Project Status Report: 30th July 2025

J.P. Pomare is one of those authors that always, always delivers a slightly different bent on the question "What on Earth is Happening Here?". From the confusion in the reader and character's minds in CALL ME EVIE, to the preconception twisting that's going on in THE WRONG WOMAN and the masterclass in misdirection that was HOME BEFORE NIGHT he's now added the combination of hindsight, expertise and podcasting and reworded the question slightly to "What on Earth Happened Then?" in 17 YEARS LATER.

The story is, on the face of it, a pretty straightforward one. The violent slaughter of a wealthy family when they slept, lead to the identification and lazy investigation of young live-in chef, Bill Ruatara, who was swiftly charged, and then convicted of murder. 17 years later, TK Phillips, a prison psychologist has now thrown a lot of his own life under a bus trying to get an appeal underway, before he walked away from Bill and his case. Then celebrity true-crime podcaster Sloane Abbott is guilted into taking an interest in a "non-white" crime, dragging TK with her, leading to the rapid, almost too easy discovery of new evidence and a potential legal binfire.

Which needless to say leads to more digging, and some extremely unhappy onlookers, with the threat to both Philips and Abbott starting to become very immediate, and an intricate web of small town connections that looks like it might be hard to break open.

Told in varying timelines and viewpoints, 17 YEARS LATER allows Bill Ruatara to have a voice in his own case - something that seemed to have been mostly ignored in the investigation. His viewpoint, and timeline, is all about the events that led up to the murder of the wealthy, English family, which gives the author a chance to reveal a lot about their background, and some dodgy dealings that have gone on before the family arrived in New Zealand. It also provides an insight into the life of a young man, a would be chef, from a poor background who tried to find a way to do the right thing by the girl he loved and ended up in more trouble than you'd think would be possible. The current day investigation takes you more inside the head and eyes of podcaster Abbott in some ways, as she actively pursues leads and tries to understand the time and the place that the murders happened in. Phillips provides historical context in that he's been on Ruatara's side for many years, as well as a conduit between Sloane and the man in prison, as well as expertise on human behaviours. And motivations. 

There's a lot under the surface of this small town that doesn't like being stirred up by Abbott and Phillips, anymore than it liked what happened all those years ago. Rapidly paced, there's nothing transparent or easy about what could be seen as a pretty straightforward botched investigation, as more and more "what the" moments are revealed along the way. Racial and class bias, flaws, laziness, blindspots, and just plain old screwups are all explored, as are the ethics and motivations of true crime podcasters. Because it's a Pomare novel, at the end of it all, nothing is left behind in the dark.

THE OTHER MOTHER and NEVER FORGET are two Michel Bussi novels that I'd somehow managed to miss reading, until I was reminded recently. Luckily the library had copies of both of them, so that gap, at least, has now been closed.

NEVER FORGET (unlike THE OTHER MOTHER) is very much a return to previous thriller stylings in books like BLACK WATER LILIES, AFTER THE CRASH and DON'T LET GO. 

The story starts out with a young Arab Para-Olympic contender, on a self-imposed training camp, running along a clifftop on the coast of France in 2014. After picking up an expensive red silk scarf caught on a fence, he then comes across a beautiful, but distressed and dishevelled woman, preparing to jump from the cliff. Despite his attempts to calm her and then draw her away from the edge, she grabs the proffered scarf and jumps to her death. Young Jamal is an easy, dare we say, convenient suspect, despite his prosthetic leg, and the very unlikely possibility that he's either a rapist or a murderer, especially when the reader discovers that two women had already been attacked in the same location, in the same manner, ten years before.

Already distressed by what he has witnessed, and then by being considered a suspect, he starts to receive envelopes with details about the prior murders and investigations, when he discovers that the latest victim is the spitting image of one of the women who were killed in 2004. Which leaves him conducting his own investigation, in an attempt to clear his name, and out of a sense of basic common decency.

