All the Reviews

The Mandarin Code, Steve Lewis & Chris Uhlmann

Reading the first book in this series - THE MARMALADE FILES - was a laugh out loud experience, what with scheming Foreign Ministers, dumped Prime Ministers scheming revenge and ... well you name scheming in recent Federal Politics and there will be a version of that in these books.

A series that might work best for followers of Australian Federal Politics, THE MANDARIN CODE continues dredging the depths of the ridiculousness laid bare in that first book. Because of that much of the humour is slightly more subdued here - unless you've not read the first book of course. ... Read review

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Skinjob, Bruce McCabe

SKINJOB started out as a self-published novel before being picked up by Random House / Bantam Press. A techno-thriller this is a cross-genre story putting many of the standard aspects of classic crime fiction into a Science Fiction / futuristic setting.

The central theme of the book - the development, by DreamCon of the ultimate in prostitution / servitude female robots for the enjoyment of their male clients - mostly in "brothels" known as Dollhouses is a confrontational idea. The idea that those opposed to this scenario are a major church (run as a huge business) and " ... Read review

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My Brother's Keeper, Donna Malane

MY BROTHER'S KEEPER is the second Diane Rowe book from New Zealand author Donna Malane, and it's a really strong idea for a protagonist. Rowe is a PI who specialises in looking for missing people, which seems like such a believable, unsurprising thing to do, even in this cyber-connected-technical-no-fault-divorce world, that it gives the character gravitas from the outset.

Not that she's an overly sober or considered woman. Rowe comes across as someone of great compassion, and concern for her clients, but flawed and a bit chaotic. She's a straight talker, and prepared to ... Read review

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The Peculiar Case of the Electric Constable, Carol Baxter

When you don't read blurbs, or avoid coverage of a book that you know you're going to read eventually, some things can come as a considerable surprise. Things like THE PECULIAR CASE OF THE ELECTRIC CONSTABLE being a true story.

The starting premise of the book is the speedy identification and capture of an alleged murderer by an early electric telegraph. If you think, however, that this is the whole point of the story, then you are going to be disappointed. Whilst there is background to the scepticism of the system's worth and the difficulties in getting an installation ... Read review

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Life or Death, Michael Robotham

One of Australia’s great storytellers: Michael Robotham’s crime fiction and the tantalising premise of his new novel.

Michael Robotham’s latest novel, published ten years after his first, was more than 20 years in the making. In a recent interview, the author said:

‘It took me years to come up with an answer and even longer before I felt I had the skills to tell the story properly. I needed to practise. I needed to learn. I needed to get better. That’s why I’m so excited about Life or Death. It’s a love story and a prison story and a heart-stopping account of ... Read review

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Michael Robotham

Bangkok Cowboy, Ron McMillan

Written with incredible pace and verve, BANGKOK COWBOY combines a very good plot with a couple of great central characters. Army veteran and PI Mason is in Thailand, disappearing after a bad war experience and an imploded marriage. In a series of elegantly incorporated thought bubbles, Mason's backstory is filled in well, including how he came to be in a business partnership and close friendship with Dixie. A Thai ladyboy, Dixie is a strong, brave, and gorgeous character, working with Mason and as a highly sought after personal escort. An unlikely friendship maybe, but well done, with ... Read review

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The Luminaries, Eleanor Catton

Obviously one of the most commented on aspects of THE LUMINARIES is the size. Clocking in at 830+ pages this is not a book for fans of thrillers, or fast reads, not just because of its sheer size, but because of the dense nature of the writing and the story. Set in 1866, this novel feels and reads exactly as if it was written in that time. Littered with so many of the elements that come into this sort of fiction: opium dens, families losing everything, illegitimate children, multiple identities, belief in the spirit worlds and illicit relationships, there's something utterly perfect ... Read review

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Where the Dead Men Go, Liam McIlvanney

"Professor Liam McIlvanney, the son of novelist William McIlvanney, was born in Kilmarnock in Ayrshire, and studied at Glasgow and Oxford Universities. After ten years lecturing in Scottish and Irish literature at the University of Aberdeen, he moved to Dunedin in New Zealand to teach at the University of Otago. He lectures in Scottish literature, culture and history, and on Irish-Scottish literary connections, and holds the Stuart Professor of Scottish Studies chair at the University."

WHERE THE DEAD MEN GO is set in Glasgow, but there ... Read review

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Liam McIlvanney

After the Silence, Jake Woodhouse

Set in Amsterdam, AFTER THE SILENCE is a debut police procedural introducing, amongst a big cast of characters, Inspector Jaap Rykel. If you were looking for a single word to describe everyone in this book it would have to be damaged. They are all dealing with their own demons, to the point where there is a sneaking suspicion that there's not a happy person in the entire city. Mind you, the themes in the book will also have you wondering about where they have put their human decency into the bargain.

Rykel is a very flawed main character with a complicated past. His work ... Read review

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Surrender, Donna Malane

The first book in the Diane Rowe series, SURRENDER is part of a two book series (MY BROTHER'S KEEPER is out now), set in Wellington, New Zealand, featuring a private investigator scenario that makes a huge amount of sense.

