AustCrimeFiction - Crime Fiction from Australia, New Zealand and everywhere

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.

Irina Dunn talks to Peter Corris at Balmain Library

Karen — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 05:30:30 +0300

Start: 13/04/2010 - 6:30pm

End: 13/04/2010 - 7:30pm

Timezone:

Peter Corris' first novel was published in 1980 and he has been credited with reviving the fully-fledged Australian crime novel with local settings and reference points and with a series character firmly rooted in Australian culture — Cliff Hardy.

Peter has recently released two new novels, Wishart’s Quest (Press On 2010), and another in the Cliff Hardy series, Torn Apart (Allen & Unwin 2010).

Here’s what’s being said about both titles.

Wishart’s Quest

Wishart’s Quest is Peter Corris’ sixty-second work of fiction. In a New England country town, academic Tom Wishart is struck by an
amateur painting in the local art gallery. It looks just like him. Wishart is a foundling who knows nothing about his parents. This uncanny resemblance sets him on a quest to discover his origins. As the search reaches back in time, the turbulent, shadowy lives of Paul Bushell, son of the squattocracy and disgraced Vietnam deserter, and Diana Saunders, vanished Aboriginal sportswoman, come into view and are played out. Could these be his parents? How and why was he abandoned? The trail leads to Sydney, Vietnam, Manila and Hong Kong, until the answers are found in a isolated place in the Blue Mountains. Corris's portrayals of Australia stand out uniquely – forceful, hard–driven, compassionate. – James Ellroy

Peter Corris is undoubtedly one of Australia’s top storytellers. - Sunday Mail

Torn Apart

Corris’s writing has developed into a clear, efficient medium. It doesn’t draw attention to itself. It knows the requirements of the genre. He isn’t moaning along with Ian Rankin and Robert Harris that crime writing is not taken seriously as High Art. Crime fiction is not High Art. It is entertainment, and Corris is an accomplished and compelling entertainer…

He has captured a particular ambience of both inner city and rich suburban Sydney and made it his own, a familiar, expected and welcome milieu. He has done for Sydney what Raymond Chandler and Robert Crais have done for Los Angeles, Ross Macdonald for Santa Barbara, and Robert B. Parker for Boston. It is easy to underestimate the creative skill here. Yes, those environments exist. The skill lies in evoking what is characteristic, defining, memorable, in the selection and emphasis. — Michael Wilding

Corris is a tried and true crime writer. Until you’ve read the Cliff Hardy series, you can’t call yourself an aficionado of Aussie detective fiction. – The Age

You can contact Peter Corris via his website http://www.petercorris.net

Irina will be interviewing Peter at

Leichhardt Library
23 Norton Street (in the Forum) Leichhardt
6.30pm, Thursday 4 March 2010
No entry fee. Light refreshments will be served
Wishart’s Quest (exclusive limited edition) and Torn Apart (Allen &
Unwin 2010) will be available for purchase at this event.

If you wish to attend this event, please RSVP to Irina Dunn on irinadid@ozemail.com.au.

And again at
Balmain Library
370 Darling Street Balmain
6.30pm, Tuesday 13 April 2010

No entry fee. Light refreshments will be served
Wishart’s Quest (exclusive limited edition) and Torn Apart (Allen & Unwin 2010) will be available for purchase at this event.

If you wish to attend this event, please RSVP to Irina Dunn on irinadid@ozemail.com.au.

Irina Dunn talks to Peter Corris at Leichhardt Library

Karen — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 05:28:22 +0300

Start: 04/03/2010 - 6:30pm

End: 04/03/2010 - 7:30pm

Timezone:

Peter has recently released two new novels, Wishart’s Quest (Press On 2010), and another in the Cliff Hardy series, Torn Apart (Allen & Unwin 2010).

Here’s what’s being said about both titles.

Wishart’s Quest

Peter Corris is undoubtedly one of Australia’s top storytellers. - Sunday Mail

Torn Apart

Corris is a tried and true crime writer. Until you’ve read the Cliff Hardy series, you can’t call yourself an aficionado of Aussie detective fiction. – The Age

You can contact Peter Corris via his website http://www.petercorris.net

Irina will be interviewing Peter at

If you wish to attend this event, please RSVP to Irina Dunn on irinadid@ozemail.com.au.

