Managed to get some reading done - it was a cold weekend for a change so a curl up in the chair was much appreciated.
Finished off:
The Corrector, Kim Hunt (2026 Ngaio's)
What Rhymes with Murder by Penny Tangey
Started on:
The Corrector
Be careful who you cross.
Evin leads a quiet, orderly life as a classic motorcycle restorer in a small seaside town. Until she witnesses a gang-affiliate’s nasty little secret. A body washes up on the coast several days later, dragging her further into a dangerous maelstrom. Turns out Evin was one of the last people to see the victim alive.
For a humble and reserved character this is wholly unfamiliar territory. Though skilled and capable when tinkering with old bikes, her life swerves into bewildering chaos as she confronts the violence and increasing darkness of her situation.
Forced to take perilous counter-measures this reluctant hero risks everything, descending to places she’s never imagined and entrusting her ultimate survival to one of the machines she herself has created.
What Rhymes With Murder?
When exhausted new mother Frida attends Baby Rhyme Time at the local library, she feels a sense of purpose that has been lacking in her anxious, apartment-bound, sleep-deprived life. But at the end of the session a piercing scream is heard, followed by the thump of a body, and the library becomes a crime scene.
Before long, Frida finds herself part of an unlikely group of sleuths investigating the murder. Between gossip and cups of magic at their local cafe, they are too busy having fun to realise how close they are to danger . . .
What Rhymes With Murder?, Penny Tangey
Featuring new mother Frida, WHAT RHYMES WITH MURDER? is a cosy, baby focused story about a body in a library, with a bit of social commentary along the way.
The basic premise is that Frida attends her first ever session of Baby Rhyme Time at the library in her inner Melbourne suburb - a trendy place with cafe's / come local stores and a hefty quota of women pushing those huge prams that seem to be all the go nowadays. As the session with a group of new parents, including Frida and new friend / parent Josh, there's a loud thump and a woman has died falling over a barrier to the floor below.
Right from the start you're going to have to be a reader that utterly and completely empathises with the sort of new mother who suffers from considerable anxiety and simultaneously wants to describe everything about having a baby. Nappy changes, feeding times, lack of sleep, pram envy - they are all here in massive amounts. Buried within that there is a bit of social commentary about anti-abortion groups, and the trials and tribulations of dealing with extreme religious groups. There's also a lot of sitting in the local cafe drinking coffee and gossiping.
Needless to say a book targeted at a particular audience, which I freely admit, isn't me. Particularly as the balance here is tipped (hefted?) to the baby side of things - the talk about all of that is extremely forward in the entire novel, taking up a lot of text space, so you're going to have to be the sort of reader that "gets" that, or you may find yourself wondering whether the shelf next to you could stand a bit of a dust....
Of it's type, this is definitely a bit of fun, with a slight edge in the way that the abortion argument is drawn in, although the comparisons to ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING and THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB didn't work for this reader - being a fan of both the later outings which feel more inclusive, less self-involved. Having said that the topics of motherhood, anxiety and life pressures will undoubtedly resonate with some readers.
Stay Buried
The claustrophobia of Room meets the camaraderie of Yellowjackets with a touch of Picnic at Hanging Rock in this dark, immersive, psychological thriller debut with a speculative/lite-horror edge.
Christmas Eve, 1974.
As Cyclone Tracy tears through Darwin, four girls disappear into the heart of the outback. No tracks. No bodies. No answers.
Decades later, one returns.
She claims to be one of the missing. But is she? There is no proof of who she is, only a keepsake that once belonged to another missing woman - Sally, a teen mother whose disappearance never mattered to anyone but Von, the daughter she left behind. Sally's return rekindles the cold case, as desperate families plead for answers - and a dark mystery begins to surface.
A hidden bunker ... a ghost ... scratches on a concrete wall ... pictures inside a View-Master ... and the little girl who understood the darkness better than anyone.
Inspired by true events, Stay Buried is the darkly thrilling tale of secrets unearthed, the will to survive and a legend that refuses to die.
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