Book Thingo » Crime & mystery

New York to Dallas by J. D. Robb

Kat — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 23:30:00 +0000

New York to Dallas by J. D. Robb (In Death, Book 33)

The plot brings nothing new to crime fiction. Nevertheless, this is a reasonably good thriller that should allow In Death series fans to finally get some closure on Eve Dallas’s traumatic past.

I almost didn’t finish this book. In fact, it was almost DNF before it even really began. I’ve read the first few J. D. Robb novels, and I read Patricia Cornwell’s Scarpetta series until the plot and characters went a bit WTF. So I’m not a stranger to crime fiction and the serial criminals that authors like to foist on readers.

But, for some reason, the beginning of New York to Dallas had my tummy churning. Serial child rapist Isaac McQueen was Eve Dallas’s first major arrest, and now he’s escaped prison. He’s determined to make Eve pay for putting him in prison, and forces her to return to Dallas.

Readers of the series will know that Dallas is where, as a child, Eve finally escaped from her abusive father by stabbing him as he tried to rape her. Eve thinks she’s dealt with her past, but we—and husband Roarke—know this isn’t entirely true.

McQueen’s actions are calculated to discompose Eve. Because series fans know so much about Eve’s past by now, it’s not too difficult to anticipate some of the twists in the plot. Still, Robb uses these to provide Eve—and Roarke—with enough emotional conflict to keep them off-kilter.

This isn’t so much a mystery as a police chase. We know who the criminal is, and to some extent Eve tells us what his next move will be. The thrill is in how Eve will eventually bring him to justice. The way Robb arranges their final confrontation is almost a disappointment—I could see it coming from about the time Eve arrives in Dallas.

The investigation involves a task force that includes Eve, her team in New York, the Dallas police, the FBI and Roarke’s one-man IT forensic expertise. I love Roarke as a romance hero, but his ability to buy everything and hack into everything in, like, two minutes was off-putting. I know it has to be this way so Eve won’t constantly be vulnerable outside of her job, but it’s still kind of annoying.

Robb also spends some time dealing with Eve’s fragile emotional state. Series fans will probably find that this provides some closure on Eve’s past, but I admit to skipping most of the session with Mira, her therapist and surrogate mum.

Yay or nay?

The plot brings nothing new to crime fiction. Nevertheless, this is a reasonably good thriller that should allow In Death series fans to finally get some closure on Eve Dallas’s traumatic past.

Who might enjoy it: Crime fiction readers who prefer that innocent victims survive

Who might not enjoy it: The squeamish and the paranoid

A review copy of this book was generously provided by Hachette Australia.

Title: New York to Dallas (excerpt — PDF)
Series: In Death (Book 33)
Author: J. D. Robb
Publisher: Hachette Australia
Hardback: 9780749955762 (9/2011)
C format: 9780749955816 (9/2011)

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Salvation in Death by J. D. Robb

Wings of Fear by Helene Young (formerly called Border Watch)

Wandergurl — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 00:00:17 +0000

Border Watch by Helene Young (formerly called Border Watch)

In which we discover that an Aussie book by a real Aussie does not include the words ‘fair dinkum’.

You can probably tell that I haven’t read many Aussie authored novels. Or, if I have, I didn’t really know they were. Or they weren’t set here (or in this era!). Most of my Australian based romances came in category form, where characters lived in the outback, were written by Americans, said ‘ass’ instead of ‘arse’ (Kat’s mega pet peeve) and said ‘fair dinkum’ a hell of a lot. Now, there’s nothing wrong with ‘fair dinkum,’ but honestly I think I have heard it fewer times than the number of years I have been in this country.

Wings of Fear was nothing like the stereotypical category romance I read growing up, proving that if you want to write about Australia, you really do need an Aussie to get it right.

Morgan Pentland is the captain of a border patrol plane that flies over Northern Queensland, keeping watch for smugglers, illegal fishermen and the like. Rafe Daniels is a Customs agent assigned to join her crew for the time being. He’s there to investigate a potential breach in security and, without her knowing, she is his prime suspect. In the course of his investigation shit happens, their plane crashes, but of course they fall in love—except they have to save the world first.

As you can probably already tell, I really liked the language and the realism in the characterisation. The people in this book could have been my neighbours (except nicer and less snotty in the city-sider kind of way!), they spoke like someone I could meet while walking down the street. There was something about that familiarity that was comforting, and made me appreciate the characters more.

Morgan is strong and fragile at the same time. While her strength and emergence from a difficult past was shown in her actions I felt that her back story came in a bit of a small info dump. There was also no need for Rafe to repeat how much she must have gone through and how strong she was through it all in his head every time he thought about her. I’m really glad she got her happy ending because a lot happened to her, both emotionally and physically. I winced with every blister she got and really felt for her, even if we had such different backgrounds.

Rafe is a decent bloke. (Or, in American: a good man.) He seems like the kind of guy that you’d want around to back you up. I for one wouldn’t mind having him around. :) I do feel, though, that this is more Morgan’s story, and so he isn’t as well fleshed out, but he doesn’t come out looking like a prop either, so in the end his character is pretty well-balanced.

I loved the secondary characters. I could totally see the banter between Gavin and Lauren and the fussiness of Morgan’s kindhearted neighbours. I did, however, have slight issues with the bad guy, whose name was Nadal. I had to consciously focus a bit so I wouldn’t keep seeing the world’s number one tennis player and his really nice butt!

This book made me want to travel to Northern Queensland, which says a lot, considering my first words were something like, ‘Where the hell is Weipa?’ I wanted to sit in a hammock on the beach having a beer. It was also exciting and action packed—I was late twice back from break because I was so caught up. The author’s experience as a pilot clearly shows in the way the scenes are played out. I didn’t find the descriptions too technical, and overall I understood most terms clearly, though OMG, so many acronyms! (This, I believe, is because all governments are bureaucracies that need them!)

