Reviewed by: Cecilia Jansink

The Honourable Phryne (pronounced fry-nee) Fisher is certainly not your typical amateur sleuth. Then again the delightful, unflappable and just a tad crazy Aussie born gentry isn’t your typical anything. The 1920’s was a decade known for its decadence, darkness and rule flaunting and even in an era where women started taking the bull by the horns, Phryne firmly makes her mark.

Phryne decides to leave the stuffiness of English society for the excitement of Melbourne, Australia. After all it might be rather amusing to try her hand at being a lady detective. But not even Phryne expected so much action so quickly. There are backyard abortionists to nab, possible poisonings to prevent and a cocaine ring to dismantle. Hold on to your hat; this is one exotic and erotic adventure.

I had been dying to get my hands on this series after reading Greenwood’s work previously and I certainly wasn’t disappointed. This is a truly delectable new take on the classic detective tale in the traditions of Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple but with a strong girl power twist. The 1920’s have never been so racy and addictive.

Greenwood’s style of storytelling is all encompassing and so vividly rich that you are automatically swept away with the action and drama. The pace is fast and flows flawlessly from one twist to the next. The mystery is impeccably woven and the red herrings will continually keep you guessing and wondering just how our Miss Fisher puts it all together so seamlessly.

From the very first time you make Phryne’s acquaintance you will find yourself thoroughly invested in her world, even if you’re not quite sure what to make of her. And the colourful array of characters certainly doesn’t end with our “lady detective”. There’s the delightful Dr MacMillan with her men’s clothes and no- nonsense approach to the male hypocrisy rife at the time.  A wonderful reminder that once women had to fight tooth and nail for the choices we take for granted. Then there are the roguish Bert and Cec, the red ragger taxi drivers who soon become her investigative assistants and prove themselves more than handy in a pinch.  And of course Phryne’s maid and social secretary the delightful Dot, who in true Phryne style came into her employ in the most unusual of circumstances.

If you haven’t entered Phryne’s wonderful world of mayhem yet, you will soon get the chance to make her acquaintance in the “flesh” on the small screen with the T.V adaptation coming to ABC1 sometime this year. But for those of you who don’t want to wait,  discover the magic from the very beginning in “Cocaine Blues”.

Cocaine Blues- Kerry Greenwood

Poisoned Pen Press

ISBN: 9781590583852

175 Pages

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Will share a cover as soon as I have one!

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Number one bestselling author Janet Evanovich teams up with award-winning author Dorien Kelly to deliver a sparkling novel of romantic suspense, small-town antics, secretive sabotage, and lots and lots of beer.

Kate Appleton needs a job. Her husband has left her, she’s been fired from her position as a magazine editor, and the only place she wants to go is to her parents’ summer house, The Nutshell, in Keene’s Harbor, Michigan. Kate’s plan is to turn The Nutshell into a Bed and Breakfast. Problem is, she needs cash, and the only job she can land is less than savory.

Matt Culhane wants Kate to spy on his brewery employees. Someone has been sabotaging his company, and Kate is just new enough in town that she can insert herself into Culhane’s business and snoop around for him. If Kate finds the culprit, Matt will pay her a $20,000 bonus. Needless to say, Kate is highly motivated. But several problems present themselves. Kate despises beer. No one seems to trust her. And she is falling hard for her boss. Can these two smoke out a saboteur, save Kate’s family home, and keep a killer from closing in…all while resisting their undeniable attraction to one another? Filled with humor, heart, and loveable characters, Love in a Nutshell is delicious fun.

Published January 3rd 2012 by Macmillan Audio

I have come to learn that Janet has some similarities in most of her stories. A girl, down on her luck, broke and single. With her newest novel Love in a Nutshell she keeps these similar themes as a newly divorced Kate, has moved back to her family home called “The Nutshell” she intends on restoring it and turning it into a bed and breakfast.

