The Detective

Reading fiction can lead you to investigate information mentioned in the book. The Detective is one such novel. 

Slavery is the theme in Matthew Reilly's latest crime thriller set in Louisiana and Texas. Seven years earlier, private investigator, Sam Speedman, unsuccessfully investigated the disappearance of a young woman who had vanished with three other prostitutes. When the body of a baby, enclosed in a doll, is found in a river, DNA tests link the child to Sam's missing person. Sam is now back on the case.

The Detective by Matthew Reilly leads the reader on a dangerous journey through swamps and rivers infested by alligators plus car chases along highways pursued by men hired to ensue that Sam does not find the truth. Sam has discovered links to six similar disappearances occurring in 1877, 1905, 1930, 1958 1988 and 2018. In each case the men investigating the case also disappeared. Sam does not want to join them.

Once you start reading The Detective you will discover that, despite entering at times a dark world, it is a book that is difficult to put down. The book is also laced with humour as Sam and his colleagues investigate the case.

Not living in America I always thought that slavery in the southern states of the USA ceased in 1865 with the end of the American Civil War. The Thirteenth Amendment stated that neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. The exception in the amendment led to the creation of Convict Leasing in the southern states which allowed prisoners to be used as unpaid labour. With the official abolishment of slavery, plantation owners needed another way to obtain cheap labour. This system officially continued into the twentieth century to be replaced by chain gangs in some states.

Convict Leasing - Equal Justice Initiative 

Convict Leasing System - Library of Congress 

Convict Lease System -New Georgia Encyclopedia 

The Last Mandarin

Having read and enjoyed all of Louise Penny's Armand Gamache mysteries I was not sure about reading a different style of book where she is joint author with Melissa Fung, but I am glad that I did. Melissa Fung is a political journalist who has worked in various parts of the world and is particularly interested in human rights. 

The Last Mandarin is a fast paced thriller set in the USA and China. Life changed dramatically when every alarm suddenly sounded causing confusion, fear and accidents throughout the world. Then they stopped. What was happening? How had someone gained control of so many devices simultaneously? What would happen next?

When Alice Li receives a message from Liam, a fellow food blogger currently in Hong Kong, she realises that the message does not make sense. Then she learns that Liam has died. What is going on? Alice also learns that her mother, Vivien, is very different from the person she thought she knew as they team up on a frantic adventure travelling through parts of America, Hong Kong, Taiwan and China in a race against time to prevent further disaster that they know is planned. But who can they really trust?

As well as being a page turning adventure this is a novel about relationships, particularly the relationship between mother and daughter. Part of the back ground story refers to the legacy of the first Chinese Emperor, Qin Shi Huang who created the Terracotta Warriors to guard him in the afterlife. The novel also looks at the ways governments throughout the world may react to impending disaster.

If you are looking for an exciting, tense, crime thriller to read, The Last Mandarin could be the answer. 

What you need to know about China's terracotta warriors and the first Qin emperor - Smithsonian Magazine 19 April  2024

Three Reasons for Revenge

Set in Melbourne, Three Reasons for Revenge by Dervla McTiernan is an enthralling crime thriller that begs to be read to the final page with few interruptions. When Detective Sergeant Judith Lee interviews Alexis Turner, a young woman who comes to her with the story of a psychologist  who sexually assaulted her, Judith is not prepared for the drama and danger that is to follow.

The story revolves around three parcels that are delivered to three different people. Initially the parcels appear innocent but before long chaos has ensued for the recipient followed by the deaths of two people and the arrest of a third for murder. Judith realises that ten years ago she interviewed a young woman with a similar story and obviously wants to investigate.

This is very much a character driven novel though different locations in the city of Melbourne and other parts of Victoria feature  throughout the story. There are lots of twists and turns as Judith gradually unravels the convoluted threads being laid by the murderer and events of the past become events of today. Three Reasons for Revenge is definitely a good book to read when you have plenty of time to enjoy reading and can become thoroughly involved in the events of the story as they are revealed.