*** Slight spoilers ***

If there was one thing I didn’t like it’s that in the end Rafe proposes to Morgan. I know this is typical of romance novels but to me that doesn’t have to happen at the end of a contemporary romance anymore. While I believe that fell in love, that they were going to make the effort and go the distance, it didn’t seem realistic to me that suddenly he would propose. I felt it was more believable that the story was left open-ended. Given Morgan’s many issues and the way Australians these days are more likely to do long-term relationships that may even just continue on without marriage thanks to the de facto option, they did not have to get married.

*** End spoilers ***

Yay or Nay?

I liked this book. It was a strong, action-packed debut. For me it was less of a suspense and more of an adventure—with guns. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to read a romantic suspense novel with a strong heroine in a not-so-typical setting. I’m looking forward to reading more by this author.

Title: Border Watch/Wings of Fear (excerpt)
Author: Helene Young
Publisher: Hachette Australia
C format: 9780733624902 (Border Watch — 1/5/2010)
A format: 780733627125 (Wings of Fear — 1/2/2011)

Where you can buy this book

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Border Watch by Helene Young (re-released as Wings of Fear)

Decadence — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 00:00:16 +0000

Border Watch by Helene Young (retitled as Wings of Fear)

Intelligently written and down to earth without being boring, this is a book to refresh your romantic palate without completely departing from the genre.

This review was previously posted on the Australian Romance Readers Association blog.

The first in a trilogy based on Australia’s aviation industry, Border Watch by Helene Young is the story of Captain Morgan Pentland, who has overcome a childhood of violence to become a border patrol pilot, and Commander Rafe Daniels, a former SAS officer who suspects Morgan of leaking information to terrorists.

Sparks flew between Morgan and Rafe from the moment they met and when Rafe joins Morgan’s team, they share a combative banter, unwilling to admit to their attraction. A terrorist attack brings them closer and they develop a mutual admiration and respect for the other’s strength, but remain unwilling to get involved.

The inquiry that brought Rafe and Morgan into proximity again also keeps them apart as Rafe is forced to maintain the integrity of his investigation by keeping secrets from Morgan. She holds him at arm’s length because she’s been burned before and thinks that being strong means not letting anyone in.

More a suspense with romantic elements, Border Watch isn’t a traditional romance novel; with national security at stake, the romance has to become a more subtle aspect of the story. However Young makes sure to give Morgan and Rafe a happy ending that does her characters justice. The title refers not only to guarding the Australian coastline, but also the walls that Rafe and Morgan have built around themselves and, after the resolution of Rafe’s investigation, Young finally allows Rafe the space to deal with his survivor’s guilt and Morgan with her trust issues and her need to be strong before they can become a couple.

Morgan is a very likable heroine as the victim who refuses to give in. Her care and compassion make her a good match for Rafe, whose need to serve and ability to rise above himself is mirrored in Morgan. Both characters have a few flaws but they only make them more interesting and realistic.

Border Watch is a very Australian book. The language is Australian, the issues and politics are Australian and the landscape is almost a character in its own right. Young did an amazing job of bringing the tropical north to life from the beautiful views and wildlife to the unrelenting heat. I was pulled into her world and would like to see Border Watch be made available to the international market so they can see there’s more to us than kangaroos and koalas.

Yay or nay?

The writing was both intelligent and down to earth without being boring. The terrorist threat and security protocol were expertly handled, all the way down to the interagency stuff-ups. If you’re looking for a book to refresh your romantic palate without completely departing from the genre, give Border Watch a read.

A review copy of this book was provided by the author. It has since been reissued under the title Wings of Fear.

Where you can buy this book

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Salvation in Death by J. D. Robb

Decadence — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 10:15:04 +0000

Salvation in Death by J. D. Robb (In Death, Book 27)

With 26 earlier books in J. D. Robb’s In Death series, I had a pretty good idea of what to expect from Salvation in Death and Robb delivered on all counts.

Eve Dallas is a homicide lieutenant in the New York Police and Security Department in 2060 and each book contains a case for her to solve, while juggling issues from her past and the roles as wife to multi-billionaire/owner of damn near everything under the sun/Irish sex god Roarke and friend that confuse her on a daily basis.

Father Miguel Flores was performing a funeral service when he dies in front of the grieving family from cyanide poisoning after drinking sacramental wine. Signs of a tattoo removal and plastic surgery as well as a silver medal inscribed with the name Lino suggest that the victim wasn’t really a priest. Eve has to find out who he really was and why he chose this particular parish to minister, in the hopes of finding clues to his murderer.

A televangelist who regularly hits the vodka and cheats on his wife takes a drink from a vodka-laced bottle of water onstage and collapses dead in full view of his audience. Eve’s computer indicates a high probability that both murders are linked, but Eve’s not convinced.

What made this particular case so compelling was the way it challenged the concepts of good and evil people by starting off with the public murder of a priest. I can’t say much more than that without spoiling the story, but I will say that by the end, things aren’t black and white and Eve and her team are placed in an uncomfortable situation when they sympathise with the murderer.

All about Eve … and Roarke

Robb manages to keep the series fresh for such a long time by blending new and interesting homicides with the familiarity of Eve’s struggle to understand the rituals of marriage and friendship. Eve herself is an intriguing mix of competence and confusion, with the way she finds opportunities to kick arse several times daily (and relish it), her insight into how and why crimes are committed, her tender and savage love for Roarke and vulnerability in adjusting to having a large and close-knit group of friends.

She is well matched by Roarke, a phenomenally successful modern-day pirate with his own insight into criminal behaviour and the intelligence, passion and ruthlessness to manage Eve when necessary, like when she has a headache and refuses to take a pill or when she skips a meal while working. He is manipulative in the best sense and is the velvet glove to her iron fist.