And again at
Balmain Library
370 Darling Street Balmain
6.30pm, Tuesday 13 April 2010

No entry fee. Light refreshments will be served
Wishart’s Quest (exclusive limited edition) and Torn Apart (Allen & Unwin 2010) will be available for purchase at this event.

If you wish to attend this event, please RSVP to Irina Dunn on irinadid@ozemail.com.au.

Hook a Publisher with a Great Proposal

Karen — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 01:52:56 +0300

Weekend Masterclass: Getting your book published requires more than great writing – you also need to know how the publishing world works and how to attract a suitable publisher with a convincing book proposal. Discover how to research your book’s potential market; sell yourself as well as your writing; where editors, appraisers and agents fit in; and what you need to know about contracts and copyright. This masterclass is suitable for those who have started drafting a proposal for their book project and want to refine it through workshopping and tutor feedback. To be eligible, please submit a one-page CV demonstrating previous published work plus a half page manuscript synopsis. Submissions close 8 February.
Email program@vwc.org.au For full details visit http://vwc.org.au/what-s-on

Kind Regards

Mary Napier
VWC Program Manager
(available Tuesdays to Fridays 10am-4pm)
Ph. 03 90947840
Fax. 03 9650 8010

NEW RELEASE - Thrill City, Leigh Redhead

Karen — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 05:23:14 +0300

Start: 01/06/2010 - 9:00pm

End: 01/06/2010 - 9:59pm

Timezone:

Let's hear a collective YOO HOOOO:

Thrill City is due for release in June this year!

Simone Kirsch, sometime stripper, sleuth and bad girl has finally opened her detective agency when crime writer Nick Austin walks through the door. He’s offering top dollar just to follow her around for a few days as background research for his next novel. It’s a sweet gig, until Nick, his ex-wife and her new lover all appear on the same panel at a writer’s festival. The next day Nick’s ex is found brutally murdered and he disappears, leaving Simone with more trouble than she can handle. As she fights to uncover the truth she encounters embittered authors, violent bikies, amoral investment bankers and a meth-crazed psycho with literary ambitions - all the while juggling her pregnant, hormonal, sidekick; a cop-boyfriend who wants her to stop stripping; and a bad case of the hots for Alex: his soon-to-be-married best-friend.

DEVIL'S TEARS, THE - Steven Horne

Karen — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 04:06:53 +0300

Cover Image

Author

Steven Horne

Publisher

Pan MacMillan Australia

Copyright

2010

ISBN

978-1-4050-4006-8

No of Pages

334

Price

Book Synopsis

1975: When bloody war ravages his beloved Portuguese Timor, Cesar da Silva flees with his wife and children from a country in flames. But in their desperate bid for freedom, amidst the chaos and devastation, Cesar's young family becomes separated. Believing his wife and two daughters dead, Cesar finds passage to the Portugal of his heritage and later to Australia. ...

1997: More than twenty years later, a young Australian journalist and her photographer are drawn to the killing fields of Timor and discover the terrible suffering of the Timorese people at the hands of a brutal foreign invader.

Book Review

THE DEVIL'S TEARS is the debut thriller from ex Army Officer Steven Horne, as well as the first fictional book I've read set in Timor-Leste. There's an excellent Author's Note at the end of the book that gives a potted history of the struggle in East Timor for those not so familiar with the story.

Knowing that the events described in this book are fictional, but undoubtedly based in the truth of what happened in that small country, so close to our own, ignored by the world for so long, is profoundly distressing. In a quite remarkable balancing act, Steven Horne has avoided a number of potential pitfalls and created a really good thriller, peopled with wonderful characters, maintaining a good pace, with a very engaging story at the centre. There are undoubtedly bad people in this book, in this story, but they aren't overdone. Instead he concentrates on the appalling acts, the brave acts, the sheer tenacity and spirit that makes people triumph over dreadful circumstances.

