The Rules of Backyard Cricket by Jock Serong

I’ve recently been enjoying the work of Jock Serong who has already made a bit of a splash with the three novels he has published to date. His first, Quota, won the 2016 Ned Kelly Award for Best First Fiction and deservedly so, it is an extremely strong crime novel set in small-town Australia.

But it’s The Rules of Backyard Cricket that I have most recently read and, as a cricket fan who also played the game for many years, both in the backyard and in the park, I found it particularly enjoyable.

The book opens with Darren Keefe bound and gagged and lying in the boot of a car with a bullet in his knee. Not an ideal place to be and it also appears there is not a lot of future left for him either.

We are then transported back to the Keefe backyard where Darren and his older brother, like numerous Australian kids (and sure, I was one), carved out a cricket ground. Endless matches in the backyard were carried out throughout each summer where the competition is as fierce as any test match.

Darren takes us through his and his brother’s journeys from their first junior cricket match right through the early representative selections and on to state and, finally, international level.

But, of course, we are constantly reminded of the predicament that Darren is in when he was first introduced to us.

We're reminded that although The Rules of Backyard Cricket is a work of fiction it’s not a million miles from the truth of what may actually be going on behind the scenes in any cricket dressing room.

Reading Notes - Comeback by Peter Corris

‘Cliff Hardy, I heard you’d retired.’ Marcia had the voice all brothel receptionist have – smooth, reassuring, comforting, designed to put the punters at their ease.
‘I’m making a comeback. Is Ruby available?’

Comeback (Allen & Unwin, 2011) is the 37th book in the outstanding Cliff Hardy series (if you count the two short story collections) and continues the rocky life of the Sydney-based private detective. No matter what type of setback is placed in his way, whether it be loss of partners, severe medical conditions or the loss of his licence, Cliff manages to continue to prove that he is the ultimate survivor and struggles on in typical gritty style.

In recent times Cliff Hardy has been somewhat at a loss to decide what to do with himself thanks to the loss of his private inquiry agent’s licence. But a recent High Court ruling has found that life bans are unconstitutional which provides Cliff with the motivation he needs to reapply for his licence and, with a little bit of help from old friend and lawyer Viv Garner, quickly sets up his practice in a new office and with a rekindled outlook.

The first case in the new practice involves a young actor, Bobby Forrest, who wants to hire Hardy because he believes he is the victim of a stalker. He is unable to identify the stalker and this intrigues Hardy enough for him to take the case.

I’d had the house a long time, ever since my marriage to Cyn, and it was imbued with memories, some bad, mostly good. I’d made love there, spilt blood and had some of my own spilt. There’s been times when I was flush with money and other times, like now, when funds were low. I knew I should find a way to shake all this loose and go somewhere else, but I was back in business and somehow that seemed to make keeping the house and the memories all the more important.

Although Hardy diligently follows Forrest from place to place to get a handle on who is stalker might
be, he is unprepared for the attack when it comes. He is left with a dead client, a police detective who is particularly unimpressed and a burning need to finish his investigation. The case that started out as a protection gig develops into a hunt for a murderer.

What Hardy discovers is that the case was more complex than he was first led to believe. He has to work his way through the jealous love triangle and unravel the tangle of rage, disappointment and acts of revenge before he can move on to working out who might have wanted to kill Bobby Forrest.

Hardy is relentless, which is the quality that has made him such an enduringly popular character. He is undeterred by the fact that his case appears to flounder and change perspective and, if anything, finds himself more galvanised into action. This is the Cliff Hardy that keeps the readers coming back for more.

I wasn’t sleeping well. A matter of loneliness and a feeling that I wasn’t accomplishing as much as  I should. So I was happy about making an early start. They say everyone is working longer hours these days and I assumed it applied to people in the security business, especially senior people if they wanted to stay senior. And why not me as well?

What is made obvious as Comeback unfolds is that Cliff Hardy is back and ready to continue on for quite a few more cases yet. He has been able to adapt to the modern world with the online presence and modern technologies required to survive. His old-fashioned detective skills are still relevant and equip him with the arsenal to get the job done.

Most importantly, he still has the passion and the fire to perform strongly and this is not only important for him as a character but is also important for the reader because it ensures that Cliff Hardy remains believable.

There is a shift in pace in the way Comeback unfolds and it is more methodical in the way in which Hardy goes about his investigations. Put this down to his advancing age, but also to the years of experience he has had in his job. Cliff can still dish out the punishment but he is also taking his knocks and has to spend more time in the gym to keep himself fit. The medication that he is taking for his heart trouble (Deep Water) highlights the fact that this is a guy dealing with real life issues and just trying to do his job to scratch out a living the best way he knows how.