One of the highlights of this series is the connection between Eve and Roarke. Although the cop and the criminal seem like opposites, they both share a strong moral code, even if their morals don’t absolutely mesh on all points. They both survived an abusive past and although it has made them who they are, they have grown from it instead of perpetuating a cycle of abuse. They just fit together and although Roarke would be the first to disagree, it seems like Eve has the better end of the bargain.

Roarke frequently helps Eve by listening to her talk a case through, offering insight or resources and looking after her better than she would look after herself. Eve has willingly helped him when he’s needed it, but he seems to need less from her than she does from him. He has the strength to maintain his own interests outside of their relationship and understands when Eve is absorbed in hunting a killer, even admires her for it. Their relationship reminds me of a quote by Sam Keen: ‘You come to love not by finding the perfect person, but by seeing an imperfect person perfectly.’ Roarke is much more together than Eve, who is brilliantly flawed, but each provides the home and family the other has always needed.

(And everyone else)

Each book is peppered with sympathetic secondary characters whose lives and relationships typically evolve along with Eve’s throughout the series. Her partner, Detective Delia Peabody, is quite relatable (to me, at least) with her enjoyment of food that’s not quite equalled by her metabolism, subsequent desire to be thinner, and her steady competence. And there’s Roarke’s majordomo and Eve’s nemesis, Summerset, who picks on Eve for her relative uncouthness while she colourfully criticises him for being stuffy, ugly and bony, but they sheathe their swords over their shared concern for Roarke.

It’s the personal moments, soft without being sappy, that provide a contrast to the rough edges of the bustling, impatient New York city lifestyle and criminal element. But what sets this book apart from others in the series is that there is substantially less development of the secondary characters even though a few of them are present in the story. Also, it’s extremely rare to see Roarke uncomfortable, but discussion of religious beliefs and practices leaves him somewhat adorably flustered.

Robb is able to effectively balance Eve’s life off the clock with the headway she makes on her case, although her cases affect her personally and the series wouldn’t be as enjoyable if Eve wasn’t the cop and woman that she is.

The only thing I didn’t like about this particular story was how the victim was transformed from a man of God who was an asset to his community to such a polar opposite. Even if he hadn’t been an ordained priest, couldn’t he have repented or felt some remorse for the mistakes he made? While nothing would change who he had been before he took on the priest’s identity, couldn’t his new life have influenced him to become a better person? I kept wanting him to be better than he was and think it could have been realistically accomplished within the framework of the story. It felt like Robb made too deliberate an effort to make him as anti-priest as possible with only 2 arguably redeeming features, at least 1 of which contributed to his downfall.

Yay or Nay?

Although I insist on waiting for the paperback editions of the books in this series, don’t be fooled by the fact that this isn’t quite the most recent in the series. Like Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum books, I have to store up at least 2 books to get my fix and even then I wish the next book would hurry up and get published.

Each book is well-written and well-paced, and even if I sometimes predict the murderer, there is always more to the story than I saw coming. Despite my problems with the treatment of the victim’s true personality, I enjoyed the conflict Eve’s team felt between upholding the law and doing what they believed to be just.

This review was based on a copy of the US edition of the book. Salvation in Death is published in Australia by Hachette.

Title: Salvation in Death (excerpt)
Series: In Death (Book 27)
Author: J. D. Robb
ISBN: 9780749929855 (Aus) | 9780425226933 (US)
Release date: June 2, 2009
Publisher: Hachette
Format: A format

Where you can buy this book

Books in the In Death series (UK/Australia)

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New York to Dallas by J. D. Robb

Red Dust by Fleur McDonald

Kat — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 23:00:24 +0000

Red Dust by Fleur McDonald

BOOK GIVEAWAY: Read on for a chance to win a signed copy of Red Dust. The contest ends midnight on Wednesday, December 23 AEST.

Fleur McDonald’s debut novel evokes the rugged beauty of the Australian outback through the eyes of a strong protagonist, but this might not be enough for genre readers.

If there’s one type of contemporary romance I’d like to see more of, it’s the good old outback romance. I don’t mean generic romances set in the outback where the hero is a land baron with money to spare. I mean romances set in the harsh landscape of rural Australia, where people struggle against the vagaries of nature, and where I can feel the hot dust on my tongue as I read the story.

If there’s one thing Red Dust does well, it’s capturing the beauty and roughness of outback Australia.

When Gemma Sinclair’s husband dies in a plane crash, she takes on the task of managing Billbinya, their 100,000-hectare sheep station. Although she’s managing to stay afloat, a series of suspicious events lead Gemma to the realisation that something may be amiss at Billbinya. It seems her late husband may have been involved in something dodgy which also implicates Gemma. As an investigation into Billbinya comes to a head, Gemma must uncover the truth behind her husband’s dying words and figure out who may be setting her up to take the fall.

Fleur McDonald has spent most of her life on a farm, and she captures the spirit of the outback vividly, providing an intimate account of life on an outback station. I was fascinated by the sheep shearing process and how station owners keep track of their stock over vast distances.

Lisa, the young blonde rousie who the shearers had been teasing, swooped down on the fleece that had been left on the floor. She jiggled the wool around on the board until she found the legs, scooped it up in her arms and ran to the wool table. She flicked her wrists and the fleece flew up into the air, landing perfectly flat on the wool table, where Jackie skirted it quickly and decided which line it belonged in. The little pieces of wool that didn’t stay attached to the fleece floated onto the floor like soft snowflakes. Paula scraped her paddle across the floor, sweeping up all the excess wool.

