Karen
LIKE A BULLET is the third novel in The Paperback Sleuth series from author Andrew Cartmel, also known for his Vinyl Detective Series. Having now read one from each of these, the overriding aspect of these novels is a slightly over the top humour that is going to be perfect for some readers. And confuse and possibly annoy the hell out of others.
There are, apparently, also a lot of crossovers of characters in both series, so whilst it's not completely necessary to have read any of the earlier books from either set, it would perhaps help a little to have read some of the earlier Paperback Sleuth ones, because the central character here, Cordelia, is someone to be going on with.
The idea behind the series is that Cordelia specialises in tracking down rare paperback novels for fans who have a lot of money and no idea / desire to do the job themselves. She has special contacts and ways and means of finding these little gems, starting out combing charity shops and jumble sales, but not above a spot of nefarious dealings and burglary to get her hands on her much desired prizes. All of which seems to always come with a hefty dose of wrong target, very big bother, when it comes to parting owners from their much prized books. And some quite surprising ill-gotten gains along the way.
To be fair, it's all a bit of high-silly fun, and some of the supporting cast, like her landlord Edwin and his dog, are lovely characters. Cordelia, on the other hand, is a more tricky undertaking, bordering on unlikeable, which will mean that new to the series readers might be wondering just who she thinks she is. But remembering this is high humour, almost farce, that humour will either work. Or not. For this reader it kind of did, and then it all got a bit too much, and two one armed men and a few seriously silly names later, and I was mildly annoyed, and more than a bit confused by how or why or how anyone would want to spend any time at all with a bibliophile who is mostly just in it for the cash. Although, to be fair, she's not above a very decent gesture if you're in this book to the end.
Definitely one for fans of a very tongue in cheek brand of humour, with hefty doses of farce and some very uncomfortably understandable threats on the life of The Paperback Sleuth.
Originally posted at www.austcrimefiction.org.
Why I have really enjoyed the audio versions of the first two books of this series (The Kamogawa Food Detectives is the first, this is the second) could, on the face of it, look like an even bigger mystery then the central premise of these books, which is a man and daughter who bring to life the food memories of their customers with a few clues and maybe some geographical locations as a starting point. What's less of a mystery is just how thoroughly enjoyable they are, if not slightly annoying because frankly the food descriptions makes me hungry every single time.
Perhaps it's the final part of the blurb that explains this the best "a tender and healing novel that celebrates the power of community and delicious food". There's also something quintessentially "Japanese" about these stories, with their polite restraint, their rejoicing in food, and their acknowledgement and awareness of the subtle differences in flavour, culture and tradition. It's perhaps that which appeals the most to this amateur foodie who takes coeliac disease and vegetarianism as a challenge, rather than a limitation. It's the idea of the challenge, the tracking down, the testing, tasting and finageling of memories into recipes, of connection to past and good and difficult memories, that makes sense in any culture, but feels just like the sort of thing that fits right into Japanese sensibility.
The audio version, narrated by Hanako Footman, is a pleasure to listen to, and highly recommended as a lesson in, if nothing else, menu Japanese (who knew I'd been pronouncing Wasabi so incorrectly for so very long).
Originally posted at www.austcrimefiction.org.
The fourth book in the Cormac Reilly series from Irish / Australian author Dervla McTiernan, has a series of strange deaths in bogs near Galway as the central focus, with a sideline in Reilly trying to find an Irishman missing in Paris, and some potential career changes for him and his closest team member as secondary threads.
New readers to this series might find that THE UNQUIET GRAVE will work fine for them, the backstory to all the main characters is filled in nicely, but if it's possible to have read the series in order, then you're going to have a much better grip on the ups and downs of the professional and personal of this group of cops, their friends and families.
Full review on my website.
Originally posted at www.austcrimefiction.org.
TRIGGER WARNING: Addresses foster and orphaned children and child abuse, as well as animal abuse - see expansion below.
The second DI Nyree Bradshaw novel from Catherine Lea, this is a police procedural styled series that is strong on character and sense of place, and no slouch when it comes to plotting and personal complications for its characters.
