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Happy Days, Graham Hurley30/10/2014 - 1:59pmIt was somewhat bitter-sweet to know that on reading this book, Joe Faraday is dead, and another series over. Which I confess is a lot of the reason for the delay. The Faraday and Winter series has always been a slow burner in this household, quick to obtain, slow to savour, the characters at the heart of the books – Faraday, Paul Winter and Bazza Mackenzie real and vibrantly drawn. Because of that realness the fate of Faraday seems, unfortunately, so right, here is a man who always seemed slightly lost. His life validated by his job, his son and his relationships, he ... Read Review |
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A Murder Unmentioned, Sulari Gentill28/10/2014 - 1:11pmSulari Gentill has never pulled her punches when it comes to putting Rowly Sinclair in a spot of peril, and it turns out that she's even prepared to do that retrospectively. In the process she makes the idea of being a scion of this particular landed gentry family a rather sobering prospect. In the first book Sinclair's uncle (he of the same name) was murdered, and now, in A MURDER UNMENTIONED, it turns out that Sinclair's father had suffered the same fate. A family secret long kept is not just that Sinclair senior was murdered, the possible involvement of the teenage ... Read Review |
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Broken Monsters, Lauren Beukes24/10/2014 - 1:22pmMany frequent readers of crime fiction (and I count myself in both these numbers) are over the mad serial killer sub-genre. This could make the opening monologue of BROKEN MONSTERS something that makes you put down the book and step away. Whilst the subject matter remains confrontational, often times surreal and vaguely supernatural, there are other aspects worth considering. We all know the story of the rise and decline of Detroit – from economic power-house to basket-case in a very short period of time. The resulting population decline left decaying buildings and a ... Read Review |
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Kill Zone, Harry Ledowsky22/10/2014 - 1:03pmA thriller set in what's becoming the familiar territory of Iraq and Afghanistan, Pakistan's status as a nuclear nation plays into the action in KILL ZONE. The idea of nuclear devices the size of briefcases going missing isn't a new one in thriller world, and to be frank I've no idea if it's realistic or not, but it certainly feels that way. The idea that the powers that be are 50% of the problem for the poor on the ground investigator is also not a new idea, but the idea that a deputy director of the CIA would be playing political games in a time of heightened terror ... Read Review |
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Claustrophobia, Tracy Ryan21/10/2014 - 3:08pmUsing a title like CLAUSTROPHOBIA obviously sets certain expectations for readers, which luckily, in this outing are uncomfortably well imagined. There's something incredibly claustrophobic about everything to do with this book. The enclosed, world that the two main characters Pen and her husband Derrick occupy. From their home life, working together at the same school, even when Pen finally breaks away to another job, albeit for reasons that Derrick doesn't know. It's not just circumstances though. Of course, with Pen as the main narrator of the book there is an inward focus, but ... Read Review |
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The Sun is God, Adrian McKinty21/10/2014 - 2:39pmThis is going to have to be another one of those reviews that comes with a disclaimer. I love Adrian McKinty's books. Although I will admit that it's always been the dark side, his flawed and controversial characters, and his noir stylings that I'd thought appealed particularly. THE SUN IS GOD is none of that and yet there are glimpses. Based on elements of a true story, set in 1906 New Guinea, this is the tale of the investigation into the death of a man on a remote island in the midst of a community of nudist, back-to-nature "Cocovores". They eat only coconuts (and ... Read Review |
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The Bomb Makers, Marcus Case21/10/2014 - 1:11pmTHE BOMB MAKERS by pseudonymous author Marcus Case is a terrorist thriller set in London, with the threat coming from a combination of ETA and the Real IRA. Which is a different combination for this reader. A big, bold plot, THE BOMB MAKERS combines a bit of good old fashioned British policing with current counter-terrorism methods to track down an unusual and complicated bomb maker, and the bomb planter. DCI Emma Rydan and her junior, DS Kent are paired up when he's seconded to an investigation that's gone pear-shaped. In an interesting take on a very current day ... Read Review |
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In the Company of Cowards, Michael Mori09/10/2014 - 2:14pmWhen Michael (Dan) Mori first appeared on our TV screens, and in print, defending David Hicks, his sincerity, and his belief in fair play always shone through. As did the way that he appeared to consider his words, take care with the message he was delivering, and acted with the best will in the world to do what was right by his client. In short, he always seemed like a very impressive human being, and after reading his book, can't shake the feeling that we're lucky to have him here now in Australia. David Hicks, and his time spent in Guantanamo Bay has been documented in ... Read Review |
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Once Upon a Time in Melbourne, Liam Houlihan06/10/2014 - 3:42pmThere was a point in the Melbourne Underworld Wars that things just got too complicated for anybody but the most assiduous follower to keep up with. The connections between the crooks, the cops, and all the permutations thereof were enough to make you hope somebody was keeping some sort of map. Fortunately it seems that Liam Houlihan was, and he's used it to weave some threads through the entire mess that are both surprising and decidedly sobering. Using a clever metaphor for the reader to engage with, you are pulled instantly into a story that would be quite a thriller ... Read Review |
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Tell Me Why, Sandi Wallace06/10/2014 - 12:26pmDisclaimer's First: I was one of the publisher's minions, and whilst I don't always participate in considering possible submissions, in this case I was fortunate enough to read an early draft - and well did a bit of barracking. So think of this as less of a review and more a restating of the reasons why I was really pleased that Clan Destine Press decided to publish TELL ME WHY. There's been a tendency in Australian Crime Fiction to skew the use of rural settings to historical, sometimes the amateur detective, and all too frequently, the barking mad. Anybody ... Read Review |