I liked the rough camaraderie between workers, and the pragmatism displayed by the main characters. When Gemma needs extra help, she can’t afford to wait for someone she’s totally comfortable with—the reality is, she has to hire the best qualified person available. Likewise, when sheep shearing begins, Gemma thinks that some of the individuals look ‘unsavoury’, but it can’t be helped because it’s difficult to find people willing to do the work. This setting creates the ideal backdrop for the suspense plot.

And yet the suspense elements didn’t always work for me. The premise is interesting, it’s set up well in the beginning, and the procedural aspects seemed plausible. I love to read about how crime is investigated in the outback, and it’s particularly interesting in Red Dust because Billbinya is so huge—no CSI-esque toenails-in-the-bathroom-rugclues here! Despite this, McDonald struggles to sustain the mystery throughout the book. There are too many hints along the way that a reader with some familiarity with crime fiction can easily decipher.

The romance, on the other hand, is underdeveloped. Although I felt the sparks between Gemma and her love interest, McDonald doesn’t really show how their feelings progress, and how they come to be significant in each other’s lives. To be fair, the book is marketed as popular fiction, so perhaps my expectations around the love story was higher than it should’ve been.

Still, I think the weaknesses in the crime and romance plots stem from the same issues. They suffer from a lack of subtlety, and I felt that the author could’ve omitted some of the shorter scenes to better sustain the tension in both the mystery and the romance. The points of view also could’ve been managed better, especially when so much of the story is told from Gemma’s perspective. The transitions between scenes and characters were jarring at times.

Yay or nay?

Although there may not be enough romance or mystery to sustain genre readers, I’d recommend Red Dust for its faithfulness to the outback setting, seen through the eyes of a strong, pragmatic protagonist. I’m a city girl through and through, but I felt the heat and the grit and the roughness and, yes, the romance of the land as I read this book, and I’m looking forward to seeing how McDonald’s style develops in future books.

A review copy of Red Dust was generously provided by the author. The book was first published in May 2009 by Allen & Unwin. It will be republished in B format in March 2010. It’s also available as an ebook.

Fleur McDonald’s second book, Blue Skies, is due for release in April 2010.

RED DUST GIVEAWAY

For a chance to win a SIGNED copy of Red Dust, in 25 words or less tell us what you love about about celebrating an Aussie Christmas OR what you find romantic about the Aussie outback.

Some rules: You must post your answer as a comment to this post. Multiple entries are fine. By entering, you give us permission to quote your entry in future blog posts and articles. Overseas readers are welcome to join in. The giveaway ends midnight on Wednesday, December 23 AEDT. Wandergurl, Decadence and I will pick our favourite answer. We’ll announce the winner the following week, and they’ll have a week to send me their delivery address before the prize is forfeit.

Title: Red Dust (excerpt)
Author: Fleur McDonald
ISBN: 9781741756296
Release date: May 2009
Publisher: Arena (Allen & Unwin)
Format: C format

Where you can buy this book

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Dark Country by Bronwyn Parry

Kat — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 00:00:13 +0000

Dark Country by Bronwyn Parry

BOOK GIVEAWAY: Read on for a chance to win a free copy of Dark Country. The contest ends midnight on Friday, December 11 AEST.

Bronwyn Parry’s second novel is a much more intricate thriller that balances romance and suspense in a way that should appeal to the broadest possible audience.

Dark Country opens with Morgan ‘Gil’ Gillespie’s return to Dungirri, hinting at his troubled past and discomfort at returning to a place that holds nothing but bad memories. He’d been involved in a fatal car accident that landed him in prison, so he’s not expecting a warm welcome from the town. Along the way, he meets police sergeant Kris Matthews. Gil is wary of cops, but an incident sparked by old grievances puts him under Kris’s care for the next 24 hours.

The next day, a dead woman is found in the boot of Gil’s car, and as violence escalates, Gil realises he’s endangering the people he cares about and that it may be impossible to walk away from the town this time around.

Dark Country’s suspense plot is an intricate mystery that pulls together Gil’s unresolved childhood issues and current tensions within the Dungirri community. I know nothing about small community policing, but Parry’s writing reflects how I imagine the system would work in a town like Dungirri. This isn’t a CSI-esque novel—police investigations are under-resourced for the events that unfold, and everyone just has to work around these types of constraints.

The romance in the story takes more of backseat in Dark Country than is typical in romantic suspense—the story is mercifully free of untimely groping while on the run from murderous villains. At ARRC, Parry mentioned that she wrote her first book, As Darkness Falls, originally with an American market in mind. I’m assuming Dark Country was written to suit the Australian market from the beginning, and I think it shows. This isn’t a criticism, but for me it explains the shift in focus. In her previous book, Parry focused on the heroine’s point of view; Dark Country feels very much like Gil’s story. This works because the suspense revolves around him, but also because Kris has fewer demons than he does. Parry keeps the interactions between Gil and Kris simple, honest and realistic—a good foil for the fast-paced suspense plot.

‘If I wanted to play safe, Gil, I’d never have joined the police force. Or…’ She smiled, an honest, wistful smile that wrapped around his heart and made it hard to breathe, ‘or kissed you. But since I’ve chosen to do both, don’t think for a moment that I’m going to let you go alone when there’s probably a contract out on your life now. Nor…’ A shadow crossed her face. ‘Nor am I going to just stand by and not take whatever action I think is necessary to protect this town. I failed them once. I’m not going to do it again.’

…

But while the protective male part of him raged to keep her safe and defended, the part of him that respected her—her courage, skills, strengths, choices—knew that to deny her would be to deny who she was. And the truth was, he wanted her by his side.

In between, Parry layers the story with that of a small town trying to recover its sense of community. Dungirri has become dysfunctional, and In Dark Country we see some of the underlying causes of the problem, as well as attempts to rebuild the spirit of the town. I love, love, love the way Parry renders this outback community. The characters are diverse in a way that feels natural.

