Reviewed by Clare Brook Writers are advised to begin a work with a strong ‘hook’ – an intriguing sentence designed to incite reader curiosity. Sarah Bluett has managed to do this in the title of her debut novel, The Other Side of Death, who among us would not want a peek behind that particular curtain.
Reviewed by Ian Lipke I wonder how frequently a member of a young generation is so moved by their grandfather’s apparent abilities as to cast him into something extraordinary. At least it can be invigorating to find one example. The author, Masateru Konishi, is sufficiently experienced to pen a story that is believable, a story
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke Fleur McDonald’s latest book, The Missing, took me a little while to get to know the key players and how they would fit together in the story. In the Prologue we meet a group of teenagers, in an isolated town, who get together in an old building out of town, sharing
Reviewed by Rod McLary The starting point of Dirt Trap is the series of what was variously called the gay hate murders or the gay gang murders which largely occurred [but not exclusively] between 1989 and 1990. Shockingly, many of these murders were allegedly perpetrated by gangs of young people aged between 12 and 18
Reviewed by Rod McLary DCI Karen Pirie – head of the Historical Crimes Unit of Police Scotland – returns to the forefront in this latest novel by one of the most successful of crime writers Val McDermid. Unapologetic in its immersion in Scottish idiom and humour, Silent Bones is a thoroughly enjoyable and satisfying crime
Reviewed by Rod McLary Kiara Lui returns in Jack Heath’s latest book in the Kill Your … series. Readers will remember her as the investigating officer from Kill Your Husbands when she was Constable Lui – now she is Detective Sergeant Lui; and this book is no less intriguing with plenty of twists which will
Reviewed by Rod McLary Jane Harper has now written six books all of which have been set in outback Australia and all within communities on the decline. Last One Out is no exception and while the earlier books may have been thrillers in all senses of the word, this one is more a slow burn
Reviewed by Ian Lipke Aficionados of mystery writing are used to greeting the latest Michael Connelly story with enthusiasm and pleasure. The American author has written many books, all mysteries, and most where a murderer is brought to justice or a spy comes undone. A simple outcome in each case but delivered to justice only
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve Of the millions of detective novels that have been written over time, one has to wonder which attributes determine the success of one, as opposed to another. Ann Cleeves has written forty or more very successful ones, and in the case of the Shetland and Vera series, they have become much
Reviewed by Rod McLary Readers of Patricia Cornwell’s novels – and especially those featuring Dr Kay Scarpetta – know exactly what to expect when they open her latest book. No one will be disappointed with Sharp Force as it delivers all of what is expected – the cast of characters we are all familiar with,
Reviewed by Rod McLary Chris Hammer is one of Australia’s finest – and one the most successful – crime writers. The setting for most of his novels is the Australian outback – a setting as harsh and unforgiving as the crimes which lie at the heart of his novels placing them securely within the sub-genre
Reviewed by Ian Lipke James Dunbar does not normally have much to do with crime-mystery writing. We can be thankful that he changed his habits to write Twisted River. When Rory and Cate, a married couple returning from a vacation overseas, they are met by a set of nightmarish circumstances. Their credit cards no longer
Reviewed by Rod McLary The author of this new book – Alex Dook – describes it as ‘a simple story’ [author note] and, on its surface, it is exactly that. But when the reader begins the novel, it takes on a depth which pulls the reader into a nightmare of life and death. Gunpowder Creek
Reviewed by Rod McLary The crime genre is a broad church and there are a number of sub-genres from the hard-bitten police procedurals to outback noir to urban noir – all of which provide their own brand of tension, excitement and the thrill of the chase. So there is ample room for Senior Detective Antigone
Reviewed by Ian Lipke This is a crime and mystery novel. Its centre is the small country town of Warrawolong, a make-believe area not far from Eden. The story is simple of construction. In 1915, two days before his departure for the Front, Jack O’Rourke rescues an elderly man from drowning. This is Samuel Lomond,