Dark Desert Road

Australian author, Tim Ayliffe has written a suspenseful novel about a sovereign citizen community in the Riverina district of New South Wales. Dark Desert Road is the story of police officer Kit McCarthy who has been told to take leave as she recovers from working with traumatised children for three years. Kit then receives a message from her twin sister, Billie, who she hasn't been in touch with for ten years. The message is brief - Billie is in danger and she has a child. Kit knows that she must locate her sister and nephew - now.

Sovereign citizen communities have been in the news during the past few years and much of the action of the novel is set in such a community as members wage their war against the government and practically everyone else who does not share their beliefs. Motor bike gangs also feature prominently in the novel as they attempt to avenge the death of one of their members. Kit's father is in prison and is not impressed that he has a daughter who is a police officer. However he is proud of the daughter who married a former US soldier who shares his views that the laws of the land do not apply to sovereign citizens. Despite putting her life in danger Kit is determined to locate her sister and the child she has never met. 

Dark Desert Road is a fast moving thriller that explores bonds in a family that has imploded plus the break-down of society and the rule of law in some communities. Once started, this is crime novel is a book that is difficult to put down until the conclusion is revealed. 

What Rhymes With Murder?

Frida and Ben have a six month old son, Finn, who they both love dearly. But Frida has trouble adapting to motherhood and is constantly afraid that something might happen to Finn. She sees a psychiatrist regularly and knows that she must make an effort to leave the house and explore the outside world again with her son. However it is not easy.

Then she decides to attend the Baby Rhyme Time session with Finn at their local library. Finn appears to be enjoying the session and Frida begins to relax and chats to some of the parents until there is a scream and a body is discovered in the library. Things like this should not happen in suburban East Melbourne. When Frida tries to work out what actually happened she discovers that a number of other library users also have opinions about how Beatrice died.

What Rhymes With Murder by Penny Tangey is primarily an amusing cosy crime novel that also has a serious side as it also touches on themes of abortion, post-partum depression, anxiety and women’s rights.  The novel follows the attempts of an eclectic collection of amateur sleuths as they investigate the cause of how and why a body landed on the floor of the library. Eventually they join forces in their investigation and, as well as discovering what happens, new friendships are formed.

What Rhymes With Murder is an easy to read crime novel which includes references to parts of East Melbourne that will be familiar to many readers. I suspect that there may be sequels to this book in the future.

The Gambler

Private Investigator Vince Reid is on another case when a family friend asks him to investigate why a young girl was murdered. The person who shot Katie was also shot dead and the case is closed but it is not known why anyone would want to kill her.

During the investigation Reid discovers a gambling scam which might be behind the crime, but how could this involve Katie? He also finds links to another murder committed twenty years earlier. What is the connection to the two cases?

The Gambler by New Zealander J P Pomare, who now lives in Australia, is a fast paced crime novel set in America. The story is primarily told from the perspective of Reid who is investigating the case, Katie the victim and Barbara who pulled the trigger along with occasional links to the earlier crime. It is another crime fiction novel well worth reading.

A New Kind of Dreaming

When teenager, Jamie Riley, arrives at Port Barren on the coast of Western Australia he does not know what to expect. After Jamie had been caught stealing cars he was told that this was his last chance. His brother is in gaol. Next time he too would end up in gaol. Instead he has been sent to what might be the most isolated place on earth. On three sides Cape Barren is surrounded by desert - sand with a few scrubby bushes. The ocean borders the fourth side. On arrival in the town Jamie was greeted by his social worker, Lorraine, who introduced him to Archie who owned the house where Jamie would be staying.

Jamie gradually became familiar with his new surroundings but had difficulty fitting in at school. It was not long before he met the town police sergeant who made it clear that he would be watching Jamie very closely. If anything happened in the town it was obvious that Jamie would be blamed.

One day Jamie found an old boat on the beach and went to investigate. The story of how the boat ended up on the beach is an important part of the story. The boat is also where Jamie meets a fellow student, Cameron, and over time they become friends. Jamie knew that something bad happened in the town and was determined to investigate. He did not expect, however, that his life would be in danger.

