AustCrimeFiction - Crime Fiction from Australia, New Zealand and everywhere

Crime Wave Hits Port Fairy

Karen — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 07:55:59 +0300

Start: 28/03/2010 - 11:30am

End: 28/03/2010 - 1:00pm

Timezone:

11.30am-1pm Sunday March 28, 2010: Crime Wave Hits Port Fairy

Sisters in Crime authors talk to Sisters in Crime convenor, Carmel Shute, about how and why they turned to a life of crime.

Kirsty Brooks (Adelaide) turned to writing crime because it allows her to live more than one life. “Making up another life is like being allowed to be a kid again and getting into huge amounts of trouble. And it’s so much more fun than going to jail. And the sex is better too.”

Kirsty Brooks is the author of The Vodka Dialogue, The Happiness Punch, The Millionaire Float, The Lady Splash, Hitching: Tales from the byways and superhighways, Mad Love and Lady Luck. She teaches professional writing at Adelaide Institute of Arts and has two novels on the go. Website: http://www.kirstybrooks.com

Vikki Petraitis (Melbourne) turned to a life of crime to try and find out why some people were capable of committing horrendous acts of violence. She still doesn’t know the answer.

Vikki Petraitis is a best-selling true-crime author with nine books to her name. Best known for her book, The Frankston Murders about serial killer Paul Denyer, Vikki has spent the last two decades examining the dark side of human behaviour from murder to paedophilia. She is currently taking a break from the ‘real stuff’ and working on her first novel, The Good, the Bad and the Fugly, about a teacher detective. She also teaches high school. Website: www.vikkipetraitis.com

Lindy Cameron (Bittern, Mornington Peninsula) turned to a life of crime when she realised she might not be smart enough to become a famous scientist.

Lindy now writes both crime fact and fiction. Under her belt, she has the espionage thriller Redback, four crime novels (Golden Relic; and the Kit O’Malley PI series Blood Guilt, Bleeding Hearts and Thicker than Water) plus the true crime books, Killer in the Family (with Fin J. Ross), Women Who Kill (forthcoming, with Ruth Wykes) and three anthologies. Website: http://www.clandestine-books.com.au

………………………………………………………

Blarney Books, 37 James Street, Port Fairy. $10 or $5 (concession)

Fabulous raffle. Bookings: jo@blarneybooks.com.au or : (03) 5568 2174‎

Info about Sisters in Crime: Carmel Shute on 0412 569 356 or go to: http://home.vicnet.net.au/~sincoz/

Gilgamesh Connections is holding a second Fable Competition!!

Karen — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 08:44:47 +0300

Gilgamesh Connections is holding a second Fable Competition!!

Bigger and better prizes…

First Prize $2000

Second $1000

Third $500

10 Fables will be selected for our Second Volume of Contemporary Fables.

Open for entries now... Deadline 5pm Friday May 7^th - 700 word limit!

Contact harriet@gilgameshconnections.net for further information, terms or an entry form.

Harriet Pellizzer
harriet@gilgameshconnections.net
http://gilgameshconnections.blogspot.com

Currently Reading - Buried for Pleasure, Edmund Crispin

Karen — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 01:05:32 +0300

Originally published in 1948 this is part of a beautifully packaged reprint of the entire Gervase Fen series from Vintage Books. It's also one of my "read whatever I bloody want" treats. (Not that reading review books / discussion books etc isn't a privilege, it's just sometimes you just want to read on a whim!)

From the Blurb:

In the sleepy English village of Sanford Angelorum, Professor Gervase Fen is taking a break from his books to run for Parliament. At first glance, the village he's come to canvass seems perfectly peaceful, but Fen soon discovers that appearances can be deceptive: someone in the village has discovered a dark secret and is using it for blackmail.

Opening Lines:

'Sanford Angelorum all change,' said the station-master. 'Sanford Angelorum, all change.'

WYATT - Garry Disher

Karen — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 04:11:45 +0300

Cover Image

Author

Garry Disher

Publisher

Text Publishing

Copyright

2010

ISBN

978-1-921656-02-6

No of Pages

274

Price

Book Synopsis

WYATT's been away; now he's back.

The job's a jewel heist, quick and simple. Stake out the international courier, one Alain Le Page. Hold up the goods in transit. Get away clean.

