Reading Notes : The CEO by Peter Ralph

Let's see how this goes. I've been jotting down a few notes, thoughts, what have you while I've been reading lately. I'll throw them out there for you, perhaps it might help you to decide whether you want to read it yourself.

The CEO is the second novel by Peter Ralph, his first being Collins Street Whores (published by SidHarta Books).

Here is a crime novel that was released in 2007 by small publisher Melbourne Books to little or no fanfare. I managed to track down a copy a couple of weeks ago and have a very enjoyable time reading about the high-powered, dirty dealing and outright greed emanating from a large company's CEO.

This is a book that is worth tracking down for the outrageous behaviour of Douglas Aspine, the clever wheelings and dealings that are carried out and the brilliant case of poetic justice that marks the ending.

I'll take one quote out of the book that describes the main character, Douglas Aspine to a tee:

He's an overbearing bully, earning a fortune to tear a company to pieces, in the
name of downsizing and profit. He's a typical CEO.

We first meet Douglas Aspine as he walks into his bank hoping to extend a personal loan. He's already in debt to the eyeballs and his $400,000 salary just isn't stretching far enough to meet his expenses. Unsurprisingly, the loan application is flatly refused and he's left with a seething resentment towards the bank officer who refused him and a burning need to pick up one of the many CEO positions for which he has applied.

Surprise, surprise, one of the applications is successful and suddenly, Douglas Aspine's future looks assured...as does his personal wealth. In a move that is typically Douglas Aspine's he immediately rubs his success in the noses of i) his former boss who'd just sacked him and, 2) the bank loans officer.

Aspine then proceeds to methodically screw over every single person he comes in contact with as he seeks to ensure that his bank balance will be as fat as possible. The line of enemies he makes for himself includes his company board, his secretary, his mistress, his wife, his stockbroker, his children, his former bank manager.

In fact, when it comes time to try to decide exactly who is going to seek revenge on the bastard, we're spoilt for choice. How Peter Ralph chooses to do it is inspired, it must be said.

We Have Just Begun to Snapshot

Consider the last week of Australian Crime Snapshot interviews merely Part I. Perry (Matilda), Karen (AustCrime) and I are already compiling a list for a second round with authors we either were unable to contact this time or who were out and about at various Literary Festivals or meeting publisher deadlines.

As a matter of fact, if there's anyone out there thinking: "Hey, I wrote a crime book recently and no-one asked me which make believe character should my make believe character meet" then give us a hoy. Your keenly considered thoughts will look quite good next to all the other thoughts that are considered keen.

Round 2 will be hitting our blogs in a few months after we've given ourselves a chance to take a breath, check our lsits and hound some more unsuspecting authors.

Australian Crime Fiction Snapshot - James Phelan

1. With two Lachlan Fox thrillers now out, FOX HUNT and PATRIOT ACT, and global terror warnings beamed into our loungerooms every night, do you find yourself spoilt for choice with possible storylines to give him?

With the end of the Cold War, quite a few thriller writers at my end of the genre were left scratching their heads looking for a new enemy to write about. Since S11, yes, there's plenty more fodder for us writers but it's also a situation that requires much more delicacy and finesse. Gone are the days when we could write about 'black hat' wearing bad guys up against a force we knew was good, ie the Yanks or Brits. These days, we constantly see footage on the internet and on TV of horrific things occurring in the Mid East, Africa, and closer to home. We now have a much more cynical view of our own political leaders who have been proved time and time again of lying to us. So, yes, there are now plenty more plausible storylines out there, it's just a matter of getting the right balance between producing an entertaining read and staying true to the circumstances we are living in. Some might say "this is fiction, leave truth at the door" but for me, the most powerful element of writing a thriller is that it is a snapshot of the time and place that I am writing about.

2. After 2 books Lachlan Fox has become established as a higly trained operative who can be relied on to respond to just about any emergency. Are there more global threats out there that will require his expertise?

There certainly are many more global hot spots and threats out there for me to write about. The third novel is about an oil crisis in Nigeria, and the fourth is about fresh water scarcity in India. On the first of March I finished the third Lachlan Fox novel, BLOOD OIL, and we see in greater depth how his post traumatic stress disorder is ruling his life. We see early on that Fox has the skills that come with being an ex-special forces operative, and soon realise that he's ready to snap. When an incident compounds something that has been haunting Fox since serving in Iraq, his quest becomes a path of revenge and redemption, and as we turn the pages we can see that he's getting closer and closer to going a step too far. And he just might... you'll have to read the book to find out.

3. Do you read much Australian crime fiction? Can you give us a few standouts that you've read recently? What do you think of the current state of the Australian crime fiction scene?

