All the Reviews

A short story, THE LONELY AUSTRALIAN OF THE ASIAN NIGHT packs a punch in a few pages. With the proviso that you're going to be spending some time in the head of a deeply miserable bloke - one who was a boxer, a grafter and a bit of a loser to be honest. In Melbourne, in his teens, he'd been a chancer, then was a boxer with a bit of promise. But the gym he went to closed, and he slid. Back into nothing, a bit of petty crime, some standover work, and a life on the run from Melbourne.

Running as far as Asia he tried India and hated it, tried Vietnam and couldn't settle, ... Read review

K.J. Sweeney's debut novel is set in a tight-knit seaside community in New Zealand, when, after some stormy weather, Helena Statham comes across a skeleton that's been exposed because of a coastal landslip. It's turns out to be the skeleton of a young woman, likely to have been buried for around 30 years, a period of time before Helena and her family moved to this area, but a timeframe in which many of the locals are still alive, and can remember what was going on around then.

The police are called, a taskforce is established and an investigation gets underway, but Helena ... Read review

2nd in the Hawthorne & Horowitz story, THE SENTENCE IS DEATH continues the author's insertion of themselves into a fictional detective story, featuring the investigative skill of PI Daniel Hawthorne and Horowitz's sometimes less successful conclusion drawing.

If you're new to this series, and the concept, then it would be well worth going back to the opening salvo, THE WORD IS MURDER. That should help with the background, even if a tendency for "What the" / "Why the" moments continue. Best not to reason why and just press on is my motto, because even with this whole ... Read review

Stef Harris is an award winning indie filmmaker and policeman in his native New Zealand, so it's probably not surprising that he's had a bit on, making it longer than I can remember since his earlier releases. DOUBLE JEOPARDY is worth the wait though, as a good solid crime fiction thriller, inspired, it would seem, by time spent in Boston, where it's set. 

Frank Winter is a retired county sheriff and Boston police detective whose daughter was murdered many years before. Bruno Krupke was acquitted of Evelyn's death, but found guilty of others, and at the time of the ... Read review

If you do what I did, and get these two books out of order, they will still work, but dear me, combined they tell one hell of a tale about a strong, resiliant young woman called Maggie.

A young woman who grew up in very difficult circumstances with a missing mother, and a drunken violent father (who also happened to be a cop), Maggie's been running from lots of horrible people for a long time.

Starting out with THE HUNTED, when she staggers into a remote service station, badly injured, pursued by some very bad people indeed, only to end up with a standoff ... Read review

The 5th novel in the Sam Shepherd series set in Dunedin, New Zealand, EXPECTANT is the latest work from Vanda Symon, the author Val McDermid refers to as "New Zealand's modern Queen of Crime" (fiction one hastens to add).

Sam Shepherd is an experienced, tough, up for anything cop, currently confined to 'light duties' as she's about due to deliver her first baby and commence maternity leave. Which obviously makes the case of the murder of a heavily pregnant woman, and the missing baby snatched from her womb, a potentially uncomfortable undertaking for Shepherd. And for her ... Read review

WARNING: This book discusses sexual offences, and the related trial proceedings.

DICE is a debut novel from NZ author Claire Baylis. The subject matter is confronting, not just because it is seemingly based on a real life case, the styling is inventive, and the outcomes devastating, infuriating and searingly illuminating.

DICE takes the reader through the complicated trial of four teenage boys, charged with the sexual assault of multiple victims, based around a sex game they invented. The novel works it's way through jury selection, aspects of the trial and ... Read review

BUNNY is written by S.E. Tolsen, a husband and wife writing team, who won Best Horror Novel of 2023 in the Australian Aurealis Awards, making it to the longlist for the 2024 Ngaio Marsh awards based on it's thriller categorisation. 

A combination of a straight up thriller, with psychological overtones, there are horror and supernatural elements enough here to feel like it warrants the marketing spin "For fans of Stephen King and Stranger Things." I've certainly seen it described as a solid homage to King's work, with the story of childhood trauma and current day ... Read review

A psychological thriller with a hefty dose of more than willing suspension of disbelief, THE SAFE HOUSE is one of those bare knuckle roller-coaster rides of a reading experience that may lead to a loss of sleep and a strong desire to avoid anywhere in the bush during long hot summers.

The novel starts out with Jess returning to her native Australia, taking a break from her job as an analyst with the London Metropolitan police. By way of a convoluted back story, she's accepted a stint as a caretaker of a luxury walled off property near Apollo Bay in the Otways region of ... Read review