All the Reviews

One of the things that I particularly love about really good crime fiction is the way that it highlights the human condition - warts and all.  The thing I particularly love about Karin Fossum's books is the way that she explores the notion of the sad, the stupid, the moments in which things go awry.  To my mind, there's something profoundly more sobering about the notion of momentary mistake or misjudgement - rather than the automatic presumption of evil.

THE WATER'S EDGE tackles the difficult subject of the death of a child (and the disappearance of another).  When ... Read review

INFILTRATION doesn't seem to be served particularly well by the blurb on the book.  It's considerably more than just the story of an undercover sting against the Mafia, in fact it's part personal memoir, part story of the Mafia operation, but sprinkled throughout with snippets of other parts of Colin McLaren's astounding police career.

Many of us lead lives pretty sheltered from the advent or consequences of violent crime in particular.  "Big" criminal events are still pretty few and far between in Victoria Australia, so it's particularly sobering to realise that those ... Read review

There's a new Wyatt on the way, and that means it's as good a time as any to do a little tidying up of the back catalogue.

Wyatt is a very careful man, because he has to be.  Wyatt robs banks, lifts payrolls, gets girls, leaves girls, lives the life of a loner, trusts few, works out the details and thinks a job through.  He regards his criminal activities as his job, he's very professional.  He doesn't like surprises, he doesn't like hot heads and half wits, mind you, he can handle them when he needs to.

Kickback is the first Wyatt novel from renowned ... Read review

HELL'S FIRE is the fourth book in this Manchester based series featuring DI Jon Spicer, although this is the first book in the group that I've read.  An error of omission on my part that I'm going to have to do something about!  

As you'd expect with a story that concentrates on the torching of churches, there are a lot of religious elements to this book.  Although organised religion and the satanic ritualism as part of the church destruction is only part of a complex intertwining of religious elements.  Satanic ritualism at the scenes connects to a Satanic styled rock ... Read review

Jo Bannister has an impressive back catalogue to her name with over 20 novels now, standalones and in a number of series groupings.  CLOSER STILL is the 8th Brodie Farrell book, released in 2008 with LIARS ALL the next in the series, released in 2009.

It's probably worth getting this out in the open up front.  I'm not a fan of Brodie Farrell, and that's not just because she's one of those "gifted" amateurs who seem to climb over the backs of the cops.  In particular, her "partner" Jack Deacon who seems to do most of the graft and take most of the professional hits, whilst ... Read review

Dark and funny, tough and confrontational, lyrical and even poetic in places, quintessentially Irish, DEAD I WELL MAY BE is the first in a series of books featuring Michael Forsythe, a young Irish man with a flair for danger, drinking, and fighting his way out of impossible situations.

McKinty writes in a style that's easy to associate with noir Irish writing, a sort of a stream of consciousness thing, that alternates between incredibly compelling and making the reader want to hide under the bed blankets.  Michael is a young Irish man, older and wiser than his age would ... Read review

FAN MAIL is P. D. Martin’s third in the Sophie Anderson series and her strongest to date.  Martin follows Sophie and Detective Sorrell as they conduct the investigation.  So many detective novels are linear; we start at point A, go to point B and end at point C. Not so FAN MAIL.  It twists and turns; sometimes at breakneck speed, other times almost stalls as they hit dead ends.  There is backtracking to re-question witnesses and suspects and frequent revisiting of evidence in light of new information.

Martin has also managed to pull off something that I don't think too ... Read review

TROPIC OF DEATH is the second book by Australian journalist, author Robert Sims, featuring Detective Rita Van Hassel, Criminal Profiler.

Criminal Profiling isn't overly common in Australian Police Forces, and Rita is one of the first in Melbourne in TROPIC OF DEATH.  Begrudgingly, finally allowed to set up her own speciality support "department", she is called to Whitley in Queensland to assist when the grisly body count starts rising.  Whitley is one of those sleepy Queensland idyllic towns from the tourist brochures - beach and rainforest.  What Rita finds is all the ... Read review

There's nothing better than a well-executed version of one of the good old staples of crime fiction - a twist on the locked room scenario.

DEATH WORE WHITE is the first in a new series from CWA Dagger Winner Jim Kelly, an author well known for his ongoing Philip Dryden books.  DI Peter Shaw and DS George Valentine are a good pairing - Valentine the older cop, ex-partner of Shaw's father, his career has seen higher points.  Shaw, on the other hand, is a rising star, keen to prove himself and to clear his father's, and consequently Valentine's, reputations over the last ... Read review