 A New Kind of Dreaming by Anthony Eaton is a YA crime novel with some of the themes being friendship, trust, refugees, finding your place in the world, learning to belong in a new and strange environment and survival in the desert. It is one of the books that my grandson needed to read for school in year eight. As we read the book together, the story captured his imagination and he looked forward to discovering what happened next.

A New Kind Of Dreaming - Notes - University of Queensland Press 

Five Golden Wings

Another Meg Andrews' Christmas special. This time, two of Meg's cousins decide to be married at Caerphilly on the Saturday before Christmas. Of course, they and family members move into the home of Meg and Michael, Meg's parents house and the home of Delaney and Rob. Naturally chaos follows as the two cousins are being married at different times at the same church. They also do not like each other and are very competitive. No-one really wants, or needs, the chaos that ensues.

Not only is the family involved in getting ready for Christmas but they also have to deal with differences of opinion that occur between members of the two wedding parties and associated family members. Added to this is the photographer who, to put it mildly, is a demanding and not very pleasant, character. Meg is left with supporting family members who have been insulted and verbally abused by the temporary guests. Then there is, of course, a murder.

Five Golden Wings by Donna Andrews carries on the tradition of including birds, this time three eagles, in the story and the title. The book is another amusing, entertaining, light crime read.

The Cursed Road

We first met DI Georgina (George) Lennox and DI Richard (Ritchie) Stewart in the crime novel, The Wolf Tree, by Laura McCluskey. The Cursed Road is the sequel to that novel. 

When the body of a young unidentified woman is discovered in the highlands of Scotland and a possible link between the victim and a cold case from ten years previously, George and Ritchie are assigned the case. The young woman's body was found at the side of a road known to the locals as 'the cursed road'. For hundreds of years there has been a feud between two families living near the road.

The Cursed Road takes the reader into a world of mystery, intrigue and horror as the two detectives try to discover the identity of the murdered woman and who killed her as well as links that might help them solve the cold case that Ritchie first worked on ten years previously. George and Ritchie are still coming to terms with health issues resulting from their previous case. Journalist, Hendry Shaw, is also back on the scene looking for an interview with George for a story he is working on.

The Cursed Road by Laura McCluskey is a gripping police procedural set in, at times, an almost gothic atmosphere. A new addition to the genre of Tartin Noir.

The Woman in Cabin 10

Laura (Lo) Blacklock wakes up in the middle of the night. There is an intruder in the house. She is locked in her room. This experience reactivates anxiety issues that have troubled her for years. However she still accepts an invitation to travel on a new luxury ship in order to write an article for a travel magazine.However this adventure does not turn out to be the relaxing excursion she expected.

The journalists and other guests are allocated their cabins and Lo stays in cabin nine. The next door cabin is empty as the guest changed his mind about coming on the voyage. Then during the night Lo hears a scream and something, possibly a body, is thrown into the sea. When Lo reports the matter she is basically ignored. No-one on the ship is missing. But Lo knows that something is very wrong. So begins this account of Lo's nightmarish sea voyage. Parts of the novel move slowly but the tension builds as the story continues.

The sequel to this book is The Woman in Suite 11. 

In 2025 The Woman in Cabin 10 was made into a film for Netflix. 

The Woman in Suite 11

The Woman in Suite 11 is the second book in the Lo Blacklock series by English author, Ruth Ware. When Laura, also known as Lo, receives an invitation to visit the opening of an exclusive hotel in Switzerland she is uncertain whether to take up the offer. She wants to return to the workforce after the birth of her two boys but a traumatic experience when attending a ship launch ten years previously, plus the gap in her career largely due to the COVID pandemic, makes her think twice about accepting the invitation. Still she needs to start writing again sometime.

Arriving at the impressive hotel, Laura is surprised, and disturbed, to find three of the men who had also attended the ship launch had also been invited to the Swiss hotel. Then she is contacted by a fourth person who had been on the ship and Laura's quiet visit to Switzerland, where she hopes to interview the owner of the hotel for a commissioned article, becomes another dangerous episode in her life.

