The Distant Echo

It was December 1978 in St Andrews, Scotland when four university students, after a night on the town, discovered the body of a woman lying in the snow at the Pictish cemetery on Hallow Hill. Alex (Gilly), Davey (Mondo), Sigmund (Ziggy) and Tom (Weird) Had first met at secondary school in Kirkcaldy and referred to themselves as the Laddies fi' Kirkcaldy. Finding the body of Rosie Duff, a local barmaid, in the snow changed their lives, especially when the police (and the town) treated the four men as suspects, not witneses. However, after a prolonged investigation, the police were not able to establish Rosie's killer.

Twenty-five years later it was decided to reopen the investigation into a number of cold cases, including Rosie's murder. ACC James Lawson is in charge of the cold case squad and DC Karen Pirie is responsible for reviewing the evidence for the Rosie Duff Case. With new methods of investigation, including DNA, it was hoped that new information could be uncovered leading to a conviction. However the boxes of evidence relating to Rosie's murder have disappeared. Then two of the four main suspects die in suspicious circumstances and it is feared that the other two will meet the same fate.

Over the years I have seen a number of recommendations for Val McDermid novels and I am glad that I have finally read one. As well as dealing with the procedures for solving of case the author, in The Distant Echo, also allows the reader to get to know the suspects who are under investigation. This book introduces Karen Pirie who goes on to feature in a series of novels. I look forward to reading other books by Val McDermid.

Still

Darwin in 1963, a rough and ready town at that time in the far north of Australia, is the setting for this novel, Still, by Matt Nable. Darwin at this time could be a dangerous place. This gripping, often dark, crime novel is another welcome addition to the ever expanding Aussie Noir genre.

Senior Constable Ned Potter discovers the body of a man when he is out patrolling countryside near the town. Several days later he discovers a shallow grave containing the bodies of two more men. All have been beaten or stabbed and also shot twice. Meanwhile Charlotte Clark discovers a badly injured Michael Roberts who asks for help but won't tell her what happened. There is obviously a connection between these events and Ned Potter realises that other police are involved, at least in the cover-up of these crimes.

This is a story of murder, corruption, violence, abuse, racism, isolation, alcoholism and of course crocodiles cruising the neighbouring rivers. The two stories from the perspectives of Ned and Charlotte provide the accounts of horrific events plus dangers faced by those trying to solve the crime and bring the perpetrators to account.

A major feature of this novel, however, is the setting - the town and the surrounding landscape and also the weather. Darwin is always hot and there are two seasons - wet and dry. The humidity in the wet season is extreme. The title of the book refers to the stillness that occurs as a storm approaches - the calm before the storm.

Thursdays at Orange Blossom House

Sandrine runs regular yoga classes at Orange Blossom House, named after the orange blossom orchids growing in the front garden of her home in Cairns, in Far North Queensland. It is at one of these sessions on a Thursday evening that three women meet, become friends and support each other through individual challenges.

Dorothy is in her early thirties and desperately wants a baby. She and her husband own a small cafe in Cairns. Patricia, in her mid forties, teaches English at the local high school and spends the rest of her time looking after her parents. Her mother has dementia and tends to disappear if not watched closely. Grace Maud, in her mid 70s, has moved back into Cairns after managing a sugar cane property out of town. Although Grace Maud still owns the property it is managed by her son. She is adjusting to her new lifestyle.

Through regular yoga sessions the three women begin to relax and recognise when their stress levels are rising. They also learn to re-evaluate what is important in their lives and that it is OK to trust other people and to ask for and accept help. 

This is a heart warming story set in the beautiful tropics of Far North Queensland, a place where I have spent many wonderful holidays before COVID-19. In Thursdays at Orange Blossom House, Sophie Green has captured the essence of this special environment and has introduced us to three strong, caring women.

The Last Guests

The Last Guests by J P Pomare, New Zealand born author now living in Australia, is a pychological thriller that you possibly would not want to read late at night. You might also not want to read it if you are a user of airbnbs. This is a book about secrets, not knowing who to trust, voyeurism and surveillance, the ability to trace people on various devices plus the intrusive power of the deep web.

