It's great to see something as topical as genetic modification of food crops set in somewhere that's not normally known as a big threat / big risk location.
For a cricket obsessed reader, fond of the assertion that test cricket is a metaphor for life, THE RULES OF BACKYARD CRICKET made me wonder about that just for a moment.
There is a very good reason for all the buzz around about The Dry, another great debut thriller from an Australian writer. Review at Newtown Review of Books
Look for the sly sense of humour in these books (which frequently tipped over into outright laughter for this reader), and past the bombastic outer shell of William Power, because THE SERPENT'S STING is a worthy addition to a series of novels that must come highly recommended.
L.A. Larkin’s third thriller takes readers back to Antarctica, the setting of her last novel Thirst, but with a new cast of characters and a new global threat.
... enjoyable for what it is and thriller fans will be kept happy as the pages turn.
Posted by Robert Goodman
Recommendations
For a cricket obsessed reader, fond of the assertion that test cricket is a metaphor for life, THE RULES OF BACKYARD CRICKET made me wonder about that just for a moment.
There is a very good reason for all the buzz around about The Dry, another great debut thriller from an Australian writer. Review at Newtown Review of Books
Pufferfish is one of my all time favourite Australian Crime Fiction identities. He's taciturn, reticent and often recalcitrant. He's frequently obtuse, often slightly grumpy, addicted to strong espresso and liquorice all-sorts and finally, he's back.
It's dark, it's classic noir, it's very Australian and it's about as pitch perfect as you can get.
For reasons that escape me, Paul Cleave doesn't seem to have the profile, or the world-wide awareness that he absolutely and utterly deserves.
Inspired by the true events surrounding an unsolved murder, Dark Fires Shall Burn is set in Sydney’s Newtown in the aftermath of World War II. - Full review at Newtown Review of Books
It's a character study, wrapped up in a police procedural, with a very strong sense of place, and, one would hope, a long-term future as a series.
The Dry is a strong debut. A classic crime novel in a classic Australian setting, with strong characters dealing with universal issues.
It's great to see something as topical as genetic modification of food crops set in somewhere that's not normally known as a big threat / big risk location.
For a cricket obsessed reader, fond of the assertion that test cricket is a metaphor for life, THE RULES OF BACKYARD CRICKET made me wonder about that just for a moment.
There is a very good reason for all the buzz around about The Dry, another great debut thriller from an Australian writer. Review at Newtown Review of Books
Look for the sly sense of humour in these books (which frequently tipped over into outright laughter for this reader), and past the bombastic outer shell of William Power, because THE SERPENT'S STING is a worthy addition to a series of novels that must come highly recommended.
L.A. Larkin’s third thriller takes readers back to Antarctica, the setting of her last novel Thirst, but with a new cast of characters and a new global threat.
I will not for a moment pretend that this isn't a treat read, a reward for getting to the end of the holiday and pretty much avoiding everything that we were supposed to do.
Pufferfish is one of my all time favourite Australian Crime Fiction identities. He's taciturn, reticent and often recalcitrant. He's frequently obtuse, often slightly grumpy, addicted to strong espresso and liquorice all-sorts and finally, he's back.
It feels like such a relief to have a woman in Cabin 10, and not a girl, that you'd almost be forgiven for cutting THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10 a lot of slack.
A slow moving novel about loss; both its enormity and of how shocking it is to the grieving that life simply must go on, regardless of what has been unexpectedly and horrifically taken from them.
LA Larkin’s Devour features investigative journalist Olivia Wolfe’s world of big stories, hair’s-breadth escapes from danger and fearless reporting on the worst of human excesses. Newtown Review of Books
Ann Turner’s Out of the Ice uses the point of view of environmentalist Laura Alvarado to reveal both the wonder and the threats within this amazing landscape: Newtown Review of Books
Due out in September, but there's only so much alluring sitting around a book like this can do before a reader just has to sit down and read the thing.
From now until the final page is turned on this one be warned. I really don't care what anybody else wants, unless it's a life-threatening emergency, I'm busy.
The second novel in the Constable Sammi Willis series, THE TWISTED KNOT, has Sammi returning to work after a close shave with death in the first novel (which you don't have to have read to get this one, but it wouldn't hurt).
Overall, Vigil is a great start to a fascinating new series for both urban fantasy and crime fans with a refreshing Australian voice, setting and style.
