AustCrimeFiction - All Blogs

From the Blurb:

Politicians are said to be bent for lots of reasons.

The crimes of Milton Orkopoulos are barely remembered outside NSW.  It is hard enough to stay awake when following the politicians in one's own state perhaps.  If he had restricted his criminal activity to personal possession of marijuana the chances are he would never have been charged, but he used it as a lure to insinuate his way into the lives of minors, who he used for his personal sexual gratification. He became a sexual predator.

From the Blurb:

Australia's super-spy, Alan McQueen, has been lured out of retirement.  But any dreams Mac has of a cosy office job are shattered when he's dispatched to Singapore to oversee a covert mission.  And when things go disastrously wrong, he not only has to defend his reputation in Australia but also stay out of jail in Vietnam.

Opening Lines:

From the Blurb:

DON VITO is a voyage of no return into the infernal circles of Italy's recent history, recounting forty years of undercover relations between politicians and the Mafia.  Vito Ciancimino, 'Don Vito of Corleone', was one of the leading players in Sicilian public life in the years after the Second World War.  He was a controversial and notorious figure, the man behind the infamous 'Sack of Palermo', and for decades the crucial hinge in all the hidden machinations between the Mafia, state authorities, business and the secret services.

At the moment I'm happily posting answers to Six Quick Questions from guest authors at SheKilda 2011(link is external) next month.  One of the questions we're asking over there is about the state of Australian female crime writing.  And then I realised I'd not posted an update on what I'd been reading or about to review. 

Melbourne Weekly talks about SheKilda.(link is external)  Read it here.(link is external)

Sisters in Crime Australia congratulates member, Myra King, on having her short story, "The Trousseau Box", selected for Short Story America's 'story of the week' (it will also be in next year's print anthology).  You need to register (only takes a few seconds and is free) to log in, if you want to read it.  Log in to www.shortstoryamerica.com(link is external) to see/read more.

From the Blurb:

When millionaire banker Lars Anderson hangs himself from the old oak tree in front of his Kent mansion his death attracts no sympathy.  One less shark is little loss to a world nursing a financial hangover.  But the legacy of a lifetime of self-serving is widespread, the carnage most acute among those he ought to be protecting:  his family.  He leaves behind two deeply damaged children and a broken wife.

Opening Lines:

Congratulations from all of us in Sisters in Crime to Cate Kennedy for winning the Victorian Premier's Literary Award for (Poetry) for The Taste of River Water. When Cate the first and then second Scarlet Stiletto Awards back in 1994 and 1995, we had no idea we'd created such a literary juggernaut. Since then, Cate has won almost every short story competition in the land together with many other literary awards. Way to go girl!

As reported in The Age, 10/9/2011:

Things seem to have changed since Trixie Belden.

From the Blurb:

Until now, you have been just plain old Janey Brown.  But you are going to grow and grow.  You will be what your parents have not allowed you to be.  It's in your past.  And it's in your future.  There's a whole new part of you just waiting to burst out.

You are JANE BLONDE - sensational spylet.  Welcome to our world.

Opening Lines:

'It really is a mouse,' said the man to the kitten.

Outgoing director of the Wheeler Centre Chrissy Sharp announced the introduction of 20 new Wheeler Centre Writers' Fellowships. These fellowships will allow twenty writers access to a desk at the Wheeler Centre, each for a two month period, along with a stipend of $1000.

There's some seriously interesting books coming out from our wonderful local authors - and it's an absolute privilege to get a peek at some of them.  (I only wish there were more reading hours in the day... must ... stop ... sleeping!)

From the Blurb:

Here's a fun page to "like":  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Miss-Fishers-Murder-Mysteries/208423205856059(link is external)

Tried to watch the TV series - couldn't stomach it.  Did find this book fascinating when it first came out in (I think) 2002 - and there's a new edition around now connected to the Underbelly franchise.

Blurb from the Book:

In the 1920s and '30s in inner Sydney, some of the most terrifying criminals in Australia's history waged war with razor and gun over the spoils of illegal drugs and alcohol, prostitution, gambling and extortion.

Name change from Christopher to Chris, but this is the Brookmyre - writing straight crime it seems.  From the first few chapters I read last night there's just the slightly feeling of that dry, sarcastic humour so well loved by fans of his books.

From the Blurb:

Detective Catherine McLeod was always taught that in Glasgow, they don't do whodunit.  They do score-settling.  They do vendettas.  They do petty revenge.

If you haven't read this book, it's a necessary addition to your TBR pile.  Now available from Clan Destine Press, http://www.clandestinepress.com.au/(link is external)   eBook versions also available.