The ending of the suspense plot was a bit of disappointment after the subtlety of most of the book. The climax involves much mayhem, much racing around the clock and miraculous survivals. It all felt a little rushed, and Parry could’ve afforded to simplify the plot a little. I found it difficult to get my head around the back stories, alliances and ensuing twists.

Yay or nay?

Dark Country was listed in this year’s Books Alive guide of 50 Books You Can’t Put Down. I can’t argue with its inclusion. The plot is complicated enough to sustain the suspense, and the love story is believable, although hardcore romantic suspense readers might find it a little sparse—more so than in Parry’s first book—and probably reflects its Australian target market. I may not have missed any meals reading this book, but it was definitely a page-turner.

An uncorrected proof of Dark Country was generously provided by Hachette Australia. The Australian edition was published in September 2009. The UK edition will be released in March 2010. There’s no ebook version at the moment, but I noticed that The Book Depository has an ebook listed for release in March 2010.

DARK COUNTRY GIVEAWAY

For a chance to win a SIGNED copy of Dark Country, in 25 words or less tell us who you consider the most romantic Aussie couple and why. It can be a book, film, real-life story, or you can make up your ultimate Aussie romance.

Some rules: You must post your answer as a comment to this post. Multiple entries are fine. By entering, you give us permission to quote your entry in future blog posts and articles. Overseas readers are welcome to join in. The giveaway ends midnight on Friday, December 11 AEDT. Wandergurl, Decadence and I will pick our favourite answer. We’ll announce the winner the following week, and they’ll have a week to send me their delivery address before the prize is forfeit.

Title: Dark Country (excerpt)
Author: Bronwyn Parry
ISBN: 9780733623233
Release date: September 2009
Publisher: Hachette Australia
Format: C format

Where you can buy this book

Books in the series (Australia)

Books in the series (UK)

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Cold Front by Ann Somerville

Decadence — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 01:07:24 +0000

Cold Front by Ann Somerville (Pindone Files, Book 4)

Because who could resist that cover? Seriously.

When I was offered the chance to read an M/m romance by Australian author Ann Somerville, I scrolled through her website and the book with the shirtless man in tight black pants with his hands cuffed behind his back brought out my inner cover tart.

Then, when I read that it was along the lines of an M/m BDSM paranormal CSI, I was even more interested in the story because just one of those would have been enough to attract my attention. The book contains two prequel novellas, One Brief Encounter and A House is not a Home, followed by the novel Cold Front, which is the focus of this review.

One Brief Encounter

One Brief Encounter is told mostly from Dekan hon Cerimwe den Tsikeni’s point of view. Dek met Rensire hon Parmin den Vizinken in a bar while visiting Ren’s home region for police training and they had an immediate connection. Dek’s serious, military bearing is balanced by Ren’s cheekiness and Dek’s dominant nature allows the empath to leave behind his own headspace (which is often shared with the feelings of those around him) and recharge his emotional batteries. Ren has the confidence of knowing he is generally admired and having the advantage of seeing into others’ feelings, but Dek is tough from having lived through some pretty major personal and professional disasters and keeps himself in control because anything else is simply unacceptable to him. They are a good fit—Ren takes a more relaxed and easygoing view which contrasts well with Dek’s regimented stiffness.

After an incredible night together, they agree to meet up each year when training is held. Unfortunately, Dek is injured in a mission and misses their next rendezvous. He thinks it’s for the best because he thought about Ren too often anyway.

On his return to work, his supervisor orders him to show around a promising young empath/telekinetic who is interested in applying for a job in their team, and he is surprised to see Ren. The connection isn’t lost between them despite so much time apart, and Ren is forced to choose between following the direction of his career by applying for the job and exploring the connection between this hardened, haunted man, as regulations prohibit fraternisation between cops.

A House is not a Home

A House is not a Home is mainly dominated by Ren’s POV (point of view). He has joined Dek’s team and has become his partner, but struggles with behaving appropriately in public, particularly when, as an empath, he can sense how frequently and intensely Dek wants him. He is impressed by Dek’s performance as a Defence Force officer and gains understanding of Dek’s demons.

Today is the anniversary of Dek’s wife’s death and even though he’s a real bear with a sore paw, Ren won’t take no for an answer and insists on helping him find a way to handle his grief. When Dek relives his wife’s death, Ren uses his empathic talent to lessen the load of Dek’s suffering without diminishing his feelings for his wife.

After their first encounter, it’s clear that Ren finds more than just sexual satisfaction from being with Dek, as D/s sex offers a reprieve from the stress of his talent, but here we see how being with Ren can be good for Dek’s wellbeing. Their relationship has become more complementary and solidified my feeling that these men belong together.

Cold Front

But all this is background for Cold Front, which alternates between Dek’s and Ren’s POV. Two years later, they are secret lovers on a regular basis and still partners in the defence force. Their case is a serial killer mutilating impoverished young girls. The body of an empath was found nearby with no obvious cause of death, and Ren is sure that the two victims must be connected—and not just because they were found in the same vicinity—but their orders are to focus on the girl’s killer and the empath is swept under the rug.

This places strain on their relationship because Ren comes off as being rash and overzealous in his desperation to be heard, which discourages his superiors from listening to him, and he blames Dek for not backing him up, while Dek is able to see that no one will listen until they can present enough evidence linking the two cases, even if they’re technically not allowed to look outside the case their task force is assigned to.

Slow progress makes a worthy adversary

The writing, particularly in Cold Front, is very heavy on dialogue, which is effectively used to keep the flow of the investigation going and further the world building. The first person narrative is used to express either Ren’s or Dek’s thoughts or summarise slow points in the investigation to maintain pacing. And to be honest, that is needed. Progress on the case is frustratingly slow, but that’s appropriate for a serial killer worth a task force run by our heroes. This isn’t an episode of CSI where the murder is solved neatly within an hour and a single sample of trace or DNA leads directly to the killer’s door. This killer is smart and adept enough to cover their tracks better than most and provides a compelling challenge for the most dedicated and competent of detectives.

