October Reviews

This month's reviews:  Quiver (Peter Leonard), Keeping The Dead (Tess Gerritsen), A Darker Domain (Val McDermid), No-One You Know (Michelle Richmond), Play Dead (Richard Montanari), A Prisoner of Birth (Jeffrey Archer), Without Warning (John Birmingham), Deadly Intent (Lynda La Plante), Nation (Terry Pratchett)
QUIVER
by Peter Leonard
ISBN  9780571243891
276 pages
faber and faber
October 1 2008
$32.95
reviewed by Denise Pickles
August 18 2008

Iím very glad I was not aware of the fact that Peter Leonard is the son of Elmore Leonard, prior to finishing QUIVER. I make a determined effort, whenever I write a review, not to permit anything, other than the text I am reviewing, to influence me, but heck, how could anyone overlook such a relationship? As I said, Iím glad I didnít know about it or I might have begun to compare and contrast the fictional work of both and found the one not as accomplished as the other.

The book opens just after the wake of Owen McCall. Kate, his widow, is suffering on two fronts. She has lost not only her husband, but also some portion of her young son. Luke, by accident, killed his father at the same time as he shot a deer, while on a hunting expedition. Luke is, naturally enough, horrified at what he has done, and has withdrawn into himself.

There is a bright side, however, as Kate is Owenís beneficiary and becomes extremely wealthy since Owen was well insured.

Kate is an interesting woman. She had been a member of the Peace Corps and had volunteered to go to Guatemala. She fell foul of the male culture there and killed two policemen. Her then boyfriend, Jack, got her out of Guatemala ,unharmed.

Jack is not a nice man. He has been in gaol, unbeknownst to Kate, but has been released on early parole, having found the Lord. (Halleluia?)

Jackís redemption doesnít take long to fall through. He becomes caught up with some people-- including a truly nasty woman named Celeste-- who think it is about time Jack turns his talents to separating Kate from her millions.

There are certainly some nasty characters in this opus. Thereís the odd assassin who is willing to knock off a wife or a husband-- whoever bids the least.  Celeste, as previously mentioned, is quite a strong character. Luke comes across quite realistically. If I had accidentally killed my dad, I think I would very definitely consider suicide and would, quite likely, turn up at school, drunk.

It must be borne in mind that this is a debut novel from the child of a tremendously well known and well regarded author. Would any of us, in similar circumstances, have been brave enough to attempt to capture the same range of readers in oneís fatherís genre? Or could one  perhaps, fear that one might be attempting to ride to success on dadís coat tails? To my mind, Peter Leonard has made a brave attempt and his should not be compared with that of  his father, overwhelming though the temptation might be.

I tried to view the book as though it is the debut of an author about whom I know nothing and I hope I was successful. Anyway, on that basis, I found the plot not sufficiently tight enough but think he has made a good start.
KEEPING THE DEAD
by  Tess Gerritsen
ISBN 9780593057803
349 pages
BANTAM PRESS
October 1 2008
$32.95
reviewed by Denise Pickles
September 8 2008

Tess Gerritsen always strikes me as a ìOne, two CHOMPî sort of author. In this novel, the reader doesnít even have the benefit of the lead in since the opening words grab you: ìHe is coming for me.î The tension escalates from there. Chapter One is narrated in the first person by a woman who went to Cairo as a happy college student but returned as a victim, albeit one who is simply awaiting the jaws of destiny to snap around her. What is even worse, she is attempting to prevent her daughter falling victim to the nameless something that is waiting to catch her, but children invariably discount the very real fears of their parents and therefore make it much easier for that which pursues them to effect the capture. Thus, Medea watches over Nefertari, the daughter she wishes to protect, despite that daughterís unbounded confidence and optimism, but knows that Tari herself contains the seeds of their joint downfall.

Dr. Maura Isles is a medical examiner and, unusually, is in the audience for the examination of a corpse which is not, for once, part of her job. A preserved body, dubbed Madam X, is to have a CT scan performed. The mummy has been unearthed in the cellar of the Crispin Museum.  The carbon dating of the wrappings indicate that the mummy was preserved in the second century BC, the Ptolemaic period. There is a problem  however, since the inhabitant of the casing of the mummy displays modern dental work, something unimaginable in Ancient Egypt. Perhaps Maura will need her modern skills to be brought to bear on behalf of a person who met her death a lot more recently than at first appeared.

