All the Reviews

The Chalk Circle Man, Fred Vargas

THE CHALK CIRCLE MAN is the first book in the Adamsberg series by French writer Fred Vargas.  As they have been translated out of series order, fans of this fantastic set of books know Adamsberg well by now, without having had the chance to be in at the beginning so to speak.  This release gives the reader a unique opportunity.  For existing fans a chance to see where Adamsberg came from, and to consider a first book, in light of knowing how good the series has become.  For new readers a chance to start at the beginning if that is your preference.

The strange blue circles ... Read Review

The Paris Enigma, Pablo De Santis

The Twelve Detectives are a famous group of crime solving individuals - spread throughout the world.  In the 1880's their exploits are well known - the magazine The Key to Crime regularly publishes the story of their investigations.  Sigmundo Salvatrio works in his father's shoe repair shop, but he doesn't dream of being a cobbler - his dream is to join the ranks of the acolytes of the world famous investigators.  It seems a pipe dream as Renato Craig, the only one of the detectives who lives in Buenos Aires has always opposed recruitment of his own acolyte.  Sigmundo is therefore ... Read Review

The Bad Policeman, Helen Hodgman

I confess to not putting a category or genre on this book because I'm not really sure what it fits into (other than fiction of course).

This is a fabulous little book - the story of Marcus Blainey, a poet who works as a cop.  The cop persona is taking over rapidly and he's not coping well.

Marcus tells his own story - and he's very very hard on himself.  It might be that he's got a point in some places, but really he's not quite as bad as he seems to think he is.  But he doesn't cope well with anything much in his life.  When his wife left him I don't think ... Read Review

Bait, Nick Brownlee

The latest "it" in crime fiction can be pretty common.  Sometimes it's a plot elements, sometimes it's locations for books, sometimes it's the home location of the author themselves.  The "it" thing I'm coming across a lot at the moment is books set in Africa.  Not that you could possibly complain if the books are the standard of BAIT.

BAIT is set in Kenya, and whilst the setting is used to good effect - the scenery, the animals, the weather, what is really used well is the society (emerging / building / dealing with the after-affects of civil unrest) and the people ... Read Review

Punter's Turf, Peter Klein

Peter Klein has spent a lifetime in the horse racing industry, working for some of Australia's top trainers such as TJ Smith and Bart Cummings.  He was once a strapper of champion galloper Kingston Town.  It's therefore not all that surprising that he has set PUNTER'S TURF firmly in the horse racing world, with a good balance between the horse racing and mystery elements.  There is enough atmosphere to give the events a real sense of place, there's enough sprinkling of horse racing terminology to provide a sense of reality, but it's not overplayed or impossible for the average reader ... Read Review

Fan Mail, PD Martin (review by Helen Lloyd)

On her last day at FBI headquarters at Quantico before transferring to the Los Angeles field office, Australian FBI profiler Sophie Anderson is given the task of showing crime author Loretta Black around the facilities. She finds Black to be rude and overbearing, and is glad when the tour is over.

Within days of Sophie's arrival in Los Angeles, Black is found murdered in bizarre circumstances. She has been killed in exactly the same way as the victim in her latest book. It doesn't take long for Sophie to link this crime with the murder of another crime author several ... Read Review

Deadly Intent, Lynda La Plante

DEADLY INTENT is the fourth book in the Anna Travis series, made up of ABOVE SUSPICION, THE RED DAHLIA and CLEAN CUT.  It's been a series which I've really enjoyed... up until this book, which I have to say disappointed.

Anna is a dogged sort of a detective character, who has had a complicated personal life - having had a short-lived but dramatic affair with her previous boss - James Langton.  She is still feeling the loss of that relationship and finding dealing with Langton on a daily basis very difficult.  When he steps into overall control of the investigation of the ... Read Review

A Darker Domain, Val McDermid

Val McDermid has tackled some social history that is obviously very dear to her own heart in A DARKER DOMAIN, and it has to be said, she's done it with considerable style.  Not only does this book give you a fascinating glimpse into the social chaos and personal pain caused by the Miner's Strikes in early 1980's Britain, it carries the story of three unfathomable disappearances.

Cold Case squad detectives DI Karen Pirie and DS Phil Parhatka are initially looking into the disappearance of Mick Prentice - reported missing 22 years after he supposedly broke ranks and joined ... Read Review

Devil's Peak, Deon Meyer (review by sunniefromoz)

What makes a book special for you?  For me it’s when the characters and the story stays with you after you’ve closed the book. All too often once the book is finished , the details begin to fade almost immediately. Not so with DEVIL’S PEAK by Deon Meyer

The alcoholic detective is something of a staple in crime fiction; to the extent that it frequently becomes a cliché. Not so Benny.  Meyer writes about Benny’s struggle , self-recrimination and the realisation of the full impact of his drinking on his life, his family and his colleagues with a great deal of sensitivity . ... Read Review