Medea sorceress, princess, adventurer. A rousing tale of love and betrayal from the legends of the Ancient Mediterranean to an Australian paperback and eBook then on to the Rest of the World

From the Blurb:

Christine Nixon became the first female Chief Commissioner of Police in Australia, appointed to head Victoria Police at a most crucial time - the underworld was in the midst of a bloody war, the spectre of terrorism was emerging as a powerful new threat, and there was a stench of internal corruption.

The media release that comes with this mentions a publishing date of August 31st, but I did spy the book in a bookshop on Friday...... :)

From the Blurb:

Aboard a luxury yacht as the minder of the world's greatest - and most temperamental - opera star, Steview Duveen manages to thwart a pirate attack off the coast of Somalia, but soon realises the attack is merely one salvo in a ruthless campaign of terror.  Other vessels are being hijacked, and ransoms in the multimillions are being demanded as shipping lines and insurance companies run scared.

When Sergeant John White, mentor, saviour and all-round good guy, is murdered during a routine call-out, the tight-knit world of Tasmania Polie is rocked to the core.

An already difficult investigation into the death of one of their own becomes steeped in politicial complexities when the main suspect is identified as Aboriginal and the case, courtesy of the ever-hostile local media, looks set to make Palm Island resemble a Sunday afternoon picnic in comparison.

Opening Lines:

Somebody whose True Crime reading I follow closely mentioned this book ages ago and I've been meaning to pick it up ever since then. 

From the Blurb:

By the time he was arrested for the murder of Jodie Larcombe in the late 1980s, Daryl Suckling had escaped conviction more than once for his brutal assaults on vulnerable young women.  But without Jodie's body, prosecutors struggled to prove a homicide, and once again he was allowed to walk free.

From the Blurb:

Sydney, 1961:  Jockey McAuley is just looking for a little direction in life.  On a fast track from high school to the old school, he stumbles into the notorious Phoenix affair, a netherworld of shady deals, half-truths and men with more sides than a cut diamond.

And then there's Ludo.  Glamorous, unattainable Ludo, playing everyone by her own rules.  The game changes fast, and a wink and a nod can get a capable young man anything from a gun in the face to a fortune in his kick.

Opening Lines:

Series catchup continues!

From the Blurb:

Commissaire Adamsberg leaves Paris for a three-day conference in London. Accompanying him are Estalere, a young Sargeant, and Commandant Danglard, who is terrified at the idea of travelling beneath the Channel. It is a welcome change of scenery, until a macabre and brutal case comes to the attention of their colleague Radstock from New Scotland Yard.

Just outside the baroque old Highgate Cemetery a pile of shoes is found. Not so strange in itself, but the shoes contain severed feet.

Been tinkering again - well been tinkering for months in the background really - but time to push the new layout out.  Still have some old posts to reformat and upload so some odd things may appear on odd occasions for the next few weeks.

We've also dumped a lot of guff on the way through - some old posts that aren't relevant anymore, all comments etc.

The Grevillea Murder Mystery Trilogy is now available as both hardcopy and eBooks on Amazon, iPad et al.  The final of this trilogy, UnFair Coverup, can be bought through www.bookpod.com.au(link is external) and www.goldiealexander.com(link is external).

Nothing much better than a new entry in a favourite series. 

From the Blurb:

When Nancy Haynes, an elderly American tourist, is brutally murdered in a seemingly senseless attack after visiting the Chelsea Flower Show, DI Kathy Kolla suspects there is more to the case than first appears. 

Opening Lines:

The grey-haired man made his way slowly through the crowd, frowning with concentration, careful not to spill the two plastic flutes of champagne.

Having recently mentioned Dorothy Johnston's new book - Eden - third in the Sandra Mahoney series, I've just posted a review of it here.

Next up f2f bookclub read, which is an excellent reason to pluck a book from the shelves that should have been read a long time ago.

From the Blurb:

In October 1997 a clever young law student at ANU made a bizarre plan to murder her devoted boyfriend after a dinner party at their house.  Some of the dinner guests - most of them university students - had heard rumours of the plan.  Nobody warned Joe Cinque.  He died on Sunday, in his own bed, from a massive dose of Rohypnol and heroin.  His girlfriend and her best friend were charged with murder.

A new Pufferfish.  Bliss.

From the Blurb:

The theft of a valuable diamond necklace, and the death by apparent suicide of a notorious film star, have nothing in common.  Nothing except for Detective Inspector Franz Heineken, aka Pufferfish, scourge of an island's villains and a deadly match for its unpredictable, unsettling crimes.

Opening Lines:

Another Wyatt book, another "for pleasure" reread.

From the Blurb:

Wyatt is broke - and angry.  The Mesics took his money a year ago.  It's time to get it back.

The Outfit has other plans.  They want Wyatt dead.  $40,000 is a small price to pay to make it happen.

Opening Lines:

The stranger appeared just after lunch on day one of Wyatt's operation against the Mesics.

