Book Review–Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith

Career of Evil is the third Cormoran Strike novel.  I wouldn’t call it a series but I do think there’s some tangible benefit to reading them in order – if only to see the main characters development in sequence.

Don’t let this put you off grabbing it in the airport lounge, if you are looking for a good solid read on a long haul flight; it’s a thoroughly engrossing read.

When a mysterious package is delivered to Robin Ellacott, she is horrified to discover that it contains a woman's severed leg.

Her boss, private detective Cormoran Strike, is less surprised but no less alarmed. There are four people from his past who he thinks could be responsible - and Strike knows that any one of them is capable of sustained and unspeakable brutality.

With the police focusing on the one suspect Strike is increasingly sure is not the perpetrator, he and Robin take matters into their own hands, and delve into the dark and twisted worlds of the other three men. But as more horrendous acts occur, time is running out for the two of them...

 

I don’t regularly read crime (I do enjoy the genre in TV & Film) but that’s more a result of the type of reviewer I have become.  I’ll read anything that’s well written.

And Career of Evil, is exceedingly well written and paced as one might expect from Rowling.  The delivery of the story is smooth but what I really enjoyed in Career of Evil, beyond the problem solving goodness of a well written crime thriller, was the choices in character development.

I imagine in a field as well dug over as Crime Fiction, that it’s hard to not rehash plots and types of killers, so the only real area for freshness is in the characters and the drama/ tension that exists between them.

I particularly enjoyed Robin’s (Cormorant’s Assistant/Partner) story arc, indeed I feel as though Career of Evil ended up being more about her than Strike.  I don’t want to give too much away but I did feel that Rowling made some very good choices that showed Robin to be a character with psychological depth.  There’s quite a few places where I felt Robin’s character could have slipped into stereotype, but Rowling’s choices present  Robin with a good mix of vulnerability and strength that make her feel solidly fleshed out and real.

Career of Evil is a clever, well paced Crime Thriller that should keep you glued to the page.  You’ll love the characters (especially if you have read the other two books) and this character development paired with smooth delivery of a well articulated crime thriller will have you hankering for the next one.  It’s no surprise that there’s a TV series in the works.

The review copy was provided by the publisher.

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Giveaway – The Old School

Australian author has a giveaway running on Goodreads for The Old School. So what’s it about?

'Two things you want to remember about the good old days, Ned. They weren't that good and they're not that old.'

Detective Nhu 'Ned' Kelly is in way over her head. Not every member of the New South Wales police force has welcomed the young, half-Vietnamese woman into a job where the old school still makes the rules. When two bodies are discovered in the footings of an old Bankstown building, Ned catches the case. As she works to uncover the truth, she is drawn into Sydney's dirty past - and the murky history of her own family.

Bit by bit she gains ground on the murderer, just as he's gaining ground on her. Familiar faces begin to look suspicious. How close to home will she have to look? It's time for Ned to decide who is on her side - and who wants her dead.

This one is on my list to read this year for the Australian Women Writers Challenge 2014. And I have been reliably informed that there’s a sequel on the way as well.  So you can enter the Goodreads giveaway here (sorry Aussies only).

Or if you simply can’t wait Booktopia has it for $21 here.

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DVD Review: Ripper Street Episode 2 – In My Protection

One of my criticisms on viewing the pilot was that Ripper Street appeared to be a bit of a sausagefest * with the only women present being “damned whores and God’s police”.  I am pleased to report that while Episode 2 still contains a good deal of Bratwurst we do begin to see a little more of the variety of Victorian England.  The episode also shies away from what I thought was going to be the overall story arc, that of the Ripper case.  It seems at this point, that it’s destined to be background material.