Cain is a former member of the NZSAS and served in Afghanistan where he was injured. He and his wife, Lina, live in Auckland where Cain is trying to run a gym while Lina is an ambulance worker. Money is short, not helped by Cain's love of gambling. Lina owns another house that previously belonged to her grandparents near a lake in the Rotorua region of New Zealand. When visiting friends one evening, the suggestion is made that the house by the lake would be a great location for a WeStay property. A little work would be needed to make it ready, but not an impossible task to undertake. Lina eventually agrees to the plan as they need the money. Then the nightmare begins.

The Grandest Bookshop in the World

The children's book, The Grandest Bookshop in the World by Amelia Mellor was published last year. Set in Melbourne in the 1890s this is a fantasy set in Coles Book Arcade, a large bookstore established at 299 Bourke Street, Melbourne, in 1883 by E W Cole. 

The characters in this book are all members of the Cole family who are engaged in saving the book arcade from the evil Obscurosmith, Magnus Maximillan. To regain the book arcade the children must solve a series of puzzles set by the Obscurosmith and it soon becomes obvious that this magician does not believe in playing by the rules. The story is a race against time as the children seek and solve the clues left for them. Meanwhile the arcade is disintegrating around them and the bands on the rainbow are fading.

My nine year old grandson and I have been sharing the reading of this book and enjoying the magic and adventures of Pearl and Vally as they race against time to save the store and their family. 

The Grandest Bookshop in the World - information.

A number of books have been written about E W Cole and his book arcade including Under the Rainbow: the life and times of E W Cole and E W Cole: chasing the rainbow. 

A brief summary online can be found in Museum of Lost Things - Coles Book Arcade - and Timeout - The Completely True and Absolutely Bonkers Story of Coles Book Arcade.

This was one of three books on the shortlist for the CYA section of the ARA Historical Novel Prize - 2021 Historical Novel Society Australasia

Winner of the 2021 Australian Book Industry Awards - Book of the Year for Younger Children 7-12 years

Under the Rainbow

The Coles Book Arcade was a feature of late nineteenth century and early twentieth century Melbourne. Under the Rainbow by Richard Broinowski recounts the story of E W Cole, the inspiration behind the book arcade. 

Edward William Cole was born on 4 January 1832 in Kent England. Leaving home at 18 to try his luck in London, Cole then travelled to South Africa and from there to Victoria to try his luck on the goldfields at Castlemaine. He soon discovered that he could make more money selling goods to the miners and their families than mining for gold.

Next stop Melbourne where he sold books from a barrow at the Eastern Market. In 1873 Cole started selling books on a small scale at 158 Bourke Street, near Swanston Street. In 1883 he moved the business further up Bourke Street to a larger arcade opposite where Myer is now located. Over the years Cole expanded and restructured the business until the multi-story arcade stretched from Bourke Street to Collins Street, with a first floor walkway over Little Collins Street.

Cole did not just sell books but also established galleries to sell a range of merchandise including ornaments, stationery, toys, music and art. There was a fernery, a restaurant, attractions to entertain children such as puppets and a mechanical hen that laid metal eggs, live monkeys in a cage plus an aviary of birds and a band to play music for patrons. But the arcade was primarily a large bookshop selling new and second hand books.

In 1875 Cole advertised in the newspaper for a wife and chose Eliza Jordan. They had six children - Edward, Vally, Linda, Pearl, Ivy and Ruby. Ruby contracted scarlet fever and died in 1890.

Cole was responsible for a number of publications on a variety of subjects but perhaps his most famout was a series of Cole's Funny Picture Books which he wrote for children.

Edward William Cole died died on 16 December 1918. The business continued for a number of years but finally closed in 1929.

This book is a celebration of the life of Edward William Coles, an astute businessman and marketer, and his important contribution to Melbourne's history.

Joint winner of the Judges Special Prize in 2021 Victorian Community History Awards

The Long Call

This year I have read all the books in the Shetland and Vera series by Ann Cleeves - a great way to spend time during the series of COVID-19 lockdowns we have had in Melbourne. Consequently I was interested in trying her latest series. In 2019 Ann Cleeves published The Long Call, the first book in the Two Rivers series. In this book we meet Detective Inspector Mathew Venn and his team who live and work in North Devon, near the estuary of the rivers Taw and Torridge.

We first meet Matthew Venn at his father's funeral. His family belong to a strict religious sect and he became an outsider when he denounced the beliefs of the group. Consequently he observes the service from outside the church building. At the end of the service he receives a phone call alerting him to the discovery of a body on the beach not far from where he lives. The murder of Simon Walden is his first big case in this region where he grew up and left many years ago.

