August Reviews

DEADLINE
by Simon Kernick
ISBN 9780593060018
364 pages
BANTAM PRESS
August 1 2008
$32.95
reviewed by Denise Pickles
June 24 2008

Andrea  Devern has done well for herself. She has an adored teenaged daughter,   Emma, a husband of whom she is quite fond-- and a lot of money. She has obtained the latter through sheer hard work. Unfortunately, criminals are aware of the money and are determined to make it their own. Thus, they kidnap Emma and stash her somewhere that a casual observer is unlikely to find her.

Andrea contracts a former husband, Jimmy, and enlists his aid rather than that of the police, whose entrance upon the scene, she has been assured, will ensure the death of her daughter. She tells Jimmy that Emma is his daughter and therefore he must help Andrea wrest her from the kidnappers. Needless to say, she must eventually give in and call the police (a situation caused by the kidnappers themselves) and Mike Bolt is on the case. Could Pat Phelan, Andreaís husband, possibly have conspired in this cruel crime, despite his professed fondness for both wife and stepdaughter?

Emma is being held by a pair of thugs. She knows that her ultimate safety relies on her not being able to identify the men, so is almost always  careful to keep a hood, provided by them, over her head. She is called upon by the kidnappers to talk to her mother, to ensure Andrea knows she is still alive.

Bolt, meanwhile, is given an extra incentive to help Andrea have her daughter returned to her custody.

In the dim past, Andrea and Bolt had been an item. Following their breakup, Andrea had set out to make herself a lot of money while Bolt had married someone, but had remained childless.

Kernick, as is usual, produces a professional, well researched thriller that certainly doesnít spare the emotions of the reader-- especially if the reader is a parent. He confides in his audience that an incident in his own childhood inspired the book. I wonder if he had, by then, realised he would some day earn a living through writing. If so, he did well from the horrible experience he had to endure at that time.

The author carefully builds up the suspense as the adventure proceeds. He never discloses too much, nor exposes the reader to too much shock in one go. His methods are always plausible and the disclosure of the nature of one of the kidnappers is just at the right time to ratchet up the tension to a further, believable peak.

The characters are particularly credible. Andreaís response is especially believable as she strives to preserve her childís life, while at the same time attempting to understand the mystery. The readerís sympathy is increased for the victim as the tale endures.

If there is a criticism to be made of this work, it can only be for the amount of dangerous incident that is piled upon dangerous incident, for all concerned. Kernick has certainly improved in his writing since the earlier of his works that I read.
HOUSE OF MANY WAYS
by Diana Wynne Jones
ISBN 9780007275670
328 pages
HarperCollins Childrenís Books
August 1 2008
$19.99
reviewed by Denise Pickles
June 30 2008

Another Diana Wynne Jones book released hot upon the heels of THE GAME is a true cause for rejoicing. This volume is aimed, perhaps, at a slightly older audience than was the earlier work, but both will certainly add to that authorís reputation as a true enchantress.

This time, Ms Wynne Jones has added to her list of books in the series of HOWLíS MOVING CASTLE. Itís interesting to observe that Sophie, who was, in that initial volume, terrified of the Wizard Howl, is now almost in a position to intimidate her husband, the Wizard Howl (or Howell, depending on where the Moving Castle alights.) The protagonist in this adventure is not Sophie, but  Charmain (or Charming, again depending on where one is.)

Charmain is volunteered to look after her great Uncle Williamís house while he is being cured of a dreadful affliction, by the elves, who are really the only beings who can cure the malady. For the dreaded lubbock, the one remaining of its kind in the world, has laid its eggs in the wizard and they must be removed before the dreadful things hatch and eat their host.

Charmain has lived a very privileged life. She has never had to do anything for herself but neither has she been called upon to do magic, for that is not quite ladylike. Nonetheless, she soon  has to learn to do both things. She also has to cope with a boy named Peter, who is, apparently, to be apprenticed to her great uncle. The two, somehow, must muddle through and the only creature who is there to help is a little dog named Waif and she-- or is it he?-- seems to need quite a lot of help herself, especially when she suddenly finds herself many times her usual size.