In another very clever touch, the length of the struggle of the people of East Timor is artfully demonstrated as a doctor is killed in a small village in the hills of East Timor, at the same time that his young daughter Abbey is playing with her two best friends in Australia. That daughter grows up, and with those childhood friends, become involved in the struggle in their own way - as journalist, photographer and publisher. The introduction of the doctor, coincides the introduction of Cesar and Helena da Silva and their three daughters, and it is their struggle to flee the country that we become intimately involved with. Cesar and one of their twin daughters make it out eventually, Helena and the other two girls are trapped. Helena and the girls treatment in East Timor is particularly gruelling to follow. Cesar and his daughter make it to Australia, but their guilt, and worry and not knowing what happened to the others destroys their lives in other ways.

There is a plot within THE DEVIL'S TEARS that interweaves the lives and stories of Abbey and her friends, Cesar, Helena and the girls and the ongoing freedom fight of the East Timorese. Whilst Abbey and David put themselves dangerously on the line in East Timor to report and record the truth, the daily struggle for survival of Helena and family is just as tense, just as frightening. The threat for both comes from particular groups of invading soldiers, and this, as well as the connections between both groups, give the story a tight, personal, very very personal feeling to the tension.

It's not particularly easy to read THE DEVIL'S TEARS, and that undoubtedly comes from the knowledge that events very very like these happened not so far from our own borders. But ultimately, this is a fictional book, a thriller. Does it work in that context? Absolutely. This is a great thriller, telling a good solid story, creating tension, making the reader ride the roller coaster with a good set of believable, sympathetic, brave and characters.

Currently Reading - Skin and Bones, Tom Bale

Karen — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 02:23:17 +0300

If you're a fan of ripper opening's to books then SKIN AND BONE could be just the thing for you. Certainly got me sitting up straight and paying attention.

From the Blurb:

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.

Opening Lines:

A glance to her left was all it took. A simple glance as she pushed open the door to the village shop. If she had kept her eyes straight ahead, or looked to the right instead, she might never have become involved. She might have been spared.

Sisters in Crime author Goldie Alexander on The Crime Couch ABC Radio

Karen — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 09:58:33 +0300

Start: 02/02/2010 - 7:30pm

Timezone:

Talking about the challenges of writing crime for 'tweens (8-11). With Derek Guille and Rochelle Jackson.

Note - please adjust for time difference if you're not on Eastern Summer Time (Melbourne time)

Listen on your radio or on line:

http://www.abc.net.au/melbourne/radio/

MAKING OF JULIA GILLARD, THE - Jacqueline Kent

Karen — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 13:09:36 +0300

Cover Image

Author

Jacqueline Kent

Publisher

Penguin Viking

Copyright

2009

ISBN

978-0-470-07319-1

No of Pages

325

Price

Book Synopsis

Julia Gillard is an exceptional Australian political figure. The first woman to be deputy prime minister - and tipped by many to get the top job in the future - she is admired on both sides of politics as well as by the public.

Book Review

I do like the occasional political biography, particularly when the subject matter is somebody that is admirable or interesting - regardless of your political persuasion. As far as I'm concerned, regardless of your political persuasion, Julia Gillard's rise to Deputy Prime Minister in Australia - the first woman to take that position (why it has to have taken that long ... well that's another subject), is worthy of at the very least understanding.

A good biography has to tell something about the subject - and give the reader some insight into their life, their achievements, as well as provide some indication of the elements that make that person up, make them do whatever it is that they do, achieve whatever it is that they achieve.

THE MAKING OF JULIA GILLARD is a book that sheds light on Julia Gillard the person - whether or not that is because her personal persona is somewhat lower profile than other politicians, or whether I just haven't been paying attention. There is insight into her background, the thinking that formed her attitudes and perceptions, the way that she has chosen and continues to choose to lead both her life and her politics.

I really enjoyed this book. Learnt something about the person, learnt something about the process. Learnt a lot about the political system.