BETTER LEFT DEAD is an interesting tale based around the death of an eccentric hoarder Lizzy Bean. Lizzy seems to an bit of an unknown in her local area, although there are a lot of people who have a problem with the build up of rubbish and junk around her house. A house which is located in a pristine, sought after area, with views overlooking Northland Bay. Needless to say how she ended up in this house, in this place, is something that Bradshaw's team have to dig to discover, and along the way, they find an intricate series of connections to the past, a dangerous crime syndicate and a kidnapped woman, and, particularly sadly, a group of ex-foster children haunted by their pasts.
More of this review on my website.
Originally posted at www.austcrimefiction.org.
An historical mystery that mixes fact and fiction, THE WOMAN WHO KNEW TOO LITTLE is set in Adelaide in late 1948. It's a story about female police officers built around the factual case of the Somerton Man, a notorious tale that has captured much speculation for many years until recently solved (with the decidedly non-edgy revelation of a missing Australian man whose disappearance went unremarked upon for many years).
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/woman-who-knew-too-little-olivia-wearne
Sherryl Clark is an author with a keen eye for a fascinating central female character, and Lou Alcott is one out of the box. A Melbourne based Private Investigator with a prominent organised crime figure for a grandfather, she's a disillusioned ex-cop with a major attitude when it comes to domestic violence perpetrators.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/woman-missing-sherryl-clark
Don't be put off by LIARS by James O'Loghlin. It's a biggish book at 464 pages, but it fills that size admirably. Engaging, addictive, and intriguing, it's small town setting is used to build a complex story, with personalities, connections, backgrounds and people that are anything but.
https://austcrimefiction.org/review/liars-james-ologhlin
Everyone, and I mean everyone, has always said that the first two books in this excellent series - (this one, and COCKROACHES) are at best to be avoided. Whilst I'd definitely agree that they probably don't serve as the greatest introduction to what Harry Hole became in later books, they do fill in some of the backstory of who he is, how he got to be there, and what happens when you take him out of his snowy, cold comfort zone.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/bat-jo-nesbo
Another one where connection to the main character, Kat Frank, is going to really impact the reader's experience of this novel. If, for any reason, the potential for science fiction is intriguing or off putting, at it's heart, IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE, is more on the emotional, case driven, team building, fragile police investigating awful bloody people end of the scale. And there is a second in the series planned.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/blink-eye-jo-callaghan
This reader found it an interesting, frustrating, unexpected ride. On the one hand fast paced, intriguing and engaging. On the other, I had to restrain a physical reaction to some of the plot twists that had me eye-rolling and sighing more than a bit. There were points where I couldn't put the novel down, and there were points when I wanted to pitch it against the nearest wall. From memory, a similar reaction to the author's earlier novel, and maybe that's the point.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/no-one-will-know-rose-carlyle
Watched Sam Neill's appearance on the ABC's version of “The Assembly” at the same time that I read this most unexpected, delightful, memorable memoir from a man who does tongue in cheek really well, but can never quite hide the humanity, kindness and thoughtfulness of the true self. An unusual sort of timeline in that it does take you down some of the expected pathways of memoir - childhood, growing up in various countries, the move to New Zealand, his family life, his acting career, his love of wine and so on. Interwoven with that, is unsurprisingly, the cancer diagnosis he now deals with. It's funny, it's touching, poignant, and then it's funny again. It's meandering and gentle, it's self-deprecating and without ego. It's as real, and as lovely as he seems to be himself. That appearance of his on “The Assembly” was outstanding in a field of incredibly memorable interviewees. The book was a gift.
The plot of this book and the setting in particular have good resonance, both in terms of the timeframe, the fallout after the war, and the society in which this group of displaced persons find themselves. The backwards reaching tendrils, and the actions and memories of the characters surrounding the dead Countess are believable and empathetic, in what's styled as a “plenty of clues dotted along the way for fans of the solve it” murder mystery. It's an engaging read, with what felt like real glimpses into the timeframe and the communities in which trust and hope were so starkly contrasted with a past that came from anything but.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/death-countess-jenny-harrison
There is a wonderfully strong feeling of the culture in which it is set, with the food, the markets in town, the mannerisms and the style of Korea seeping into everything. It's also a universal story of aging, and frailty, and the reflection that comes as there is less in front than behind somebody. Hornclaw's not, however, anybody's victim and if nothing else, a lifetime as an assassin has taught this woman a few things about planning and survival. It's just that the events around her present are possibly teaching her about emotions and connections more than has ever happened in her past. All in all, unexpected, engaging and oddly life-affirming, surprisingly so really, what with the aging and the killing ...