Charmain has offered her services as a librarian to the King. She is delighted when His Majesty accepts her offer and Charmain has to leave her great uncleís cottage to go to the Kingís Palace. What a mess is in the offing, though, as the Kingís heir, Crown Prince Ludovic, and his entourage, are also there to attend a grand party. And there is something not quite right about the Crown Prince.

Of course Howl and Sophie are guests at the court and where they go, Calcifer, the fire imp, cannot be far behind.

The King is in dire trouble, because no matter how much tax is paid to him, somehow the treasury keeps getting empiter and emptier.

Fortunately for Charmain (although she doesnít seem to think it is good fortune) her great uncleís apprentice Peter is determined to help Charmain-- after his own fashion, of course.

It goes without saying that this is an interesting and magically satisfying book. All the characters, other than the wicked ones, are delightful. The baddies are quite tricksy to overcome but perhaps the Wizard Howl can do something to help Charmain-- but who is Morgan and where has Twinkle sprung from?

I still have to be convinced that JKÝRowling has overtaken Diana Wynne Jones in the magic stakes. The latter author seems to have a wider range than the former, although both are very, very good and she has certainly been writing for longer.

If it has not been made evident in this review, I had best confess that Diana Wynne Jones has been a great favourite of mine for many years now. Her plotting is always good and her characters, naturally enough, are quite magical.
FRACTURED
by Karin Slaughter
ISBN 9781844138616
389 pages
Century. London
August 1 2008
$32.95
reviewed by Denise Pickles
July 4 2008

Slaughter has not permitted Special Agent Will Trent, of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to languish in limbo after a single appearance in the  novel TRIPTYCH in 2006. Will is a dedicated cop with a secret. He is dyslexic, and would do anything to hide his disability, keeping the secret even from the woman with whom he is partnered in FRACTURED.

Abigail and Paul Campano do not have a very strong marriage. They do have a lovely teenage daughter, Emma-- that is, they have her until the dreadful day Abby arrives home from an afternoon of tennis and finds the house has been broken into, and there is the dead body of a teenage girl there. There is also a young man, very alive, holding a knife. Abby somehow manages to strangle the young man, not realising that there is more than one way the scene may be interpreted.

Later, the distraught mother--- and killer--- learns that the female corpse is not  that of her daughter but her daughterís friend, Kayla. To increase the horror of her situation, the young man was not a killer but someone attempting to protect Emma. Emma has been kidnapped and Abigail has brought heartbreak on an innocent family.

The GBI is called in to investigate by the (extremely wealthy and influential) grandfather of the kidnapped girl, when it is still thought that Emma is dead. Will Trent, unfortunately, already knows Paul Campano, father of the missing girl, as they were both foundlings in the care of the state, and Paul is aware of Willís disability and doesnít wish him on the case. Regardless, Will remains on the case and is partnered with Faith Mitchell from the Atlanta PD. Since Will had had to investigate the department for corrupt officers and rooted out a large percentage of the detectives, Faith is not happy with the arrangement.

A knowledge of dyslexia proves pivotal in this mystery so for once Will has a decided advantage, as Emma is dyslexic and, from a note left by the kidnapper, it appears he is as well.

For all that a successful, dyslexic investigator seems unlikely, Karin Slaughter makes a very plausible case for Will Trent. The rest of the characters appear equally realistic.