In this episode a Toymaker is found beaten to death.  The Whitechapel Vigilance Committee ( a historical actuality) apprehends the alleged culprit, a teen by the name of Gower and delivers him to the Police.  The young Gower is made an example of my the justice system and is sentenced to hang.  The boy’s lawyer and confidante of Reid’s wife, convinces inspector Reid to dig a little deeper.  What Reid finds is a  gang of “Street Arabs” (homeless children) run by a vicious Fagan like character by the name of Carmichael; played by Joe Gilgun. We are also introduced to the proprietor of a Jewish Orphanage, a Mrs Goren played by Lucy Cohu.  This is a brutal episode that casts some light on the realities of living in the Victorian East End and hints at the reality of anti-Semitism in England.

Torchwood fans will be happy to see Lucy Cohu (she played Captain Jack’s daughter in Torchwood: Children of Earth) as Mrs Goren.  She plays an understated role, but does broaden our understanding of the diverse makeup of London of the time. She is a Secular Jew, providing care in an age of reforming God-botherers.  I also sense a connection here between Goren and Reid.  He seems more comfortable with her, for example, than his own wife. 

On that note we get a deeper understanding of Reid’s relationship with his wife.  She finds a confidante in the reforming Lawyer that defends Gower, someone whom she can talk to about her daughter, who I presume at this stage is either dead or missing.  Inspector Reid is a wall of stoic fortitude on that front.  They seem quite distanced from each other by grief.

Joe Gilgun, is another rising star that plays the viciously evil Carmichael.  You may remember him as Rudy from Misfits or Woody from This is England.  For a wiry scrap of a man he delivers one of the most fearsome characters I have seen on screen for a while.

So in summary; a good(if slightly violent) episode that begins to solidify the show’s identity and one that I think reveals the overall arc that will tie the season together ie the mystery surrounding the Reid’s daughter.

Episode one was reviewed here.  I am watching the standard DVD version.

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* It occurred to me that some readers may not understand the term.  It indicates an overabundance of men, with more men getting speaking parts/screen time.

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Book Review – Cross and Burn by Val McDermid

This is my first McDermid.  I dabble in a bit of crime reading every now and again, along with some “Lit” fiction because it’s good to change gears and experience new writing and structures.  That being said I am very familiar with the setting of the book as the other books in the series form the basis for the wonderful crime drama Wire in the Blood, starring Robson Green and Hermione Norris.

In that sense half the work was already done for McDermid, I really enjoy the show and that transferred to the characters in the book.  The cover blurb calls it a page turner and it’s fair to say that once your about 20% in, the pace is fairly steady.  I did at times find the descriptive detail a little long in the tooth, that we were being told rather more than shown but then this is forensic psychology meets crime thriller and there’s just some information that needs to be imparted in certain ways. I was just impatient.

This is about the eighth “Tony Hill” novel and picks up after the spilt up of MIT and the murder of Carol Jordan’s bother and sister-in-law by Jacko Vance.  Carol is retired and blames Tony for not doing enough to save her family.  Tony is confronting the fact that he’s lost the one person(Carol) that he’s come close to loving in the way “normal” people do.  So for most of the book the action centres around the now Detective Sergeant Paul McIntyre a former member of the MIT team who is on a new patch and working for a new boss.

Women are being stalked and abducted by a sexual sadist, budget cutbacks and the disbanding of MIT have resulted in a force that is pushed to meet targets and to impress the Brass with how much they can do with so little.  Paula’s new chief Alex Fielding wants results and wants them quick even at the expense of the innocent.

So a trigger warning if you have suffered any sort of assault.  Is this sort of scenario overdone in crime fiction?  I think there’s an argument for that but then I think the real interest at this point in a series like this is the characters.  I think this one is for the fans who might have been a little broken by Retribution.

It’s a tense thriller that places some of your best loved characters on the wrong side of the interview table.  Fans of the books and the show will no doubt lap it up but I think its an easy entry point to the writings of Val McDermid, there’s really nothing here that requires any previous knowledge of the show or characters.  It must be said if you’re a fan of Robson Green’s portrayal of Dr Hill with his quirky social interactions, then you will get bonus squirm when he’s made a fish outer of water.