Even when they work out who the killer is, it’s not a simple capture and the stakes are very high. The pace suddenly picks up tremendously after all the waiting and I stayed up a lot longer than I should just to make sure everything ends well.

Lack of details provides clarity and focus

Even though the place names, units of measurement, police ranking system and beverages don’t give any frame of reference within the world, it’s nowhere near as disorienting as I expected because the story is very much character driven. It’s clear from the handling that Somerville doesn’t want to distract her readers with complicated world building, and this strategy meshes well with the typical male economy of language used in the first person narrative and made even more concise by their law enforcement backgrounds. She’s not selling the world—it’s about the connection between the two men first and foremost.

The lack of scene setup actually made the characters’ POVs more accessible for me. As an example, when I leave work in the evening, I’m much less likely to think about the pretty tree across the road and all the restaurants nearby than, “Shit, it’s cold out here!” And that’s what they do, too.

The switch between Dek’s and Ren’s POVs can be a bit confusing, because this is usually indicated by a scene change, but a scene change has other purposes as well, such as fast tracking to the next relevant event. The vast majority of the time, the scene change achieves both objectives at once, but for the other times it’s a bit jarring to think you’re reading from one person’s perspective only to find them referred to in the third person and realise that you’re actually reading as someone else.

Urban fantasy vs romantica

Even though the story is largely written as an urban fantasy, there are some definite elements of romance. Although the murder case is the vehicle for the story, the relationship between Dek and Ren actually is the story and their efforts in solving the case strongly affect their relationship.

On the other non-romancey hand, there were a few references to them both having sex with others with no other purpose than to cover up their illicit relationship and preserve some distance while they deny how much their relationship means to them. Those occasional references weren’t my favourite parts of the story, but that’s my issue and, having said that, it comes up very infrequently and there’s no mention of who those people are since they don’t play any role in the story.

But given Ren’s apparent lack of jealousy over these sexual partners and the women their colleagues keep throwing at Dek, it’s surprising that he resents Dek’s rapport with their superior, Hadin. It was inferred that Ren notices they share an adherence to rules and procedures to a far greater extent than he would and that may make him feel like the odd man out, but it feels strange that he seems to have no problem with Dek having sex with others but feels jealousy towards someone with whom Dek has a platonic relationship.

I also would have liked more sex scenes throughout the book and felt that a few opportunities were missed. The best example was after another victim is found. Ren and Dek cop verbal abuse at the wake and they return to Dek’s house for sex. I felt cheated by getting the 1950s fade to black after Dek gives Ren the order to kneel, before the new scene opens on a discussion of stained clothing and a sore arse. Somerville certainly hadn’t shied away from writing sex at other times in the story (thank god!) and given the lack of progress they were making on the case, I would have enjoyed the temporary departure as much as the men did.

Well, maybe not quite as much as they did.

Torture vs BDSM

This book contains both and Somerville takes great care to differentiate between the two. Ren compares the killer’s selfish pleasure in forcing pain on helpless girls and notes that it is a world away from what Dek does to him for their mutual pleasure. Ren knows that he is able to say no if Dek wants something more than he is willing to give and that a large part of Dek’s pleasure comes from his.

The killer enjoys inflicting pain on someone who cannot prevent it from happening and takes a strong interest in the amount of damage their victims can endure before death. And whenever a victim gives out, there’s always another one to take their place, whereas Dek asked Ren at the beginning of their first night together what his limits were and treated him as an individual while in his care.

While the killer targets young, underprivileged girls, who are arguably among society’s weaker members, Ren is actually bigger than Dek and is not only similarly trained in fighting techniques but also has the ability to kill with a single touch. By contrast, Ren is powerful enough to be able to say no and back it up if necessary.

Yay or nay?

Cold Front is definitely worth a read, although strict romance readers may not enjoy it as much if they don’t also enjoy forensics and police procedurals because this is a major part of the story and the romance may seem to take a backseat as they have to keep their relationship hidden at work. But even when they’re not in bed (or the shower), Dek and Ren make a very good team with complementary strengths and weaknesses and mutual respect. Their chemistry goes beyond sex and it made me want to see them together for the long haul.

You can purchase this book from Lulu, or download an electronic copy of the stories directly from the author’s website.

Title: Cold Front (excerpt)
Series: Pindone Files (Book 1)
Author: Ann Somerville
Release date: January 2006
Publisher: Self-published

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Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich

Decadence — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 03:00:12 +0000

Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich (Stephanie Plum, Book 14)

In my library/computer room, I have a red box mounted on my wall. You know the type—fronted with glass bearing the words “IN CASE OF EMERGENCY, BREAK GLASS” with the little hammer alongside. This box doesn’t contain the lever to my alarm system, or a fire extinguisher, or ten thousand dollars in unmarked, non-sequential bills and a passport under the name Jane Smith. No, it contains something much more vital than that. It contains two unread Stephanie Plum books, soon to be joined by the new release, Plum Spooky (after all, three Plums are better than two). Or it did until I broke the glass over the weekend.

These books are the reading equivalent of chocolate, with a lot of nuts thrown in.

The usual suspects

Stephanie Plum is a bounty hunter with more luck than talent, who is occasionally partnered up with a black, plus-sized, trigger-happy ex-ho named Lula, who is the source of many hilarious moments throughout the series. She has an on-again off-again relationship with hot bad-boy-turned-cop Joe Morelli and (usually) fends off the attentions of her mentor, the sexy, enigmatic Ranger. Outside of work Stephanie spends time chasing down her young-at-heart Grandma Mazur, who has been completely and hilariously irrepressible since Grandpa Mazur “got a hot pass to heaven compliments of more than half a century of bacon fat and butter cookies.”