Itís undeniable that the author is truly in command of the unexpected twist and misdirection. She also does a pretty good line in excitement as well as the creation of some very unpleasant baddies. She has a very good idea of the emotions that motivate families and has once again proven herself a gifted narrator.
CRIME
by Irvine Welsh
ISBN 9780224080538
344 pages
JONATHAN CAPE
LONDON
August 1 2008
$34.95
reviewed by Denise Pickles
July 14 2008

I suppose the stark, single word title of this novel says it all: CRIME. It is about paedophilia, and what greater crime than this-- even murder-- can be found? Crimes against children must surely be completely inexcusable and, from newspaper reports, it appears even hardened criminals take umbrage at the crimes committed by their fellow gaolbirds to the extent that paedophiles have to be separated from the general prison population, for their own protection. Thus, the main crime in this book is hugely distasteful to readers, by its very nature.

The prologue of the book is frightening. A young girl is begging her mother not to go out. She knows that if her mother goes out (and, of course, the child will be left by herself) something dreadful will happen at the end of the evening. And when she hears her mother return, she must brace herself for what is to come.

Ray Lennox is on stress leave from the Edinburgh police. Mind, flying at 32,000 feet is not free of its own set of stresses,  but at least the time spent at such altitude is only relatively brief. He and his girlfriend Trudi want to plan their wedding and their overseas holiday is to be spent deciding on the best ways for the organisation of the occasion-- which might in and of itself mean Ray might need rather more stress leave after this set is finished.

Ray is haunted by a case on which he had been working, that of a murdered child. He has been warned not to think of the little girl, but itís hard to let go, even though the perpetrator has been found.

Lennox and Trudi have decided on Miami for their holiday. Trudi, who seems to be a very slow reader, is engrossed in a bridal magazine, but once they land, Lennox is separated, by friends, from his fiancée. Despite his attempts to get off both drugs and booze, Ray visits a bar where he meets two women, Robyn and Starry-- and eventually winds up at their flat surrounded by drugs. There he also meets the little girl, Robynís daughter Tianna.

Lennox is put in a position where he must rescue Tianna from a paedophile, but in order to do so, must remove her from her motherís house and drive her to a purported ìuncleî.

For all the main thread of this book is so unpleasant, it is an engrossing read. The characterisation is, unfortunately, all too convincing with the damaged Edinburgh cop having to try to rescue himself from addiction as well as the child from abuse.

There is, for all the misery, an optimistic note to the whole-- the possibility that an adult former victim of child abuse may be able to save children from being abused in  situations similar to the awful things that happened to them in their own childhoods.

 Alas that fictionally, paedophilia seems to be the favoured crime of the season.
BROKEN
by Karin Fossum
translated from the Norwegian by Charlotte Barslund
ISBN 9781846550614
Harvill Secker
LONDON
August 1 2008
$34.95
reviewed by Denise Pickles
July 21 2008

This novel bears a passing resemblance to, I think, an American fantasy novel I read many years ago, but Iím bothered if I can remember the title. It was a story of an author whose characters came to life and invaded the authorís comfort zone, making it distinctly uncomfortable.

Fossumís unnamed author  surveys the long queue outside her house. They are waiting for the author to relate their stories to the world-- perhaps they are awaiting any old author to select them and bring the individual stories to life.

The author has gone to bed and is about to go to sleep when she hears footsteps ascending her staircase and a mild mannered, unassuming, apologetic fellow enters her room.  The author is thoroughly unsettled when he requests--or though the request is made politely, it is more of a demand than a simple request-- that his story be the next she tells.The author protests that there is a woman with a baby in the queue ahead of him but the man remains obdurate, so the first thing the author does is to bestow a name upon him-- Alvar Eide. But Alvar, for all he seems to think he is not bossy, keep pushing the author to write his story. He says he is afraid that if she doesnít write him before the other characters in the queue, the author will die and he, Alvar, will never live.

The story is told alternately in the first person, from the point of view of the author, and in the third person, from the characterís point of view.

Alvar works in an art gallery, although not an artist. His boss, Ole Krantz, on the other hand, does indulge himself in painting and does quite well from his uninspiring work. Alvar, though, becomes enamoured of a painting of a broken bridge and dithers about buying it-- but it is very expensive (although he does have enough money for the purchase) so canít screw up his courage to endanger his hoard of emergency money in order to fund a luxury.