My copy also featured a short story about a career criminal trying to go straight.  This was an enjoyable little extra and McDermid did a great job with voice and register.  I do wonder if this is a new character that might get his own series. So if you are looking for a bit of crime and suspense I’d recommend it this is comfort food for those of us that like examining the dark side from the safety of a paperback novel.

This copy was provided by the publisher.  Australian readers can purchase Cross and Burn through Booktopia here.

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eBook Review – Ghost Money by Andrew Nette

Published by the very pulpy sounding Snub Nose Press, Ghost Money is a solid outing for a first novel.  Though I don’t read a lot of pulp Crime, I think I have enough of a handle on the genre to sense where Nette is going with this novel.  For the most part I think he gives us a pulpy feel without the misogyny, treats the history of Cambodia respectfully and gives us a well paced read.

Ghost Money is pulp detective fiction featuring an Asian-Australian lead, Max Quinlan the son of an Australian ex-serviceman and a Vietnamese mother.  Quinlan’s an ex-cop recently self-employed as a private detective on the trail of an Australian businessman lost somewhere in South East Asia. Chuck in the dismantling of the Khmer Rouge, a country in turmoil and you have an interesting backdrop, with plenty of scope for double dealing and dastardly acts.

What I like about Quinlan, is that once Nette takes him further away from his area of expertise ie investigation, the reality that he is largely on his own, and increasingly out of his depth, impact on the character.  Our tough guy has his limits.

Nette's research and experience working in South East Asia is evident in the novel; perhaps too much so in some cases.  There were times when the history and the ambience that Nette tried to generate though imparting it, felt a little clunky.  A subtler delivery of the information or perhaps less information would have ensured a smoother read for me.

That being said I am a history nerd, with some undergraduate background in Ancient South East Asian history so I enjoyed the history in and of itself.

Ghost Money is gritty without indulging in it and considering the history of Cambodia, that’s a wise decision on Nette’s behalf.  The romantic liaison, a staple I am sure of every pulp detective novel, felt a little light-on for me.  There were two potential love interests and I am not sure if the character’s choice necessarily married up to the effort Nette put into developing the back story. 

Perhaps we’ll see the further adventures of Max Quinlan, where his choice of dame comes back to bite him.

This book was provided to me by the author.

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A Trifle Dead launched

Twelfth Planet Press’ new crime imprint officially launched yesterday in Perth and Hobart,  A Trifle Dead by Livia Day, combines two great Australian loves; food and crime.

In Perth A Trifle Dead was launched by Dr Helen Merrick, snapped here by Twelfth Planet Press Director, Alisa Krasnostein. I believe that the author appeared at the Hobart launch, but shots of the elusive Ms Day are …um ..eluding me.

You can check out Ms Day’s website here.  And follow her on Twitter as @liviadaysleuth.

If you want to get a sneak peak at Australia’s best kept Crime fiction secret check out the first chapter below:

Chapter 1.

You can tell a lot about a person from their coffee order. I play a game with the girls who work in my café—guess the order before the customer opens their mouth. It’s fun because half the time you’re spot on—the bloke who would rather die than add anything to his long black, the girl who doesn’t want to admit how weak she likes her latté, the woman who’ll deliberate for twenty minutes as to whether or not she wants a piece of cake (she does), the mocha freak, the decaf junkie.

The rest of the time, you’re completely wrong. An old age pensioner requests a soy macchiato, a gang of pink- haired school girls want serious espresso shots, a lawyer in a designer suit stops to chat for half an hour about free trade… The best thing about people is how often they surprise you.

Ever wondered what kind of coffee a murderer drinks? Yeah, me neither.

I tumbled into the kitchen of Café La Femme, arms full of bakery boxes, a vintage mint-green sundress swirling around my knees. Late as usual, but at least I was wearing my favourite sandals.

A gal can cope with anything when her shoes match her bra.

