The Diamond Eye

Reading historical fiction often provides an insight into a little known aspect of history - in this case the story of a Ukrainian born sniper in the Soviet army fighting against Hitler's forces as they attempt to invade Russia. Apart from the fact that the sniper has registered 309 official kills, the sniper is a woman, Mila Pavlichenko. Much of the information in The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn is based on Mila's autobiography which is interwoven with a fictional account of what also may have happened, especially when Mila was part of a Soviet delegation visiting the USA in an attempt to obtain more support for the Soviet war effort.

At 15 Mila married Alexi Pavlichenko, perhaps the biggest mistake in her life. However the union did produce a son, Slavka. Mila has discovered that she is an excellent sharp shooter and decides to join the army as a sniper to protect her son and her family. Eventually her abilities are recognised, reluctantly by many in the army hierarchy, and she soon earns the respect of her fellow soldiers. 

Meanwhile Alexi, who has refused to sign the divorce papers, joins the army as a surgeon. He is very good at his line of work but he is also a control freak and when news of Mila's talents  begin to become know he wants to share the limelight.

Once in the USA Mila meets Eleanor Rosevelt and her husband as she and the Soviet delegation embark on their promotional tour of America. However Mila soon realises that she is being followed and that  her skills may be required to save her own life.

"Lady Death" of the Red Army - Lyudmila Pavlichenko

Eleanor Rosevelt and the Soviet Sniper - Smithsonain Magazine

Lyudmila Pavlichenko - Wikipedia

Brunswick Street Blues

Brick Brown lives with her adopted uncle at his hotel, the Phoenix, in Brunswick Street, Fitzroy. Brick had been abandoned as a baby, spent time in foster care before Baz adopted her. She works part-time in the pub which is a centre for blues music. During the day Brick works for the local council in the PR Department which she hopes will provide the opportunity for her to obtain background about Council's involvement in some shady real estate dealing in the area. Then Baz disappears and Brick with the help of friends investigates.

Brunswick Street Blues by Sally Bothroyd is an extrememly readable, amusing, crime novel set in inner Melbourne in 2007. Australian Rules Football features along with the Spring Racing Carnival and the Melbourne Cup. Much of the action takes place with Brick and Mitch Mitchell evading the bad guys through the lanes of inner Melbourne. There is an array of zany characters who assist Brick in her quest to locate her uncle, discover more about her early life and find out what is really happening in her neighbourhood. This book was definitely an entertaining read.

Dirt Town

In a small outback town in Australia a young girl disppears. Detective Sergeant Sarah Michaels arrives in Durton, referred to by the locals as Dirt Town, to investigate. Esther was last seen by her friend, Ronnie, on her way home from school. No-one has seen Esther since and there is much speculation in the local community. Everyone knows everybody and many of the residents have grown up in Durton. As the story is revealed so are some of the many secrets of the past.

Haley Scrivenor, the author of Dirt Town, uses a number of voices to tell the story and sometimes different people tell the story from a different viewpoint. Ronnie and her friend Lewis are two of the main voices along with Constance (Esther's mother) and Sarah plus a voice referred to as We (the other children in the town).

This crime novel is very much a study of a community imploding as well as the breakdown of family and other relationships.

In the USA Dirt Town was published as Dirt Creek.

Shortlisted for the 2023 Australian Book Industry Awards - General Fiction

The Rising Tide

A reunion of students held every five years on Holy Island (Lindisfarne) turns into a location for murder. The group first met on the island when they were in 6th form at school, fifty years earlier. Each year Philip Robson, Ken Hampton, and his wife, Louise, Annie Laidler and Rick Kelsall stay at Pilgrim's House for the weekend, go for walks, attend a meditation session at the chapel each evening, eat, consume lots of alcohol and reminisce. 

Rick had recently lost his television job when he was accused of sexual assault by a young intern. However he now had a new project which he revealed to his friends at the retreat - he is going to write a novel based on the events at the first reunion when one of the group drowned while attempting to cross the causeway at high tide. Next morning he is found dead in his room.

When Vera and her team go to the island to investigate they soon discover that there are many secrets to uncover involving an extended range of people associated with the victim, not just those on the island. Vera also wants to know more about the death that occurred forty-five years earlier as it may have a bearing on the present case as well as the assault allegations brought against Rick. As the investigation continues a second murder occurs and Vera and her team discover that they are also in danger.  