In this novel Bussi is exploring not just rape, murder and overt violence, but expectations, aspiration, racism, and attitudes towards disability and difference. He does that in a twisty, dark, psychological thriller style, that will have your head spinning, and any sense of clarity and understanding blown out from under you chapter by chapter. It does beggar belief that despite the timings, despite the witnesses to this latest fall, and despite the unlikeliness of Jamal as a suspect - just based on the time gap between the three rapes and murders, that he would remain prime suspect for a nanosecond, but this is the sort of story where you just have to go with the flow, ride the peaks and troughs and stay with Jamal and his battle to discover the truth.

Sitting down to read THE FORSAKEN (late to the party as usual), wasn't at all sure what to expect. The blurb explains that for ten years, Logan Booth, served as a contract killer for the CIA, never knowing that was what he was doing. Finding out he wasn't a rogue hitman for a band of vigilantes, but rather a means by which governments of the USA furthered their own interests is .. well it's a lot. Starting out reading a book about somebody who is fine with the killing bit, but very particular about the motivation element is something to think about.

Although to be honest, thinking about motivations, morals, rights and wrongs, became somewhat secondary to the wild, bare-knuckle, no holds barred, violent, extreme and, uncomfortably horribly train wreck that became an equally uncomfortably enjoyable crazy ride, that is Logan Booth, and just about everybody who comes into contact with him.

Don't get me wrong - this is NOT a novel for the squeamish, or violence intolerant. It's also not a novel that's necessarily going to drag readers into deep contemplation of human nature and the choices we make. Only, it kind of is that latter bit. You can "get" how it would be that somebody who thought they were a lone-wolf, vigilante killer with a "reason" for the job, might be more than a bit miffed to discover that a government was pulling the strings. Grey, faceless, suit wearing, desk sitting behind men who were simply powering through anybody or anything that they felt was in the road of their aims and machinations. It's easy to see how that would screw up your head just a little, and acceptance of that is helped by Logan Booth being a great character. Superhuman freaky violent, dangerous, utterly controlled and clear headed about what he's doing, he's also oblivious to pain, mad, bad, and more than a bit crazy, alcoholic and suicidal, and he's had a lot going on. So he's not at all pleased when people won't just bugger off and leave him alone. Then, they murder his oldest, only really, friend and the switch from despair to fury saves him, although it makes life very short for a lot of other people.

Picking up a most unexpected ally along the way in the person of homeless, crack addict, Alice Mason, Booth starts out avenging his friend's death, making sure that whoever killed him doesn't get Alice as well, and generally dishing out a bit of vengeance and justice for everybody and everything, before he finds himself chasing corruption, money, influence and rotten power into a lot of dark corners. All while facing the same sort of demons he's insisting Alice front up to as well.

As weird as this sounds, this was a thoroughly enjoyable, absolutely engaging, enthralling, extremely violent, over the top thriller with great characters and a core of humanity in amongst the blood, sweat, flying teeth, gunshots, broken bones, flying bodies, falling bodies, tripped over bodies, and corruption. As always it comes down to corruption and the pursuit of money. 

I know, what on earth - bridge dwelling monsters, magical toasties, a caffeine-addicted dog, ducks, deadly brewers, superpowered DJs, raging florists, ALL OUT OF LEEDS (book 1) and TROUBLE BREWING IN HARROGATE (book 2), and this reader. Not a match made in heaven. But it's not always about personal taste, and somewhere there will be readers going ... oooo, who is writing this sort of right up my country lane style paranormal cosy fiction?

Kim M. Watt has a number of series along these lines, these being the first 2 books in the DI Adams set, which as at the date of this review has 3.5 entries in it. They are sort of police procedurals, with a hefty dose of overt humour and ... well magic. (Did I mention that the dog, in this case a black dog called Dandy is also invisible. It's not completely weird, Adams can see him). 