COLD JUSTICE - Katherine Howell

Karen — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 08:42:10 +0300

Cover Image

Author

Katherine Howell

Publisher

Pan MacMillan Australia

Copyright

2010

ISBN

978-1-4050-3927-7

No of Pages

329

Price

Book Synopsis

The past haunts the present...

Nineteen years ago teenager Georgie Daniels stumbled across the body of her classmate, Tim Pieters, hidden amongst bushes. His family was devastated and the killer never found.

Political pressure sees the murder investigation reopened and Detective Ella Marconi assigned to the case.

Book Review

It's nearly impossible for a reader to understand what it must be like to write a series of books, based around the same characters. All we can do is be extremely grateful that writers like Katherine Howell can do it, book after book, maintaining the same high standard, giving us new stories, and new situations for the characters to appear in, keeping the series fresh and interesting all the time.

Following on from FRANTIC and THE DARKEST HOUR, the third book COLD JUSTICE again simply does not miss a beat. Part of the reason that these books are so good is the shifting viewpoint. Not only does the author use her paramedic / ambulance officer background to great effect, writing characters from within that world, she combines them with a good, solid, interesting police cast, concentrating on a central character - Detective Ella Marconi. This switching perspective gives the stories some real depth, although, in COLD JUSTICE, the formula is twisted slightly again. Georgie Daniels is a paramedic with current day work problems, and a teenage connection back to the murder of a classmate. Nineteen years ago she discovered the body of Tim Pieters hidden amongst bushes. His family was devastated and Georgie's own friendship with Freya destroyed overnight. All these years later, having problems with an out of control boss, she's transferred to a new ambulance station and finds herself working with (and being assessed by) her old school friend Freya. At the same time the investigation into the death of Tim Pieters is reopened and Ella Marconi has nowhere else to start but with the person who discovered his body, his friends at school and his family members.

There's some really good balancing of all of the elements in this story - Marconi has a work life, and a personal life, and they coincide and collide realistically. Whilst everything in her life isn't perfect, it's also not so imperfect that it's unbelievable (although I'd kill any boyfriend who taught my mother how to send text messages like that!). Georgie and Freya have their own lives as well - Georgie and her husband, away from their beloved country home and animals, Freya with kids and a husband she loves no matter what sort of a twit he can make of herself. Both women have a demanding work life, and a not straight-forward private life and the complications of their teenage friendship, the murder of Tim and how they went their separate ways creates a prickliness between them which really works. On the victim's side the damage that was done to Tim's family as a result of his murder is carefully displayed - the pain and struggle of his mother Tamara in particular is graphic.

The final balancing act, however, is to give a good cast of characters a great plot to work within. Resolving a cold case from so long ago isn't an easy task for Marconi, but persistence, focus, good sixth sense, and a willingness to put reluctance aside and work with the less than ideal partner that is assigned to her, and eventually the truth is revealed.

COLD JUSTICE is a terrific book. It would work as a standalone, or it works as part of the continuing story of Ella Marconi. It works as a character study, or as a plot driven police procedural. Basically it just works. Really really really well.

Currently Reading - The Devil's Tears, Steven Horne

Karen — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 06:50:26 +0300

A new book, about a place which is simultaneously very dear to many many Australian's, whilst also being a source of regret and guilt, The Devil's Tears was really intriguing when it first arrived. And it's one of those books that is keeping me awake nights. For two reasons - the subject matter built around the struggle in East Timor is extremely confrontational and Horne doesn't pull many punches. The second reason is that the book is really really hard to put down.

From the Blurb:

1975: When bloody war ravages his beloved Portuguese Timor, Cesar de Silva flees with his wife and children from a country in flames. ...

Opening Lines:

A shrill cry echoed from the dark mouth of the cave. Outside, the three young girls huddled closer together.

Trailer - The Devil's Tears, Steven Horne

Karen — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 06:41:43 +0300

The Book Trailer for The Devil's Tears is now out:

TAKE OUT - Felicity Young

Karen — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 07:51:02 +0300

Cover Image

Author

Felicity Young

Publisher

Fremantle Arts Press

Copyright

2010

ISBN

9781921361838

No of Pages

314

Price

Book Synopsis

You take my girls and I take you: Skin for Skin

A deserted house. The remains of an unfinished meal. An unexpected find. And a routine police investigation going nowhere.