The Rising Tide by Ann Cleeves is another excellent installment in the Vera Stanhope series (number 10). The atmospheric setting along with a collection of well drawn characters add to the suspense of finding the murderer before more people die.

This book formed the basis of an episode of Vera shown in Australia the week before Christmas 2023.

The Nurses' War

In 2017 I did some research on Janet Muir Gaff, a nurse during World War I. I later used the research for an assignment for the unit, Families at War as part of the Diploma of Family History run by the University of Tasmania. Since then I have read a number of other books relating to nurses during the First World War.

The Nurses' War by Victoria Purman is a novel based the experiences of nurses at Harefield House (No. 1 Australian Auxillary Hospital) set up as a hospital for Australian soldiers. Cora, Gertie, Leonora and Fiona are four Australian nurses who arrive at Harefield as the transformation from large house to hospital begins to take place. Initially the hospital complex is established to accommodate 150 soldiers however it is not long before 1,000 soldiers are being cared for at the hospital in the temporary accommodation set up in the grounds of the house. 

The nurses have all had experience working in hospitals in Australia but they are not prepared for the horrors that they encounter as the wounded soldiers arrive. Jessie lives in the nearby village where she works with her mother as a seamstress. As the numbers of wounded rapidly increase at the hospital, Jessie offers to help and becomes a valuable member of the team. 

This is the story of how the nurses and other medical staff cope, not just with providing medical care but also in maintaining morale and hope among the wounded men and also the other staff. The novel provides an insight into the suffering and futility of war, not just on the soldiers but also on family, friends and those who care for them.

This is a moving story of friendship, dedication and heartbreak providing an understanding of the effects of war, not just on those actively involved but on the community as a whole.

Cold Cold Bones

Number 21 in the Temperance Brennan series, Cold Cold Bones by Kathy Reichs is this time set in North Carolina. Tempe's daughter, Katy, has returned to civilian life after a number of years in the army including tours of duty overseas. Tempe is worried about her daughter's mental health as she works out what she wants to do in the future. Currently Tempe is working on cases as a forensic anthropologist for the Mecklenberg County Medical Examiner. Her partner, Andrew Ryan, is working on a case overseas.

After Tempe has spent the day helping Katy move into new accommodation they return to Tempe's home where they find a small parcel on the doorstep. It is a human eye. This is the first of a string of events suggesting that someone is copying past crimes that Tempe has previously investigated.With the help of detective Skinny Slidell Tempe investigates the back cases trying to discover the link to determine who is targeting her. Then Katy disappears.

This is a fast moving, readible crime novel with many twists and turns as Tempe, Slidell and Ryan investigate why Tempe is being targeted and who is the perpetrator of the crimes.

Crossing the Lines

Crossing the Lines by Saluri Gentill, published in the USA as After She Wrote Him, is a crime novel with a difference. In 2018 Crossing the Lines won the Ned Kelly Award for crime fiction.

Madeline (Maddie) d'Leon is a writer of crime novels living with her husband, a doctor, in a NSW rural town. Madeline is best known for a series of crime novels featuring a female protagonist but she wants to write a stand-alone crime novel. She wants to write something different. This time, in her new crime novel, her protagonist is a writer of literary fiction, Edward (Ned) McGinnity. Edward McGinnity is also writing a new novel and decides that the protagonist should be named Madeline d'Leon.

As the reader follows the writing of the two books, the plots become to some extent merged as main characters begin to take on a life of their own and intereact with the thoughts and even lives of their authors. The reader is left wondering who is the actual author and who is the protagonist? As she writes this new novel Madeline attempts to include more background and an understanding of her characters as occurs in literary fiction while Ned discovers that as events unfold his literary work is becoming a crime novel. The relationship between Madeline and Edward begins to expand outside the writing of the books.

At one stage (page 31) when Edward is asked about his new story he replies: "It's an explanation of an author's relationship with her protagonist, an examination of the tenuous line between belief and reality, imagination and self, and what happens when that line is crossed."

Later he adds: "The story's about what goes on in her head and how powerful that becomes."

This exploration on the writing of novels is interwoven with solving a crime and a study of relationships. The reader needs to allow plenty of time to read and enjoy this stand-alone novel by the author of the Rowland Sinclair series.