Find a listing of the entire Cliff Hardy series as well as other works by visiting the Peter Corris page at Crime Down Under. Get all of the official news and information by checking out the Peter Corris website.

Australian Books Read - December 2012

It has been a month of returning to the passion that I have a great commitment to, namely reading Australian crime fiction. This has come after spending a few months leaning more towards books written by overseas authors. The return has reminded me of the wealth of talent that is being produced by our local authors. Actually, to check my pile of books waiting to be read, the talent pool appears to be on the rise.

In December, I finished reading the following books by Australian authors.

Thrill City by Leigh Redhead
Wyatt by Garry Disher
Murder and Redemption by Noel Mealey
Comeback by Peter Corris

This represents far less than half the books that I read this month but it also represents all of the books that I read that were published in the last decade. My aim over the next year is to move my focus more towards the local market and I expect my reading numbers to drastically increase.

Keeping The Balance

I am primarily a reader of hardboiled and noir crime novels with a great liking for the older detective series. This is where series by Disher, Corris and Temple, among others, have provided me with great pleasure.

Obviously, not all Australian crime novels meet my preferences with some of the "romantic thrillers" being forced past my eyes and into my brain. To stop from becoming jaded from all of the local content I am also balancing out my effort by continuing to read through detective series from some overseas established authors.

I have recently started making my way through Bill Pronzini's Nameless detective series and intend on continuing through until I have read the entire oeuvre. I have also recently discovered John Lutz and even though they are a little difficult to track down here in Australia (at least, for a reasonable price) I want to make my way through his entire Alo Nudger series of 10 novels plus one short story collection.

I think if I can keep my reading selection well balanced it will ensure that it will remain fun rather than becoming more of a chore.

That said, there are still Peter Corris books for me to read not to mention books by many of the lesser known but just as talented authors. Sitting on the stand next to my bed is a pile of books from Corris' Cliff Hardy series and they are going to be read during January. I also have The Cartographer by Peter Twohig and Ludo by Boyd Anderson to read and they will be read and reviewed by the end of next month too.

Reading Notes: Wyatt by Garry Disher

The 7th book in the Wyatt series by Garry Disher, appropriately titled “Wyatt” has prompted me to do something that I almost never do, I have re-read the book! Not only that, I enjoyed it just as much the second time through. So rather than simply being a Reading Notes post, this is more of a Re-Reading Notes.

For those who have never read them, the books in the Wyatt series are a little different to the majority of crime novels because the main character is a professional criminal. Very similar to the Parker series written by Richard Stark this is a hardboiled crime series that turns the bad guy into a good guy in the eye of the reader. It gives the story a fresh perspective.

In this book Wyatt gets involved in a plan to rob a jeweller of his stash of precious stones as he delivers them to other jewellery stores. He has a preference for stealing from crooks and the jeweller qualifies because he tends to shift stolen goods among the legitimate goods. Although usually extremely careful in the jobs he pulls and the people he works with, this job goes sour in two very important factors. The first is that he is double crossed by one of his accomplices and the second is that the loot turns out to be stolen bearer bonds worth millions rather than the expected stones.

Wyatt is driven by two powerful motivating factors. First, the man who betrayed him must pay. Revenge is one of the qualities that marks Wyatt as a character of great interest and, when he has been crossed, there is no-one more determined or ruthless. Second, Wyatt still wants to come out of this with some kind of pay off and those bearer bonds are worth taking a risk over.

What makes the book, and the entire series for that matter, so enjoyable is the fact that there is rarely a wasted word. Events unfold very quickly and this ensures the story moves along at a good pace. Wyatt is a character who is not tied down by the same types of emotions that the normal person is. He is concerned only with how he is going to solve the problem that sits directly in front of him. Attacks of conscience and emotion don’t play a part in how he operates and this frees him up to get on with the more important (and more interesting) tasks of planning and carrying out his operations.

Many have noted the similarity to Donald Westlake's Parker series that he writes under the Richard Stark pseudonym. In Wyatt, Garry Disher has left little doubt about the comparison and has included at least three hat tips for fans of both series:

1. One of Wyatt’s accomplices has been given the surname of Stark, in this case her name is Lydia Stark
2. To get himself out of trouble when thrown in the drunk tank, Wyatt borrows the identity of the man next to him. The identity that he uses is Parker.
3. Wyatt’s home is a pair of apartments that are housed in a highrise complex called the Westlake Towers.

As already mentioned, Wyatt is the 7th book in the series and this book ends a 13 year hiatus in the series. If you feel compelled to get started on the entire series I have provided the complete list below.