Anyway, cosy fantasy, with a police procedural overlay, following on from 0.5 in the series, WHAT HAPPENED IN LONDON, to be honest I've no idea if you need to read that book first. If this is the sort of series that would appeal to you, then maybe yes. Not that I'm sure knowing who is who or why or how is going to be a dealbreaker for magical, cosy, fantasy with a police procedural overlay ...

If this sounds close to appealing, but not quite, then you never know - the Beaufort Scales Mysteries might work better. The first from that series has a blurb that includes the line:

Beaufort Scales, High Lord of the Cloverly dragons and survivor of the days of knights and dragon hunts, knows even better than Alice that the modern dragon only survives as long as no one knows they exist. But he also knows friends don’t let friends face murder inquiries alone. Beaufort fully intends to Get Involved.

More on one of those next up.

The Beaufort Scales Mysteries are another paranormal cosy series from Kim M. Watt - this time with dragons. And tea and cakes, a dodgy water supply, endless rain, a water sprite called Nellie who has vanished, a battalion of furious geese (that one I can get behind, got one of those myself) and a wellness guru.

I mean a wellness guru shows up and you know you're in trouble, unless you've got a dragon who is more than prepared to step in I guess.

You get the picture, this is another series for those that like their crime on the fluffy, crazy side, with hefty doses of tea, cakes, paranormal goings on, water sprites, arch humour, and dragons....

Oh and a bit of a concentration of ladies of "a certain age". Being somewhere in that category myself now I'm not sure whether the recognition is appreciated, or I should take the time to point out that not all of us get to that age, and insist on going fluffy and cosy. Some of us are still listening to heavy metal and punk music and actively engaged in a lot of pointed swearing and glaring.

When the Director of the Mt John Observatory Professor Evelyn Major is murdered, just as an international conference is kicking off at the observatory overlooking Lake Tekapo, there are a lot of academics in the vicinity, with a lot of secrets, making the pool of potential suspects surprisingly wide. Enter Criminal Psychologist Nellie Prayle who loves solving complicated murders, and finds plenty to be going on with in this web of rivalry, infidelity and emotional turmoil. One thing is for sure, this investigation does not lack for motives, nor does it lack intrigue.

A modern day locked room style mystery in the style of Ngaio Marsh (this is from NZ after all), or Agatha Christie, DARK SKY is a really engaging procedural style novel that is heavily sprinkled with potential clues and reveals for the astute reader to be going on with. There's even a nice twist on the typical Golden Age finale, which sees Nellie going "off the record" with the murderer, working through the motivations and reasons for the killer's actions - not quite the grand reveal of whodunnit, but a most welcome whydunnit final phase to the investigation.

An investigation that relies a lot on conversations, asides and overheard hints from a large cast of people, some of which does get, unavoidably and perfectly understandably, a little on the repetitive side. To even that out there are some nicely done interactions, particularly between Nellie and members of both the investigation team and colleagues within the large cast, set against a most unusual locked room backdrop, which provided the opportunity for some lovely descriptive elements. 

All in all, DARK SKY does have a bit of setup going on, which hints that Nellie Prayle may be back, with Detective Jack Simmons one hopes, because there's nothing like a novel like this one to make you hope for a follow up.

This novel, soberingly based on a true story, is set in the 1830's in England, telling the story of a sensational divorce trial instigated by Frances Dickinson after years of enduring abuse and degradation at the hands of her appalling husband. 18 years old and wealthy when she married Lieutenant John Gells, she soon discovered there was much more to him. A cruel, violent, predatory man he subjected her to years of physical, sexual and mental abuse, spending her money with abandon, whilst preying on their staff, she was kept separate from everyone, hidden away on his family's Scottish estate. 

Using letters, diary entries, and witness statements from the trial Parkins has built up a picture of a woman who was badly treated, by a society that permitted divorce but made it incredibly difficult to obtain, despite the fact that her husband was blatantly a monster. Fortunately, Frances is made of very stern stuff, and determined to save herself, and her daughters from this man, she, taking advantage of her position in society, and family support is able to firstly bring a legal action, and ultimately obtain the divorce she so rightly deserved.