Half the novels that I read are written by Australians, and I am very deliberate about that and what I buy when in a bookstore. Many crime and thriller novelists here and overseas are my friends, so sorry if I am offending any friends here by listing some local standouts of the past twelve months (those that I can remember!): The Night Ferry by Michael Robotham, Maelstrom by Michael MacConnell, Shattered by Gabriel Lord, Chain of Evidence by Garry Disher, Sucked In by Shane Maloney, The Broken Shore by Peter Temple.

4. What do you think could be done to better promote Australian authors either at home or abroad (or both)?

Overseas we do okay - it's a gobalised marketplace and a pretty even playing field. Here at home, there could be more done to promote Aussie authors. Again, I have the opinion that we are in a marketplace where book sales will, over an author's career, equate to the quality of their work. That said, it would be great to see more retailers and publishers really pushing the novels written by Australian authors. We have authors here who are as good if not better than any import, and that's something that should be seen and heard when you go into a bookstore. I know that there are many readers here who are not aware of many Australian authors simply because there's not enough done to create that awareness. Which is sad, because there's some great books getting little to no attention, and the authors are right here on hand ready to promote them. How is the bigger situation fixed? We should all do more to promote and sell Australian novels, and by we I mean the publisher, retailer, media, government (how much do the state and federal governments spend on supporting the film industry?) and the authors. We would all benefit from more Aussie titles selling, and readers would be all the better for it - you know: smarter, happier, healthier, funnier, sexier... Seriously though, it's a big topic and one where we readers can make an impact right now by buying more Aussie fiction.

5. If your fictional character could meet any fictional character who would you like it to be and why?

In my novels I often have my lead character Lachlan Fox meet many real-life people, so that's always fun. Still no lawsuits have come my way, which is nice. During dialogue in my novels Fox makes references to heaps of fictional characters and I prefer to make fun of James Bond and Jason Bourne as fictional characters than as "real people". Besides, I'm sure we all know that if it really came to it that Fox had to fight Bourne or Bond, he'd kick their arses.





James Phelan is the author of the fast action Lachlan Fox thrillers mentioned in the interview. You can read more about him and his work by clicking on his name.

Australian Crime Fiction Snapshot - Mark Abernethy

1. Do you find yourself scouring newspapers, watching the evening news and reading Internet news sites picking up likely future plots? Golden Serpent was such a full-on action thriller, yet given world events over the last few years, no scenario seems too outrageous any more. Do you find that frees you up or make you feel more restricted?


Yes, all of my stories comes from the media and all of my characters are based either on people I’ve read about or people I know. In Golden Serpent the head bad guy is Abu Sabaya, from Mindanao. He is real as is the story that he was gunned down by Philippines and US commandos in 2002; 10 days later, a priest on one of the islands in the Sulu chain told a newspaper that Sabaya was still alive because he’d seen him walking around. And from there came an idea for a book… But I don’t scour the media for stories I just sort of absorb them. I also read a lot of the boring stuff: the Senate inquiries, the house committee reports, the judicial inquiries and the auditor general’s reports. Mostly these things are stripped for their news value in the media, but they’re full of gems if you can be bothered. I find that sticking closely with the truth frees me up because it’s more fun to write about the way things are than creating an alternative world.

2. GOLDEN SERPENT introduced us to a very complicated character in Alan "Mac" McQueen. There appears to be a lot more to discover about him. Is there a follow-up on the horizon? What's in store for him?

Alan McQueen is going round for another go in August of 2008, in a sequel to Golden Serpent. Can’t say too much at this stage but he’s still in south east Asia and Australia and his life has become more complicated than it was last time. But there’s still very bad people trying to do terrible things. Then there’s a third Alan McQueen book for 2009. One of the fun things about this character is that he is complex (as most of us are) and that allows lots of scope for how he deals with people.

3. Do you read much Australian crime fiction? Can you give us a few standouts that you've read recently? What do you think of the current state of the Australian crime fiction scene?

I don’t read as much Aussie crime fiction as I’d like, mostly because I’m always reading government reports and non-fiction books. My standouts are Melbourne-based investigator-fiction: the Jack Irish series is a lot of fun and also very smart; and I like Leigh Redhead’s PI, Simone Kirsch, who has to be one of the funniest characters in Australian fiction. One of the things that surprises me about the Melbourne view of the world is the attention to food, clothes and music. These seem to be essential elements of a Melbourne person’s character whereas Sydney is more about how much money or power you can wield in public. I like the state of Aussie crime fiction but it would be nice to see some of these stories made into movies.