Nin paused in the middle of kneading focaccia dough to stare at me from under her expressive eyebrows. I love her eyebrows. They make Frida Kahlo’s look meek. ‘They’re here again,’ she said, and went back to kneading. [read on…]

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Book Review – Capital Punishment by Robert Wilson

Capital Punishment is the latest from Gold Dagger Award winner Robert Wilson. An author with a raft of books that I have yet to discover and a couple of television miniseries based on his works. 

Now when it comes to crime fiction and espionage I am a fan of gritty realism, well researched and constructed secondary worlds, and good pacing that never lets you relax for too long. 

Some may think it’s easier to write a work that’s set in a world only slightly removed from our own – no races or continents to construct.  I’d argue that it what it might save in terms of the building of a realistic secondary world is paid out in attention to detail, detail that can at the press of a key, be double checked by your readers.

How does Capital Punishment hold up?  Pretty good.  Not enough perhaps to knock the earlier works of Barry Eisler off my favourite crime/espionage/thriller list but the attention to detail is there and most importantly the pacing.  As long a you don’t write a clanger of an error, good pacing, I think can cover a few sins.

Capital Punishment is a gritty blend of espionage, terrorism and old fashioned crime. Charles Boxer is a kidnap recovery specialist, ex-army, now working in the private sector.  He’s hired by Indian billionaire Frank D’Cruz to help recover his daughter from the hands of a professional kidnap team.  It’s set primarily in London, with some scenes in India for flavour and has that understated English feel to the narrative – gritty environments, hardened professionals, no-nonsense criminals.

The pacing was excellent, and I finished the book within a couple of sittings.  The only let down for me was the ending, which seemed a little anti-climactic to me.  I felt as though Wilson hadn’t made me worry enough about the characters or the situation.  What was high stakes seemed to pan out okay in the end and I kept waiting for a twist that didn’t come.

That being said I’d gladly read Wilson again, the journey was enjoyable even if the ending was a little underwhelming.

This book was provided to me by the publisher at no cost.

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A Trifle Dead final cover revealed

Another Amanda Rainey cover and this time I think she has really outdone herself.  This book makes me want to eat trifle and read…but not kill people.

A Trifle Dead is the debut novel of stunning new crime writing talent Livia Day*  the first of the Dealines imprint from Twelfth Planet Press

 

You can preorder your copy now.

* it should be noted that I have only read the first chapter, but then Livia Day occupies the same brain space as Tansy Rayner Roberts so, I sure it will be excellent.

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Adventures of a Bookonaut Podcast Ep 1

 

Play direct through the player below or download direct as an mp3 or via iTunes ( you will need to go to the podcast home page and click the subscribe to iTunes link).

 

Episode 1 Show notes

In Episode 1 Sean interviews Luke Preston author of Dark City Blue, Joelyn Alexandra, Singaporean crime writer and academic and author of The Secret Feminist Cabal, Dr Helen Merrick.

 

Luke Preston has recently released his crime thriller through Momentum books. In the interview they discuss the process of being published through a digital first publisher, the impact film and the study of scriptwriting has had on Luke’s noel writing and what the near future holds for Bishop, Preston’s hard as nails hero with a heart. You can purchase Dark City Blue through all good digital retailers with the added benefit of no DRM.

 

 

Joelyn Alexandra flew all the way from Singapore just for this interview (no not really). Sean and Joelyn talk about her writing, the Speculative fiction scene in Singapore and dispel some misconceptions about Singaporean writers. The interview was recorded live so apologies for the sound quality.

Joelyn mentions some fine folks in the interview some links to their writing are given below:

Wena Poon - http://www.wenapoon.com
Joyce Chng - http://awolfstale.wordpress.com
Dave Chua - http://davechua.wordpress.com

People in Happy Smiley Writers Group Projects
Sarah Coldheart - http://www.seriouslysarah.com/blog
Raven Silvers - http://www.ravensilvers.com/blog
Lina Salleh - http://lookykrill.wordpress.com
JY Yang - http://www.misshallelujah.net
Yuen Xiang Hao - http://www.opendiary.com/notkieran
Rosemary Lim - http://www.twotrees.com.sg

Graphic Novelists/ Artists:
Cheeming Boey - http://www.iamboey.com
Max Loh - http://paperperil.tumblr.com

 

Dr Helen Merrick is senior lecturer in the Department of Internet Studies at Curtain University, she’s taught cyberculture, women's studies and history.