Without any money to do repairs and the added frustration that she only has 4 months to restore it and pay current the landlord’s fees, she turns to the local bar owner Matt, for a job. It so happens that Matt is currently trying to figure out who is trying to sabotage his business, so after some determined arguing from Kate, he agrees to higher her with the condition that if she finds out who is behind the incidents that she will get the $20, 000 bonus.

As Kate is trying to make friends at work and figure out who does what around there, Matt and his family and other business dealings are introduced to us as well. We get to see each of their personalities with some humor and take interest in their lives and what they are going through. In my opinion Matt’s character stood out the most in this story. He is a level headed businessman that also has heart and cares for others. He reminded me a lot of Sam Merlot from the Sookie Stackhouse series.

Kate on the other hand seems so involved in everything going on around her, playing detective, dealing with her divorce and money issues that for the majority of the book the real mystery and detective work is really downplayed. When the story really starts rolling and things begin happening is really where all the fun is and Kate gets herself into some funny, sad and dangerous situations.

The audio book is told from both characters (Matt and Kate) perspectives, and I really enjoyed that their personalities came through strongly. However, I’m going to admit I found Matt’s side of the story more interesting.

Kate comes across as being really unsure of what her future holds, but for the next four months, she is going to fight tooth and nail to show that she can accomplish the restoration of The Nutshell. Matt on the other hand, has great family support, is really well off with several businesses and a even though somebody is out to sabotage him, has a lot of good friends.

The relationship builds slowly between the two and when it does, there is really no sex or mature content in the book.  It is a fun, light read with a fantastic climatic and dramatic ending.

Listen to a sample of Love in a Nutshell

Thanks to MacMillan Audio for the sample.

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2. The Spider Goddess- Tara Moss

3. Redback- Lindy Cameron

4.Siren- Tara Moss

5. Dead Reckoning- Charlaine Harris

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Journey By Night – Kim Falconer

Eona – Alison Goodman

Burn Bright - Marianne de Pierres

Angel Arias – Marianne de Pierres

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Eona

The Brotherhood – YA Erskine        It’s not too often that a crime novel surprises me – this one did. I’m still raving about it to anyone who’ll listen.

Burn Bright and Angel Arias – Marianne de Pierres     Ok, I cheated and put the two together. Sue me! The world building is beyond compare.

The People Next Door – Christopher Ransom        One of my new favourite authors – nobody creates a mood, particularly one of darkness, quite like him.

11:22:63 – Stephen King        What can I say? A brick of Kingly goodness. The perfect way to end a year of fantastic reads.

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Waking the Witch is the twelfth book in Kelley Armstrong’s Women of the Otherworld series and opens with a fantastic cross-genre premise.

Savannah Levine is a private investigator in training. She also happens to be the orphaned daughter of a black witch and a demon and isn’t afraid to throw her inherited power around. At 21 and working in her guardian’s detective agency that specialises in all things supernatural, she’s dying to prove herself with a case of her own. In this story, she gets her chance. Three young women have been murdered in the fading factory town of Columbus in what looks like ritualistic killings. With her guardians away, Savannah takes on the case as a favour to an associate and at first glance it looks like nothing more than a garden-variety human set-up. But on closer inspection, things get nasty – especially for Savannah.

Savannah is gutsy, smart and pragmatic. She’s one of those characters you can’t help but love; she’s sassy and laugh-out-loud funny at times. But she’s also sensitive and flawed; a romantic at heart. Just don’t annoy her or you might find yourself on the wrong end of her temper and a particularly nasty spell!

Waking the Witch is a typical investigative crime novel at its heart, with supernatural elements thrown in. As Savannah digs deeper into Columbus’ inner workings, she finds her lists of suspects growing longer and longer. There’s the dirty local entrepreneur who bullies the townsfolk (and his wife, it seems) for his own means and also happens to have a ‘past’ with one of the dead women. There’s the cult leader and his harem of cookie-baking lost-girls just out of town with an interest in the occult, family members and associates of the victims, two of whom were anything but innocents. Even the local cops might know more than they’re letting on.