As is customary with Gerritsenís novels, the suspense is sustained throughout the novel. I have never found Gerritsenís instruction of the reader to be boringly didactic and this book certainly doesnít prove to be an exception to the rule. Thus, the reader is able to increase his knowledge of the Egyptian method of preserving bodies after death, with little or no ifficulty.

The characterisation is as strong as ever, with a continuation of the tale of Mauraís personal life and her illicit affair with a man who, apparently, will never be able to claim her publicly.

This story is of DrÝJosephine Pulcillo and Gerritsen manages to build an enthralling tale from the embalmed body of Madam X and its ties to Josephine--- and the dark secrets of her past and that of her mother. As always with Gerritsen, there is a good, strong mystery as well as the promise of a continuation of Mauraís story in future books.
A DARKER DOMAIN
by Val McDermid
ISBN 9780007243303
371 pages
HarperCollinsPublishers
October 1 2008
$32.99
reviewed by Denise Pickles
September 12 2008

I always feel that a novel has much more power when the times, places and circumstances have been lived through by the author, rather than simply researched. Somehow, there seems to be an extra depth to the work, an extra resonance. Val McDermid certainly lived through the awful time of the Minersí Strike. Not only that, she lived in places that were hit by it and suffered along with the families of the miners, the people to whom ìscabî was about the worst description in their lexicon and the people to whom it applied worse than traitors to their country.

The modern action begins in a Fife police station. Misha Prentice Gibson wants to report a missing person. There is, however, a catch. The person she is reporting is her father and he has been missing for twenty-two years. Detective Inspector Karen Pirie, who is in charge of cold cases, is given the case and her doughty Sergeant Phil Parhatka as back-up.

Under ordinary circumstances, Misha would not waste her time looking for her father but these are not ordinary times. Her small son is suffering a rare disease that requires a bone marrow transplant and the preferable donor is from the family. Apparently the only eligible donor is the childís grandfather, the man who has been missing for twenty-two years. Sasha would do anything for her child even to the extent of tracking down her strike breaking father---than which, at the time, there was no greater sin for a true blue miner to strike break, even though it was to keep food  on the table for his children.

Mishaís search has some far reaching side effects. The true story of the killing of Catriona is likely to come out and perhaps there was one fewer scabs than thought that went to Nottingham. Of course, there is also the minor mystery of money that has arrived irregularly from Nottingham for Prenticeís family, over the years.

McDermidís mysteries are always well plotted and this is no exception. There are twists and turns sufficient to keep any puzzle addict enthralled. I do occasionally have a few problems with some of the characterisation but any debit is overwhelmed by the  credit established by the superb atmosphere established in this work.

To her credit, McDermid doesnít attempt to build up a romance. One minute itís not there and the next it is, with only an odd hint here and there to say anything is happening. This treatment works, too, which is just as well, since I have the impression that McDermid doesnít feel capable of writing titillating romance. So letís hope that this author continues writing mystifying puzzles unleavened by romance.
NO-ONE YOU KNOW
by Michelle Richmond
ISBN 9780091930103
321 pages
EBURY PRESS
October 1 2008
$32.95
reviewed by Denise Pickles
September 10 2008

The narrative begins in Diriomo, Nicaragua, in the present day. Ellie there encounters a man from her past, a man who shared her past with her dead sister. Ellie has been searching for him for the better part of two decades and, at last, she is able to recognise the truth, that this man had nothing to do with the killing of Lila, her sister.

Ellie ës mind returns in time to when her sister was alive. Ellie was always the sister determined to have a good time. Lila was the studious one who didnít have much time for boys-- not until shortly before her death, and then she never told Ellie the identity of her boyfriend.

After Lilaís death, an academic from the university where the sisters were studying wrote a book, in which he publishes the name of the man he claims was guilty of Lilaís killing. It doesnít matter to the populace at large that the police never charge the man. His academic career is over, to all intents and purposes, and he disappears.

Both Ellie and Lila are betrayed by the author, Andrew Thorpe. Ellie had thought she was pouring out her heart to a friend, never realising the ìfriendî would use all the confidences told to him in constructing a best seller. Lilaís memory is betrayed in that it is her story that Thorpe uses in order to promote himself to the status of best selling author.

This is a very convincing book. The characters are wonderfully credible, from the ruthless writer who takes advantage of the naive girl, bereft of her sister, through both girls themselves, the ruined academic and, eventually, the killer himself.