As Matthew Venn, Jen Rafferty and Ross May attempt to discover information about the victim in order to solve his murder, two women with learning disabilities disappear. The murder victim and the two women have links to the Woodyard, an art centre which also houses facilities for people with disabilities. The Woodyard is managed by Matthew's husband, Jonathan, and governed by a committee of management made up of town leaders.

As the novel progresses we meet a number of the key players in the community and gradually secrets are revealed. For the police a major focus is to locate the missing girls and discover how their disappearance is linked to the murder. Another interesting crime series to watch out for.

The Long Call is currently being made into a television series.

Just Ignore Him

For years we have enjoyed Alan Davies in shows such as Jonathan Creek and as the regular panellist on QI where he is known for his laconic humour and quick wit. However reading this memoir about his childhood provides a graphic and horrifying depiction of his early years.

Alan was six when his mother died. His brother was eight and his sister was three. It was therefore left to his father to bring up the three young children. Generally people felt sorry for the man left with this difficult task. Unfortunately Alan's childhood was anything but happy as he suffered both physical and sexual abuse at the hands of his father. He was, of course, told not to tell anyone. The father seemed to leave the other children alone. Alan got along well with his father's brother, Uncle Pat, but the uncle did not know what his brother was doing. Alan had little support from other family members.  

In 2017 Alan's step-mother gave him a folder of pornography that his father had down-loaded from the internet. There were also some photos taken by his father. Looking through this material caused Alan to understand the extent of his father's sexual interests, particularly with boys, and also better understand his father. It led Alan to review the events of his early life and record them in this memoir. 

This is not a chronology of Alan's childhood but instead each chapter deals with everyday topics such as Gardens, Lanterns, Animals, Buses, Stamps etc allowing Alan to recall events and feelings at the time in order to better understand his past. Consequently there is some repetition in the book as memories are recalled. Alan did go to the police with the folder his step-mother had given him and a case was prepared, however his father was too old and infirm to stand trial.

Although this is a grim account of childhood assaul,t it is told with strands of humour, especially when Alan recalls some of his other exploits as a child causing adults to use the phrase, 'Just ignore him', on numerous occasions. Alan will never forget the abuse he suffered and the fear that his father may also have shown interest in other boys. Despite this he has survived to have a successful career entertaining others and also has his own family to now care for.

Down and Out in Scotland

Down and Out in Scotland: researching ancestral crisis is a genealogical guide written by Chris Paton. We are used to using birth, marriage and death records to explore the history of previous generations of our family but other records can also provide valuable information. In this guide published by Unlock the Past, the author introduces us to records that provide information about people in the past encountering hard times.

Chapters include:

• Family events and relationships - illegitimacy; foundlings, orphans and adoption; marriage, bigamy and divorce; homosexuality; and death
• Law and order - the Kirk; the Crown; franchise and burgh courts; criminal prosecution; murder; additional courts; police and prison records; transpotation; execution
• Poverty - the Old Poor Law; the New Poor Law; the records
• Debt - put to the horn; debts upon inheritance; cessio bonorum and sequestration
• Medical problems - hospital records; asylums; suicide; accidents
• Them and Us - the Covenanters and the Killing Time; the Jacobite rebellion; the expulsion of the Gael, the vote
  

Other books in this series by Chris Paton include Discover Scottish church records, Discover Scottish land records, Discover Scottish civil registration records and British and Irish newspapers.

Digging Up Dirt

Poppy McGowan's house in Sydney was being renovated, including having the floor replaced. However, when Poppy received a phone call from her builder informing her that he had found bones buried under the house, the project was immediately put on hold. 

Poppy worked at the ABC where she helped create school programs for young children. As one project was introducing children to archaeology it was suggested that this find could be used as an example of how archaeologists worked. Staff from the Museum, where Poppy had contacts, agreed to have a look at the site and identified the bones as animal bones. Then the next day the body of a woman was discovered at the house- she had been mudered overnight.

Poppy found herself seconded to conduct interviews and help provide stories about the investigation for  ABC news and current affairs. The murdered woman had been standing for preselection for a right wing political party associated with the Radiant Joy Church. Poppy was included among the considerable list of suspects for the murder so there is additional incentive to assist the police in finding the killer. She would also like her house back so that the renovations could recommence.

In Digging Up Dirt, Pamela Hart has written an entertaining murder mystery and has introduced us to a character who, I suspect, will appear again in future novels.