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/old-woman-knife-gu-byeong-mo
Listened to this on audio and loved it. Rhys is one of my favourite comedians, love their honesty and openness, and willingness to talk about the things that make life complicated. Particularly appreciated the idea that somebody with an eating disorder would include recipes in a book like this. I mean I can't attempt any of the recipes personally, but they were there, and the instructions were perfect.
(Yes this is tongue in cheek in style, yes there are some messages and, heavens to betsy, some opinions, dotted throughout so no don't listen to it if you don't like their comedy / lifestyle / choices / preferences / voice / personality etc etc etc).
There's never anything overt or preachy in the work that Brandi produces. They are all, universally, entertaining novels with characters that appeal, and connections for readers to make. But they are doing that with great fearlessness - he isn't afraid to assault the reader with emotion and reaction. He always makes you think though, always makes you consider the story behind the facades that we see every day, and all too often, choose to ignore.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/southern-aurora-mark-brandi
... more than KILL YOURS, KILL MINE playing into any wish fulfilment you might have, it's cleverly constructed, fast paced, bravely plotted crime fiction with twists and turns, and a kicker ending. Utterly compelling reading.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/kill-yours-kill-mine-katherine-kovacic
Connection to Andy King is going to be absolutely key to reader's enjoyment of this novel. No connection to her, and the past that haunts her, her longing to be back in the place where it all started, no matter how harrowing the memories, and her attraction / interest in Ethan could come across as distracting or even a bit on the soap opera side. Connection to her and all of that is building that mystery - so many reasons to ask why she's doing this to herself, what she's got to achieve, and even more reasons to feel the threats that come even more acutely.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/chasm-bronwyn-hall
Bublitz has an interesting way with her central characters. She's happy for them to be imperfect, flawed by past events in their own lives, frequently unreliable, always questionable, just flat out flaky in other words. Baker carries all of those elements with her, and then some. Whilst her story is beautifully evoked, and Bublitz can write lyrically and atmospherically at times, a reader who is happy to go with some of the supernatural elements, in a decidedly non-supernatural setting, and with the conclusions that are leapt to, and the complications and coincidences, will undoubtedly just get this novel. There's also another underlying message here about the outcomes of trauma and how to survive and thrive when trust becomes a lifelong issue, but you might find yourself losing that thread occasionally and maybe that's the point.
Full Review: https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/leave-girls-behind-jacqueline-bublitz
SHADOW CITY needless to say is exposing some complicated issues, but it's doing it in a novel that's both powerful and surprisingly engaging, given the subject matter. The dialogue is believable, and the mixing of Aussie slang and South African terminology gives it a lighter touch when required. Schalk's part tourist viewpoint of Sydney works and the comparisons between there and Cape Town give the reader a real sense of the foreigner in a foreign land, a nice combination of nothing dividing like a common language, and a love for home despite the challenges. The plot moves along at a reasonable clip, although some of the elements of the ending are a bit drawn out, but then there's enough twists and turns to keep you engaged. There's also a big twist at the end that, upon reflection, makes enormous sense, setting up some potential for surprises come book three.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/shadow-city-natalie-conyer
The narrator was good, the story had potential definitely, but all too often I found it had been long periods of time when I simply wasn't taking in anything. I'd be off thinking about other things too easily. Not being opposed to a long slow build up, and being a bit of a fan of Japanese fiction normally, I am hoping this is just not the book to attempt to listen to - and would be better if I actually read the text. So I've not given up on BUTTER, but in the audio format, it was a DNF.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/butter-asako-yuzuki
... this is comedy, and it works, in that it's subtle when it's not in your face, it's hilarious when it's not being subversive and it's very centred around a woman who is part diva / part victim. The resolution, when it arrives, makes perfect sense, and to be honest, probably could have been deduced if you're into that sort of thing. But if you're a voyage beats the destination reader, there is so much here to keep you laughing, guessing, laughing a bit more, smiling, hungry, wondering about what women see in some men, or what some men see in some daft as a brush women, or whether a tour to Italy always has to come with a side serving of death and destruction, EVERY TIME I GO ON VACATION, SOMEONE DIES was just the thing.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/every-time-i-go-vacation-someone-dies-catherine-mack