Told from a variety of viewpoints, with the author's note ultimately explaining the factual source documents used, as well as the fictional byways taken, this story is not easy reading. That domestic abuse occurred back then is of absolutely no surprise, and it should surely form as a warning for the weird anti-divorce, anti-women's rights movements that seem to be crawling out of the slime again, but the extent of this man's actions were truly breathtaking, and profoundly disturbing. That the only reason Frances, and her daughters, survived is down to her determination, and to their "position" in society is extremely discomforting, as is the idea that she had to battle against potential "disgrace" to free herself from such an appalling situation. Says a huge amount about the world's attitude then (and increasingly again now) to women. 

The story is reasonably well crafted, although there is a bit of repetition in the first part that readers will have to work through. The tone feels very apt for the time, and the tension, once that repetition is in the past is palpable. If nothing else THE DEFIANCE OF FRANCES DICKINSON shows just how powerful gaslighting, coercive control and domestic violence are - they're still around, and there's still a sick cohort of deplorable human beings that deny they exist, or decry opposition to them.

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.

The third in The Frenchman series, written by a pseudonymous author with real life experience in French Intelligence this is a modern day espionage series, with all the tradecraft and real-life emotional ups and downs you'd ever want to read about, informed by some frighteningly current threats and plotlines.

For anyone new to this series, there's a quote towards the end that pretty well sums it all up:

Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men. And weak men create hard times.

Ponder on that in light of the geo-political clusterfuck that we're living through right now...

In LIAR'S GAME the threat is global and financial, with western powers shaping up against Chinese interference in financial systems, all geared around the rising influence, and wealth of India in particular. It all kicks off when a North Korean man walks into the French embassy in Beijing, claiming knowledge of a massive planned cyberattack targeting the world's economic and banking systems. There's a bit of disquiet when Alec De Payns team and department are particularly asked for to exfiltrate the asylum seeker from China back to France, but nobody quite twigs why or how deep that reason is buried until it's almost way too late.

As always, whether or not de Payn or Aguilar (his service pseudonym), knows exactly why he's been tasked to anything, he and his team do their job. Their tradecraft is tight, their ability to plan and react superb, and yet, somehow their walk-in dies. And then things get rapidly much worse. Turns out that the Chinese grab for world power is not the only game in play.

You won't have to have read the earlier two novels to step into The Frenchman series at this point, but it certainly would help. The ongoing internal battle that de Payn has with the dangers of his job, his responsibilities to his family (wife Romy and two sons), and the sheer tension of a job that is so dangerous, and so unpredictable are foremost in all these novels, but even more so in this one. Right from the start it feels like this is the beginning of something new, that de Payn may not come out of this one alive, given that the threats are coming from all sides, and who he can trust gets murkier and murkier. Romy is also on the edge, having had more than enough of the fallout from the job - de Payn's paranoia, tension, nightmares, and his unpredictable schedule is putting too much pressure on her, on top of having to be the mostly present parent, despite his best efforts. 

Everything, therefore is tense, and the first almost half of this novel is doing a lot of heavy lifting in setting up the complicated mission scenario, whilst getting deep into de Payn's personal situation and his head - which is increasingly a difficult place to be. Whilst his tradecraft, and the "personal rules" by which he plays are still very much in evidence, there's a lot of doubt here as well. Why did the North Korean man die in the airport on his way out of the country, accompanied only by de Payn, making the Frenchman the obvious suspect? Why did another man die in a hotel room in Vietnam leaving de Payn again, as the only logical suspect? Why is de Payn's boss seemingly fighting for the survival of their section, and what are the political machinations going on in France, whilst the global financial system is coming under increasing pressure from two distinct groups of countries? And what is the source and target of that cyberattack that was being hinted at. 