In addition to teaching in the Department of Internet Studies, Dr Merrick supervises PhD students, and researches feminist theory, science fiction, feminist science studies, sustainability and online cultures.

In this interview Sean and Helen discuss her book, the current state of Feminist SF and consider what men in the genre, might be able to do help cultivate a healthy respect for female writers and feminist science fiction history.

Some of the links mentioned in the interview:

New Eves

Pamela Sargent

Thank you for listening, you may leave audio feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/Bookonaut, or you may leave written feedback on Facebook, the Podomatic page, or below.

Music: Music featured in this podcast is from the song Voodoo Machine by Lavoura downloaded from the Free Music Archive and Licenced under these conditions

Voodoo Machine (Lavoura) / CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

 

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eBook Review–Dark City Blue by Luke Preston

Dark City Blue is a fast paced crime thriller published by Momentum, the digital offspring of PanMacmillan.

What can I say about Dark City Blue that others haven’t said already?

It’s the cage fighting equivalent of a police procedural: violent, gaudy, and packing heat.” – Trent Jamieson, author of the Death Works trilogy

” … noir on No-Doz … ” – Fair Dinkum Crime

To tell you the truth it was Trent Jamieson’s quote that hooked me.  I trust his taste and Dark City Blue didn’t disappoint.  The idea – maverick cop goes undercover to expose graft and corruption in the police force, is not new.  Indeed were this set in America I think you’d already have cast Bruce Willis for the lead.

It’s mature stuff, breaking a ring of child abusing pornographers and unearthing the police presence in the running of teen brothels.  The violence is bloody – the main character gets beaten with a bag of crushed glass and shot. But there’s also heart and depth to our main character Tom Bishop, a man whose still keeping his head above water, despite what life has thrown at him.

It’s more Jack Irish, than Underbelly: The Unwatchable.

Where Preston shines is in his ability to pull off a tale that is set in Australia while staying true to the hard boiled, thriller paced genre that has its genesis in American pop culture.  Dark City Blue feels very comfortable in its own bruised and bloodied skin.

Now, while I believe Dark City Blue to be Preston’s first published novel, he’s also received an inside film award for an unpublished screenplay.  The writing is tight, and the pacing superb and I can’t help wondering if the skills he’s developed in scriptwriting have bled over into writing a well structured novel.

Sometimes you don’t need to reinvent the wheel, you just need to produce one of quality. I’d easily drop dollars on the sequel.

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Book Review– Lady of the Shades by Darren Shan.

Lady of the Shades is Darren Shan’s return to writing for adults. Shan is more well known for his children's  series Cirque Du Freak and Demonata, but has previously written The City trilogy for adults and mature teens.

Lady of the Shades is a standalone title and skirts the edges of a number of genres, making it an interesting and enjoyable piece with wide appeal.
The Times lauded it as “Utterly unputdownble”, an appellation or sentiment much overused in the marketing of books. It was, however, a very quick and enjoyable read for me.

Ed, an American author on the hunt for a story for his next book, arrives in London looking for inspiration. A stranger in a strange city, he's haunted by a deadly secret that refuses to stay buried and no matter how hard he tries he cannot escape the manifest sins of his past.

What Ed wants is answers, what he finds is something he definitely didn't bargain for: the beautiful and untouchable Andeanna Menderes. Andeanna is a woman who is dangerously bound to one of London's most notorious crime lords and if they are caught together it could mean death for them both.
Ensnared in an illicit affair that can only be conducted in the shadows, Ed's world is turned upside down as a series of shattering revelations blurs the line between what's real and what's not...[source: paperback blurb]

Apart from the prologue, the novel is delivered in the first person.  It’s a choice that I think works well if the author is trying to play on the possibility that the ghosts are just a figment of the protagonist’s imagination or an indicator of their state of mind.