Kickback (1991)
Paydirt (1992)
Deathdeal (1993)
Crosskill (1994)
Port Vila Blues (1995)
The Fallout (1997)
Wyatt (2010)

Thrill City by Leigh Redhead

My copy of Thrill City (pub. Allen & Unwin) has been lying on my bookshelf for over a year and I was happy to rediscover it just last week. It prompted me to put aside the book I was in the process of reading and immerse myself in another Simone Kirsch investigation.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the work of Leigh Redhead, she has written a private investigator series featuring former stripper and now occasional PI Simone Kirsch. Thrill City is the fourth book in the series following on from Peepshow, Rubdown and Cherry Pie. The series borders on the edge of the hardboiled realm tempered by the inclusion of a witty and occasionally cynical turn of phrase to keep things just light enough to raise the occasional smirk.

My Brief Review

As for Thrill City, it opens with the news that Kirsch has finally become a licensed private investigator and is now able to strike out on her own. The Melbourne-based former stripper is going to have a go at making a go of it alone and is settling into the job of snapping photos of workers comp insurance scam artists and the like.

The mundane, everyday life of the PI is broken up when crime author Nick Austin walks into her office and asks that she allow him to ride along with her for a couple of days so that he can research for his next novel. It’s easy money for Kirsch and she agrees to the proposition. But there’s no such thing as easy money and a series of weird scenes at a weekend writer’s convention winds up with a dead body with Simone plunked right in the middle.

Nick Austin disappears and the police are on his trail with Simone now key to their inquiries. The action moves fast and culminates in an exciting showdown that starts in Broken Hill and finishes well into the empty expanses of the Australian desert.

When Simone Kirsch works as a PI the story flows quickly and smoothly and it remains consistently interesting. The problem I had, and this is coming from a reader who prefers the hardboiled genre, was that personal issues were continually allowed to get in the way of the story which severely hampered its flow. Simone was way too concerned with how her boyfriend, Sean, would react to her investigation (he didn’t react well) and she was repeatedly intimidated and restricted by other male characters in her life. It definitely bogged down the story with a lot of unnecessary guff.

Too often Kirsch was hamstrung by worries about what other people thought. Would Sean approve? Would he get angry with her for investigating? Who Cares! I found myself getting irritated with her hesitancy, pleading with her to get on and investigate the damn case. After all, that was why I opened the pages of the book in the first place.

When she finally throws caution to the wind it is as if the chain that was holding her back snaps and the everything goes into fast forward in an out of control rush. She lurches into unstoppable action as she goes all out on her search for the missing Nick Austin. All hell breaks loose in fine fashion and we are treated to a free-flowing ending.

It is obvious that Redhead has had some fun with her treatment of the crime fiction literary field taking a few stabs at the profession in which she herself works. There is a sense of fun over the way some authors are portrayed as well as a few stabs at the literary establishment.

Thrill City drags Simone Kirsch further into the private investigation profession, dirties her up a bit and probably adds a scar or two, if not physically then definitely mentally. It appears that there is more work in store for Kirsch to throw herself at.

Thrill City can be bought from the following locations:

Amazon.com for US based readers.
Amazon.co.uk for UK based readers.
Boomerangbooks.com.au for Australian readers

A New Angela Savage Book To Be Released in 2013

In her recent blog post as part of David Whish-Wilson’s Next Big Thing meme Angela Savage revealed that the title of her next book is The Dying Beach. She went on to add that the book is expected to be released in July 2013.

As with her first two books, Behind the Night Bazaar and The Half-Child, the new book will feature Australian private investigator Jayne Keeney and is set in Thailand. The book will be published by Text Publishing.

This is definitely good news for the fans of the Jayne Keeney series which started off in fine style with Behind the Night Bazaar (which was short-listed for the 2007 Ned Kelly Award for Best First Crime Novel) and was then followed up by the outstanding The Half-Child. If you haven’t had a chance to read one or both of these books, you’ve now been given a good 6 months to make the effort and read them before the new book is released. It will be well worth the effort.

For those who want to know more about the forthcoming book, Angela reveals quite a bit about the premise behind the book’s storyline, the inspiration for the story as well as few other choice tidbits. Take a look at Angela’s entry in the Next Big Thing on her blog.

P.D. Martin Turns to E-Books with Hell's Fury

For those who have been looking for P.D. Martin’s latest books in the traditional bookstores the reason you haven’t found them is because they are e-books.

After more than two years P.D. Martin has published a new novel. This follows five books in the Sophie Anderson series as well as a novella and a couple of short stories. The book is titled Hell’s Fury and has been published as a Kindle and Smashwords e-book.

This is good news for all fans of P.D. Martin novels and I am sure there are many who have been anxiously waiting for the next book to be published.