There is obviously considerable expertise at the heart of these novels, this author knows his stuff, and is writing about a life that he's lived. He rarely lets that get in the way of telling a ripping yarn however, even though, as mentioned, the start of this one is building a lot of context into the action to come. Once the mission really reaches a telling point, the pace, the threat, the feats of daring and the thinking, plotting, planning, and extremes that intelligence agencies go to, to thwart the intentions of others is breathtaking, as are the potential consequences. There's nothing lone wolf about de Payn though, he's the central character, but there's a team of very good people around him, with the surprise return of one character from the earlier stories that will delight followers of the series.

Where or how, or even why an intelligence agent as experienced as de Payn goes after this novel, or even what will be his role, is another question altogether, and, as with each of these stories, it seems there's not a lot left in the tank, but in this one in particular, you have to wonder where to from here. 

The second in the series, THE SUNBAKER is another one of those novels that could be read as a standalone, but add THE BEACON to your reading list anyway. For those that haven't yet had the pleasure, Jack Harris, disgraced son of a "major" media baron, was sidelined to the stable's least important paper - The Beacon - located in Byron Bay which turned into a happy career and personal move in the first novel. Caitlin is the lawyer daughter of the longtime, much admired editor of the paper, who met a very grisly end in that story, and she and Jack teamed up to solve that case, forming a firm friendship with a sprinkling of romantic attachment.

Fast forward to this second novel and Jack's ensconced as a journo in Byron Bay, and Caitlin's moved from her high-powered Sydney based job to work as a legal assistant to a local barrister. A high flyer in his own right, this barrister has some very dodgy clients, not that Caitlin has come across any of them. Fast forward a bit more, and local pathologist Nicola Fox heads out from Byron to her holiday home in Brunswick Heads only to discover a staged corpse lounging in a deck chair by her pool which, conveniently, points the finger of initial suspicion directly at her, but  why are the organised crime squad suddenly in the picture?

There's a quote on the novel cover from William McInnes 

'P.A. Thomas has a clinician's mind, a photographer's eye and the gift of great storytelling. A wonderful book'.

Given that the author has trained as a nuclear medicine specialist he does bring that clinician's mind to these novels. It's evident in the romantic frisson between the two main characters - Jack and Caitlin, prompted by medical complications. Making the romantic tension less will they / won't they and more can they? Then there's the prologue that comes with the sort of black humour that will undoubtedly ring bells with medical and ancillary support staff. Given that this is, though, the story of a series of bizarrely staged deaths, medical and forensic viewpoints are a big part of the picture, as is location and the people that keep popping up in unexpected places. This reviewer chooses to put the lock picking, housebreaking and hacking undertaken by Jack and his lifelong best friend Ricky down to that storytelling gift though.

The photographer's eye comes out in the sense of place, and the observational details scattered throughout the book. Whilst the main location for "The Beacon" newspaper and the cast of characters is Byron Bay, the crime all seems to be happening in Brunswick Heads. This gives the author a chance to draw a picture of tourist town Byron versus quiet, locals mostly, Bruns. There's a sense that crime would never happen in Bruns, and when it does, the laid back nature of the place reveals itself in the slightly haphazard observations of goings on. It also gives Thomas a chance to introduce a supporting cast of a Marilyn Monroe look-alike, way too many bands playing Simon and Garfunkel covers, and a persistent bin chicken.

Mind you, there's also the imposed humour of Caitlin's wish-list of daring doings, way too many of which require a head for heights, which Jack most definitely does not have. And then there's the distinct possibility that Jack's developing a thing for pathologist and prime suspect Nicola, which is pushing more than one or two of Caitlin's buttons.

It sounds like a lot but Thomas most definitely has a gift for storytelling. It's rollicking, fast paced, serving up of twists and turns, delivering a roller coaster of a reading ride with no sign of second novel jitters. The characterisations are great, the romantic tension believable and not at all offputting, and it's peppered with sly humour and clever hook lines. THE SUNBAKER bodes well for the life of an ongoing, long-running series.

