All the Reviews

Death by Tradition, B.M. Allsopp

DEATH BY TRADITION is the second book in the Fiji Islands Mystery series, following on closely from DEATH ON PARADISE ISLAND. It's probably best if you can read both of these novels in order, as background to the central character's lives, the society in which they operate, and their interactions is pretty well central to everything here.

In this second novel, DI Joe Horseman, policeman, local rugby star, has been back in his homeland for a while, after a knee injury put pay to his overseas ambitions. He's impatiently awaiting the arrival of his American girlfriend, and ... Read Review

The Stakes, Ben Sanders

THE STAKES is the latest noir thriller from NZ writer Ben Sanders, and it's a standout. Set once again in the US, this time NYPD detective Miles Keller is onto what he thinks is a pretty good idea; ripping off rich New York criminals, with a view to early, anonymous retirement. I mean really, what could go wrong? Other than the NYPD investigation into his suspected shooting of a hitman and the reappearance in his life of fellow scammer Nina Stone? Or is it the tricky complication of the go-to-thug, Bobby Dean, brother of the aforementioned dead hitman, dispatched by Stone's estranged ... Read Review

Inspector Anders and the Prague Dossier, Marshall Browne

INSPECTOR ANDERS AND THE PRAGUE DOSSIER is a very bittersweet book, published after author Marshall Browne's death (the book was being edited at the time that Browne died). The fourth Inspector Anders novel, it brings to an end an unsung gem of a series of Australian Crime Fiction books.

Set in Europe, the central character - Anders is an investigator with Europol. In the first book, THE WOODEN LEG OF INSPECTOR ANDERS, Anders is based in Italy, a hero of the Rome Police Force, who lost his leg in a terrorist attack, struggling with the after-effects of the bombing. The ... Read Review

The Quaker, Liam McIlvanney

The problem with books like THE QUAKER is that Liam McIlvanney calls himself a 'slow motion writer' so his books are rare little gems, dropped into your reading list like pearls. To be savoured, unless desperation takes over, and like me, you move the first two Gerry Conway books (ALL THE COLOURS OF THE TOWN and WHERE THE DEAD MEN GO) into the re-read pile, on the strength of just how good THE QUAKER was.

In Glasgow in the late 1960's there was a real life serial killer - 'Bible John' who killed three women and then disappeared ( ... Read Review

Fallen, Lucie Morris-Marr

FALLEN by Lucie Morris-Marr has the sub-heading "The inside story of the secret trial and conviction of Cardinal George Pell". I freely admit to being interested in what happened with the mistrial, the trial that found Pell guilty of five counts of child abuse, the sentencing hearing, the appeal, and what will happen now that his legal team have sought leave to appeal to the High Court, so it was that sub-heading that made me want to read this book. I'm acutely aware that these events, this trial, and the history of the church have massive ramifications, equally I'm aware of comments ... Read Review

Agatha Raisin and the Fairies of Fryfam, M.C. Beaton

Never let it be said that a hefty spot of irritation with all the "will they / won't they" marriage twaddle and the constant repetition of Agatha Raisin's personal appearance stops me from sticking with the audio of this series.

Goodness knows why, I suspect I've just got into the habit, although I will admit I do rather like Penelope Keith's reading style, and these are nothing if not exactly brain teasers so they've become the standard backdrop to wrestling with the sewing machine or yet another long haul drive to the supermarket.

In this outing Agatha has ... Read Review

Wedlock, Denis Wright

This young adult novel from NZ author Denis Wright explores the manner in which dangerous cults can target, and draw vulnerable people into their grasp. In this case, Lucy Sorrenson is the daughter of a father who still thinks he's the only teenager in the household. She lives with him and her grandfather - a stronger, more positive man in her life, although now his grip on reality is slipping and Lucy feels like the only grown-up in the place. Until the opening night of her school play, and a strange woman who comes to give her a message from "the Master".

Interesting ... Read Review

Blood River, Tony Cavanaugh

There are plenty of books around that read a bit like a script in the making, and a lot of them don't work. And then there's BLOOD RIVER that reads like a script in the making, a most unusual crime fiction novel that works. Oh boy does it work. Tony Cavanaugh is the author of the stonkingly good Darian Richards novels so it shouldn't come as much surprise that BLOOD RIVER is good, but it came as considerable surprise just how damn good it is.

Set in different time zones, centred, in the main around the stories of two very different women, the novel starts out in 1999 when ... Read Review

You're Never the Same, Bill Bateman

Bill Bateman, author of the Vince Hanrahan series, was a rural based GP himself, and that shows. Both in his affection for the town, the people and the depiction of the day to day life of the slightly harried GP, but mostly in the way that some presentations are never quite what they seem and a bit of determined digging is often required. YOU'RE NEVER THE SAME is the second book in this series, following on from HARD LABOUR which came out in 2017.

Vince was a big-shot OBY/GYN in Melbourne until one disastrous patient outcome saw him banned from specialist practice, exiled ... Read Review