Book Review

Fremantle Press have just released the third DSS Stevie Hooper book by WA based writer Felicity Young, TAKE OUT, following on from HARUM SCARUM and AN EASEFUL DEATH.

Starting off with a prologue that is obviously telegraphing something awful in the future of Mai, a young Asian girl, the action moves to Perth. Stevie is working in the Sex Crimes unit, but it's in her capacity as friend that she steps into the strangely deserted Pavel house that morning. The house is luxurious, big, beautiful, yet it's contents are sparse, scruffy, untidy. The remains of an unfinished meal are on the table, and in one of the back rooms, a young child has been deserted - alive, but strangely it seems he has been fed and looked after until only recently. For days after his parents have both just vanished.

The only reason the baby is discovered in time is because Stevie knows Skye - a young visiting nurse, who has been alerted to something wrong at the Pavel house by one of their neighbours. Unfortunately that elderly neighbour has had a severe stroke affecting her speech patterns, which makes them garbled and nonsensical. A simple disappearance isn't really a case for a DSS in the Sex Crimes squad, and the local police are keen to move her out of the way when they show up, but Stevie's not one that's easily distracted and there are things at this crime scene that don't quite add up. Mind you, Stevie would do well to leave it alone, especially as she and partner Monty are up to their elbows in house renovations, and he's about to undergo major heart surgery.

When the investigation into the father's background quickly reveals a very sinister connection to human trafficking and sexual enslavement Stevie's concern is vindicated and despite worrying about Monty, their house, her daughter, Skye, and her own safety, finds herself ultimately on the trail of a shadowy Madam and her son.

The subject matter of TAKE OUT is sleazy and unpleasant, but it is handled carefully. The sexual exploitation of young people (in this case female) is difficult to comprehend and TAKE OUT makes it that more difficult by letting the reader get to really know one of the (now) women - Mai. Along with Mai's story, and the disappearance of the Pavel husband and wife, there are a number of other lesser, but connected threads, and there is a sprinkling of personal stories - triumphs and sadness as well.

TAKE OUT has a busy plot, but the focus remains on a number of aspects of enforced prostitution, making the novel possibly quite challenging for some readers. There is a very strong concentration on the victims of the sexual exploitation - working on making them human, real people that can be sympathised with. Combine that with Stevie, her work colleagues, her personal life and the increasing complications in both and it does mean that the villains of the piece are little more than bit players for quite a bit of the book. The perpetrators, whilst eventually identified, remain shadowy, almost strangely incidental and there's little if no explanation of the inexplicable attempted - which may intrigue some readers and frustrate others. TAKE OUT does, however, balance the personal angst and professional responsibilities of Stevie a lot better than in the earlier novels, and the complexity of the plot is handled well, believably and with sensitivity. TAKE OUT really does take on a difficult subject with sensitivity and insight, making the victims a point of focus, delivering a realistic (and therefore not all neatly wrapped up and sealed off) resolution. For added measure, there's a bit of a kick in the tail at the end of the book as well. For this reader at least, that alone went miles towards demonstrating why some things remain utterly inexplicable.

TOURIST, THE - Olen Steinhauer

Karen — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 06:14:45 +0300

Cover Image

Author

Olen Steinhauer

Publisher

Harper Collins

Copyright

2009

ISBN

978-0-00-729678-1

No of Pages

408

Price

Book Synopsis

In the global age of the CIA, there are hotspots everywhere. And whenever there's trouble, there's a Tourist: the men and women who do the dirty work. They're the Company's best agents - and Milo Weaver was the best of them all.

Book Review

After five, multi-award nominated crime fiction novels, Hungary based, American born novelist Olen Steinhauer has turned his hand to contemporary espionage in THE TOURIST.