I started listening to the audio of this series when it was available at the library, and I felt like something quintessentially "British". These fit that bill perfectly, with central police inspector Stephen Ramsay a laconic, feeling slightly rumpled, divorced cop, new to the area, the force and living on his own in the middle of nowhere. As well as trying to solve murders, he's trying to sort his life out and figure out how to work with a subordinate who seems to resent him, or at least they haven't yet found a way of connecting. 

In this example, Alice Parry, seemingly popular, committed to causes in her local village, is murdered in her own backyard on a bitterly cold St David's Eve, in the middle of the night. Only her backyard is a bit unusual, as is her house, and her family relationships with two much loved nephews who are seemingly devoted to her. Except when she's interfering in their complicated personal lives, and, it turns out, her popularity is slightly tainted. Being helpful and deeply devoted to local causes, sometimes can come across as meddling and all is not as serene as it seems on the face of it in Heppleburn.

Nicely done, with a dose of the detective's personal life thrown in to balance against the personal lives of the suspects and the victim. Easy to listen to, with a good narrator's voice, this one is the second in the Inspector Simon Ramsay series.

I WILL FIND THE KEY is one of those random choices that a reader browsing the library's audio book selection late at night can make, with absolutely no idea what they are getting into, or even why the choice was made.

Set in Sweden, the story features a private investigator by the name of Julia Stark, who has a physical disability that, to be honest, I never really did quite get to the bottom of how or when it occurred. But she has a lot of stuff going on, not the least of which is a cop ex-husband, who happily takes time off work to help her out particularly in the case in this novel. The case is also a lot (there's a theme building here), with a man appearing at the door of Stark's business unannounced, clutching his phone, containing a photo of a battered man, tied up with a bag over his head.

He wants Stark to find out if he killed this man. Whoever he is. The client is the owner of a very successful family business, based in a remote part of northwest Sweden, with a well known propensity to drink to excess. He's woken the morning after a company board meeting and gathering of most of the family, to discover the photo, which leads to Julia and her ex - Sidney Mendelson, staying at the remote, opulent family home, with a remote, opulent and decidedly weird family dynamic being played out in front of them.

I WILL FIND THE KEY did manage to invoke a lot of reactions in this reader - some of them positive / some of them very negative. There was a lot happening, and it seemed somewhat disjointed at points - granted I was listening to the audio of it, and it might be that I zoned out sometimes, but there were the longest periods when I really wasn't sure if I'd missed something vital. Something about Stark and Mendelson's marriage, and why she was hoping to win him back. And exactly how her disability happened I never quite got clear in my own head, but then I'm pretty sure I'd zoned out because that subject came up quite a bit, as did the weirdness of the family, the opulence, the drinking, the food, the interpersonal clashes, the weirdness, the missing, the past, the future, the business, often seemingly more than that thing about who the man with the bag on his head was, and if he was actually alive.

Of course it's always tricky to write a slightly prickly central character and I'm pretty sure Julia Stark has been set up to be the "bad" to Sidney Mendelson's "good", although to be frank from the sounds of the marriage breakdown I'm not sure I'd go along with that. Or maybe I would, but really I'm on board with the idea that a prickly woman who experiences a major life change and is in a fair amount of pain and restriction as a result, can be a bit grouchy about that without it being a "bad" thing. There were times when I thought she was a great character though, and there were times when I wanted to be anywhere but in her company, so it was a lot, and a bit tricky to get a handle on. Mind you, Mendelson's "wry tolerance" could annoy readers as well.

Either way I suspect this will be the sort of novel that could polarise readers into "loved it" and "loathed it" camps or simply create a wishy washy middle ground, which is where I'm currently located. Didn't loathe it, didn't love it, would probably pick up another novel in the series if there was nothing else within easy reach.

** After finishing it, I went on a bit of a fact finding mission and it turns out the author, Alex Ahndoril, is a new collaboration for Alexander Ahndoril and Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril, who it further was revealed are the pairing behind the better known name Lars Kepler.