2007

Howell is a paramedic herself and writes with great credibility about Sophie’s working day. In fact, she writes so well about the working life of a paramedic that I found myself wishing that Howell had room in the plot for more of that aspect of Sophie’s life. I found it truly fascinating. 

Howell also has a deft touch with describing Sydney.  It helps that Sophie is stationed at The Rocks, right in the middle of the main tourist area of the city.   Anyone who has visited Sydney will immediately recognise some of the locations.

FRANTIC is Katherine Howell’s first published novel and one that shows great promise.  The action starts on page one and maintains its momentum until the very last paragraph.  Sophie’s tactics aren’t always very well thought out, but that also reflects her state of mind.  I did find some of her actions a bit over the top and there was no resolution in regard to consequences of some of her more outrageous behaviour.  It is a minor quibble though and I look forward to Howell’s next book, in which I hope she will make more use of her insider knowledge of life as a paramedic.

MAELSTROM is a no-apologies thriller.  I have to be honest and say thrillers aren’t usually my choice of reading. They work better for me on the big screen than between the pages of a book, but I found myself enjoying MAELSTROM much more than I expected.  The there is plenty of action without it being dragged out too much and there’s enough plot to keep non-action people like me reading. 

Dedicated thriller-readers will enjoy every action-packed page of MAELSTROM.  It is a promising debut novel from Michael MacConnell. 

MAELSTROM is a 2008 Ned Kelly nominee for Best First Novel.

Michael MacConnell is Australian and lives on the Central Coast of New South Wales.  He has a degree in International Relations, History and Ancient History and currently works in New South Wales law enforcement. His official website is http://www.michaelmacconnell.com/

Leah Giarratano is a trauma psychologist based in Sydney. Among her clients have been victims of sexual abuse and men serving sentences for child abuse.   VODKA DOESN’T FREEZE is her first novel.  I had the good fortune to hear Giarratano speak last year.  She talked about the book being cathartic for her. She regarded it as an exercise to purge herself of bottled up emotions. She never expected a publisher to accept it. 

VODKA DOESN’T FREEZE isn’t an easy book.  It is a very dark subject Giarratano writes about.  A subject that is difficult to explore.  However, the reader who can make it through is rewarded.  It offers some insights in ways perhaps not expected by the author or the reader.  Yes, it does demonstrate how different people deal with being sexually abused, but what I found was that perhaps inadvertently the author has shown something of the emotional toll taken on professionals who deal with sex offenders in their working life. 

VODKA DOESN'T FREEZE is a nomination for the 2008 Ned Kelly Awards for Best First Fiction and a well deserved one.

First line: They come for me as I sleep.

Charlie Feldman wakes up aching all over, with a large painful bump on his forehead, and his blood spattered clothes on the floor. When he turns on the tv, he learns two women he was with the night before have been brutally murdered. The police evidence links Charlie to the crime. Charlie knows that Cyris is the murderer, but he's the only one who believes Cyris exists. When he goes to his ex-wife Jo for help, she doesn't believe him either, so he feels he has no option but to kidnap her. As his memory of that night slowly comes back, Charlie tries to work out why the murders occurred.

Inspector Bill Landry has just found out he is dying from cancer, and wants to end his career with a big success. He keeps vital evidence to himself, and sets out on a one man crusade to track down Charlie, and see justice done.

As Charlie and Jo are pursued by the police and the murderer, and as horror follows horror, the tension keeps mounting, and you wonder just how much more these people can take.

The story is told from multiple points of view, with each chapter shifting to a different character. This could have made for a very disjointed story, but works brilliantly here.

Before you read this book you should make sure you have turned on all the lights and checked all the doors and windows - twice. This is a seriously scary book.

The opening chapters in the night club gradually build the tension. It is going to end very badly for someone, but who?  This makes compulsive, page-turning reading. Once the victim is revealed, the book shifts to a slightly slower pace as the detectives go about unravelling the case.  This doesn’t make the book any less absorbing.  MURDER ON THE DANCE FLOOR is a first-rate example of contemporary crime-writing. It has all the right elements: tension, a twisting plot, strong and distinctive characters and a good blend of the working and private lives of the police involved in the investigation.

MURDER ON THE DANCE FLOOR is the sixth in the Superintendent Gregory Summers series and I will be on the lookout for the author’s other books.