The madcap plot

In Fearless Fourteen, Stephanie makes a routine visit to an FTA (Failure to Appear in court) to reschedule her court date, only to inherit the FTA’s teenage gamer son who calls himself Zook and has a compulsion to tag everything he sees. Zook has a loose familial tie with Morelli, so Stephanie leaves the kid with him while moonlighting by helping Ranger provide security for Brenda, a singer with only one name like Cher or Madonna (only without all the fame and fortune, but at least as much surgery).

Zook’s uncle Dom, who has just been released from jail after serving a nine-year sentence for bank robbery, already resents Morelli for inheriting the house that would have been his had he not been incarcerated, but is further enraged to learn his nephew is staying with Morelli. Not to mention he wants to recover his loot while his partners are turning up dead in Morelli’s house and his sister (Zook’s mother, the FTA) has gone missing.

What follows is a totally madcap adventure involving a treasure hunt, reality TV, potato launchers, a stalker and a flatulent dog, but it’s surprisingly relatable. Anyone who has ever resolved to join a gym but only got as far as buying the new outfit, or buys salsa so they can honestly say they eat vegetables can identify with Stephanie. As outrageous as the situations can be, I think most of us can understand what it’s like trying to reach that balance between the fantasy of effortless competence that’s supposed to go along with adulthood and the reality that many of us do stupid things and couldn’t be bothered cooking a nice meal when there are so many easy take-out options.

Love triangles and fried chicken

I’ll admit that fourteen books (and three “Between-the-Numbers” books) is a long time to keep a love triangle going, but I’m in no hurry for it to end. At the moment, Morelli and Ranger accept the necessity of the other in Stephanie’s life and they’ve been major characters from the beginning of the series. It looks like nothing short of marriage to Morelli will keep Ranger away from Stephanie and I can’t envisage a resolution that won’t cost the series (and us, the readers) one of these hot guys. Morelli is a former womaniser, grown up and evolving into domestic life but with more than enough zing to keep him interesting, while Ranger is sex incarnate with a soft spot for Stephanie and his own agenda. Having both of them in Stephanie’s life almost makes me believe that it’s possible to have it all, so it will be a very sad day if and when Stephanie makes a definite choice.

Another point to suspend disbelief on (other than Stephanie’s car getting demolished in almost every book, and the strength of Lula’s too-tight spandex wardrobe) is that Stephanie’s over thirty and her main form of exercise is chasing down the occasional FTA and running for her life, but she stays hot enough to keep not just one, but two hot alpha males interested while subsisting on a diet of fried chicken and birthday cake. Not that I’m jealous or anything.

Yay or nay?

The series as a whole is perfect emergency reading, having got me through a long international flight and kept me from quitting my job after one of the worst days on record. These books are like chocolate (only without the calories)—completely addictive and can cure anything. While the books can usually be read on their own*, references to Grandma Mazur burning down the funeral home or prising open the lid at a closed casket service may have readers looking for earlier books. Another hazard of reading these books is sudden outbursts of laughter, which may cause the people around you to give you a wide berth or at least a strange look.

*Four to Score ends in a cliffhanger and Plum Spooky continues a plotline from Fearless Fourteen.

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The Tail of the Tip-Off by Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown

Kat — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 17:00:27 +0000

The Tail of the Tip-Off by Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown (Mrs. Murphy Mystery, Book 11)

First it was sheep detectives, now it’s cats and dogs. Are we humans that stupid? (Ahem, rhetorical question.) I borrowed The Tail of the Tip-Off from the library not because it appealed to me in any way, but because a certain toddler would not let go of it and had a fit when I tried to return it for shelving. And having read Wandergurl’s post on Three Bags Full, I figured if she could read about sheep, I could read about cats. Maybe it’s because I’m not much of an animal lover, but it was a real struggle to finish this book.

The Tail of the Tip-Off by Rita Mae Brown and her cat, Sneaky Pie Brown, is a cozy mystery featuring amateur sleuth Harry (short for Mary Minor Haristeen) and her assortment of pets. When one of the locals in their town of Crozet dies of an unknown toxin, Harry and her menagerie set out to find the killer.

I think I can understand why people might like this book, but it’s not my cup of tea. It takes forever to get to the actual murder, and the first chapter does nothing to make me care about any of the characters, of which there are many. If you love animals, you might find the jumps into the pets’ points of view charming, but to me they were annoying and the animal conversations were dull and preachy. Harry borders on being a reckless idiot–after 10 mysteries, you’d think the woman would have a better sense of personal safety. There are some nice bits of dialogue between Harry and her friends, but these are few and far between. I was intrigued by what seems to be an ongoing storyline between Harry, her ex-husband, and the woman he had an affair with, but it’s still not interesting enough to entice me to read future books in this series. Agatha Christie it ain’t.

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As Darkness Falls by Bronwyn Parry

Kat — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 17:00:44 +0000

As Darkness Falls by Bronwyn Parry

The first I heard of As Darkness Falls by Australian author Bronwyn Parry was a small blurb in the Dymocks Booklovers catalogue. I was intrigued because it sounded like a romance (just because the catalogue says it’s romance doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll be genre Romance), it’s set in Australia, and it looked meaty. When I finally got my hands on the book, the cover promises: “If you enjoy reading Nora Roberts you will love…” That is a big call, I thought, especially since it’s the author’s first novel. But after reading As Darkness Falls, I think it really is a book that Nora Roberts fans might like. It’s a shame, then, that so few Australian romance bookstores have it in their catalogues.