The divergence of the lives of the family of the sisters from what would have been had Lila not been killed to what eventuated, even to the extent of the career selected by Ellie, is interesting, to say the least. There is even an implication as to what might have happened to the history of mathematics had Lila not died.

The characters in the book are very strong, very convincing, from the false friend who writes the book and condemns an innocent man to exile through to the sisters themselves. At one stage I found my subconscious wondering what impact the dead girl would have had on the world of mathematics had she lived.

A friend of mine, who read the blurb for the book, voiced a fear that I suppose some readers might have--- does the inclusion of the math slow the development of the plot at all. My answer to that is ìDefinitely not.î The author manages to incorporate every aspect of the book seamlessly and still manage to keep hold of the reader to the very end.
PLAY DEAD
by Richard Montanari
ISBN  9780434016013
381 pages
WILLIAM HEINEMANN : LONDON
October 1 2008
$32.95
reviewed by Denise Pickles
September 15 2008

Richard Montanari once more successfully populates centre stage with one of his villains. This time it is a literal interpretation of ìcentre stageî as the murderer is a magician who is not satisfied with confining his displays to illusions. His murders are of young girls coopted into being his reluctant assistant, ìthe lovely Odetteî.

The prologue is told from the villainís point of view as he remembers past murders and stalks his current victim. It is chilling stuff and I found myself shouting,mentally, at the girl not to go as she walked, willingly, into the murder trap that was being set for her.

Detectives Jessica Balzano and Kevin Byrne are on the trail, but accidentally so, since they are, officially, only following cold cases and while the oldest mystery they are following at present is that of Caitlin OíRiordan, almost inevitably it links up with warmer, more current cases. When Caitlin died, she was only seventeen. The villainous Mr Ludo, the magician, prefers girls of around that age. It goes almost without saying that the girls are, for the most part, runaways.

Byrne and Balzano are told by their boss, Sgt. Buchanan that he has had a confession telephoned in to their Tip Line. The caller has identified himself by the name of Jeremiah Crosley and produced proof positive of his knowledge of the corpse. Also, he has given a location where he may be picked up. Unfortunately, the caller (undoubtedly the murderer) is laying a false trail, playing games with the investigators, and leaving the first clues to a puzzle.

Montanari always pens excellent novels. He never stints on his research and his prose flows effortlessly as his puzzles are formulated. PLAY DEAD is no exception to the rule.

The characterisation is, as ever for Montanari, quite strong, once the reader suppresses the gag reflex at the notion of the magician who takes his acts just that bit beyond the acceptable. The author even provides a kind of reason for Mr Ludo, or The Collector, as he is also known, to behave as he does.

There is one poignant figure who represents, no doubt, the grieving parents of the runaways killed so creatively by the murderer and that is Robert OíRiordan, Caitlinís father. He does not play a large part in the novel, but his appearances do makesa big impact.

I wonder if Montanari has more Byrne and Balzano (either with or without the slight supernatural element of which there is only a faint hint in this novel) in store for his readership or if heíll venture away from his series in the future. Somehow, I doubt it, given that most authors seem inclined to stick with a winning formula.
A PRISONER OF BIRTH
by Jeffrey Archer
ISBN 9780230707009
531 pages
MACMILLAN
October 1 2008
$34.99
reviewed by Denise Pickles
September 22 2008

Hereís a nice, feel good tale in which everyone good comes out on top whilst everyone evil receives his comeuppance. If you, Dear Reader, have read THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO,  you might find the text resonating and, indeed, Archer pays tribute to Alexandre Dumas pere, within his prose.

Danny Cartwright proposes to his girlfriend Beth Wilson and he, his future brother-in-law and his fiancée go to a wine bar to celebrate. Unfortunately, they get into a tussle with a drug addict, a barrister, an only so so actor and an estate agent, who have known each other from university days and have sworn allegiance to each other, come what may. The ìmayî is that the barrister stabs the brother-in-law to death. Alas, the fiancée is away, attempting to hail a cab so doesnít witness the murder of her brother, who is Dannyís best friend.

When the police arrive, they take notice only of the upper crust quartet, rather than the best friend and the sister of the deceased. The killer, of course, has managed to escape to his conveniently close domicile, shower and dress in clothes free from bloodstains.  Thus, Danny is chucked in the slammer, Belmarsh, (where Archer himself was incarcerated for a while) for twenty-two years, after his trial, wherein his defence is conducted by an inexperienced counsel.