Wyatt prefers to work alone but this one belongs to Eddie Oberin - his very smart ex-wife Lydia has inside information. Wyatt has the planning genius and attention to detail. So what could possibly go wrong?

Plenty, if Le Page has anything to do with it. But when you cross Wyatt, you don't walk away.

Book Review

It's been quite a wait for the latest WYATT novel - The Fallout was published in 1997. I for one was rather excited to hear the news that there was a book on the way last year and I've been somewhat impatiently waiting for it to appear since then. As with all these greatly anticipated books, there's always that nasty little voice at the back of your head wondering if the anticipation might be building an unreasonable expectation.

But this is a Garry Disher novel, and it's a WYATT novel and it's almost impossible to contemplate the idea of disappointment. Partly because these books are so incredibly well written; partly because Wyatt is such a tremendous character; and partly because there is absolutely nothing like a change of style. The Wyatt novels are theft / heist based novels. Not to say that people don't die in these books, but Wyatt doesn't set out to murder - he's all about the perfect plan. Intensive and careful preparation; a level of planning that makes this ex-Project Manager's heart beat all that bit faster; extreme care in the conduct of the operation; extreme care in the execution of a get out of trouble fallback. Wyatt's a cool, hard, ruthless man who will take steps if backed into a corner. And he's very very very dangerous when crossed.

Wyatt always prefers to work alone, but he also needs money to fund his life, so when Eddie Oberin comes to him with a lead via his ex-wife, the operation is risky but reasonably attractive. Large amounts of jewellery isn't Wyatt's preferred haul, but maybe if a handy overseas fence is in the equation - one with a track record for offloading large overseas hauls in Australia - it might be worth the bother.

Things go well. And then they go badly. And then things look up a little, and then there's a lot of tidying up to be done, and not a small amount of retribution. Cool, calm, reasoned, Wyatt style retribution, but retribution nonetheless. One of the great things about WYATT is that you get a little more, up close glimpses into the man himself. And you get a tremendous story, a real rollercoaster ride of thief against thief; crook against crook, mastermind up against mastermind. The heist stylings of the earlier books - the cool operator with all the bases covered is there, as is the opportunist Wyatt - the man who can think on his feet and make the most of what's handed to him. A ruthless, cool, calm, contained man, with just the smallest glimmer of humanity. Wyatt is what Wyatt does, and let's hope it's not too long before he does it all again.

Currently Reading - Rough Justice, Robin Bowles

Karen — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 02:50:22 +0300

Sometimes I look at Mt TBR and realise that it's more of a hoarders paradise than anything else. And every year I promise myself that I will go back and read some of the books that are lurking there, that have been lurking there for a long long time. And sometimes I actually do get around to that. I really need to work out a way to read more books. I mean I've given up housework and all those other unnecessary tasks - obviously something else has to go.

From the Blurb:

Rough Justice Unanswered Questions from the Australian Courts examines the question at the heart of our criminal justice system - what happens when our courts get it wrong?

Opening Lines:

In my travels around Australia, I often meet people who ask me questions about cases where the justice system hasn't worked as it should.

AUSTRALIAN TRAGIC - Jack Marx

Karen — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 03:47:34 +0300

Cover Image

Author

Jack Marx

Publisher

Hachette Australia

Copyright

2009

ISBN

978-0-7336-2341-7

No of Pages

369

Price

Book Synopsis

Here are stories from Australia's Dark Heart: of catastrophe and misfortune, intrigue and passion, betrayal and tragedy.

Some you may think you know - others, you have never heard of - but all will capture your imagination.

Book Review

The blurb of this book really really intrigued me - and it's true there are stories that I've heard of, some I knew a lot about, some simply rang a bit of a bell. There were others that I knew absolutely nothing about. As the blurb goes on to say, they range across our past and our present: the heartbreaking story of the fire at Luna Park; the unstoppable opportunist who snatched innocent men and women from Palm Island to be part of P.T. Barnum's 'Greatest Show on Earth'; a world-class boxer who lost his battle with alcohol and ended up in an unmarked American grave; Steve Irwin, who was written off as a joke by the media, only to be hailed as a hero by the same media on his sudden death; and a man who heroically survived a war to find himself crushed and defeated by events much closer to home.