The action in this book centres around Milo Weaver - CIA Agent, Tourist, father and husband. Starting out in 2001, Milo, nursing a serious pill-popping addiction and a strong desire to suicide in the line of duty, is in the middle of a botched attempt to stop a hitman. Flash forward 7 years and Milo's got a wife, a child, and a personal interest in tracking down the hitman behind that nearly fatal, and life changing encounter. Out of active duty and in a desk job since then, Milo wasn't expecting the "Tiger" to hand himself over voluntarily. A deathbed conversation with the Tiger turns Milo's perceptions upside down, and set him on a path unexpected.

There are a number of elements in THE TOURIST that stand out. Milo, as a highly flawed, complicated central character in what is after all, an espionage novel, seems very realistic. A man with faults and flaws, he is poignantly aware of his own limitations - particularly when it comes to the ease with which he lives his professional life, compared to the way that he handles the personal. Obviously the situations in which he finds himself are not those which the average person is going to have to deal with, so a certain suspension of disbelief is going to be required on the part of the reader. There are some downsides to this characterisation however, the most notable one being the difficulty of focusing a great sense of moral and personal outrage, when the enemy is a little closer to home than would normally be the case. THE TOURIST gets into interesting territory in this area, a direction I found quite fascinating, but then I prefer the enemy to be less than straightforward. There's also a good sense of pace, with a nice sprinkling of rushing around, without it being too over the top. Mostly, however, there is a very elegant balancing of the tension, and the threat with some nice touches of reality, delivered with some very tongue in cheek humour. (What would be more hairy for your average burnt-out, long term spy - an encounter with a shadowy enemy or Disneyworld. Still can't decide!)

Where THE TOURIST may be slightly less satisfying for some readers is in the area of plot, where things are very busy. Lots of things happen, lots of characters (good and bad) come and go, and there's some question marks frequently on whether or not everything is / could / needs to be connected. Other readers may appreciate exactly this aspect. A spies life doesn't seem like one that would be tidy and neat, with one job wrapped up nicely and the paperwork done, before the next bad situation comes along. I liked the approach, and I particularly liked the way that Milo often had no idea what was happening, as well as me!

The element that ticked the biggest box for me, and the one that made THE TOURIST an interesting book was the portrayal of the mindsets of officialdom. Alongside the concept of the enemy within, perhaps more prevalent than an external threat, this gave considerable pause for thought.

Currently Reading - Cold Justice, Katherine Howell

Karen — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:43:30 +0300

Some days life just doesn't get much better than this - a new book from a favourite author, and after one night's reading - a really good book :)

From the Blurb:

The past haunts the present...

Nineteen years ago teenager Georgie Daniels stumbled across the body of her classmate, Tim Pieters, hidden amongst bushes. His family was devastated and the killer never found.

Opening Lines:

'There's not much to it,' Station Officer Ken Butterworth said. 'Plant room, muster room, lounge through there, little kitchen off the side. Locker room and bathrooms along this way, and here's your locker key.'

Currently Reading - Take Out, Felicity Young

Karen — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 13:53:54 +0300

TAKE OUT is the third DS Stevie Hooper book by WA based author Felicity Young, the blurb on the back from Carmel Shure, co-convenor of the Sisters in Crime Australia is "Another skin-tight DSS Stevie Hooper investigation". And Carmel's a lady who knows her crime fiction.

From the Blurb:

You take my girls and I take you: Skin for Skin

A deserted house. The remains of an unfinished meal. An unexpected find. And a routine police investigation going nowhere.

Opening Lines:

The dead cycad might look like a rusty buzz-saw in a pot, Stevie thought, but it was hardly a portent for disaster.

Trailer - Cold Justice, Katherine Howell

Karen — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 04:06:51 +0300

The Book Trailer for Cold Justice has now been released:

The Dark Side

sunniefromoz — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 04:59:37 +0300

Cover Image

Author

Roger Rogerson

Publisher

Kerr Publishing

Copyright

2009

ISBN

9780958128315 (pbk.)