Once imprisoned,  Danny is placed in the same cell as Sir Nicholas Moncrieff and Big Al Crann, men who were together in the army, Moncrieff being an officer (and, needless to say, a gentleman.)

Somehow, Danny has reached his advanced age without learning to read and write. Nick takes it upon himself to school the oik in all the ways necessary to a gentleman. Danny is a very intelligent man and shows an aptitude for business studies, as well as English and English Literature.

Tragedy makes itself felt when villainy strikes down Nick, in the belief he is Danny. A superficial likeness between Danny and Nick permits the former to be released when it is time for the latter to go free, and Danny reenters civilian life as Sir Nicholas Moncrieff, with Big Al as his driver, once Al, too, is released.

Nickís uncle Hugo is Nickís sworn enemy and is determined to do anything he can to discredit Danny/Nick. Danny, meanwhile, sets about attempting to wreak vengeance on those responsible for his imprisonment.

As previously mentioned, the whole is truly a feel good, unsophisticated tale.  The blurb warns readers that they must ìprepare for an ending that will shock even the most ardent of Archerís fansî, but Iím afraid that is something of an overstatement.

To my mind, at least, the characterisation is on the frail side. Perhaps, in Dumasí time, it would be acceptable but in the modern age, something deeper might be expected.

Where Archer shines is, naturally enough, in his depiction of prison conditions. One wonders how his books might have been improved had he been guilty of murder. Regardless, his inside knowledge and the way he paints his word pictures of what an inmate might find (although letís hope that murder wouldnít be one of them) are well depicted.

There are a few loose ends. For example, surely there must have been, in real life, a thorough investigation into the circumstances of Dannyís ìdeathî. Not only that, on his release, would Danny have been content not to try to follow up on Bethís whereabouts and well being immediately?

Perhaps the tale does lack punch but for those in the market for a happily ever after story, it is satisfying.
WITHOUT WARNING
by John Birmingham
ISBN 9781405038126
580 pages
Macmillan
October 1 2008
$32.99
reviewed by Denise Pickles
October 1 2008

The action begins on the 14th of March 2003, in a hospital in Paris. A woman, being addressed as ìCathyî feels extremely disoriented and notices she is on an IV drip. It is no wonder that she feels as though ìCathyî is not her name. Itís not. Her real name is Caitlin and, looking at things from one direction, she is a wicked woman. From another viewpoint, she is actually a patriot, going about her business in the most efficient way possible. This business includes killing and her nom de guerre is Cathy. She is with a group of women but is interested only in the welfare of one named Monique. This girl is the lover of a man known as  Al Banna, and Caitlin must remain close to her in order to murder the boyfriend. Monique would not be very happy if she knew.

While Caitlin is lying in hospital, she learns from her TV that, suddenly, communications have been broken off with areas of North America, specifically, most of the UnitedÝStates.

From this point, the narrative follows several different people in different parts of the world. The people I liked the most were the two girls who had been crewing a boat for someone, but happened to find Greg Normanís wonderful super-yacht, The Aussie Rules. What a floating palace that is! (I looked it up on the Net, to see if it really exists, and it does.) I guess that if Mr. Birmingham canít afford  a yacht equivalent to the Aussie Rules, the next best thing is to write about it and manipulate his invention.

Down in the notorious  Guantanimo detention centre, things do not go the way the remaining Americans would like.It is reported to Brigadier General Tusk Musso (and what sort of a given name is ìTuskî?) that people going into what appears to be a veil of air, never come out. Returning to the Australian golfer and his fate, apparently those who venture into the area melt and their clothes catch fire. The two female seafarers discovered a blob of something unidentifiable and some smoking rags.

This is a jolly science fictional romp, with some of the events similar to others found in different authorsí ìend of the worldî stories. Still, I think the mystical ìkilling veilî is a new notion.

Needless to say, the events cause what could be seen as a war, with unexpected protagonists.

The characterisation isnít bad. I like the way the author has created the different classes of people, from the frightened but capable poor Hispanics through to the fairly useless but rich Americans seeking to leave what remains of their country in order to reach our Antipodean shores.

Altogether, the book is quite entertaining although, perhaps, a bit over-long.
DEADLY INTENT
by Lynda La Plante
ISBN 9780743295758
641 pages
SIMON & SCHUSTER
October 1 2008
$29.95
reviewed by Denise Pickles
October 14 2008

I like Lynda La Planteís attention to detail. At the beginning of DEADLY INTENT, she provides a detailed back story for the plastic surgeon who operates on a ìMr Smithî, a citizen of England. That worthy trusts to human nature to rid himself of uncomfortable witnesses who could attest to his new appearance, when he returns to England.