Sounds intriguing doesn't it. A real page turner. And most of the stories are intriguing, or enlightening, and there were some moments of real analysis and taut observation (such as the Steve Irwin story), but mostly, I found the book hard going. I think, in the end, the over-melodramatic storytelling style dragged the whole thing out. It made the reading of most of the stories overly difficult and the style took away too much from the content. Which is a pity. There's some history in this book that should have stood out more.

SURROGATE, THE - Tania Carver

Karen — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 06:40:25 +0300

Cover Image

Author

Tania Carver

Publisher

Sphere

Copyright

2009

ISBN

978-0-7515-4228-8

No of Pages

438

Price

Book Synopsis

A sickening killer is on the loose - a killer like no other. This murderer targets heavily pregnant women, drugging them and brutally removing their unborn babies.

When DI Phil Brennan is called to the latest murder scene, he knows he has entered the world of the most depraved killer he has ever encountered. After a loveless, abused childhood, Phil knows evil well, but nothing in his life has prepared him for this.

And when criminal profiler Marina Esposito is brought in to help solve the case, she delivers a bombshell: she believes there is a woman involved in the killing, a woman desperate for children...

Book Review

A debut novel, THE SURROGATE could be quite confrontational reading for many people. The image of unborn babies torn from their dead mother's bodies - dead themselves, or more shockingly possibly still alive is going to shock. Undoubtedly.

DI Phil Brennan, a loveless and abused child, risen to a policeman driven by a sense of responsibility, shocked himself at the nature of the crime that he is investigating is undoubtedly going to engender sympathy in readers.

The idea that there could be a woman behind these crimes, well again more shock.

And that's possibly what my major problem with this book is - everything seems to be designed to shock, the overt violence, a basic premise designed to discomfort readers, a policeman crafted to draw sympathy, a villain of such extreme villany that you have to be scared, hate, react somehow.

I will confess to being very very adverse to overt violence coupled with extreme planning and plotting, committed by a madder than mad on a day out from mad town lunatic though. That sort of scenario doesn't work for me, and instantly switches on a groan reflex that I find nearly impossible to prevent.

Whilst this is a competently written book, I found the whole scenario way too over the top, the attempts to manipulate reactions too overt and the characterisations too predictable for my taste.

Currently Reading - The Ignorance of Blood, Robert Wilson

Karen — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 10:23:14 +0300

Okay, I'm lying again. I'm actually listening to this on my MP3 player. Which is extremely instructive as it would be fair to say my grasp of Spanish pronunciation isn't good. My English pronunciation isn't good let's face it.

And the reader of this book - Seán Barrett is adding that little extra to the enjoyment of what is, a fabulous book.

From the Blurb:

The sweltering city of Seville is still recovering from a shocking and unsolved terrorist attack but now a spectacular car crash brings to light another threat. A dead gangster and a suitcase filled with millions in cash means the prospect of a serious Russian mafia presence on Inspector Jefe Javier Falcon's beat.

Opening Lines:

The ice-cold vodka slipped down Vaili Lukyanov's throat as the traffic thundered past the lay-by on the new motorway from Algeciras to Jerez de la Frontera. The heat had started the seat beading in his dark hair as he stood by the open boot of the Range Rover Sport.

Currently Reading - Wyatt, Garry Disher

Karen — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 04:00:15 +0300

Well there is absolutely no point in pretending I was a dispassionate observer when WYATT wandered across the threshold earlier this week. To be honest if the book I was reading hadn't been absolutely tremendous I doubt I'd have been able to restrain myself from putting it aside in favour of this one. Needless to say from the time that Garry Disher mentioned this book was on the way at last year's Crime & Justice festival I have been keenly anticipating its arrival. Staying up late last night to get stuck into the book was no hardship at all. Not being able to sit down and pick it up again first thing this morning is miff-making to say the least.

From the Blurb:

WYATT's been away; now he's back.

The job's a jewel heist, quick and simple. Stakeout the international courier, one Alain Le Page. Hold up the goods in transit. Get away clean.

Opening Lines:

Wyatt was waiting to rob a man of $75,000.

UNSEEN ACADEMICALS - Terry Pratchett

Karen — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 04:18:34 +0300

Cover Image

Author

Terry Pratchett

Publisher

Doublday

Copyright

2010

ISBN

978-0-385-60934-0

No of Pages

400

Price

Book Synopsis

Football has come to the ancient city of Ankh-Morpork - not the old-fashioned grubby pushing and shoving, but the new, fast football with pointy hats for goalposts and balls that go gloing when you drop them. And now the wizards of Unseen University must win a football match without using magic, so they're in the mood for trying everything else.