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The Children's Pond, Tina Shaw30/09/2014 - 4:05pmTHE CHILDREN'S POND is a debut crime novel for NZ author Tina Shaw, a well-known writer in her native New Zealand, it's written with the authority of an experienced author. Especially as it puts a city girl, moved to the country to be closer to her son in jail; somebody with a dodgy dating history, but a strong work ethic; and debutante fly fisher into the central character in a surprisingly taut analysis / thriller. It's not often that somebody can combine fly fishing and a dark, interweaving of evil, and secrets and make a river a character into the bargain. A novel ... Read Review |
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Quick, Steve Worland29/09/2014 - 1:36pmFrom the moment that Billy Hotchkiss hits Hell Corner on the opening lap of the Bathurst 1000 you can tell he's a man on a mission. That's likely to end up pear-shaped as everyone knows that "The Mountain" is an unforgiving beast. And sure enough, he throws the Commodore at Frosty Winterbottom's Falcon around Griffiths Bend and onwards, through The Cutting and up to Craig Lowndes' Falcon. Past Reid Park, over the metal grate and onto Sulman Park, McPhillamy Park, and over Skyline. Billy chases Lowndes down on the principle that first past the post, opening lap is worth the risk. From ... Read Review |
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The Real Chopper, Adam Shand24/09/2014 - 2:12pmLooking back at the public persona of Mark 'Chopper' Read, so much of what Adam Shand discusses in THE REAL CHOPPER was there for the seeing. Can't help but give you a sneaking sense of admiration for Read's skill as a myth maker, given how unlikely many of his alleged transgressions actually were. Read has always been an interesting prospect. Somebody with enough gangster profile to titillate and amuse some sectors of the community, he was renowned as a walking underworld quotation for the media. A thorn in the side of the underworld he claimed to be a big pin in, he was ... Read Review |
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Deadly Obsession, Karen M. Davies22/09/2014 - 3:48pmThe second Lexie Rogers book from ex-cop Karen M Davis, it's interesting to note that we've now got a couple of female ex-cops from similar areas writing police procedural style books, although to this reader's eye, completely different sensibilities. Given that this is the second book, it's worth mentioning that you might be best to start at the very beginning with these two. A lot of the back story of Rogers and her rather complicated personal life is going to need that fill in, despite a bit of catch up in DEADLY OBSESSION. Part of the reason for that ... Read Review |
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OxCrimes, Ian Rankin (editor)22/09/2014 - 3:29pmOXCRIMES, from Profile books is a fundraising book of short crime stories with contributions from a strong group of authors - some of whom will be favourites, many of whom will be new to readers. Said it before, will say it again, the best thing about short story collections is a chance to find "new to you" authors. In this collection the option of comparing them, up close, with more favourite writers is a bonus. Particularly as the list of contributors is so stellar, and the standard of the stories here really high. For my money, I've had Stuart Neville on ... Read Review |
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Lee, edited by Cameron Ashley22/09/2014 - 1:25pmLoved this idea when I first heard about it - a set of fictional adventures for a real-life movie star. And one that even I've heard of! Making a man like Lee Marvin star in these adventures obviously means that these are going to be noir stories, hard-boiled as a rock, with a dark sense of humour in some cases. Based, it seems, on events from his real life, the stories range through a varied set of scenarios, timeframes and locations, although there is a propensity for hard-drinking and dedicated womanising to show up frequently. A collection that is ... Read Review |
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Chasing the Ace, Nicholas J. Johnson18/09/2014 - 2:50pm"The Honest Conman" (aka Nicholas J Johnson) used to do a warning segment on scams and frauds on ABC Local Radio, but it was a pleasant surprise to find he'd written a heist / scam novel. Needless to say his debut novel, CHASING THE ACE, reads like the author knows a lot about the subject matter. Think a dual handed TV's Hustle style scenario in which Joel, a young man with no purpose in life, hooks up with Richard, an older man, experienced in the fine art of scams and swindles. What Joel doesn't realise is that the man he's adopted as his mentor and working partner is ... Read Review |
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The Bone Church, Victoria Dougherty17/09/2014 - 1:20pmA fascinating combination of historical exploration of real places and time-periods in history, and the fictional tale of two young people, THE BONE CHURCH, opens with the story of two fugitive lovers, whose lives are impacted by the natural death of her mother (in difficult circumstances), and the murder of his father (and their protector) by the Nazi's. Weaving the Nazi invasion of Prague and the Cold War in Czechoslovakia into the lives of these two people provides a stark reminder of the length of impact that wars have had on that part of the world. The idea that the ... Read Review |
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A Madras Miasma, Brian Stoddart16/09/2014 - 6:34pmSet in 1920's India, A MADRAS MIASMA takes place in an India that is looking towards independence from the British. With a strong sense of place, culture and time built in, this is debut crime fiction with potential. The central character, Superintendent Le Fanu is a complex man in a judgemental and class-riven society. His wife has left him, he's in love with an Anglo-Indian woman, a relationship frowned upon by the ex-pat British "society" that remains influential. His investigative side-kick is a local man, who he admires for his ability, and skill as an investigator. ... Read Review |
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One Boy Missing, Stephen Orr12/09/2014 - 1:58pmSet in the heat, dust and community of the South Australian Mallee there is much that is visceral in ONE BOY MISSING. From the opening in which a young, vulnerable boy desperately tries to avoid a pursuer, to the character of DS Bart Moy who is back in Guilderton, possibly because his elderly father needs help, but mostly because he's running away from his past. He's lost and damaged, and there really doesn't seem to be much reason for him to be in the town that hasn't had a Detective presence for years. Until the inexplicable report of a kidnapping or abduction of a ... Read Review |