I like stories that leave the reader unsure of the reality of ghosts and Shan performs a great balancing act with between the mundane and paranormal elements, to keep the reader on edge and guessing right until the last chapter. 

I thought I had the mystery figured out about three quarters of the way through the novel but Shan was practised enough to make me doubt myself and keep reading with a keen desire to know the ending.

The action is fast paced and brutal the mystery elements well constructed. Whether you are a fan of crime, mystery or ghost stories it will be a compelling read. On the strength of this work I am inclined to check out Darren’s other novels.

This book was provided by the publisher at no cost to myself.

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Book Review–The Price of Fame by R.C. Daniells

The Price of Fame is Rowena Cory Daniells’ first foray into paranormal crime fiction - hence the slight variation on her name. 
It’s a book that’s had a long gestation, something like 20 years, a labour of love, a book waiting to find the right time and the right publisher.

I am an unabashed fan of Rowena’s fantasy titles, I devour them in an afternoon if I’m not careful.  Her pacing’s spot on, characters are  well developed, and she possesses that skill many aspire to- the ability to create a book that you are reluctant to put down.

But that’s Fantasy and switching genre’s means you are stepping into a milieu that has slightly different rules and expectations.  Add to this the knowledge that I am a big ‘S’ skeptic and that my preference, if I have any, for paranormal fiction is that it either plays it totally fantastical (e.g. Burn Mark) where you accept the premise of witches, warlocks and psychics or you play it gritty and realistic with the suggestion, the possibility, the merest hint that something paranormal is going on.

The Verdict

Short version – I read it two sittings, getting sunburnt because I couldn’t but the book down.
Longer Version - Daniell’s plays it pretty straight from the beginning.  We have a documentary maker, Antonia Carlyle, trying to track down old members of the famous Tough Romantics, a punk rock band from the 1980’s.  She’d determined to uncover the reality of the band before they achieved fame, before their singer Genevieve James was murdered by a jealous taxi driver Peter O’Toole. 
Only a witness, steps forward 25 years later with a story that may exonerate O’Toole.  

Daniells uses first person point of view to good effect in The Price of Fame cutting between Antonia and the murderer, Peter O’Toole’s story written by the reclusive writer and witness who befriended him. It allows Daniells to vary the pace and prevents the reader from getting tired of being in Antonia’s head all the time.  The technique also allows the reader to observe personalities common to both time periods in a slightly different light.  It also gives us intimacy.

I have only ever been to the trendy version of St Kilda and so have no real life experience to compare Daniells recreation of 1980’s St Kilda to, but she created a palpable and believable, crime and drug ridden inner city suburb that any city dwelling reader could surely find a reference to.

With or without restless spirits

The writing and the pacing, overrode my aversion to  “psychic energies”, the characters were real, the ending a mix of triumph and sadness.  While I think The Price of Fame is a one shot, I hope Daniells decides to play in the crime fiction sandpit again. I’ll read it with or without restless sprits. 
You’ll note the absence of a “tramp stamped” vixen on the cover. I think it frames the book well -  I heartily recommend it if your preferences are towards realism with a slice of the fantastic.

This book was provided to me by the author.

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This review is part of the Australian Women Writers Challenge 2012.  Please check out this page for more great writing from Australian women.

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Book Release– The Price of Fame by R.C. Daniells

or as we specfic readers might know her Rowena Cory Daniells. 

The Price of Fame is a crime novel published by Clandestine Press very shortly. So what’s it about? 

Here’s the copy from Clandestine themselves:

 

Where will Antonia’s search for truth lead and who will suffer?

When film and TV graduate, Antonia Carlyle sets out to make a documentary about eighties band, ‘The Tough Romantics’, she uncovers new facts surrounding the death of singer song-writer, Genevieve. This leads her to suspect that the man arrested for her murder was not the killer.