Subtitled "The Life and Times of Billy 'The Texan' Longley" this is a book about one of the well known Melbourne underworld figures - Billy Longley.  A member of the notorious Painters and Dockers Union, this book is written by Rochelle Jackson based on interviews and discussions directly with Longley.

From the Blurb:

WHITE GOLD by Rachel Amphlett

A conspiracy that will end alternative energy research; an organisation killing to protect its interests – and a bomb that will change eco-terrorism forever.

Local author Rachel Amphlett draws the reader into the shadowy world of corporate terrorism in her debut thriller, ‘White Gold’.

Shhh - embargoed until the end of July so no details - but just a quick note to say I'm reading this, ready for review on the day of release.  This is SUCH a good series it's hard to ignore a new book once it arrives through the door!

From the Blurb:

For once, Jack Susko is feeling pretty good: his second-hand bookshop is on the up, and the cops haven't been around in ages.  Even his cat, Lois, is being nice to him.

The one morning a beautiful woman knocks on Jack's door and hands him an eviction notice.

I love this series so I have no idea why I'm always running late with it.  Commissaire Adamsberg is one of those slightly eccentric, slightly rumpled, slightly off kilter characters who solves the unsolvable partly because of perserverence, partly because he's very good at shaking trees and standing back to see what falls, and partly because he thinks... a lot. 

From the Blurb:

Murder, Terror and Treason is the heading on the back of this book... I must admit I was a little bit put off by the "Muslim protege is accessed of syphoning...." part of the blurb, but all I can say is ignore that - it's an interesting series of twists of turns and there's no stigmatising going on.

From the Blurb:

Isabel Diaz is set to be the first woman to win the White House.

But her chances plummet when a Muslim protege is accused of syphoning funds to terrorists and, seemingly unrelated, an Australian software wiz is tossed off a London skyscraper.

More on this when I review this book in detail, but there are some things that just seem to be givens - and one of those is the legendary stocism of the British people during the WWII Blitz.  Of course all people don't behave well all the time, and logically I should have realised that there would be nefarious goings-on, especially during a complete blackout.

This is a fascinating book.

From the Blurb:

I picked this book up pretty well as soon as it arrived as it's one there's been a lot of discussion about recently.  More in review to come.

From the Blurb:

Long ago, Meston Park in Brisbane's West End marked the city's boundary. A curfew kept its Aboriginal population outside the city limits after dark.

When the park becomes the site of a multi-million dollar development, the Corrowa People vow to fight and file a native title claim. Hours after rejecting the claim, Justice Bruce Brosnan is brutally murdered.

I'm as startled as you are.  Light-hearted, bordering on chick-lit and I've really enjoyed the latest (and much waited for) release from Jennifer Rowe.

From the Blurb:

She stared into the speckled mirror, wondering how she had come to this.  How could she, Holly Love, apple of her parent's eye, competent manipulator of invoices in Gorgon Office Suppplies, have ended up alone and starving in a dead man's flat?

Opening Lines:

Okay so I'm catching up.  Like anyone is really surprised.  Probably would be better if I occasionally mentioned when I'm up to date with my reading, recording and reviewing. 

I loved the first Robin Adair book Death and the Running Patterer so was expecting good things.  No pressure - lived up to it though :)   Review to come.

From the Blurb:

This weekend I really needed a laugh and some distraction - and this book absolutely provided it.  Fantastic.  Review to come.

From the Blurb:

Is it a CRIME to steal from bookies?

Can you TRUST an ex-Bank Manager?

Lambert Hampton is the man the Munni-Munni locals allturn to, and for good reason.  This former bank manager helped them transform three million dollars - stolen from bookies by a gang of robbers - into a rescue package for their dying town.

But now the day of reckoning has come.

The first book of what seems to be intended as a series, THE PERICLES COMMISSION starts out with potential.  I can't remember any other book of this style that I've read that combines series, with a real sense of humour.  It's making Ancient Athens seem like a real place.

From the Blurb:

Athens, 461BC.  A dead man falls from the sky, landing at the feet of a surprised Nicolaos.

It doesn't normally rain corpses.  This one is the politician Ephialtes, who only days before had turned Athens into a democracy.

Crime writing does pay - Carte Blanche with Blanche Clark, Herald Sun, 8 June 2011

"Sisters in Crime run the most generous, inclusive and supportive short story awards around. Their Scarlet Stiletto Awards endeavour to give women a kick-start with their crime-writing careers."

The second Nicholas Troy book from Michael Duffy was released originally in January.  This looks like a bit of a doorstopper of a book, but it's very quick to read.  Follows on very closely from the action in THE TOWER, although I suspect you could read them out of order if you wanted to.

From the Blurb:

It's always a lovely thing to receive a new book by an Australian author.  It's even better when it's the second book, leading on from a very promising debut.  I've been looking forward to reading A DECLINE IN PROPHETS very much.