Book Review

Less of a fully fledged review, more of a musing on the latest Discworld Novel from Terry Pratchett UNSEEN ACADEMICALS.

The quote on the back sort of says it all "The thing about football - the IMPORTANT thing about football - is that it is not just about football". Now I will admit I'm not a football (in any incarnation) fan. Can't stand the hype. Can't stand the carry-on. Can't stand the games themselves. So I was a little intrigued by this book - how would a Terry Pratchett treatment of the dreaded awfulness work? I was certainly intrigued enough to put aside my up until now tendency to purchase immediately and horde for the future any Discworld novels (what can I say - I'm a bit weird - I'm doing it with a few of my all time favourite authors).

Needless to say, football does get a lot of the Pratchett / Discworld treatment and there are some wonderful digs, jabs and observations about football, football fans and the way that this sort of game is regarded. There are some great characterisations, and some cameo performances by many of the Wizards of the Unseen University and thankfully some fantastic politics in their ranks.

Perhaps there is a little less focus, sharpness, snappiness in the story telling. Maybe this is because of the known health problems of Mr Pratchett, maybe it's just that every now and then a book gets a little more reflective, a little less paced and fast and furious. Who knows, and frankly, who cares. UNSEEN ACADEMICALS is another entrant in the Discworld series, and even if it's not the best ever book in a series of best ever books - it's a Discworld novel.

Did it make me laugh enough to wake up the long suffering husband (who keeps saying that a Discworld book on the nightstand should immediately instigate a move to the spare bed)? It did indeed. Did it make me care about football? Miracles don't happen in these parts. But I do think the next time somebody asks me who I barrack for, I'll be nominating the Unseen University.

Currently Reading - Girls Like Funny Boys, Dave Franklin

Karen — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 11:28:48 +0300

I like Dave Franklin's stream of conscious rant novels. Highly entertaining.

And then he writes GIRLS LIKE FUNNY BOYS and it's not a rant novel.

Now Dave referred to it as "life-affirming" in the inscription he included on my copy, and I really do agree. This is a really engaging book, one of those ones that makes me mildly pissed off with day job responsibilities and alpacas and chooksⁱ to feed, and bright sunlight because I can't get my sunglasses over my reading glasses so I can't skive off in the chook yards and read when I should be shovelling... well you get the picture.

Full review to come and news of 3 copies to give away (Australia only sorry).

From the Blurb:

Meet Johnny Goodwin. He's grown up in a quiet Brisbane suburb with loving parents, a faithful dog and an unrequited yearning for his teenage sweetheart Angie Everson. Now in his last year at school, he's finally caught her eye by starring in a teacher-baiting panto. Dreams are already taking shape of a career in entertainment, perhaps with Angie by his side. All he's got to do is pass his exams, get to uni and keep away from Gina Wood, the weird girl who once let him touch her.

Opening Lines:

Johnny tucked his eighteenth birthday card invitation into a shirt pocket and trotted down the front steps of his home. Hopefully the night would turn out nothing like Catherine Roberts' seventeenth birthday party a few months ago. Boy, had that bash stiffed.

CONFESSIONS OF A CROOKED COP - Sean Padraic

Karen — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 08:58:58 +0300

Cover Image

Author

Sean Padraic

Publisher

ABC Books / Harper Collins

Copyright

2010

ISBN

978-0-7333-2817-6

No of Pages

295

Price

Book Synopsis

Detective Sergeant Trevor Haken was one of the infamous Golden Mile's most crooked cops. Now he lives in hiding, in a hell of his own creation.

Graduating from small bribes to stealing money and receiving kickbacks from drug dealers, Haken became an informant for the Wood Royal Commission into corruption in the New South Wales Police Service. The Commission's findings sent shockwaves through the police force and beyond, resulting in the dismissal and resignation of many officers, and the reorganisation of policing in the state.

Book Review

Part personal story, part historical overview, part warning about how easy going wrong can sometimes be, CONFESSIONS OF A CROOKED COP is the story of NSW Policeman Trevor Haken as told to author Sean Padraic.