One of the three surviving band members believes it is time to settle old ghosts but the other two have gone on to forge solo careers and don’t want Antonia to rake up the past. One of them knows who the killer is, the other needs to hide their guilt.

A growing psychic link with the dead girl and the conviction that justice must be done, drives Antonia to face her own demons, uncover the past and confront the present.

And a book trailer to boot:

I absolutely love Rowena’s fantasy work so it will be a delight to see what she does here.

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Book Review–Burn Mark by Laura Powell

Burn Mark by Laura Powell is an exciting start to a new series that blends the paranormal, witches in this case, with espionage, crime and conspiracy. 

I am reminded of Kate Griffin’s Mathew Swift Series, in both tone and setting.  This isn’t the usual paranormal fare of tight-jeaned, tattoo flashing, sassy ‘insert flavour of the month paranormal here’ heroines.  No, Burn Mark is undeniably gritty, understated and British in the best sense of the word. 

Powell is a YA writer but Burn Mark, by virtue of her skill, transcends that categorisation(in much the same way as Paolo Baccigalupi does), it’s simply a good story, an intriguing backdrop and a well paced adventure.

The Tale

Burn Mark is set in an alternate history modern England.  Witches and witchcraft are real but the State registers and licences them, employing them in policing and espionage.  The British Inquisition is real too, although a somewhat tame and civilised version of its former self;at least on the surface.

Our protagonists are Glory- the streetwise chav who hopes and dreams of inheriting her mothers fae ability and Lucas Stearne - son of the Chief Prosecutor of the Inquisitorial Court. 

Lucas and Glory become unlikely allies in a race to uncover who is behind the spate of witch kind terrorist attacks. There’s a turf war and a national conspiracy - plenty of well paced intrigue and action to keep you reading.

It’s akin to the Krays meets Spooks plus Witches.

History Sprinkled

After an initial dose of back-grounding, Powell manages to weave in world building and setting nicely.

She has constructed a believable alternate history of witches, from John Dee to the Second World War.  History seems to have pretty much worked out the same, the Allies won, Witches are still burned and killed in third world countries (actually that part’s not actually alternate history, more’s the pity). Witchkind are excepted into public life by virtue of liberal attitudes and government programs.

All in all we get a sprinkling of witch related events that makes for a nicely flavoured story, and sets up current tensions.

Robust, goal driven characters

Glory, a chav is presented as a young woman with agency, she knows what she wants and isn’t going to end up being some gangster’s pram pusher. Staying true to that character she isn’t looking for a young, brooding, distant but ultimately redeemable lost soul of teen.  No she’s got priorities and finding a man isn’t one of them.

Lucas, too, has his vision of what he wants to be and despite the obstacles put in his way seems to roll resiliently with the punches.

On reflection, these strong characters  (the adults always seem less focussed or compromised) strongly push Burn Mark  as young adult tale. The teen protagonists and their actions direct the story.  Which isn’t to say that life’s realities are treated with kid gloves.  There’s witch burnings and murder, threats to kill and the well described “ducking” of suspected witches.

If you’re a fan of British crime or espionage drama I think you’ll enjoy this read and the rest that follow.

This book was provided to me by the publisher at no extra cost to myself

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eBook Review–The Obituarist by Patrick O’Duffy

The Obituarist is Patrick O’Duffy’s first crime novella.  He’s a multitalented chap though, so check out his website.

The Tale

Kendall Barber is a social media undertaker with a shady past who's returned to the equally shady city of Port Virtue.

Now a new client brings with her a host of dangers, just as Kendall's past begins to catch up with him. Can he get to the bottom of things before it's too late, or will he end up as dead as his usual subjects?

What I liked

The idea of a social media undertaker in itself is quite refreshing.  I have heard of companies that will offer a service to repair your online reputation but not one that will, post death notices and remove you digital traces to prevent identity theft. So bonus points for the original concept.