Throughout the novel there are many references to the events that occurred ten years earlier so I suspect that reading the previous novel, The Woman in Cabin 10, first would have been an advantage. However, I still enjoyed reading this fast paced mystery with Laura endeavouring to prove her innocence.

The Proving Ground

Increasingly we hear of the possible effects of AI on people's lives. 

In  Michael Connelly's new novel, The Proving Ground, the plot evolves around the death of a teenage girl when her former boyfriend may have been encouraged by his AI friend to kill her. Mickey Haller, now working as a lawyer in the Civil Court, has taken on the case to prove that the company creating the AI chatbot had produced a program with many flaws. The murdered girl's mother wants the firm to publicly admit that their program was responsible for the death of her daughter.

The novel follows the challenges faced by Mickey Haller and his team as they collect the evidence and witnesses to present their case to court, despite obstruction from those opposing the case. The second part of the novel follows the trial. Michael Connelly has produced a crime novel relevant to changes currently occurring in society. It is also a great book to read.

In the Time of Five Pumpkins

In the Time of Five Pumpkins is the 26th book in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith. Over the years I have enjoyed reading many titles in this series. My mother also enjoyed reading about the activities of Precious Ramotswe and her friends as they investigated activities that occurred in their neighbourhood.

A husband asks the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency to prove that his wife is cheating on him. Life then becomes complicated for the agency when the wife employs Precious to prove that her husband has been cheating on her. Precious' husband has an unwanted adventure when he goes fishing in a boat on a local dam. The locals are concerned as to when the rains will finally come and hopefully Mma Potokwani's pumpkins will grow. 

These are some of the concerns that feature in the latest installment in the series. Another pleasant, relaxing read about a small community in Botswana. 

Evil Bones

Not her normal line of investigation, but when a decorated body part is found attached to a tree forensic anthropologist, Temperance Brennan, is asked to investigate. It turns out that this is one of a series of mutilated animals that have been found. Concern grows as the killer is selecting larger animals for each kill. Could the next find be human? Temp and Detective Slidell work together to identify the killer before any more lives are lost.

Evil Bones is another fast paced crime novel by Kathy Reichs and is the 24th book in the Temperance Brennan series of crime novels. Another good read.

A Slowly Dying Cause

Checking this blog I found a post I wrote in 2022 for Something to Hide by Elizabeth George. In the final paragraph of the blog post I made the statement - I can now say that I have read a novel by Elizabeth George but it is highly unlikely that I will read any more. Unfortunately I have repeated the mistake made in 2022.

A Slowly Dying Cause by Elizabeth George is number 22 in her Lynley novel series. The murdered body of Michael Lobb is found in the family tin and pewter workshop. The case is investigated by Detective Inspector Bea Hannaford and her team and as the investigation proceeds it is realised that this is not a straight forward case, though they eventually make an arrest. Much later, detectives from London, Thomas Lynley and Barbara Havers, become unofficially involved in the investigation.

A large part of the book involves an employee of a mining company trying to convince Cornish landowners to sell or lease their property. At each visit we read the same spiel which becomes monotonous after a while. The sexual activities of a variety of characters feature throughout the book. The fate of the roof of Thomas Lynley's family home also takes up many pages. Throughout the novel pages from the journal of the murdered man are inserted, providing additional information. 

Elizabeth George, an American author, has made her name creating books within a perceived English setting. With a series of 22 books, obviously many people enjoy reading her novels. I almost gave up reading the book but then the author returned to the investigation, so I finished reading the 640 pages of the novel.

The Long Night

After meeting a new friend Em is kidnapped on the way home and so begins a night of terror. At the same time her mother, Jodie, is also attacked and is told that her daughter will be safe provided that Jodie does as she is told. Jodie has assistance from a friend who helps her hunt for her daughter. Neither of the women knows why they are targeted.

In The Long Night Christian White has written a fast paced thriller describing the ordeal of the two women as they try to escape the terror they are faced with. As the story progresses the novel inserts events in Jodie's life that occurred twenty years previously into the present action. For part of the book the two stories are meshed together as the women attempt to escape from their ordeal.

The Long Night is another Australian crime thriller that demands that the reader keeps reading to discover whether / how the women survive their ordeal of one long night.