Diane Rowe is an ex-cop and now missing person's expert. Her marriage to still serving cop Sean fell apart as she struggled to cope with the murder of her younger sister Niki (all of which happened before this book), and now Sean now finds himself investigating the murder of the man everyone believes is Niki's killer. Which investigation Rowe cannot ... Read review

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Every Breath, Ellie Marney

At the recent Ballarat Writers / Sisters in Crime collaboration, DEATH IN JULY, one of the panels was on YA writing and books. It came as a mild surprise that this is now a special category, but it is particularly pleasing to know there are some YA Crime Fiction books popping up. After all, a lot of firmly welded on crime fiction readers would have progressed straight from the likes of Trixie Belden, Famous Five and the Hitchcock mysteries straight to Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh and the like (allowing for the age category into which the reader falls obviously).

EVERY ... Read review

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Cross Fingers, Paddy Richardson

Surely we've all got one of those authors. The author whose books languish on the To Be Read pile, even though you always enjoy them immensely when attention lurches into activity and you spy them sitting there. Even though they can, frequently, frighten the life out of you.

Paddy Richardson is one those authors for me, and in the past, she has frightened the life out of me, although I'm pleased to say that this time CROSS FINGER's didn't languish because of my fractured attention span, and whilst she certainly made me sit up and pay attention, this book wasn't flat out ... Read review

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Paddy Richardson

Marble Bar, Robert Schofield

The sequel to Robert Schofield's debut, HEIST, is here at last. MARBLE BAR picks up the life, and trials of mining engineer and extremely reluctant hero Gareth Ford a year or so after he was framed for the multi-million dollar Gwardar Gold Mine heist. Then he narrowly escaped the murderous intent of an international gang of thieves, the close attention of dodgy Gold Squad officers, pursuit by some very ... Read review

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Robert Schofield

Frederick's Coat, Alan Duff

From the author of Once Were Warriors, FREDERICK'S COAT is equally as surprising, challenging, moving and profoundly affecting. It's also particularly unusual in that it looks past the crime, the investigation and jail time to a life that is being rebuilt.

Johno comes from a long line of single fathers. So it's no particular surprise that his release from jail after a long sentence doesn't lead to happy ever after in his personal life. Despite trying, it's not long before his wife packs up and leaves him, taking their daughter with her. This leaves Johno responsible for ... Read review

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The Beckoning Ice, Joan Druett

Having never heard of the Wiki Coffin series before, THE BECKONING ICE was an opportunity to read some historical crime fiction from New Zealand that doesn't come along all that often. Part Maori, part American, Wiki is on board the United States Exploring Expedition when a very odd murder is reported.

Reading this book it becomes very obvious that this is an area of history and naval events that the author knows a lot about. The book starts out in a very strong way with the sighting of a possible murder victim, and events that transpire once it is reported to the ... Read review

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Fractured, Dawn Barker

FRACTURED is a thriller entry in the expanding local sub-genre of books that look very close to home. Set as close to home as possible, it's the story of Anna, her husband Tony and their baby son Jack.

Using the obvious device of two converging timelines, the lead up to Jack's birth is contrasted with events afterwards. The storyline builds carefully, slowly almost, seen primarily from the viewpoint of Tony.

Partially because of that viewpoint there's a sense of "blame" or judgement, pervading the story. Whilst Anna obviously struggles with the change in her ... Read review

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Run to Me, Diane Hester

Written with the distinct feeling of a movie treatment RUN TO ME takes the story of a young boy in extreme danger, and combines that with a woman traumatised and stigmatised by the death of her own young boy. There's a feeling of inevitability to the coming together of those two characters, and their stand against the bad guys.

The threat to the boys (Zack is held with two other youngsters) is carefully crafted making it less confrontational, although the threat itself is clearly drawn out. The baddies are very bad in this book, and the contrast between them and the ... Read review

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The Murder of Harriet Krohn, Karin Fossum

The preoccupation for Scandinavian crime fiction of many readers is sometimes questioned. One response is to get people to read Karin Fossum's Inspector Konrad Sejer series. Within the one series, Fossum is able to shift the perspective, analyse the reasons why, explore the outcomes and long-term effects of crime, and play with accepted perceptions of clear cut resolutions. In THE MURDER OF HARRIET KROHN, whilst still part of the Sejer series, she's tipped the perspective completely - this is not a whodunnit, or even necessarily a whydunnit, but a how do you live with what you've just ... Read review

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The Weaver Fish, Robert Edeson

Ever read a book that you know you should just absolutely love, and yet somehow you're not quite getting it. It's a bit like that feeling you get when you're invited to a party and show up in fancy dress only to realise that you'd muddled up the invitations.

The quote for the book is from Robyn Williams, ABC Radio National's The Science Show - "Evocative writing, in which the science is an essential character. The ideas stimulate and mesmerise."

Not having been any good at science at school might be part of the reason (although having sought confirmation from ... Read review

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Straight Jacket, Adrian Deans

Something about STRAIGHT JACKET could make some readers a little uncomfortable. Not the serial killing aspect in this case - although the idea that there is a killer lurking in the bush that inserts itself into the Sydney suburbs isn't a welcome one. Certainly not a killer that sends victims fingers in the mail. It's more disconcerting that Morgen Tanjenz's idea of 'life sculpture' makes sense, dare we suggest, appeals. The idea that you could, with enough money and resources, dispense your concept of justice for wrongs. Although you have to wonder if you'd draw the line at ruining ... Read review

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