An Easeful Death - Felicity Young

With some upcoming releases of new books by a few of Australia’s more widely read authors it’s easy to miss the odd book by those who are less noted. Felicity Young is one such overlooked author who is definitely a star on the rise and won’t remain in relative obscurity for much longer, particularly when word gets out about An Easeful Death (pub. Fremantle Arts Centre Press).

An Easeful Death was published in late March and is Young’s second novel following her 2005 debut with A Certain Malice (pub. Crème de la Crime). It's a tightly plotted police procedural thriller set in Perth and featuring DS Stevie Hooper of the Serious Crime Squad.

The attention is immediately grabbed by a complex group of characters making up the Perth SCS all working on one of the more bizarre murder scenes you’d come across.
Young also achieves something that many authors find very difficult. She manages to set up an array of plausible suspects who all come under close scrutiny as possible killers without ever giving away the identity until she’s well and truly ready. I reckon this is an under-rated aspect of good mysteries, but Felicity achieved it with style.

This is definitely a quality book, one to look out for, and believe me Felicity Young is also a name to watch out for.

The Outpost - Issue 3

The 3rd issue of The Outpost, containing another 6 Australian crime short stories has just been released. Once again an eclectic line-up of stories have been gathered to provide some fine reading with a couple of detective stories, a chiller and some stomach churning twists.

The list of stories are as follows:

Something Out of the Ordinary by Kerry Ashwin
Cold Facts by R.T. Hag
Alison's Folly by Ann Lax
The 24 Hour Affair by Malcolm Reid
Finding Hao Ling by Rani Milne

The Stripping Dick Is Back

Australia's most colourful private detective, Simone Kirsch returns in Leigh Redhead's 3rd detective thriller, Cherry Pie. (publisher: Allen & Unwin).

Once again Kirsch throws herself into her work with alacrity and what she lacks in experience she makes up with street smarts and plenty of front. I'm only half-way through the book to this point and so far it has raced along at an incredible rate with a missing person providing initial impetus that promises to blossom into a much more devious and complex thriller.

A detective thriller with a bit of a difference is what you're in for here and Simone Kirsch sits very comfortably among more widely known characters like Carlotta Carlyle, V.I. Warshawski and Tess Monaghan.

My advice to you is, if you haven't read Peepshow and Rubdown yet, do so and you'll be well primed for Cherry Pie.

My further advice -- and this is purely for your own research purposes -- visit your local strip joint and familiarise yourself with G-strings and pasties.

Early Buzz for Crater by Phoenix Connor

I'm not sure what Random House have been doing to create the buzz of anticipation for Phoenix Connor's debut action thriller, Crater, but if my hit counter on the Crime Down Under site is anything to go by, the word is out.

Crater isn't due for release until June this year and the site has already received quite a high number of hits from people who have searched for the author &/or the title.

Perhaps a clue can be gleaned from the short bio on the publisher's page that names Dean Koontz as her mentor and friend. Couldn't hurt having links to one of the genres heavyweights that's for sure. Then there's also a handy little comparison to Matthew Reilly in the publicity notes hinting at non-stop breathless action with its relentless pace and continuous stream of life or death situations for the heroic band of survivors. Hmmm, it does sound like a Matthew Reilly novel!

Anyway if the hits I've noticed translate into sales then it augurs well for June. The lovers of turbo-charged white-knuckle thrill rides have something to look forward to later in the year and are already making their presence felt.

Big Mystery, Little Mystery

As we are no doubt all well aware mysteries come in a vast array of sizes, some of them are of heart-breaking importance – such as the whereabouts of a missing child, others are not so important, such as the whereabouts of a missing donut.

And that brings me to Company by Max Barry (published by Scribe Publications) which I read and heartily enjoyed this weekend just passed.

By no means is Company a crime novel, let me be clear on that one, but it is a bitingly satirical farce that pokes all sorts of fun at everything corporate, from inter-office politics, infrastructure, employee benefits and lack thereof, the blind acceptance of the downtrodden employee who just wants to earn a buck. Company is also riddled with mysteries, teeny-weeny little ones. And so, drawing a lengthy item of an archer’s armoury, I’m content to proclaim Company a mystery novel of the most humorous kind.

Ever worked in an office? Wondered about the motivation behind your company’s latest inexplicable restructure? Noticed that your employee benefits continue to disappear? Max Barry’s Company may well provide you with some insights into what the hell is going on around the beige walls of your cubicle. Then again maybe not, maybe you’ll just laugh quietly until your realise with a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach that it all sounds scarily familiar.

A Mystery or Corporate Farce

I've got my hot little hands on a copy of Max Barry's latest book titled Company and published in Australia by Scribe. Now some people will howl their disagreement but I've listed it as a mystery novel. I'm well aware that it may very well sit more appropriately in the popular fiction or humour section of the bookstore but I'm sticking to my guns...for the time being.

I'm basing my reckless assertion that this is a mystery novel, based on the fact that Zephyr Holdings the Company in question is "an ordinary company. Or at least that's what everyone thinks." Now that just shrieks mystery, doesn't it?

That being said, I'm only a few pages into reading it and already have been snickering quietly to myself at Barry's bitingly amusing delivery.

* When describing Elizabeth - If Elizabeth's brain was a person it would have scars, tattoos, and be missing one eye.

* When describing the Zephyr Holdings building - It is a building designed by committee: all they have been able to agree on is that it should be rectangular, have windows, and not fall over.

* On Elizabeth again - Elizabeth has shoulder-length brown hair that looks as if it has been cut with a straight razor and a mouth that could have done the cutting.

Call it satire, call it humour, call it insightful commentary on today's corporate world...but for the time being, I'm calling it a mystery. (Course, that could change by the time I'm done reading it).

Company was released earlier in March after a fairly quiet start to the year in terms of new Australian Crime releases.