DI Anna Travis is no longer romantically involved with  Chief Superintendent James Langton. In order to make a complete break and get Langton out of her system, she even  sells her flat, the home where he had spent so much time with her. As Anna returns to work, after having moved (although not having unpacked completely. by any means) she is sent to a murder scene, a place that has obviously been used as a site for drug deals. The corpse provides a nasty shock for the investigators: he is a former Detective Inspector, Frank Brandon.

At the crime scene, Travis meets DCI Carol Cunningham (on whom she makes a bad impression) as well as forensics officer, Pete Jenkins (on whom she makes a far better impression.)

Brandon has been working as a chauffeur. He also has a new wife, one who quickly proves to be  of interest to Travis. Julia Brandon used to be the partner of  Alexander Fitzpatrick, aka Anthony Collingwood, a big-time drug trafficker, supposedly exiled from England but actually the man for whom Brandon was working as driver.

Soon, bodies are dropping in rapid succession and a drug called Fentanyl is implicated .

Lynda La Plante has the talent to create good, strong characters. All of those featuring in this novel are credible although I felt Langton could have made more of an impression on Annaís emotions.

Cunningham surprised me by, eventually, dropping her tough guy attitude and becoming almost human.

I like the realisation given Travis of her own failings in not being  a team player. Still, that does disguise the fact that therein lies a lot of her success.

As always with this author, the mystery is well plotted.  She has deftly tied together both the official and the personal lives of the players and manufactured a wholly believable composite.

I look forward to the next time Travis and Langton jointly tackle another slew of baddies.
NATION
by Terry Pratchett
ISBN 9780385613705
410 pages
DOUBLEDAY
October 1 2008
$49.95
reviewed by Denise Pickles
November 11 2008

Whenever September comes around, I find my soul is stirring with eager anticipation, because that means October, with the latest Terry Pratchett novel, is just around the corner. These days, the excitement is tempered somewhat, since that fabulous author has admitted to the world that he is suffering from early onset Alzheimerís. Perhaps he has made an admission equivalent to saying he is sitting in the path of DEATH of Intellect. Or something. Perhaps we, the long time (or short term) admirers of his work would really like to squeeze as much as possible out of the poor man, or perhaps we could just relax and thank him for what he has done for all of us. Regardless, let us read and appreciate this yearís Pratchett and  hope the wonderful author has some unpublished scraps still in store for us.

NATION is, first of all, not a Discworld novel. Instead, it is set on what appears to be a Victorian alternate Earth.  A plague has struck the royal house of Great Britain and the Heir and his daughter are at sea somewhere, on separate vessels. The SWEET JUDY contains the daughter of the Heir as well as a foul mouthed parrot. That is when something akin to a tsunami strikes, de-souling all but the parrot and the girl, Ermintrude (a name she hates, so when able, exchanges for ìDaphne.î)

Mau is a young boy indigenous to some South Sea Islands. He is undergoing the ritual to make him a man and is between souls (having outgrown his boy soul but not yet having had his man soul bestowed) when the tsunami hits, destroying his old life forever. He and Daphne, whom he thinks of as a ìghost girlî find themselves washed up together on an unlikely island and try to make themselves a home safe from gods who canít be bothered to protect their worshippers, but protective of all comers who try to help the entire population.

Mau is, at first, unaware of Daphne, as he brokenheartedly  disposes of the bodies of all his friends and family. She, on the other hand, is very aware of ÝMau and, in fact, tries to shoot him, but the powder in her gun in damp and only sparks without producing fire. Mau is very excited at the spark because he knows how to make fire, so he gently takes the fire from Daphne.

Ermintrude is as anxious as Mau for a return to the world she knows,  even though it is very different from the one in which she now finds herself, but between them, she and Mau make a world in which they and other survivors manage to found a civilisation of sorts. Daphne is even tested to lengths which she could not formerly have contemplated.

This is a splendid book. Pratchett has taken on an entire civilisation and turned it upside down, shaken its gods and produced a nation able to reason for itself and formulate an embryonic ethical creation well able to take care of itself. Mau and Daphne are gorgeous characters and while I doubt weíll see them again, it would be great to speculate on their future.

Letís hope a worthy successor to Aricept is discovered very rapidly, in time to preserve the intellect of that wonderful author Terry Pratchett.