This book is flagged in the media release as "The corrupt cop from UNDERBELLY 3 tells his side of the story" so it's not going to come as a lot of surprise to see this book out and the timing in which it was released. I haven't seen a lot of the publicity for UNDERBELLY 3 but I'd take a wild guess that this book tells the personal story of one of the main figures of the upcoming series. It is the personal story of one of the most important police informants testifying before the Wood Royal Commission into corruption in the New South Wales Police Service.

Given that it is a personal story, and despite it being told by a third party author, there is a single viewpoint slant to the book with little external analysis or review of the story being told. There also doesn't appear to be overly strenuous attempts to paper over the corrupt activities that Haken was involved in, although the details are somewhat sketchy and there is an unavoidable feeling of things that the teller of the tale simply did not want to talk about / expand on. There's definitely a sense of careful explanation going on. This is possibly one of the most interesting aspects of the book - that slightly reticent feeling. Perhaps a dance with the truth because it sits more comfortably, or is it as a result of the voiced concern for Haken's welfare (he's in Witness Protection still)?

Either way, in something that strikes me as particularly telling, I doubt the revelations in this book are as explosive or startling as they may have been at the time of the Royal Commission itself. What was undoubtedly disturbing is the extent to which exposure of the corrupt and illegal activities within the New South Wales police system ultimately relied on the testimony of personnel within the ranks. The risks that Haken (and others like him) took to bring the truth to light obviously takes courage and nerve. The way in which he was treated after the event, and how he now must live his life is the real exposé of the book.

Wyatt

Karen — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 06:21:38 +0300

ISBN 978-1-921656-02-6

Blurb from the Book

Wyatt's been away; now he's back.

The job's a jewel heist, quick and simple. Stake out the international courier, one Alain Le Page. Hold up the goods in transit. Get away clean.

Plenty, if Le Page has anything to do with it. But when you cross Wyatt, you don't walk away.

Avalanche Pass

Karen — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 06:07:38 +0300

ISBN 978-1-86325-637-7

Blurb from the Book

When guests at a ski lodge in Utah are taken hostage by a group of mercenaries, Jesse Parker, who has left Steamboat Springs to try to salvage his career after a horrific skiing accident, discovers he's in the wrong place at the right time.

One of the hostages is a high-profile senator, so the White House and FBI are notified and Special Agent Denton Colby is sent to Utah to negotiate the ransom with the assassins. But the head of the hostage-takers is playing a dangerous game. As his demands become more erratic, and half the hostages are killed, Colby suspects that money may not be the only thing they're after.

Congratulations Maris Morton - Inaugural CAL Scribe Fiction Prize Winner

Karen — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 03:13:57 +0300

Congratulations to long-time Sisters in Crime member Maris Morton from Uki NSW who won the inaugural CAL Scribe Fiction Prize at the age of 70! She wins $12,000 but more importantly Scribe will publish her novel, A Darker Music. She was highly commended for her short story "Hawk's Hill" in the 2009 Scarlet Stiletto Awards. Well done Maris!

Read today's Age article:

http://www.theage.com.au/news/entertainment/books/firstnovel-triumph-at-70/2010/02/18/1266082324455.html

Scribe's media release:

------

Scribe is thrilled to announce that the winner of the inaugural CAL Scribe Fiction Prize is:

Maris Morton for her manuscript, A Darker Music, a mystery that uncovers the buried secrets of a family who own a merino sheep station in Western Australia.

The winner will be officially announced on February 18 at the newly opened Wheeler Centre for Books, Writing and Ideas in Melbourne. Maris Morton will receive $12,000 and a book contract from Scribe.

Maris Morton was born in 1938 and A Darker Music will be her first published book. She currently lives in Uki in rural NSW but has worked in various jobs around Australia including as an English teacher, shearers’ cook, shed hand, artist, art restorer and director of an art gallery.

Maris said of the win: ‘Winning the CAL Scribe Prize has made what seemed to be an impossible dream come true. I'm still pinching myself. Winning has given me an added incentive to go on doing what I love best: telling stories!’

It was a very tight contest in the end — almost a dead heat between the three shortlisted works — but after much wrangling and negotiation the three judges agreed that Maris Morton’s work was the standout. The judges were Kerryn Goldsworthy, Mark Rubbo, and Aviva Tuffield. Of the winning manuscript, judge Mark Rubbo said: ‘It has a strong narrative and personally I found it was an extremely satisfying read.’