Hell’s Fury is not a Sophie Anderson novel. Instead it is a spy novel and by all accounts is a cracking read. In fact, the book was started around the same time as Body Count (the first Sophie Anderson book) but has sat unfinished for years. A series of events that Phillipa discusses on her website has led to the book being finished and then published as an e-book.

The good news for those who have enjoyed Martin’s novels in the past is that it can be quickly and easily downloaded from either Amazon or Smashwords for only $3.95.

It is also possible to buy the Sophie Anderson e-book novella titled Coming Home plus a pair of short stories that have been bundled together in Kindle format titled The Missing . All of them can be found at Amazon.

The Wreckage by Michael Robotham

The new thriller by Michael Robotham is The Wreckage (pub. Sphere) and it is an expansive novel that is set in London and Baghdad. It is a story that makes use of some of the more influential real life stories that have taken place around the world in more recent times including the Iraq War and the global financial crisis.

The principal character of the book is Vincent Ruiz, the former police detective that has appeared in other books by Robotham. It starts with Ruiz finding himself the victim of a couple of grifters who run their con on him to steal various valuable items including one or two that have sentimental value. Not being one to sit back and take a hit like that, Ruiz sets about tracking down the man and woman thieves, catching up with them just in time to get himself embroiled in something that is far more dangerous for all involved.

The Baghdad part of the story involves a series of bank robberies and the American reporter that is tracking the cases, linking them together to form a hazy picture of supposition. His theories are given greater credence when he is given 48 hours to leave Iraq by the local police after asking one too many questions.

The Wreckage is a fast-paced thriller that draws together all of the main characters nicely in a free-flowing story. There is a continual sense of danger underlying the entire plot with much of the stink coming from the rich and powerful with the occasional religious zealot thrown in to provide us with the added danger that comes from an unfeeling assassin who will kill without mercy.

It is the kind of high quality writing that we have come to expect from Robotham and a reason why I continue to look forward to his books with great anticipation.

Find out more about The Wreckage by Michael Robotham at the Australian Crime Fiction Database.

New Book: Ring of Fire by Peter Klein

The latest racing-related crime thriller from Peter Klein will be out in August and it is a cracker of a read. It is titled Ring of Fire and it is published by Pan Macmillan.

This is not a John Punter novel, Klein has moved away from the protagonist of Punter’s Luck, Punter’s Turf and Silk Chaser (Ned Kelly Award nominee) but he remains in Victoria. In Ring of Fire the main character is Ryan Carlisle and Ryan is a racing steward. So, basically, Klein has moved his readers from one side of the racing game to the other and given us a glimpse into what might take place behind the doors in the steward’s room.

However, the main focus of the story focuses on a serial arsonist who is attacking members of the racing industry. Trainer’s stables and other people connected in the industry are falling victim to the arsonist and Ryan Carlisle gets himself deeply involved in chasing down who it is.

For those who have an interest in horseracing related crime novels and have already enjoyed reading Klein’s earlier books the new Ring of Fire will definitely hold great appeal. It has some great elements to it that will ensure those who enjoy the process of elimination that comes with a good mystery leading up to a hectic ending.

How the Dead See by David Owen

After the return of Detective Inspector Franz Heineken of the Tasmanian Police Force in No Weather For A Burial in 2010, David Owen has followed up with another Pufferfish mystery titled How the Dead See (pub. 40 South Publishing).

As with the previous five Pufferfish mysteries the state of Tasmania is once again reeling from a suspicious death and Heineken, along with his team of Detective Sergeant Rafe Tredway and Detective Constable Faye Addison, is charged with the duty of solving the case. In this case the victim is one Rory Stillrock a former Hollywood star who has spent his more recent years womanizing and boozing while attempting to restart his career in the entertainment industry. It’s a high profile death that puts Heineken and his team under the pump.

Also keeping the police busy is the theft of a diamond necklace from home safe that was hidden inside the wall of a mansion in the well-heeled suburb of New Town. The burglary has all the hallmarks as the work of one of Tasmania’s best safecrackers, but the guy has been passing it around for months that he has given the game away. It’s the kind of case that is right up the cluttered alley of the Pufferfish.

As with the other books in the Pufferfish series there are a stack of references to the state of Tasmania and the landmarks that typify the countryside as some of the most picturesque in all of Australia. It is a setting that adds to the enjoyment of the book that makes it as worthwhile to read as the plot of the novel itself. The fact that many of the landmarks are described by Heineken in his gruff, acerbic tone somehow increases their wild appeal.