From the Blurb:

In 1932, the RMS Aquitania embodies all that is gracious and refined, in a world gripped by crisis and doubt.

This is one of those books that seems to be starting to engender some chat.

From the Blurb:

'Who are you?' I say.  'I'm your husband Ben,' he says.  'You had an accident a long time ago.  You have trouble remembering things.'  'What things?'  'Everything.'  'I'm scared.'  'Don't worry.  I'll look after you.  I'll always look after you.'

Opening Lines:

The bedroom is strange.  Unfamiliar.  I don't know where I am, how I came to be here.  I don't know how I'm going to get home.

I've been dipping in and out of this book for a while now, so time to mention it here.  Some of the stories do overlap with those published in Crimespotting by Irvine Welsh but not enough to be bothered about, and there are some really really good examples of short story writing in here.

From the Blurb:

Long weekend.... got some reading done.  Phew.  A new Garry Disher book is almost enough temptation to take a sickie!

From the Blurb:

A rapist in a police uniform is stalking Inspector Hal Challis's Peninsula beat, a serial armed robber is headed his way, and there is a very clever, very mysterious female cat burglar who may or may not be planning something on his patch.  On top of all that, Challis has been carpeted by the boss for speaking out about police budget cuts.

Opening Lines:

I must admit I've developed an increasing taste for Adrian McKinty's books - and FALLING GLASS hasn't dinted that admiration.  There's a change in focus with Michael Forsythe taking a bit part role in this book whilst Killian steps forward.  Fantastic book.  Review to come (yes I know I'm very very behind with writing up reviews.  If it's any consolation I'm very very behind with just about everything at the moment).  Fantastic opening lines incidentally - made me laugh.

From the Blurb:

If you're going to have a rough reading month - I can highly recommend that you treat yourself to this book.  Fantastic Australian voice, fun in places, serious where it needs to be clever.  Strong plot but best of all, great female and male characters.    Bigger, better, real review to come.

From the Blurb:

The world is in economic meltdown but the mining town of Hopetoun, Western Australia, is booming.

With the town's population exploding, it's easy enough to hide a crime - and a dirty past.

I do like the fact the title for this book actually has some resonance with the premise of the book - although you've got to get to the end before it all falls into place :)

From the Blurb:

It was bitterly cold February in Glasgow. Hanging from a rope in the attic of a deserted tenement is the body of a criminal believed to have been hiding out on the Costa del Sol these last ten years. His face has been hideously disfigured. Investigating officers DI Anderson and DS Costello believe the dead man to be a suspect in a decade-old case.

It's been "one of those months" - so I've returned to a favourite old series because I was looking for something engaging, quick and different.  Garry Disher's Wyatt is such a refreshing character - a thief, professional, ruthless, dangerous and absolutely captivating.  So PayDirt - originally published in 1992.

Even given the age, the lack of mobile telephones, gadgets and gizmos really isn't all that obvious - and boy did this gallop along.  Perfect.

From the Blurb:

Tonight we've launched the new SheKilda Again 2011 Womens Crime Writing Convention website at:

http://www.shekilda.com.au(link is external)

Please wander over and join us - we'll be posting updates on how things are proceeding for planning and programming for the Convention - but now you can click on "who" and find out the current list of International Guests and Australian authors who are signing up to attend.

A few years ago if it got to the 13th of the month and I was only on my second book, I'd be mildly panicking.  But anybody who thinks that life in the bush is quiet and boring ... all I can say is come stay here for a few weeks and see if you can keep up the pace!  We've been unbelievably busy in the last month or so - it's like living in a perpetual motion machine at the moment!

This is my book from the X pile - but the way it seems to be taking forever to get through it probably has to be mitigated slightly by the autumn challenge.  Between days of grape picking, wine making, cat wrangling, garden clearing, and the distractions of a new baby pet pig.  Well the book is moving slower than the treacle that felt like it froze overnight out in the produce store (did I mention it's got cold suddenly!)

From the Blurb:

Love my short story collections - this one is subtitled An Edinburgh Crime Collection.  Particularly good as this collection is in aid of the OneCity Trust in Edinburgh.

From the Blurb:

From hardboiled police procedural to historical mystery, from the wildly comic to the supernatural, Crimespotting brings together ten bestselling writers in a fantastic collection of specially commissioned crime, stories inspired by the city of Edinburgh.

I'm about to do a flurry of "what I read over Easter" posts.  This book is a true crime book about connections between Bikies, Terrorists and Middle Eastern Gangs - mostly in Sydney.

From the Blurb:

Organised crime in Australia is more reckless and more violent than ever before.  Controlled by a new wave of gangland bosses, it has broken old taboos and formed alliances that would have once been unthinkable.