Both Meg Mundell’s Black Glass and Jane Sullivan’s Little People were highly commended and will be considered for publication.

The CAL Scribe Fiction Prize for writers over 35 attracted 534 entrants, with the eldest born in 1919 (90 years old), while 22 entrants were born in the 1920s and 64 in the 1930s. The standard was very high and it was a tough task to narrow the longlist down to just three manuscripts and then to choose a winner. Aviva Tuffield, Fiction Acquisitions Editor at Scribe, says: ‘The judging process was quite lengthy and the judges admired all of the ten longlisted manuscripts.’

The Scribe Fiction Prize will be run again this year, with entries opening in a couple of months. Watch our website (http://www.scribepublications.com.au/prize ) for more details.

10th Davitt Awards to be presented by Val McDermid

Karen — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 02:28:45 +0300

In great news from the Sisters in Crime Convenors - Val McDermid is to present the 10th Davitt Awards - 7pm Saturday August 28, Celtic Club Melbourne. Put it in your diary now. Bookings will open in June.

I think I will need a Master Class in not being a blithering idiot in the presence of such an influential and important author!

Sisters in Crime - Young by Name...Criminal by Intent!

Karen — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 03:32:21 +0300

Start: 12/03/2010 - 6:30pm

End: 12/03/2010 - 10:30pm

Timezone:

Sisters in crime:8pm Friday March 12, 2010

Young by Name...Criminal by Intent!

Lindy Cameron interrogates two Young crime writers with books out March:

Felicity Young (all the way from WA)

Take Out is Felicity Young’s fourth crime novel and the third to feature the intrepid DSS Stevie Hooper of the Perth Police Department. This time round, when Stevie steps into the empty Pavel house and someone else’s jurisdiction, she upsets more than the ego of a struggling suburban cop. Take Out is based on extensive research into human trafficking and slavery in Australia.

In 1990 Felicity and her family were ‘run out’ of the conservative Perth suburb of Peppermint Grove for having sheep in their garden. Many of the villains in Take Out live in Peppermint Grove. Felicity now lives in Gidgegannup where, when she’s not fighting bushfires, she looks after sheep and rears orphan kangaroos.

Helene Young (all the way from Far North Queensland)

Border Watch, Helene Young’s debut novel, is a “thrilling, romantic suspense” set in in the tropical far north where
Captain Morgan Pentland flies a Border Watch aircraft on surveillance missions over the vast Australian coastline. When

Morgan and hostile customs agent Rafe Daniels uncover a terrorist plot to destroy the Sydney Opera House, they are forced to co-operate as they only have 19 frantic days to prevent carnage….

Helene Young lives in FNQ where she works as a pilot with a major regional airline. The idea for Border Watch started one morning when she discovered a body washed up on the beach.

$5/$10 (non-members/conc) 10% discount from Benn’s Books stall. Dinner from 6.30pm. No need to book for dinner or event.

Bell’s Hotel, 157 Moray St., South Melbourne (cnr Coventry). Mel 57, G1. Try 112, 55 or St Kilda Road trams. Free on-street parking after 6pm.

Currently Reading - Confessions of a Crooked Cop, Sean Padraic as told by Trevor Haken

Karen — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 03:24:57 +0300

I'm finding this book quite interesting, Underbelly 3 connections or whatever else aside, mostly because it comes out of New South Wales, and the time of the Wood Royal Commission into Police Corruption etc to which, at the time, I paid scant if any attention whatsoever (who many times do you find yourself reading a book about something from your teenage / young adult years thinking... where was I when this all happened... oh that's right. Partying. Hard).

From the Blurb:

Detective Sergeant Trevor Haken was one of the infamous Golden Mile's most crooked cops. Now he lives in hiding, in a hell of his own creation.

Graduating from small bribes to stealing money and receiving kickbacks from drug dealers, Haken became an informant for the Wood Royal Commission into corruption in the New South Wales Police Service. The Commissioner's findings sent shockwaves through the police force and beyond, resulting in the dismissal and resignation of many officers, and the reorganisation of policing in the state.

Opening Lines:

Prologue: As an independent politician, John Hatton spoke out about police corruption in New South Wales. He had a reputation for honesty, and people with stories to tell knew that he would hear them out.