4. What do you think could be done to better promote Australian authors either at home or abroad (or both)?

I’m not entirely sure about that. Golden Serpent was my first novel (after 21 years of writing journalism and speeches) and I’m still stoked just to have fan letters which are not a normal result of other types of professional writing. I go to the writers festivals and do the signings and I have to say that they’re so much fun that I forget it’s actually a promotion. Publishers all want to make a return on their authors and I think they are out there doing what they can with the crime fiction.

5. If your fictional character could meet any fictional character who would you like it to be and why?

Probably the first person Alan McQueen would have to deal with would be Jill McBain, the character played by Claudia Cardinale in Once Upon a Time in the West. She’s tough, mysterious, complex, dishonest and beautiful and Mac would fall into her as surely as day turns into night. And as with all the complex, difficult women, he would not have a clue what he’s doing and would end up like the mouse who’s been cornered by a cat. When it comes to male characters, Mac would wander into Elsinore, meet the Prince of Denmark, tell him to stop sniveling and do what he has to do. He’d spin some inspirational story about courage from his rugby league days in Rockhampton. It would be a very short play.


Mark Abernethy's debut thriller Golden Serpent introduced us to Australian spy Alan McQueen and established himself as an author to watch out for. As Mark mentions above, there's more McQueen to look forward to. Read more about him on Mark Abernethy's website.

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Read about the current plight of the Desert Nesting Bald Eagle at NerdChop.

Australian Crime Fiction Snapshot - Michael Robotham

1. You have utilised an interesting, hmm, shall we say tool(?) with your first 3 novels taking minor characters and using them in subsequent books. This may be a bit chicken and egg but, did you plan it this way or did you see the potential in Ruiz and Alisha Barba only after the earlier book was finished?

I know it sounds like I’m a borderline psychotic, but my characters are as real to me as any living breathing subjects of the books I used to ghostwrite. When I was a ghostwriter, each time I took on a project I got to look at the world through a fresh set of eyes. That’s what I love about shuffling my main characters around and introducing new ones. I never write a character and think I’ll use them again in another book. I let the story idea decide who the narrator should be.

2. You have a new novel that will be published later in the year (Shatter) and it sees the return of Joseph O'Loughlin. He appears to be the type of character that has enormous potential in terms of emotional development. Is this one of the reasons for his return?

The storyline for SHATTER is so dark and confronting, I felt it needed someone like Joe to guide readers safely through it and not leave them traumatised. He has such a wonderful sense of humour and sense of humanity that he lightens up the darkest moments.


It’s been a while since Joe appeared in one of the books. He’s a wonderful character, but sometimes I need to separate myself from the people who inhabit my head. (Imagine spending a year living in a two-man tent with your best friend and you’ll understand what I mean.)

3. Do you read much Australian crime fiction? Can you give us a few standouts that you've read recently? What do you think of the current state of the Australian crime fiction scene?

I tend not to read much crime fiction because I’m frightened of being influenced by other writers. Maybe that’s why my novels are a little different from the mainstream crime novels. Peter Temple is an obvious master storyteller, who is quite rightly respected internationally. THE BROKEN SHORE isn’t just a great crime novel it’s a great novel. Adrian Hyland’s DIAMOND DOVE was a stunning debut.

4. What do you think could be done to better promote Australian authors either at home or abroad (or both)?

I’ve been very fortunate but I realise how difficult it is to make a living as a writer in Australia unless you are published internationally. Getting those deals is the first hurdle. The UK is harder to break than the US because UK publishers want Australian rights and these have normally already gone by the time they see an Australian book. Once you have that deal, you then face the reality that supermarkets dominate the book trade in the UK, making it very difficult to launch new writers because they stock so few titles and the list is dominated by the big names.


Although the US may be an easier place to secure a deal, you risk being the smallest goldfish in the biggest pond - published directly into paperback, ten thousand copies, no promotion, let’s see what happens…

There are so many obstacles it’s hard to know where to begin, but all aspiring writers should concentrate on only one thing - writing the best book possible. Not because it follows a formula or because it’s what they think publishers want - but because it’s what they want to write. Their passion will show through in their words. Once they get the book right, it will be much easier to find a good agent and then a supportive publisher.


Of course, more can always be done to promote Australian authors. Internationally, for example, we should be including writers in events such as the ‘G’DAY LA Australia Week and ‘G’DAY NY Australia Week promotions in America. Authors could also be sponsored to attend literary festivals to promote Australia and their works.

5. If your fictional character could meet any fictional character who would you like it to be and why?

Where did you come up with a question like this? It’s given me nightmares, picturing my fictional characters mingling with other fictional characters. It’s like a breach in the time space continuum - characters walking out of the pages of one book and sneaking into another.


