Reviewed by Rod McLary Even though this is the author’s second book [his debut novel was Twelve Secrets] I had not previously heard of him. As the novel’s title is Eleven Liars and the previous one is called Twelve Secrets, there is more than a suggestion that we are at the beginning of a series
Reviewed by Ian Lipke Simply Lies is an uncomplicated title that describes more than adequately the latest yarn by David Baldacci. The characters create a mindset in which to tell a lie and then maintain it with the simplicity of truth. One chapter begins with a character introduced as Arlene Robinson. She is most plausible
Reviewed by Ian Lipke Juan Gómez-Jurado is a new writer to my stable. I was impressed. The publisher has made a feature of the fact that the writer is new and exciting, a practice that makes me look askance at the claims for the merits of the book. In this case, however, the inflated descriptions
Reviewed by Patricia Simms Reeve This is a first novel by Joanna Jenkins, herself a partner in an international law firm before deciding to write full-time. Her experience has given this thriller a marked ring of authenticity as she recounts the stresses and demands of a large, successful firm that is driven to acquire lucrative
Reviewed by Gail McDonald The author of Crows Nest, Nikki Mottram, studied psychology at the University of Queensland and worked in London and Australia in positions protecting and promoting the welfare of children at risk of harm. In this, her debut novel, she draws on her knowledge and experience in child protection to promote a
Reviewed by Ian Lipke Fitzhugh is dead, poisoned. The Hollywood socialite who, with his wife Eliza Lane, has been hosting a party in Uptown Hollywood. They were true A-listers, the most glamorous of society’s darlings. The crowd had gathered to hear Eliza sing, Brant had proposed a toast to his wife, and dropped in his
Reviewed by Rod McLary The title and cover of this second book by Dinuka McKenzie provides a strong clue to its story – the book’s title is superimposed on an image of a cot empty apart from an abandoned toy bear. What else can be meant but a stolen baby. However, this is not just
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke This book is the first to be published by Ana Reyes and has developed from the thesis for her M.F.A. program at Louisiana State University. The book became Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club January 2023 choice. An industry review says that this book is ‘powerfully eerie and atmospheric. A compelling mix of
Reviewed by Rod McLary Australia seems to have a fine collection of crime writers – Jane Harper, Chris Hammer, Emma Viskic just to name a few – and we can now add S.R. White. One of the common features of these writers, apart from their talent, is that their novels are firmly immersed in the
Reviewed by Rod McLary ‘Headcase’ is defined by the Urban Dictionary as ‘a crazy, nutty, eccentric person’. Readers of the Hangman series by Jack Heath and are familiar with the series’ protagonist Timothy Blake would immediately agree that word perfectly describes him. However, the single use of ‘headcase’ in the novel appears almost at the
Reviewed by Rod McLary Surprisingly – at least to this reviewer – there are dozens of female detectives in literature. Some who come immediately to mind include Jane Marple, Nancy Drew, Lisbeth Salander [the girl with the dragon tattoo] and Precious Ramotswe from The No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, but there are many others. And
Reviewed by Rod McLary In 1990, Patricia Cornwell in her first book Postmortem introduced the world to Dr Kay Scarpetta – a forensic pathologist. Thirty-two years later, Dr Scarpetta appears in the 26th book featuring her along with her [now] husband Benton Wesley, her investigator Pete Marino, her niece Lucy and her sister Dorothy with
Reviewed by Gerard Healy This is a racehorse-centred crime novel by Felix Francis, younger son of Dick Francis, the late great exponent of horse-racing mysteries. The central character is Sid Halley, retired champion jockey and investigator of racecourse intrigues. He was a character in four of Dick’s novels, starting with Odds Against (1965) and the
Reviewed by Ian Lipke John Grisham cannot help himself. No sooner has one legal thriller been dispensed with than he is into another. His latest, The Boys from Biloxi, is not to be taken too seriously but is a story of good versus villainous in the context of something called justice. Biloxi is pitched as
Reviewed by Gerard Healy This is a cracking crime novel from Ann Cleeves featuring her sharp but down-to-earth Inspector Vera Stanhope. It is the tenth Vera novel that Cleeves has written. This story involves a group of friends, who bonded over a weekend retreat on an island, near the end of their secondary school days.