Franklin’s a charming little place spread thinly along the western bank of the
Huon River. Pub, cafes, antique shop, Victorian theatre building, boatbuilding
school, rowing club, footy oval right on the river bank. Assorted watercraft sit
on the sparkling, motionless water. Behind, the hillsides slope up, largely
cleared but with forested patches increasing further back. Altogether,
Franklin’s about as charming a rural hamlet as you would wish for. ...pg 183

It may not be immediately obvious in the way I have described the storyline but there is a crackling humour running through the narrative of the book. Heineken has an opinion about everything and a razor sharp delivery that cares not one iota about the way in which his delivery lands. He gets the job done and he does so in a no-nonsense way that is always entertaining.

I am currently reading the book for the second time, giving myself to enjoy the way in which the story unfolds and the sardonic tone in which Heineken presents his every thought to us. With two cases drawing quickly to their conclusion this is a crime novel that doesn’t muck about, just as with Heineken himself.

It is worthwhile going back and reading the entire back catalogue of the Pufferfish series (click on the links to be taken to my reviews of each book): Pig’s Head, A Second Hand, X and Y, The Devil Taker and No Weather For A Burial. Admittedly, tracking them all down may be difficult and if you find that to be the case you might simply limit yourself to reading No Weather For A Burial followed by How the Dead See.

The Simple Death by Michael Duffy

On finishing reading The Simple Death by Michael Duffy (pub. Allen & Unwin) I was struck by the way in which life and death is dealt with depending on the hand that circumstance deals you.

The Simple Death is Duffy’s second novel featuring Sydney Detective Nicholas Troy following on from his impressive debut novel, The Tower. The story starts with the disappearance of a man off the Manly Ferry which is eventually found to be a murder. It is this investigation that occupies Troy’s time, but he is also being troubled by a few other events in his life.

His long-time mentor and friend, Father Luke Corelli is lying in a cancer hospice close to death and facing accusations of child abuse from many years ago. Troy’s wife has moved out of home and taken their young son to Queensland following some of the harrowing events from the first book. And finally, Troy’s immediate superior, Detective Sergeant Jon McIvor appears to be contemplating leaving the force to become a singer full-time. There’s a lot to take in, both for Troy and the reader.

Introduced to the story comes a woman named Leila Scott who has smuggled a drug into the country for her mother who is terminally ill with bone cancer. It is her involvement with a voluntary euthanasia group that appears to somehow tie back to Troy’s case.

Exactly how is a complete mystery.

It is this process that Duffy proceeds to perform with great dexterity. Not only does he deliver a relevant and clever story he does so while expanding on the characters that were first introduced in the first book. Mystery surrounds many diverse parts of Troy’s investigation and with the problem of a boss whose mind is not entirely on the job, the distraction of a wife and son who may never return and the struggle to understand the plight of his friend there is a great deal to hold together.

The Simple Death is more than a crime novel. At times it provides commentary on today’s society and the way in which popular opinion is manipulated. The battle between the law and a merciful death is one of the arguments that is inevitably going to arise when broaching a subject that is far more complex than it first appears on the surface.

It is the issue of euthanasia that makes a lie out of the title of the book, mocking the concept that the death or deaths in this novel are simple. In fact they are all very complex, particularly when tying to come to terms with the motivation behind them and the justifications used in carrying them out.

The Simple Death highlights the fact that there is nothing simple about death.

Line of Sight by David Whish-Wilson

Line of Sight (pub. Viking Penguin) is the second novel by Western Australian author David Whish-Wilson following his debut novel The Summons (2006). This is a chilling fight conducted by one straight policeman against the might and power of a rotten to the core police force and state government. The following brief review is the one that I have psoted on the Crime Down Under website and I am reposting it here for those who missed it.

Review of Line of Sight by David Whish-Wilson

The year is 1975 and a Royal Commission into police corruption has been called in Perth, Western Australia. The murder of Ruby Devine, a brothel madam, has opened up countless questions over the operations of some of the highest ranking police in the state.

Detective Superintendant Frank Swann has blown the whistle on his colleagues and they have closed ranks against him using every dirty trick in the book to discredit him. The judge that has been brought out of retirement and flown in from Melbourne quickly finds out that his appointment has been made with the expectation that the Royal Commission will come to the conclusion that the police have no case to answer and that Swann’s claims are those of a man who has already suffered one breakdown and could be going through another.

Then there is the hit man who has flown into town with a quick in and out job to do. His presence is noted but the target is not made clear. Certainly there is more than a little intrigue over his presence in Perth.

Whish-Wilson creates a pertinent metaphor for the predicament that Swan has found himself in while Swan goes for a swim in the surf: “If he was in the wrong place it would spear him down into the sand and hold him under until it passed; if he was in the right place he would ride it until his weight dissolved and he found himself delivered gently onto the shore”.