I’ve given it some thought and decided that I’d quite fancy seeing Holden Caulfield from CATCHER IN THE RYE on Joseph O’Loughlin’s couch pouring out his teenage angst about the fakes of phoneys in the world.


Michael Robotham is the author of 4 thrillers, the first titled The Suspect . Michael's second novel, LOST (aka The Drowning Man outside of Australia), won the Ned Kelly Award in 2005 for Best Novel, while his 3rd novel, The Night Ferry was shortlisted for the 2007 CWA Steel Dagger. His latest novel, SHATTER, has been released in the UK and is about to be released elasewhere. Visit Michael Robotham's website for all the details.

Australian Crime Fiction Snapshot - Angela Savage

1. Congratulations on the success of Behind The Night Bazaar. Your private detective heroine Jayne Keeney is a devotee of hardboiled crime. Was she based on any hardboiled character or has she been given her own personality? Follow-up: She strikes me as more a resourceful detective rather than forceful, will she be able to continue solo or is she likely to get a sidekick, as we often see with many other series?

It's ironic that my private detective heroine Jayne Keeney is a devotee of hardboiled crime because she's read a few books I haven't! Far from being based on any hardboiled character, she's more like a person I might have been had I made different life choices. That said, I think I've made better choices than Jayne--though whether we'd see eye-to-eye on that is another matter.

When I think of her with a sidekick, I think of it only as a temporary arrangement. Relationships for expatriates tend to be short-lived. Other expatriates come and go, while local people--Thais in this case--have a host of family and other work-life responsibilities that are at often odds with the expatriate lifestyle. An expatriate doesn't make the same commitment to a place that an immigrant does, and Jayne is ethical enough not to set up false expectations or to allow anyone to become dependent on her.

2. There is an undeniably strong sense of place with the Thai setting of Behind the Night Bazaar. Is there any concern that setting future books in the country might affect the appeal to Western readers? Is Jayne going to remain in Thailand?

And here's me thinking the exotic setting is what will appeal to readers! The book was released in German translation in January 2008, which is exciting for me because a lot of Germans travel in Thailand, so much so that German is the first language in several Thai coastal resorts. I'm planning to insert a sympathetic German backpacker into a future novel to repay Germany for being the first to buy the rights to Behind the Night Bazaar outside Australia--a kind of product placement for the whole country...

But to return to your question, Jayne will remain in Thailand for the time being, visa runs to neighbouring countries notwithstanding, though an investigation in Australia is not out of the question.

3. Do you read much Australian crime fiction? Can you give us a few standouts that you've read recently? What do you think of the current state of the Australian crime fiction scene?

I've been a member of Sisters in Crime Australia since 1998--my goddess, that's 10 years now!--which has connected me with some great Australian crime fiction. I'm a fan of Kerry Greenwood, Lindy Cameron, Leigh Redhead, Caroline Morwood, and Paddy O'Reilly--though the latter wouldn't describe herself as a crime writer; she just puts crimes in her stories. Beyond the Sisterhood, I read Garry Disher and Shane Maloney and I recently nabbed a copy of The Broken Shore by Peter Temple to take on my overseas sabbatical and see what all the fuss is about. Adrian Hyland's debut novel, Diamond Dove is terrific. Anyone worried about the state of Australian crime fiction should read Scarlet Stiletto - The First Cut for reassurance.

In my limited experience, only having been a published author since mid-2006, the Australian crime fiction scene is characterised by at least as much camaraderie as competition. I feel like I've been welcomed into a family--one only a little more dysfunctional than my own.

4. What do you think could be done to better promote Australian authors either at home or abroad (or both)?

It would be great if local authors got a once-off shot at a weekly column in a major newspaper, or got to write a film or CD review, or showcase a photo, or even got to design the crossword or trivia quiz for a day--anything that gives us exposure and makes people think we might have ideas worth reading about.

I'd also like to see more local content in literary festivals, especially for first-time authors who haven't necessarily been journalists in a past life. And networking opportunities: wouldn't it be great if we feted new authors at social events like we do actors and sports stars (though I personally wouldn't have a thing to wear!).

5. If your fictional character could meet any fictional character who would you like it to be and why?

I'd love Jayne Keeney to stumble upon Sherlock Holmes in an opium den in Hanoi--her on a visa run, him indulging in a drug he used in refined form to enhance his understanding of the world. If she could withstand his arrogance and mysogyny, she could learn enough from him to become a truly great detective.

Failing that, I'd like Jayne to end up in an all-night bar in Bangkok with Phillip Marlowe and grill him until he explained what the hell happened in The Big Sleep. And then shag him.


Angela Savage's debut novel, Behind the Night Bazaar was nominated for a Ned Kelly Award. She is currently working on book number 2. You can visit Angela Savage at her website.