And then – there’s the love interest. I’m not going too far into this particular sub-plot – mainly because it’s not the focus of the story. There’s just enough to make you care about the characters involved, but this is by no means anything close to a romance novel.

This is the first book of Armstrong’s Women of the Otherworld series that I’ve read. I generally never read a series out of order, however the author’s website makes it clear that each book is a stand-alone and reading order is irrelevant. For most of Waking the Witch, I found this true. There’s just enough back-story to fill the reader in on what they need to know, without overdosing on useless information. Throughout the story, I didn’t feel lost or out of the loop. Unfortunately, I did feel let down by the climatic ending. As a crime novel, this story is tightly told, the reveal not overly obvious, and multiple twists kept me reading. But unless you’ve read previous books in this series, the ending will disappoint. I have to admit I felt ripped-off after investing time in a novel I was enjoying only to find a character that was given only a very fleeting mention at the start of the book (in back-story) become the catalyst at the end.

My recommendation? Read this series in the order it was released, you’ll get far more out of it.

Published by Orbit

Paperback, 325 pages

ISBN – 978-1-84149-806-5

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The site is called:

Tara Sharp Kicks Arse

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Sisters in Crime

2011 Scarlet Stiletto Awards

Article by: Amanda Wrangles

Friday November 25^th was a big one. It was Stiletto time again.

Stiletto time, I hear you ask? Well, yes. Each year, Sisters in Crime Australia hold their short crime story competition. Those of us who enter year after year send off our criminal imaginings months prior to the event, and then try to forget about it while the judging process takes place. Usually by the end of October, those who’ve made the shortlist are notified – generally this is around 15 to 18 stories out of about 130 or so (of course it varies each year…) And then, on the last Friday in November, the big award night takes place. It’s a nail-biting evening full of good food, drinks and the most interesting company. I mean, where else would it be perfectly acceptable to talk murder and mayhem all night with a bunch of like-minded women?

Most years, during dinner and before the actual awards, the audience gets to hear from a special guest – say, an actress from a televised crime show. This year, however, four previous shoe winners were grilled on the art of writing short crime stories by long-time Sisters in Crime National co-convenor, Lindy Cameron. The line-up included Liz Filleul (2004 winner), Evelyn Tsitis (2008), Amanda Wrangles (um, yeah, that would be me for 2009) and Eleanor Marney (2010). Hopefully we kept the crowd entertained with tales of scribbling out words in between wrangling children.

Then it was on to the actual awards, presented by crime novelist PD (Phillipa) Martin. Special Commendations went to: Suzanne Gaskell, Amanda Carmen-Cromer, Robin Story, Marian Cox, Kerry James and Amanda Wrangles.

The Allen & Unwin Young Writers Award: co-winners were Mary Evans and Sarah Robinson-Hatch.
Judges Award (donated by Christine Leppert): Kim Westwood.
Scriptworks Great Film Idea Award: Fiona Drury.
Pulp Fiction Award for Funniest Crime Story: Sarah Evans.
Cate Kennedy Award for Best New Talent: Marguerite Johnson.
Olvar Wood Late Starters Award & also Benn’s Books Best Investigative Award: Anne Cost.
Kerry Greenwood Malice Domestic Award: Vicky Daddo.
Third Prize: Carmela Salomon.
Clandestine Press Award for Cross Genre and Second Prize: Liz Filleul.

and finally, First Prize – Scarlet Stiletto trophy went to the fabulous Angela Savage for her story, ‘The Teardrop Tattoos’.