When it’s one man against the world thoughts must inevitably turn to chucking it all in and giving up. The burdens carried by Swann as the story unfolds become increasingly clear until you are left with a deep admiration for the resolve of the man. However, one also can’t help but question his common sense.

There is no doubt that Whish-Wilson has drawn deeply from the well of corruption that rocked WA a few decades ago.

For more details about the book you can visit the page on Crime Down Under devoted to Line of Sight by David Whish-Wilson.

Reading Notes: No Weather For A Burial by David Owen

The Pufferfish series was one of those fortunate discoveries that allowed me to lose myself in the wonderful beauty of Tasmania while I was also taken through a cleverly plotted series of crime novels featuring one of the most prickly of protagonists. It has been the source of more than a little bit of selfish disappointment that the series only ran for 4 books: Pig's Head (1994), A Second Hand (1995), X and Y (1995) and The Devil Taker (1997).

The astoundingly good news is that after a break of 13 years Detective Inspector Franz 'Pufferfish' Heineken has returned to the job and has featured in the 5th Pufferfish Mystery - No Weather For A Burial (pub. 40 Degrees South).

Also making the return are the rest of Heineken's TPF colleagues Detective Sergeant Hedda Andover of the Drug Squad, his two subordinates Detective Rafe Tredway and Constable Faye Addison a couple of up and comers ready to jump at Heineken's barked command. Then there's Heineken's superior officer Chief Superintendant Walter D'Hayt a man described by the Pufferfish as "a painful stickler, a goody two shoes - we call him GTS - a supercilious, vainglorious prick."

In short, No Weather For A Burial is an incredibly entertaining mystery that features some of the most incredibly descriptive depictions of Tasmania possible. If you don't feel a burning desire to visit the place to see some of the locations for yourself then you're just not trying.

Take the following observation as Franz flies back in to Hobart:

Sheet rain falls across the Organ Pipes of Mount Wellington and the dark
green silhouette of hills linking it to Mount Dromedary. Sunlight slants through
shifting cloud masses. From the eastern shore, approaching the bridge, Hobart
and her outer suburbs, and the pair of flags rippling energetically at
Government House, have a strange unreality about them, a hyper reality brought
on by a massive rainbow. This place is home to the likes of me.

Back to the plot: with Heineken back at work after a stint of long-service leave it doesn't take long for a call to come in to attend a crime scene. It's the discovery of a body found buried on a remote deserted beach (at Outer North Head past Roaring Beach) and the unknown man has obviously been murdered.

This is the starting point of an investigation that begins with a body and not the first clue as to his identity nor how he came to be buried at a beach. The methodical mind of Heineken gradually pieces the mystery together while pressured and distracted by D'Hayt.

From my observation the Pufferfish personality appears to have mellowed just a fraction but the sharp mind and clever deductive process ensures that the story, along with the investigation, flows smoothly. Pufferfish is as sharp as a tack, he sees all and stows it away for future use and only he knows how he's playing the game.

David Owen is a master storyteller and a true ambassador for the state of Tasmania. The state of Tasmania is featured prominently as a vital part of the story and makes it all the more memorable for the forbidding landscapes that are described along the way.

I wasn’t satisfied with reading No Weather For a Burial once. I did something that I have only very rarely done, when I finished the book I turned back to page 1 and I started reading all over again. Not only that, but it was just as enjoyable for the second sitting.

Looking around at the various bookstores it appears that if you want to buy No Weather For A burial you should do so through the publishers.

Reading Notes : The Zero Option by David Rollins

The sixth thriller by David Rollins and the second without the "A". For those who were looking out for the next Vin Cooper book, this is not it, it's a stand alone novel but don't be alarmed because it's a powerful thriller indeed.

The story switches between 1983 and 2012 as we get a story of action and consequence that plays out after 30 years of lies and deception.

There is a terrible plan born in the Cold War days, hatched by NSA agent Roy Garret in which a commercial jet filled with innocent people would be "accidentally" flown into Soviet air space. The Soviets, if they were true to their threats would shoot the plane out of the sky, thus revealing themselves to the rest of the world as the true evil who must be stopped by the US. The plan is put in place in a bid to improve President Reagan's flagging popularity.

Something this large requires a lot of things to go right for the truth to remain a secret and inevitably there is a leak of information that is allowed to get by all of the work done by the NSA heavies. That leak comes in the form of an old American Air Force pilot Curtis Foxx and a Japanese radar operator Yuudai Suzuki. However it is only after their deaths in 2012 that they set in motion a series of events that threaten to uncover the terrible truth.

It comes down to Ben Harbor and Akiko Sato, two youngsters who don't really understand what they're getting themselves into leading a chase through some of the most inhospitable territory. Their pursuers? Well they will want them dead to keep a 30 year old secret.