Alligator & other stories

Each year in the James Tait Black award shortlist for fiction a book of short stories is included. The title this year is Alligator & Other Stories by Dima Alzayat. The author was born in Syria, lived in the USA and now lives in the UK.

The nine stories in the book reflect an aspect of Syrian life and culture and / or what it is like to be different in another country. The stories are told by different people and a variety of writing styles are used to suit the content of the story.

As an example  Alligator, the longest of the stories, is a tale of racial intolerance in an American town, formerly known as Alligator, in Florida. Several stories are interwoven with the main one being the lynching of Syrian settlers in 1929. The story is revealed using a number of devices including newspaper articles and interviews from different time periods.

Once We Were Syrians involves the writing of an essay for school about the Syrian Refugee Crisis including comment on recent history of Syrian, especially the effect on refugees forced to relocate to another country. The speaker in this story is an older lady who is being interviewed by her great niece, though the girl's questions are not provided. The completed essay ends the story.

Ghusl describes the preparation of a body for burial in Syria, normally a ritual undertaken by men but in this case by a woman tenderly caring for her brother's body.

Other stories include:

• Disappearance - when a child disappears from the streets of New York, a mother fears for the safety of her own sons, restricting them to their appartment block. Then one disappears.
  
• Only Those who Struggle Succeed is centred around an event at an office Christmas party and the affects of that event on the life of a female employee as she tries to rise up the corporate ladder .
  
• Summer of the Shark concerns a group working in a call centre in America when disaster strikes in New York on September 11, 2001.
  
• A Girl in Three Acts tells the story of a young girl trying to adapt to a new life after the death of her parents
  

Bad Debts

Bad Debts is the first book by Peter Temple featuring Jack Irish, a former criminal lawyer who had taken a break from the law courts after the murder of his wife, Isabelle, some years previously. When he is contacted by Danny McKillop, a former client, who wants to talk with him, Jack's life becomes complicated as he tries to unravel what really happened all those years ago. That there has been a cover-up there can be no denial, but who is actually telling the truth and who can he trust. 

During the investigation he teams up with a journalist, Linda Hillier, and while they work on the case it becomes obvious that their lives are in danger, especially as possible witnesses are ending up dead. It soon becomes obvious that corruption has and is still occuring within the police and parts of government, 

Bad Debts is set in Melbourne and surrounding areas in the state. Fitzroy, Collingwood and Clifton Hill are some of the suburbs where action takes place. Jack also assists race horse enthusiast and friend, Harry Strang, with some of his racing ventures and in his spare time works with Charlie Taub who crafts fine furniture. He also frequents the Prince of Prussia Hotel, keeping in contact with three elderly gentlemen, great fans of the Fitzroy Football Club - a team in a bit of a slump.

 This book is a really good read.

'Hard boiled hero, Jack Irish, lives and drinks in a shadowy Melbourne' - NPR July 1, 2014

The Deep

Black Wind at morning, 

Sailors take warning 

Black Wind at night,

Death is in sight.

The Deep by Kyle Perry is another atmospheric crime novel set in Tasmania. The plot in his first novel, The Bluffs, was located in the mountains in the north of the island however this novel is set in Shacktown, a small settlement on the coast surrounded by steep cliffs on the Tasman Penninsula south east of Hobart. Whether the fishing boats can go to sea is dependent on weather conditions, especially the Black Wind which can suddenly appear making the waters in the bay treacherous. 

The Dempsey family runs the local abolone plant, the main industry in the area, and is therefore well known in the town. Life changes for family members when a teenage boy emerges from the sea, claiming to be Forest Dempsey who disappreared with his parents seven years earlier. Shortly afterwards the boy's uncle disappears, believed to be drowned. The Demsey family business is also a front for The Business, the local drug industry and it is feared that another drug lord plans to move into the area.

The plot  is revealed via the actions of three characters, Forest, Ahab Dempsey - a family member who has severed his allegience to the family, and Mackerel (MacKenzie or Mack) who is on bail expecting to return to gaol on drug related charges and who has no wish to be further associated with drugs.

As secrets from the past are gradually revealed the dangers to the survival of the family business and members of this dysfunctional family increase, especially as it is obvious that many people are not telling the truth or only revealing a slither of information. There are many twists and turns in the plot as the story heads to the dramatic climax. Nature plays a dramatic role in the novel, particularly when the story is reaching its conclusion.