This was the first time in the award’s 18 year history that it was won by a crime writer with one or more crime novels already to her credit. Angela’s novels include ‘Behind the Night Bazaar’ and ‘The Half Child’, both of which feature PI Jayne Keeney, who made her first appearance in Angela’s 1998 3^rd prize winning Scarlet Stiletto story. Angela is a wonderful supporter of SinC, so we were all thrilled to see her take home the shoe. Over the years, a number of winners and category winners have gone on to publish novels. These include: Cate Kennedy, Angela Savage, Josephine Pennicott, Sara Evans, Inga Simpson, Alex Palmer, Liz Filleul, Margaret Bevege, Patricia Bernard, Bronwen Blake, Jo McGahey,Cheryl Jorgensen, Kylie Fox, Amanda Wrangles and Tara Moss. 2011 was also the first year the Judges Award was presented, and was taken home by Kim Westwood, author of novels ‘The Daughters of Moab’ and recently, ‘The Courier’s New Bicycle’ (you can read my review here).

As always, the 18^th Scarlet Stiletto Awards was a brilliant night. It was great to see lots of new faces among the ‘usual suspects’ – those whose names turn up year after year in the awards. I’m looking forward to next year’s competition where, as a new National Co-convenor and judge, I get to be on the other side of the judging process and READ all those criminally great stories!

PS – There are two ‘best of’ collections available from the eighteen years of Stiletto stories: ‘The First Cut’ and (surprisingly…) ‘The Second Cut’. Both are available through Clan Destine Press.

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THE GENESIS FLAW

L.A. LARKIN

ISBN: 978-1-74196-788-3

Reviewed by: Kylie Fox

The Genesis Flaw is one of the most fast-paced, educated thrillers I’ve read – ever – and it had me from the very first line.

He kicked the leather chair away and instantly the rope snapped tight.

The book opens with a suicide written in third person but very much from the point of view of the soon-to-be deceased. It was horrifying, intriguing, but most of all, believable. Larkin didn’t pull any punches with this death – the final thoughts, the final sights and the recalled memories are all on display, as are those last desperate attempts of a dying body to fight the mind that has made this decision. But there is no turning back – Tony Mancini, CEO and Senior Vice President of one of the biggest companies in the world, manufacturers of genetically modified foods is dead.

While his body still swings in his office, an intruder appears and is chillingly satisfied with the sight before him. He removes the suicide note that has been left on the desk and leaves the room. What secrets were contained within this last communication? Why would a man of such standing reach such a dramatic conclusion?

Within pages the reader is faced with yet another, very different, death. Serena Swift, our central protagonist, loses her father to cancer – an illness that she is sure has been caused by GeneAsis – the very company that Mancini had worked for.

And so it begins. Serena embarks on a mission to prove that GeneAsis was responsible for her father’s death and bring them to justice.

What she discovers is more far-reaching than she, or anyone else, could possibly imagine. Could GeneAsis’ genetically modified foods be responsible for thousands of deaths and birth defects worldwide?

And would a company like this, one of the largest, and richest, corporations in the world, really not disclose the negative effects of their products, thus choosing profits over lives?

This story is particularly poignant in a world currently obsessed with corporate greed and so much of this book has parallels to real world events that it’s a terrifying read. How much do we really know about the products we consume and the practices of the companies who produce them?

Serena soon learns that nobody – or almost nobody – can be trusted. This company is so powerful that government bodies, police departments and a fair portion of the world’s media is on its pay roll. Serena turns to a childhood friend (with whom a certain amount of “history” is shared), John,  an expert computer hacker, for assistance, and together they take on GeneAsis, attempting to take it down from the inside.

The stakes in this novel couldn’t be any higher. People are dying and millions more could die as a result of GeneAsis if they aren’t stopped. But with an unscrupulous company set to make billions of dollars, stopping them is never going to be easy. How Serena survives is a miracle unto itself!

Larkin has created a set of characters who are all too believable, from the heroes and villains at the core, to the large cast of supporting characters at the periphery. Their motives are clear and all of their actions are led by these.

This book doesn’t let go until a most satisfactory end. This was the most impressive part for me; there was no cop out at the end. The characters stayed true to form even at the conclusion.

A fantastic, smart read that I most certainly recommend.

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