Currently Reading - The Gigolo Murder, Mehmet Murat Somer

Karen — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 01:00:45 +0300

THE GIGOLO MURDER is the third Hop-Çiki-Yaya series of books from Turkish author Mehmet Murat Somer. For anybody who has missed the earlier books this is a series about an unnamed (in the books) computer expert, night-club owning, transvestite. Not just hilarous, these books give a delicious glimpse into another world.

From the Blurb:

Devastated by a break-up, our unnamed Turkish tranvestite heroine swaps her catsuit for pyjamas and becomes a recluse. But her friends refuse to let her waste away in self-pity and drag her out to make up the numbers for a party. ... At the soirée, she becomes entranced with a powerful married man, but it seems unlikely their paths will cross again. Until a body is found ...

Opening Lines:

Superhandsome Haluk was pale when he returned. Even in the dimly lit room, it was clear the colour had drained from his face.

SKIN AND BONES - Tom Bale

Karen — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 04:01:34 +0300

Cover Image

Author

Tom Bale

Publisher

Preface Publishing

Copyright

2010

ISBN

978-1-84809-073-6

No of Pages

438

Price

Book Synopsis

On a cold January morning, a nightmare awaits in a small Sussex village. A deranged young man goes on the rampage, shooting everyone in his path before taking his own life. It is a senseless, tragic event, but sadly not an unfamiliar one. At least, that's what everyone thinks.

Book Review

Tom Bale, it seems, is a pseudonym for David Harrison who wrote SINS OF THE FATHER in 2006, which goes some way to explaining the deftness of touch in this crime fiction thriller. It may also go some way to explaining how the author has managed to install an almost cinematic feel to the action.

In an opening series of scenes that, frankly, were so chilling that they disturbed this reader, everything starts out very quietly one very cold January morning in the sleepy English village of Chilton. Julia Trent's in town to continue clearing out the house of her recently deceased parents - a dreadful accident with a malfunctioning boiler, they both died in their sleep. A glance to the left that cold morning, and Julia is involved. Closely pursued by a deranged young man, who has already shot everyone in his path on that quiet January morning, she's running away from a man who is taunting her, enjoying her terror. Saved once when Phillip Walker, already wounded, sacrifices himself, she thinks she might be saved again when a lone figure in a motorcycle helmet and leathers approaches the man on the village green. She quickly finds out she was very very wrong.

Julia - not a spoiler - she's one of the central characters in the novel after all, survives, albeit after being badly injured. But her story of the second man is dismissed as the panic, the fright, delusion on her part. Nobody else in Chilton, (because there were other people who survived in hiding, traumatised themselves), reported seeing the second man. The only person who believes her is Craig, Phillip Walker's son. Craig has had his own problems in recent life with a marriage that is strained to breaking point already by his wife's infidelity, so the pointless, tragic death of his father, in an act of selfless bravery saving Julia, is a turning point for him. Both Julia and Craig have to find this second man, because they know he was there, and because they know he wants Julia, in particular, to stay silent.

This is a book that says quite a bit about manipulation, control and influence. The terror that Julia experiences is beautifully executed by this author, the flight, the pursuit and the ultimate confusion over the appearance of the second man. "The killer" as he's referred to makes that fleeting appearance in the first part of the book, but his presence is felt throughout, his identity hidden as he slowly reveals himself, talking to his own controller, watching Julia and Craig, alternatively menacing and yet, there's something else about him as well. There's also the developer George Matheson - a man who has been trying to redevelop the little village, a proposal that Craig's father Phillip was vehemently opposed to. George is, in his own right, a fascinating character. At the same time that the massacre occurs, and he and his nephew Toby are talking about how to redevelop Chilton, George's wife Vanessa is dying from cancer. George seems to be genuinely distressed by the events that took place in Chilton, and yet there is the possibility that he is somehow involved.

There are some elements to SKIN AND BONES that don't work quite as well though. The anonymous "killer" scenes in which he reveals his thinking, his manipulating, and his own puppet-master are predictable although well written, and I would suspect that readers will be able to make a reasonable stab at the anonymous killer's identity. Stay with it though, as all is not as it seems, and there are some surprises to come. It does feel very wrong to be using a word like enjoyed about a book that starts out with a shooting massacre. I did enjoy it though, this is a really good crime fiction book with well executed thriller aspects, and a couple of central characters in Julia and Craig who you really are going to want the best for.