One day, a girl who is a drug addict takes shelter in the art gallery and although Alvar knows he should throw the teenager out of the gallery, he gives her coffee and starts a slide into misery for himself.

I am afraid I tend to find Scandinavian authors pessimistic beyond belief and I canít say that Fossumís book breaks that (possibly fallacious) impression for me. Alvar is incredibly bossy behind his unassuming, apparently unassertive front and does manage to push the author around, to an extent.

The character of the girl is well drawn and I see in her the life I imagine the homeless, drug addicted young people that, unfortunately, abound in Adelaide suffer during this cold winter.

The author does a good job of establishing her characters as well as the inhospitable winter in Norway-- so very much colder than our far milder winters in Adelaide. Somehow, for all the credit that must be given to her writing, I do so wish she could occasionally write a happy book.
THE BUILD UP
by Phillip Gwynne
ISBN  9781405038492
339 pages
MACMILLAN
Pan Macmillan Australia
August 1 2008
$32.99
reviewed by Denise Pickles
July 24  2008

 This is a very good debut into the adult crime fiction sub-genre. To describe this authorís evocation of atmosphere as ìmasterlyî could even be seen as inadequate. Iím very glad I was given the opportunity to read and review this novel.

October in Darwin is just on the lip of the Wet, but not yet properly out of the Dry. It is during the ìbuild upî (a phrase I had never heard before, despite my many years in New Guinea where Wet and Dry prevails similarly to what happens in Darwin.) It is a period in which people are more likely to go troppo than at any other time. Thus, Jimmy is not terribly happy, when fishing, to discover he has hooked a corpse, but neither is he completely surprised.

The population of Darwin is a mixed bag. Cops, both male and female, Vietnamese prostitutes and regular citizens, both good and bad, plus other assorted people, comprise the whole. Dusty Buchanon is a detective, not a bad one, although her relationship with her ultimate commanding officer, the Big C, is not as comfortable as she would like-- especially when she is busted down to uniform status. Mind, her relationship with her mum, down there in the refined atmosphere of Adelaide, city of churches, pubs and mysterious murders, is not really much better than her relationship with her boss.

 Dusty, occasionally partnered with Fontana, is taken off the case of a woman named McVeigh. Then, the ultimate humiliation, ordered to don her uniform once more. Needless to say, Dusty is not keen to preserve the status quo and is determined to lose the uniform-- even if he could find it, since she has probably already given it to various favoured aborigines.

Despite her reservations about fellow officer Flick, Dusty manages to cooperate with said double barrelled detective. As the book goes on, she even manages to become friendly, in a qualified kind of way, with the woman. But then, odd things happen in Darwin-- especially during the build up.

One of the characters in the book, Julien, I found particularly charming. Although he is gay, there are large sacrifices he would make for a friend-- up to patronising a brothel inhabited by very sexy young women.

The mystery is, of course, eventually  solved. To my mind, however, the charm of the novel is not so much in the plotting as it is in the atmosphere and the characterisation. Territorians have a reputation for eccentricity similar to that of their ex-pat kin in New Guinea.  Gwynne has done well to portray them in these pages.
WHEN WILL THERE BE GOOD NEWS
by Kate Atkinson
ISBN  9780385614511
348 pages
Doubleday
August 1 2008
$32.95
reviewed by Denise Pickles
August 1 2008

Iíve never made a secret of the fact that I enjoy the writing of Kate Atkinson. I like her stories and I particularly admire her characterisations.

This tale begins from the viewpoint of Joanna Mason. She, her mother, her baby brother and her older sister are walking through the Devon countryside and are not in the least bit happy about it. Their father, the novelist, transplanted them then deserted them for a lady poet. As the family walks by the fields, they are cut down by a man wielding a knife-- all but Joanna, who has obeyed her mother and run and hidden in a wheat field. Later that night, a policeman, part of the  search party, finds Joanna asleep in the grass with ìNot a scratch on her.î Even though Jo is only six, for the next thirty years she bears the guilt of what happened to her family. She feels that she could have rescued her baby brother-- even though that would have been impossible for the six year-old.

