to find out after you've won gold at the sexual Olympics. Phoebe likes him, she thought he liked her, so she's just not quite sure what went wrong when she moved in, although accidentally braining him with the breakfast tray might have had something to do with it.

But it's a crisis averted when Sebastian disappears and the only clues to his whereabouts are a mysterious redhead wearing inappropriate footwear and a cupboard full of porn movies. Paying the rent is suddenly the least of her worries when Phoebe meets Mike 'Minute Man' McNamara and Spunky Greg, two guys who want Sebastian back as much as she does, if only to finish filming Frotting Hill. In an attempt to figure out what happened to Sebastian, Phoebe finds herself embroiled in some really lame script ideas and when she is eventually trapped into saving Sebastian's life, and dignity, she is forced to use all her ingenuity and wit to survive.

How did you Feel about Bossy Boots?

Submitted by Karen on Thu, 16/08/2007 - 1:24pm.

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Brooks, Kirsty

Karen — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 12:20:55 +1000

About the Author

Daughter of Robert and Claire Brooks, Kirsty was born 17 Dec 1971 in Whyalla. Her family moved to Adelaide when she was four years old. She went to the Wilderness School in Medindie. A freelance writer and editor, Kirsty Brooks has a BA (Journalism) from the University of Adelaide (1994) and an Advanced Diploma of Arts (Professional Writing) from the Adelaide Institute of TAFE (1999)

As well as being a full-time author, Kirsty is the director of Driftwood Manuscripts, an assessment and editing agency for writers. She has a Journalism Degree, an Advanced Diploma in Professional Writing and is Chair of the SA Writers' Centre. She has had two books shortlisted for the Ned Kelly Award, Lady Luck in 2003 for Best First Crime Fiction Novel and The Vodka Dialogue in 2004 for Best Crime Fiction Novel.

Author's Website & Links

http://www.kirstybrooks.com/

Bibliography

Cassidy Blair Series

The Vodka Dialogue (2003)
The Happiness Punch (2004)
The Millionaire Float (2005)
The Lady Splash (2006)

Phoebe Banks Series

Lady Luck (2002)
Bossy Boots (2005)

Other

Hitching: Tales from the byways and superhighways (1995)
Mad Love (1997)

Is Kirsty Brooks one of your favourite authors?

Submitted by Karen on Thu, 16/08/2007 - 1:15pm.

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Cast your votes for the nominees for the 2007 Ned Kelly Award for Best Crime Fiction Novel?

Karen — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 16:59:45 +1000

The nominees are out - please cast your own votes - let's see how close we can all get to picking the eventual winner chosen by the Judging Panel.

Happiness Punch, The

Karen — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 12:21:15 +1000

ISBN 0733619568

Blurb from the book

Cassidy still has a Visa debt, a crazy pet parrot and a penchant for expensive underwear. And she still has the gorgeous Sam Tasker (he of the tall, dark and dropdead handsome looks) - although Sam appears to have lost her phone number. At least, that's what Cassidy's telling herself.Meanwhile, Cassidy has a new client - her teenage idol, popstar Jason Wilde - who has a big problem with some lurid internet sites; she also has a new PI colleague Ned (who she finds strangely attractive); and she meets Adelaide's porn-king and his leading thug, Mince.In an attempt to prove herself to Sam, who questions her PI abilities, Cassidy gets herself tied up (literally) in a high-speed shoot-out on a bus, a kidnapping, a drug bust and a couple of bizarre film shoots. And that's before she even begins to tackle Josie's new boyfriend, Zara's personal transformation and the latest cocktail at the Easy Lounge.With even more action and comedy, The Happiness Punch is sure to put a smile on your face while packing a punch

How did you Feel about The Happiness Punch?

Submitted by Karen on Thu, 16/08/2007 - 2:35pm.

Jack Irish series

Hitching: Tales from the byways and superhighways

Karen — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 12:21:02 +1000

ISBN 1862543623

Blurb from the book

Hitching is a dying art, but these stories from the hard shoulder tell of the perils and peculiarities of hitchhiking, the danger, the sex, the good, the weird, the dull times, the pathos, the points of arrival. The book comes in landscape format with tear-out postcards.

Lady Luck

Karen — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 12:21:04 +1000

ISBN 1862545774

Blurb from the book

Freshly dumped, like an old Pepsi can on the side of the road, by a boy with bad hair riding a Ducati. So she isn't exactly jazzed to discover her ex-boyfriend was also a drug-dealer, and she's accidentally ended up with his merchandise.

Phoebe figures she might as well take advantage of her situation, as young people are encouraged to do in the free-market economy, and it's about then that Jackson Sinclair, the impossibly sexy policeman, starts asking some difficult questions and Phoebe has to figure out if she wants him to kiss her or arrest her.

How did you Feel about Lady Luck?

Submitted by Karen on Thu, 16/08/2007 - 2:22pm.

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Lady Splash, The

Karen — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 12:21:16 +1000

ISBN 073362040X

Blurb from the book

When amateur sleuth Cassidy Blair is given the task of trying out a beauty salon for the dancers at The Pussycat Club, it's difficult to explain why she finds herself waking up the next morning on a local beach, at sunrise, naked apart from some awkward sunburn, and a pathetic story about a lost dog. With one of her friends dead, and her birthday coming up, Cassidy is too busy trying to squeeze herself into a tiny dress, caring for her new dog, Hellhound, not to mention guiding her recently detoxed friend Neil away from a crisis over his newly clean life to notice that she's caught the attention of some very unsavoury characters. In The Lady Splash, Cassidy Blair eventually ends up stuck in a cellar with no sign of escape. Then she discovers how much she really needs her friends.

How did you Feel about The Lady Splash?

Submitted by Karen on Thu, 16/08/2007 - 3:12pm.

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Mad Love

Karen — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 12:21:05 +1000

ISBN 1862543844

Blurb from the book

A collection of humorous real-life anecdotes which show just how difficult and embarrassing love can be and which also help the cynics to understand that it's all worth it in the end.

Millionaire Float, The

Karen — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 12:21:17 +1000

ISBN 0733617190

Blurb from the book

Cassidy Blair returns in her third sexy PI adventure with more confidence, more money in her bank account and more Officer Sam Tasker in her life than ever before. So when Cassidy lands a job infiltrating one of the city's most dangerous nightclubs while wearing the skimpiest of outfits, the odds are Sam isn't going to be too thrilled. Meanwhile, Cass has to survive a battle with her crazed parrot, a complete body wax and the disturbing reappearance of her high school nemesis. Fortunately, she also has a terrific set of friends, a sexy lingerie collection and a brand new Mini that even Wonder Woman would want to drive. So buckle up for another hilarious, racy adventure as Cassidy Blair solves crimes and protects the innocent. At least, that's her poorly formulated plan!

How did you Feel about The Millionaire Float?

Submitted by Karen on Thu, 16/08/2007 - 3:16pm.

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