Now Patrick dedicates the novella to his wife Nicole and Raymond Chandler. Its style is a bit of homage to hardboiled detective fiction, I’d say Chandler-esque but then I have never read Chandler.  You can read for yourself below:

 

Jay Moledacker was far more handsome in death than he ever had been in life. Okay, not true, but at least his Facebook profile picture was now a lot more dignified. Not difficult, since his profile picture while alive had been a photo of him drunk and vomiting onto a horse during a racing carnival.

Now that he was dead – of an embolism, rather than being kicked to death – he looked regal, elegant and a good six years younger. That's because I had to use his graduation photo; everything after that point seemed to involve Jay throwing up, getting punched in nightclubs or out cold with FUCKWIT written on his chest in mustard.

A life well lived. Well, a life. Lived.

And it had fallen to me to close it all down.

Which didn't stop my clients – his parents – from dicking me about on the invoice.

 

I like Patrick’s style and “A life well lived. Well, a life. Lived.” I thought was the single best line in the book. 

The humour which is largely self deprecating or at Kendall’s expense endeared the character to me. This guy ain’t no muscle bound hero, he has computer smarts, not street smarts - a fact that is well played to in this novella.

The one’s you don’t see coming

There was only one thing that impacted my enjoyment of the novella and that was the resolution of the subplot(I won’t go into specifics as it would spoil the novella). It was, in my opinion, simply resolved too quickly and stretched my suspension of disbelief too far. 

When I have been led to belief that Kendall is largely a reluctant detective (at least in a physical sense) and prone to having his butt kicked, the resolution felt a little out of character.  Perhaps I missed some early clues but I was blindsided by this resolution.

The main plot resolution was brilliant though and I only just caught on before the reveal. Very clever Mr O’Duffy very clever.

The Verdict Your Honour

This is funny, and fast paced detective fiction with a modern concept and an Aussie setting.  A good couple of hours entertainment.  I’ll be watching for more of O’Duffy’s work.

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Book Review–Midwinter Sacrifice by Mons Kallentoft

Magnus Utvik¹ is quoted as saying “Don’t Bother with Stig Larsson, Kallentoft is better”.  Now while I wince at the promotion of one author at the expense of another Utvik is right about the quality of Kallentoft’s Midwinter Sacrifice. 

Kallentoft with help from translator Neil Smith delivers a distinct impression of place, of Swedish culture, along with a chilling tale of murder and the dark underside of family relations.

The Story
A man is found beaten, tortured and hung in a tree. A midwinter sacrifice? Malin Fors, the police investigator begins to unravel the life and death of a man who nobody wanted or cared enough to know.  What she uncovers is the depths to which some will plunge to in search of love.

A cold and fractured land
Kallentoft paints a darkly beautiful backdrop of Sweden in midwinter, the ever present cold, the disparate communities of Sweden; the rich in their gated communities, the victims of the welfare state, and the newest arrivals in the darker skinned immigrants.

Character observations of the world around them can often be social comment in disguise.  I get none of that sense with Kallentoft, no authorial voice poking through.  Malin, our protagonist is a police officer and her reflections or observations on the world and culture around her sit firmly within the bounds of her role as an investigator.

Kallentoft balances Mailn’s detached observations with the voice of the first murder victim, who talks to her, urges her to keep going  - though she is not aware of him.  Malin is also firmly grounded in her own family and its problems, her own search for love. 

A twisted love
Midwinter Sacrifice is compelling, the reader drawn in by the imagery and the mystery.  It’s a book that invites you to solve the mystery but plays its cards very close to its chest, not revealing the true state of things until the end.

Even at its conclusion, Kallentoft leaves us with a mystery, allowing perhaps those who don’t want to focus on the dark nature of humanity shudder and let the mystery lie, while the rest of us speculate.
There are books that seem to sit on the border between genre and literature, that appeal equally to those that have pitched their tent in either field.  This is one of those books- a ghastly tale of murder and the dark side of love.

This book was provided free of charge by the publisher

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1. Noted Swedish author and critic.

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