Jackson Brodie enters the tale in the modern day as, for reasons known only to himself, he plucks a hair from the head of a  small boy named Nathan.

Reggie Chase is Dr Jo Hunterís ìmotherís helpî. She is sixteen years old and absolutely devoted to Jo and Joís year-old baby, Gabriel. Reggieís mother has died in a drowning accident leaving Reggie largely dependent on herself-- and attempting to avoid the friends of her petty criminal brother Billie. But then Jo and the baby disappear. Mr Hunter tells Reggie that there is nothing wrong, but Reggie knows there must be, from clues Jo left behind.

Jackson is riding a train. Unfortunately, he managed to catch the wrong train going in the wrong direction. Equally unfortunately, the train crashes and Jackson is badly injured. As luck (and the fates) have it, Reggie is nearby and comes across him. She knows some first aid and is able to stanch the bleeding, thus saving his life. From then on, for some time, she takes responsibility for him and, when he is discharged from hospital (against doctorsí orders) she accompanies him and together they set about, amongst other things, attempting to find Jo and the baby.

Ms Atkinson is great at plotting, as well as at characterisation. In this story, she has the fates plot to bring all kinds of disparate characters, many of whom share a tie of which they are totally unaware, together. The prose is witty and well thought out and the entire book-- even allowing for the unfortunate deaths and many unpleasant characters--is a true delight.

I just hope that if the author writes another Jackson Brodie adventure, she might in some way have Reggie join up with him again.
 THE LEMUR
by Benjamin Black
ISBN 9780330461436
Picador
July 4 2008
$29.99
reviewed by Denise Pickles
August 4 2008

This is a somewhat claustrophobic outing for John Banvilleís alter ego, Benjamin Black, the less literary side of that gentleman who, naetheless, manages to present an interesting plot.

John Glass, former journalist and  son-in-law of dynamic, millionaire (which might be understating that gentlemanís worth) businessman ìBig Billî Mulholland, is commissioned by Mulholland to write his biography. Somewhat intimidated by the task, Glass interviews Dylan  Riley,  a researcher, who resembles a creature that Glass misremembers as a rodent. ìThe lemurî is entertained at the notion of finding out the secrets of Mulhollandís past-- but Glass is distressed at the thought of the possibility that the researcher might just turn up some of his own secrets, especially some current ones, specifically those pertaining to his own extra-marital dalliance. Mulholland (known, within the family by the too cutesy nickname of Billuns) has strong ideas on the topic of marital infidelity and, all at once, Glass repents the enthusiasm with which he hired Riley. How awful it would be were Glass to have to forfeit his enjoyable lifstyle because of is researcherís digging.

Glass has been promised a million dollars by the subject of the biography. Riley, scenting a big profit for his researches, cloaks blackmail within respectability and demands half a million dollars for his cooperation. Glass, insecure within the heights of, appropriately enough, the glass building housing his office, considers the demands of his ìresearcherî, but is at once relieved and alarmed when police Captain Ambrose summons him to thepolice station to be interviewed about the sudden demise of Riley, who has been shot through the eye.

Ambrose, he of the face of an El Greco martyr, wishes to interview Glass because he was the last person-- or the penultimate, if one takes into account the murderer-- to speak to the reseaarcher.

I doubt there is a single character in this book (unless one takes into account Ambrose) with any unselfish aspect. Each one seems to have an eye only for his own advancement. The stepson is , perhaps, the most overtly unpleasant of the cast but none of them could afford to throw stones at the othersí glass (so to speak) houses.

And the mystery? I would go so far as to say the resolution is unsatisfactory.

One can only trust that the book is an inaccurate mirror of the lives of the superwealthy and those of their families. Heaven help the human race if people like these are meant to represent the best of us.