As Darkness Falls centres on Detective Isabelle O’Connell, who has isolated herself from society to recover from some serious personal trauma resulting from an investigation into a child killer. Not only had she been unable to find the killer in time, she had been unable to protect a local suspect from falling victim to an angry mob. But when she receives a visit from Detective Chief Inspector Alec Goddard informing her that another girl has gone missing in her hometown of Dungirri, Isabelle is compelled to go back home and help solve the case.

Alec feels guilty about using Isabelle in the investigation, but he’s determined to find the missing girl. Unexpectedly, Alec finds himself unexpectedly drawn to Isabelle despite the fact that he has his own reasons for not wanting to let anyone into his life. For Alec, the case becomes increasingly personal as Isabelle herself becomes part of the killer’s game. Isabelle’s fragile emotional state is further challenged as evidence mounts that the person they’re looking for is a local member of the community–a killer who gets more daring by the day, and whose every move seems calculated to test the very terrors that Alec and Isabelle are struggling to overcome.

Romance with an Aussie sensibility

The romance between Isabelle and Alec develops slowly and believably. Although the crime investigation takes centre stage in the earlier part of the book, we get a glimpse of the growing attraction between the main characters. This is wonderfully understated most of the time, which I think echoes a practical sort of Australian sensibility that’s in keeping with the setting. It was refreshing to read about these characters who felt real to me, and whose manner of expressing affection and desire bear some resemblance to how I think most people fall in love.

Alec is portrayed as a man who won’t take crap from people, but who is capable of great compassion and empathy. Parry explores his character by his actions and reactions as a boss, an investigator, a friend and a lover. He never descends into a stereotype, and even when he feels jealousy against men from Isabelle’s past, he doesn’t resort to playing boorish games. The one thing that didn’t quite work for me was Alec’s main internal conflict about being in a relationship with Isabelle. I felt that this wasn’t well integrated into the story and came across as something tacked on to prevent the romantic plot resolving earlier than the suspense does. And yet it could have been a real obstacle to the romantic plot, so I wish Parry had woven it into Alec’s story better.

Isabelle is a complex mix of toughness and vulnerability. Again, Parry imbues the character with an Aussie sort of disposition in which the practical concerns of everyday life, of the tasks at hand, take precedence over whatever internal struggles she’s going through. This makes Isabelle’s emotional turmoil that much more powerful when Parry lets us into the character’s head. At the same time, it removes any doubt that Isabelle is capable of being part of the investigation even when she’s at her most vulnerable.

What I love most about the relationship between Alec and Isabelle is that it’s underscored by mutual respect and a gentleness that contrasts with the violence they deal with as part of their jobs. I love that Alec gives Isabelle space to be herself, providing support while Isabelle tries to repair her emotional wounds, without asserting himself as any kind of saviour. At the same time, Isabelle rebuilds relationships outside of Alec, so I never feel as though he’s just a crutch for her.

The suspense plot

I admit that I was never sure of who the killer was until Isabelle and Alec work it out. Parry couples Isabelle’s past and the kind of intrigues you’d expect from a small town to keep readers second-guessing their own suspicions. While I admired the way Parry conceals the true killer, I was disappointed by how the main characters come to realise who it is. To me, it seemed too sudden, too capricious. Likewise, the way Alec discards some of the suspects by pure intuition didn’t come across as realistic to me. This was my biggest gripe about the story, because even though I can believe that investigators rely heavily on instinct, I find it dodgy that someone in Alec’s position would discard possible suspects without even a cursory background and alibi check. (And if this is how investigations are conducted in real life, then I don’t feel the author explains this well enough to me as a reader.)

The Australian backdrop

One of the main problems I’ve had with outback romances has been other authors’ inability to portray the backdrop without going over the top. Parry manages it very well, weaving the landscape and the feel of country Australia into the story, that at times I felt I could visualise it, even though I’ve never actually been to the outback (just seen it on TV–what? I hate to sweat!), but never so much that I had to skip parts of the narrative. As Darkness Falls has a very strong sense of place, and Parry paints a picture of the outback in vivid detail without being indulgent. Parry uses Aussie terms and expressions with the understanding that, while the reader might need some things explained, the characters certainly don’t. Aussie culture and knowledge are woven into the story without affecting the pace, and often in a way that gives insight into the characters themselves:

‘Get it down to ballistics in Sydney,’ Alec replied. ‘Call in a crime scene team to go over the creek area straightaway.’ He stopped as Kris shook her head.

‘Sorry, regional specialists aren’t available — I already asked for them. There was a double murder up near the Queensland border last night and we can’t have them until tomorrow at the earliest.’

He stared at her in disbelief. How could they be expected to conduct an investigation without the resources they should be able to count on — resources he took for granted in Sydney?

‘Welcome to bush policing,’ Isabelle commented dryly.

‘Don’t worry.’ Kris gave him a grin. ‘We’re used to do-it-yourself out here. Adam is as good as any forensic team at finding evidence, even without all the high-tech gear.’

Fraser snorted. ‘Oh, sure, having Koori blood gives him magical powers that are better than years of scientific training.’

‘Murri,’ Isabelle corrected him, her eyes cold. ‘The Aboriginal people in this region call themselves Murris, not Kooris. And learning to read the environment is a survival skill that takes years of observation and practice, irrespective of one’s genetic inheritance.

Yay or nay?

As Darkness Falls is an excellent debut novel, and it makes me so glad to finally read an Aussie romance that never once had me rolling my eyes. You can read the first chapter here. If you’re still not convinced, I’d encourage you to check your local library. If, like me, you’ve basically been reading decades worth of US-centric romances, you may find something refreshing and real and genuinely touching in this novel.

A shorter version of this review was submitted to the ARRC09 Reader Challenge. To enter the contest, this review was modified to fit the word count and contest rules. If you’re signed up to the ARRC Lounge, please vote for your favourite review (no, it doesn’t have to be this one).

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