The Zero Option by David Rollins is an action packed thriller that is your classic tale of the innocent small guy being chased by a formidible big-guy bully. There should only be one winner. And at this point I'm not sure exactly who that winner will be because I've still got another 100 pages to go and I'm riveted.

Deep Water by Peter Corris

The 34th book in Peter Corris' Cliff Hardy private detective series titled Deep Water was released a couple of weeks ago on 30 March by Allen & Unwin. Here is a series that has stood the test of time developing consistently from the first book (The Dying Trade).

My review, containing some of my thoughts about the book can be found on the Deep Water page at Crime Down Under.

Meanwhile, here is the Media Release that will give you the incentive to go out and get yourself a copy of Deep Water.

In a case of art mirroring life, the latest instalment in Peter Corris' Cliff Hardy series, Deep Water, sees the beloved Hardy undergo a quadruple heart bypass after suffering a life threatening heart attack.

Author, Peter Corris, underwent the same heart operation last year, obviously influencing the direction of the Cliff Hardy series.

However, the similarities stop there as Cliff Hardy gets drawn into a missing person's investigation, after the father of his nurse, Margaret McKinley, goes missing.

The search for renowned geologist, Dr Henry McKinley, takes Hardy behind the scenes at one of Sydney's biggest basin aquifers and ignites the wrath of local big buisness that stand to lose even bigger money if Hardy's discoveries are revealed.

Ignoring the threat to his life from both his health and his enemies, Hardy is determined to uncover the truth no matter how deep the water he finds himself in.

Except from the book.

The following excerpt from Deep Water gives a little bit of an insight into Cliff Hardy and what has made him so popular for so long.

A few days later, installed back in my house and with outstanding correspondence and obligations, mostly financial but also social and medical, dealt with, I called on Hank in his Newtown office to talk over the Henry McKinley matter. I climbed the familiar stairs from King Street bu tnow a fluorescent light made them more negotiable. As I was making my way up a man coming down fast bumped into me and almost knocked me off balance.

'Terribly sorry,' he said. 'Are you all right, sir?'

I was until you called me sir, I thought. I nodded and he went down, turning at the bottom of the stairs to look back. I signalled to him and went on.

If you want to find out more about Deep Water by Peter Corris you can also visit Inside Story where Shane Maloney has written an outstanding article about Deep Water, Cliff Hardy and Peter Corris.

Reading Notes : A Beautiful Place To Die by Malla Nunn

There have been a number of high quality debut Australian book releases in the last couple of months that have come my way. I’m gradually getting to each one and have been impressed by all of them.

A particularly strong novel is A Beautiful Place to Die by Malla Nunn (Pan Macmillan Australia), a murder mystery set in South Africa in the 1950s. The time and setting are significant because of the Racial Segregation laws that were in place at the time. The story explores these laws throughout the book and the attitudes of characters play a major role in the tone of the book and in the story’s outcome.

A Beautiful Place To Die introduces police detective Emmanuel Cooper who is called to a small town to investigate the murder of the town’s police captain. What he has walked into, though is a dangerously poised tinderbox of emotions as the sons of the dead man deal with their rage and grief by looking for someone to blame. Their attention sits squarely on the black community and Cooper is forced to act as the voice of reason, unsure of the authority he might be able to exert in such a remote town.

Moving in to take over are the police Security Branch, the feared enforcers of the racial laws that rule the land. Their intention is to find the kind of suspect that suits their needs, which leaves it up to Cooper to work surreptitiously to find the true murderer, regardless of the colour of his skin.

The story builds quickly in intensity as pressure is placed on Emmanuel - and not from the direction you would expect it to come. This is obviously a heartfelt subject for the author and it is told with great style.

Reading Notes : As Darkness Falls by Bronwyn Parry

Another new voice in Australian literature has just been heard with the release of As Darkness Falls by Bronwyn Parry. The book is published by Hachette Australia. This novel combines the pulse-racing thriller story with a country Australia setting that is rarely experienced by city-dwellers.

It is the kind of story that allows you to comfortably fall into, losing yourself in the smooth, flowing story told by a gifted storyteller.

As Darkness Falls is a romantic suspense novel set in the north-west corner of New South Wales in the tiny town of Dungirri. The setup is that Isabelle O'Connell is asked to return to her home town a year after she is nearly killed by an angry mob while trying to protect a suspected murderer. The man she was trying to protect was implicated in a child abduction and murder case.

Now, a year later, Isabelle is living alone on a remote property on extended leave from the police force and only a week out from retirement. The call to duty comes from DCI Alex Goddard who has come to tell her that another child has gone missing in Dungirri. She instinctively agrees to help.