Happy Hour

People cope with grief in different ways. Sixty-five year old Franny Calderwood lives in Cheltenham, a  Melbourne suburb. It is three years since her husband, Frank, was killed when out riding his bicycle and grief stricken Franny has cut herself off from family and friends. She has even had a security gate erected so that she can control who enters her property. Her companions are her dogs, Whisky and Soda, and photos of Frank displayed in each room of the house so that she can talk to him and discuss her problems. Franny also likes a drink or two or maybe three, hence the title of the book, Happy Hour.

Franny's life, however, changes when the Salferno family moves next door. Gradually Franny meets members of this family - teenager Dee, eight year old Josh and their mother Sallyanne. They are attempting to start a new life after the breakdown of Sallyanne's marriage. Although Fran is determined not to become involved with the new family next door she gradually befriends members of the family, although misunderstandings can complicate the possibilities of forming true relationships. 

Franny has spent three years living independently, cutting herself off from the outside world. It therefore is an effort for her to realise that this is not the life that Frank would have wanted her to have when he was no longer able to be with her.

Happy Hour by Jacquie Byron is a heart warming, sensitive and amusing account of the life of an older woman dealing with grief and her attempts, with the help of family and friends, to eventually decide how she would really like to spend the rest of her life.

Many thanks to Better Reading and Allen and Unwin for a proof copy of this book to review. Happy Hour was a great story to read and enjoy, especially during another COVID-19 lockdown. #BRPreview

The Pick-up

 

Last year I read the first book in this series, The Drop-off, recounting the relationships between a group of parents who regularly meet when dropping off their children at school each morning.  Time has passed and, as some of the parents can no longer stay for a chat in the morning, it is decided that they will meet for a chat at school pick-up instead.

Set in Melbourne, we once again meet Lizzie, Sam, Megan and Dave and learn more of the complications occuring in their lives. Lizzie, a midwife, is looking after four children while who husband works in Sydney for six months, Sam is looking for a new relationship and also exploring new career options, Megan is also re-evaluating her life while Dave is Dave. Megan is also involved in helping organise the grade five-six camp and convinces her friends that they should also go.

The Pick-up written by Fiona Harris and Mike McLeish provides an amusing expose of a collection of often chaotic relationships held together by mutual friendship. They may have their differences from time to time but the members of this group will always be there to support each other in times of need.

Good Indian Daughter

When Ruhi became pregnant she was worried when she discovered that she was to be the mother of a daughter. Born in India but brought to Melbourne, Australia, as a young child, Ruhi had felt trapped between two cultures and the need to conform to her parents' demands and expectations. She knew that she could never be described as a traditional 'Good Indian Daughter' and certainly did not want any daughter of hers to encounter the type of unbringing she had faced.

Issues discussed include bullying, abuse, religion, body image, depression and racism, yet throughout the book there is often humour as Ruhi describes family encounters and the challenges of living in two cultures. As the arrival of her daughter approaches Ruhi and her non-Indian husband set their own rules for family involvement and expectations in the bringing up and nurturing of their child. Needless to say the author uses a pseudonym, Ruhi Lee, when writing Good Indian Daughter to protect her family.

Having recently read The First Woman by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi similar issues regarding attitudes to women in some cultures - in these books Uganda and India - are portrayed.

The Seagull

When Vera is sent to the local prison to give a talk to a group of prisoners she is approached by one of the inmates who says that he has information that he will give her if she checks up on his daughter. Former police officer, John Brace tells Vera about the body of Robbie Marshall that he placed in a drainage pipe at Whitley Bay twenty years previously. However when the body is recovered it is revealed that there are two bodies in the drainage pipe.

Investigating this cold case reveals much information about Whiley Bay's past history, particlarly the former club, The Seagull, destroyed in a fire many years previously. References to The Gang of Four  - John Brace, Robbie Marshall, Hector Stanhope plus someone referred to as 'The Prof'. - occur during the case and Vera knows that finding out the identity of the Prof will help in solving the mystery. Then another body connected with the case is discovered. Many of the key players living in the town when the bodies were placed in the drainage pipe are still around but are reluctant to talk and Vera is dubious that she can always trust the information available.

The Seagull by Ann Cleeves is no. 8 in the Vera Stanhope series. It was the basis for episode 4 series 9 in the Vera television series.