October on AustCrime because I'm back getting my act together.
Read / To be Reviewed:
Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil, Melina Marchetta (Aust)
Bashir “Bish” Ortley is a London desk cop. Almost over it. Still not dealing with the death of his son years ago, as well as the break-up of his marriage. Across the channel, a summer bus tour, carrying a group of English teenagers is subject to a deadly bomb attack, killing four of the passengers and injuring a handful of others. Bish’s daughter is one of those on board.
Only Daughter, Anna Snoekstra (Aust)
In this chilling psychological thriller, one woman’s dark past becomes another’s deadly future.
Flare-Up, Felicity Young (Aust)
Outback murders, dodgy thieves, organised crime and arson - a small outback community is crackling with nerves, as Cam Fraser investigates.
Reviewed:
Killing Love, Rebecca Poulson (Aust / True Crime)
On the day of Rebecca Poulson’s 33rd birthday, her father, niece and nephew were murdered. The murderer had been part of her family; her brother-in-law, Neung, the father of the children. Killing Love is Rebecca’s journey through homicide; grief, the police investigations, the media interest, the court cases, the moments of great despair – and the healing.
Cyanide Games, Richard Beasley (Aust)
Peter Tanner left the flashy world of commercial law following the tragic death of his wife. Now, as a criminal defence barrister, he crosses paths with some of the less desirable but wealthy members of the nation’s underbelly. One evening he receives a call from Melissa Cheung. Her husband, Joe, an old friend from law school and a partner at global law firm, has been arrested while on business in China on grounds of corruption.
I'm Travelling Alone, Samuel Bjørk
A six year old girl is found hanging from a tree. Around her neck is an airline tag which says 'I'm travelling alone'. A special homicide unit in Oslo is re-opened with veteran police investigator Holger Munch at the helm. He must convince his erstwhile partner, Mia Kruger, an extremely talented but eccentric investigator, to leave the solitary island to which she has retreated in order to take her own life.
Nothing Short of Dying, Erik Storey
Sixteen years. That’s how long Clyde Barr has been away from Colorado’s thick forests, alpine deserts, and craggy peaks, running from a past filled with haunting memories. But now he’s back, having roamed across three continents as a hunter, adventurer, soldier of fortune, and most recently, unjustly imprisoned convict. And once again, his past is reaching out to claim him.
Never Never, James Patterson & Candice Fox (Aust)
Detective Harriet Blue needs to get out of town, fast. With her brother under arrest for a series of brutal murders in Sydney, Harry’s chief wants the hot-headed detective kept far from the press. So he assigns her a deadly new case - in the middle of the Outback. Deep in the Western Australian desert, three young people have disappeared from the Bandya Mine. And it's Harry's job to track them down.
A Secret to the Grave, Jane Blythe (Aust)
A suicide. A secret. To the grave. That was the promise that ten girls made many years ago, and now the time has come when they will be forced to make a choice. Keep the secret and lose their lives, or reveal it and risk the lives of others.
Roger Rogerson, Duncan McNab (Aust / True Crime)
As soon as legally possible, Hachette Australia will publish a gripping account of former New South Wales police officer, Roger Rogerson, who, along with another former police officer, Glen McNamara, has been found guilty of the cold blooded murder of 20-year-old Jamie Gao, and the supply of 2.78 kg of ice (methamphetamine). This eye-opening account will include behind-the-scenes stories - many never told before - of both the trial and its outcome, and the events leading up to it. Only now, with the court's verdict of murder, can many stories of Roger Rogerson be told.
Robert Goodman's Reviews:
Slaughter Park, Barry Maitland (Aust)
Harry Belltree’s obsessive pursuit of justice has cost him everything—his job in homicide, his marriage and his newborn child. He has nothing left to lose, or so he thinks. Then his estranged wife disappears, leaving their baby daughter behind. The police think Jenny has murdered a man. Harry thinks she’s in danger.
Dead in the Water, Tania Chandler (Aust)
When Brigitte and her family moved from the city, they were supposed to be happier. And safer. But soon her crime-writer ex-boyfriend turns up in town to promote his new novel, in which a woman is found dead — murdered — in a country lake. Hours later, Brigitte watches the police pull a body from the water near her Gippsland home.