Web of Deceit

I enjoyed Web of Deceit by Katherine Howell, an Australian author.  The story is set in Sydney where Marko Meixner has a car accident which is attended by paramedics Jane and Alex.  Meixner believes he's being followed and the next day he has a fatal "accident". Detective Ella Marconi and her partner Murray investigate and learn what happened the previous day.  At this point the two story threads diverge as Jane and Alex do their work and live their lives and Ella and Murray investigate Meixner's death.  Meixner testified against a man, Canning, who was then convicted of murder 17 years previously and he's been paroled.  However, Canning has an "ironclad" alibi.  There are other "side stories" which add to the "tangled web".  Then the story is resolved at the end as the four principal characters come together once more.  A good page-turning ride. 4/5

A Stranger in My Street

I quite enjoyed A Stranger in My Street by Deborah Burrows, a first-time Perth novelist. The story is set during World War II in Perth and the American and Australian soldiers figure prominently.  Meg Eaton's boyfriend Peter was killed in action in Europe and then in early 1943, coincidentally his brother Tom, an Army captain, is looking for Meg's neighbour Doreen.  Meg had never met Tom before.  When Tom comes later to find  Doreen, Tom and Meg find her body in an air raid shelter in her yard.  Tom and Meg begin a friendship which is complicated by the murder investigation and by Tom's engagement to a society beauty.  Meg is encouraged to go out more and not continue to dwell on her boyfriend's death so she meets some Americans at dances and enjoys going out with them.  Matters come to a head when the murder is finally solved and Meg learns the truth about Tom.  Good story with a "predictable" ending. 4/5

The Great Deception

I've read The Great Deception by Joy Chambers which is mainly set during World War II.  In 1947 newlyweds Cole and Shelly Wareing receive an unexpected visitor who knew Cole during the War.  The visitor, once a friend of Cole, is now intent on killing him having tracked him down to a farm in Australia.  Cole then disappears to the United Kingdom and Shelly tries to follow him.  Then the reader is taken back to the War on a tale of espionage and intrigue where Cole and two of his friends infiltrate Nazi Germany.  Cole takes on the identity of a SS officer and meets a beautiful and mysterious woman Laetitia de Witt and they form a nauseatingly romantic bond that makes his mission complicated.  The "suspense" builds as the reader knows something will go wrong hence the reason Cole's former friends seek retribution following the War.  The reader (and everyone else) finally learns the truth but we could have done without so much of the "romance".  31/2/5

Two Brothers

I very much enjoyed Two Brothers by Ben Elton which is set in two time periods.  The first begins in Germany in 1920 when two boys, Paulus and Otto are born to their parents Frieda and Wolfgang Stengel a "secular" Jewish couple in Berlin.  At the same time the Nazi party is born and as all three mature life for the Stengel family becomes increasingly difficult.  In the other time period, 1956, one of the Stengel boys (name anglicised to Stone) is living in London working at the Foreign Office and he receives a letter purporting to be from the woman both Stengel boys had loved, Dagmar Fischer.  The Foreign Office persuades him to go to East Berlin to meet the letter writer whom they believe to be from the Stasi, and persuade her to spy for the British.  Paulus and Otto were two very different boys and the reader will learn the main reason for this.  Paulus is clever and always has a plan, whereas Otto is impulsive.  The story covers the years till the War The increasing humiliation and terror to which the Jewish population is subjected is graphically described at a personal level as it happens to the Stengel family.  The Stengel boys try to find a solution to their survival and to save their beloved Dagmar.  This is a very compelling story, characters well drawn, wonderful writing, hard to put down. 5/5

Too Many Murders

I enjoyed Too Many Murders by Colleen McCullough which is our Crime Club's April book.  Until the book was nominated, I was unaware McCullough wrote murder.  The story is set in 1967 east coast USA in a relatively small town where police are confounded by 12 murders occurring on the same day.  Chief of detectives Captain Carmine Delmonico heads the investigations and is at first puzzled at the timing of such an unusual occurrence.  A few of the victims were members of a prestigious college and also a high profile business dealing in armaments. This is at the time of the Cold War and Russian espionage seems to be a factor for these particular murders.  With the help of his team, Delmonico develops a theory that all the deaths are somehow related.  The reader is taken on a suspenseful ride as Delmonico unravels the mystery. 4/5

March 2013 Book Club

We enjoyed a wonderful evening at Ulla's place with the beautiful backdrop of the Story Bridge.  Ulla had done her usual delicious baking with irresistible cakes for supper.  She also had a number of interesting new books.  We were all there this evening excepting Carmen who was on her way back from interstate.  We welcomed new member Connie and hope she will enjoy our "wine & giggles" and of course all the great books we have to read.  After a month's break we had lots to talk about, some positive and some issues which we are confronting which are a sign of our times and also our age. Some have been travelling and plan to travel this year.  Of course, we are all sick of the rain which we've had continually for about two months now.  Fortunately, we have avoided the floods endured by people in regional areas, though one of our members has a daughter living up north who was severely affected by Cyclone Oswald.  We can only hope our next month will be better with fine weather and some great books to enjoy.

Sisters in Crime Meeting

Last Thursday I had a very enjoyable evening with a meeting of members of Sisters in Crime at the Ceylon Inn at Toowong.  Three female Australian authors, Katherine Howell, Rowena Daniells and Lindy Cameron were questioned by true crime writer Ruth Wykes about what inspired them to write crime and their methodology.  They were also queried about their research when constructing a murder and a crime scene.  It was a very interesting insight in to how the authors go about the work of writing.  Katherine, a former paramedic from Sydney, said it was important to write about "what you know" and she sets her books in the area she knows and her experiences inform her stories.  Lindy said she was inspired by Val McDermid and had wanted to be the Australian equivalent but she has developed her own style.  She gave some amusing examples of murders she had researched using the expertise of people able to give correct advice.  She also reflected on the wonder of discovering the "perfect sentence" in a book.  I bought the authors' latest books - Web of Deceit by Katherine Howell, The Price of Fame by R.C. Daniels and Blood Guilt by Lindy Cameron. [Photo left to right - Katherine, Rowena, Lindy, Ruth].

The Devotion of Suspect X

I very much enjoyed The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino which has been translated from Japanese. Yasuko and her daughter Misato are living a quiet life when Yasuko's ex-husband, Togashi, seeks her out and demands money.  During the ensuing argument the ex-husband is killed and Yasuko's neighbour,  Ishigami, a Maths teacher with a genius mind comes to their rescue and offers to "take care of everything".  The police investigate and Yasuko is under suspicion but has a firm alibi.  The police have a civilian, Yukawa, a physics professor who often helps them with difficult cases.  He went to the same college as Ishigami and their genius was renowned.  Yukawa won't let the case go and puzzles over it until he comes to a resolution.  The genius of the puzzle posed is a surprise to all. Fantastic story. 4/5

The Hypnotist's Love Story

I enjoyed The Hypnotist's Love Story by Liane Moriarty which is about a hypnotherapist, Ellen who falls in love with widower Patrick.  Patrick tells Ellen that his previous girlfriend, Saskia, is stalking him.  Ellen is at first intrigued, but then the stalker gradually infiltrates their lives and things become more complicated.  Ellen is also dealing with a new relationship that includes Patrick's young son, Jack, as well as Patrick's extended family and Patrick's beautiful wife who died tragically young from cancer.  How far will Saskia go to get Patrick back?  31/2/5.