There is no let up from the emotional turmoil that surround everyone the moment our attention turns to the small town. Pressure comes from the urgency that is put into finding the small girl. Added pressure comes from attacks on Isabelle herself. And finally, caught up in the midst of all this is the desperate romance hopelessly complicating it all.

This is a fine debut novel from go to whoa, a desperate thriller that also works as a moving love story.

Bronwyn Parry was awarded the 2007 Golden Heart Award by the Romance Writers of America for As Darkness Falls.

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September '08 - New Releases

So far, I have had word of 4 new crime novels that I would class as Australian crime fiction, even though 2 of the authors are now based overseas. They are a diverse bunch of books with a small town thriller, a Scottish noir, Russian noir and Sydney-based corruption novel providing a little bit of something from everywhere. Definitely some fascinating reading for the month of September.

As Darkness Falls by Bronwyn Parry (pub. Hachette Australia) The manuscript titled “Falling Into Darkness” was awarded the 2007 Golden Heart Award by the Romance Writers of America as well as the Romance Writers of Australia Single and Loving It! (STALI) Contest in 2005. This is a romance / thriller of undoubted quality set in outback New South Wales.

You can find out more about her by visiting the official website of Bronwyn Parry.







Paying For It by Tony Black (pub. Preface Publishing) This is a Scottish Noir thriller set in Edinburgh featuring Gus Dury, an alcoholic former journalist who is cajoled into investigating the death of his boss’ son. This is tough, dingy, well-written and admirably paced novel that skates the edges of despair as Gus goes head to head with one of the city’s most formidable mobsters. Tony Black has already made his presence felt with a short story that has been published here at The Outpost titled Crate-Load of Grief.







Crooked by Camilla Nelson (pub. Random House) This book looks as though it’s a real hell-raiser with the publisher blurb promising corruption, crooked politicians and honest crims. It also mentions that some of Sydney’s most notorious gangland identities have been used as the backdrop to the story. It looks tough and it looks mean and this has got me intrigued.




Stray Dog Winter by David Francis (pub. Allen & Unwin) Speaking of intrigued, Stray Dog Winter came with a media release that bills it as a Soviet noir “sexpionage” novel set in 1980s Moscow reveals dangerous secrets between siblings. I have this one sitting waiting to be read and if the praise of Debra Adelaide is to be heeded we can expect the story to be: “Permeated with a brooding unease, powerfully matched by the palpable cold of winter in Moscow…sinister, suspenseful and beautifully written.”

Reading Notes : Ghostlines by Nick Gadd

The 2007 Victorian Premiers Literary Award for Best Unpublished Manuscript was won by Nick Gadd for a novel about a washed up award-winning investigative journalist who now works for a suburban newspaper. That book has now been published as Ghostlines by Scribe Publications and it is an emotionally-charged debut occasionally marked with despair and guilt but presented with admirable style.

A tragic accident at a local railway crossing sees him simply going through the motions, more intent on getting home and drinking himself to sleep to the strains of Coltrane’s saxophone. Somewhere between asking people how they felt about the accident and filing the story his usual numbness to the people affected begins to wear off and he finds that there may be more to the story than a simple level-crossing accident.

A Melbourne art group from the 1950s, the work of a noted local artist and the haunting image of a woman captured in a portrait found in the house of a lonely old man are the catalysts to a most intriguing mystery. Phillip Trudeau is the troubled protagonist in the story, a man who has had his share of hardships, paying for crossing the wrong powerful people in the past. He’s the down but not out type of underdog whom you hope will succeed, but it could go either way.

Ghostlines is a worthy winner of the 2007 VPLA, it’s a powerful novel that is not without its surprises. Definitely one to look out for and a strong contender for future awards down the track. Put Nick Gadd down as an author to follow for the future.

I have written a full review for Ghostlines by Nick Gadd and it can be found by clicking on the link.

2008 Ned Kelly Award - Winners

The CWAA 2008 Ned Kelly Awards were announced last night at the Melbourne Writers Festival.

Best Crime Fiction

Shatter by Michael Robotham

Best First Crime Novel

The Low Road by Chris Womersley

Best Non-Fiction

Red Centre, Dead Heart by Evan McHugh

Lifetime Achievement Award

Marele Day

This is Michael Robotham's second Ned Kelly Award after taking out the 2005 Ned with his second novel LOST and a very deserved winner.

I'm also very pleased to see that Chris Womersley picked up the Ned - lovely to see such a noir work get recognised. It's a win that I picked up while reading the book, the proof is in my review of The Low Road..."If ever there were a book that screams Ned Kelly Award contender then this is it" - a pat on the back for Damien.