The Long Shoe

Matt Giles lives with his girlfriend, Harriet, and his cat, Goodmonson, in a rented apartment. He has just lost his job, the lease of the apartment is about to expire and then Harriet disappears. But when Matt is offered the opportunity to move into an apartment block that Harriet had admired Matt hopes that the move might convince Harriet to return. There is one problem. The building owner expects Matt to report any suspicious activities of his neighbours to him. 

The Long Shoe by Bob Mortimer is a humorous mystery novel written by British comedian Bob Mortimer in his normal dry style. There is a host of eccentric and possibly dangerous characters who may be involved with the wrong side of the law.  The story is revealed through the observations of Matt, Harriet and their former neighbour, Carol. Matt's conversations with his cat also add to the story. Matt needs to find Harriet but also needs to decide how he wants to live the rest of his life.

The novel is the March 2026 book in Dervla McTiernan's The bookclub that isn't a book club. 

Murder in the Cathedral

Phryne Fisher and Dot Williams have been invited to Bendigo by Phryne's friend Lionel Watkins to attend his enthronement at the cathedral as Bishop of Bendigo . Phryne correctly suspects that Lionel also has another reason for her to visit him at Bendigo and he agrees to explain his concerns after the service. However all does not go to plan and during the service a member of the clergy is murdered. Phryne immediately becomes involved in assisting the police with their enquiries.

Much of the plot involves differences among the clergy working in the cathedral as well as differences between religious groups in general. Initially there is no shortage of suspects for what appears to be an impossible crime to solve. However as possible suspects are ruled out Phryne suspects a different reason for the murder.

Murder in the Cathedral by Kerry Greenwood is number 24 in the Phryne Fisher series of crime novels. As the author died earlier this year, it will also be the last. The books do not have to be read in order but some events in the story would be clearer if the last few books have been read, especially Death in Daylesford. Kerry Greenwood also wrote the Corinna Chapman mysteries which I enjoyed reading.

The King's Ransom

Gabriella Rose is a successful recovery agent who travels the world locating stolen objects to return to their rightful owners. She has just completed an operation when she is approached by her ex-husband, Rafer Jones, seeking her assistance to help his cousin, Harley, who is the president of a private bank that insured some famous items that have now gone missing. Harley is accused of being involved in the crime and fears that his life may be in danger.

The stolen items include the Rosetta Stone, an Egyptian solid gold sarcophagus plus a collection of famous paintings and other objects. Gabriella and Rafer team up travelling from New York to London, Egypt, Italy locating the missing objects to return to their owners. Meanwhile Gabriella is being followed by people who also want the items and are determined to collect them and keep them for themselves.

In The King's Ransom Janet Evanovich has written a fast paced mystery laced with the humour you would expect from a Janet Evanovich book. The King's Ransom is the second book in the Recovery Agent novel series.

The Black Wolf

In the novel, The Grey Wolf, when Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his team discover a plot to poison the Quebec water supply they keep much of the investigation secret in order to avoid panic in the community. Although the immediate danger now appeared to be over, the team discovers that danger still threatens their country and their work is far from over. The Black Wolf is still at large but who is he and who can the team trust in their investigation.

In The Black Wolf by Louise Penny  the threat of danger increases as Armand Gamache and his team learn what is going on and the growing threat to Canada. Conspiracy theories beginning on the Dark Web are now entering the wider internet community. A vicious campaign of misdirection is launched against Gamache putting his career and life in danger. The fear of the effects of climate change appears to be behind the threat of impending danger to Canada from their neighbouring country in the south. It is essential that the person behind the plot needs to be identified and removed.

The Black Wolf is the continuation to The Grey Wolf which should be read first though brief summaries of events in the previous book are inserted throughout the plot. The Black Wolf is a gripping story, though a little convoluted at times, with the tension growing as the end of the book approaches. Some of the premises which seem unbelievable in the book have actually occurred since the book was first written. Throughout the novel Armand Gamache and his team retreat to Three Pines where the inhabitants are supportive of their friends but remain in the background. Another excellent novel by Louise Penny.