No of Pages

224

Price

$24.95

Book Synopsis

Roger Rogerson is probably one of Australia's best known and notorious police officers. Presented with a medal for his services to the police force in 1980, just a few short years later he found himself facing charges of corruption and attempted murder which despite acquittal, ended his career in the police force.

THE DARK SIDE is Rogerson's own version of events. Not surprisingly it doesn't dwell on the events that made him a house-hold name. He focuses more on cases he worked on over his long career in the police force.

Book Review

Reading the autobiography of someone who has become notorious for whatever reason is always a little difficult; especially if there has been past misdeeds or alleged crimes. Just how much of the truth are you really getting? After all you're only getting their side of the story and there's nothing in the way of critical analysis of that story.

I doubt that Rogerson was telling "the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth." There is little or no mention about the events that made him so notorious although his accounts of cases he worked on are interesting enough. You get the picture of what would be called an old time traditional detective who isn't averse to bending the rules to achieve and outcome. Just how far those rules were bent is left to the individual to decide.

MYSTERY, MURDER AND MOTIVE: WRITING CRIME FICTION with Jean Bedford

Karen — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 12:07:43 +0300

Start: 28/03/2010 - 10:00am

Timezone:

MYSTERY, MURDER AND MOTIVE: WRITING CRIME FICTION
With Jean Bedford (10BEDF3)
Sunday 28 March, 10am – 4pm

Full Price: $140
Member (30% disc) $100
Conc Member (40% disc) $85

Fancy yourself a detective? Challenge your readers with insoluble crimes. Bamboozle them with red herrings. Drop clues, follow suspects, create a startling denouement, all with multi-published Australian crime writer and UTS lecturer Jean Bedford.

A one-day workshop on the principles and practice of writing crime fiction. We will discuss the history and context of crime fiction and the structural, thematic and stylistic characteristics of the genre. Participants will produce several short pieces that can be put together to make a crime story and these will be workshopped during the afternoon.

Expected Learning Outcomes
To understand and be able to write in the conventions of crime fiction.

Level: All levels

Student Requirements:
Food: Tea and coffee making facilities will be provided. Course participants are advised to bring their own lunch.
Size: 15 max

JEAN BEDFORD is the author of the short-story collections Country Girl Again, and Colouring In (with Rosemary Creswell), the novels Sister Kate, A Lease of Summer, Love Child, If With a Beating Heart, Now You See Me, and three detective novels. She has edited several short story and essay collections and been the judge of major literary awards. She has been a journalist and a publisher’s editor and has taught creative writing for many years. She teaches Creative Writing at the University of Technology, Sydney.

For bookings / more details please contact:

The NSW Writers Centre
PO Box 1056, Rozelle NSW 2039

Phone: (02) 9555 9757

Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au

Website: www.nswwriterscentre.org.au

Monday - Saturday 9am-5pm

Dark Mirror

sunniefromoz — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 08:51:27 +0300

Cover Image

Author

Barry Maitland

Publisher

Allen and Unwin

Copyright

2009

ISBN

9781741757415

No of Pages

364

Price

$32.99

Book Synopsis

Marion Summers, a university student dies one day in a library. When an autopsy reveals she died from arsenic poisoning DI Kathy Kolla and DCI David Brock are called in.

Marion's life is a mystery. No one seems to know her well at all. She has moved from her last known address and none of the people the detectives talk to seem to know where she went.

Marion was doing research into the lives of the pre-Raphaelites in which arsenic figured quite heavily. Before they can find out who murdered Marion, Brock and Kolla have to first find out about the woman herself, which proves no easy task

Book Review

DARK MIRROR is a first rate police procedural. The author plays fair with the reader. The clues are all there, it's up to you to sort out which are red herrings and which are genuine. He also strikes a nice balanace between the private lives of the characters and their work.

A good police procedural is one of my favourite types of books. If it's done properly it keeps you reading compulsively to find out if your theory is correct. I did manage to figure it out in the end, but not before I ran trough a number of suspects and changed my mind several times.

If police procedurals are you thing then DARK MIRROR is one you should have on your bookshelf.

DARK MIRROR is the tenth book in the Brock and Kolla series.