Lowly’s Book Blog

You need to be in the right mood to read a Billingham crime novel. It will challenge you and force you to think. His books are far more than the simple who-dun-it. Bloodline is no different.

At first the reader thinks that this is just another serial killer on the loose. And this one’s signature is a piece of X-ray film in the victim’s hand. Strange, but then authors must be getting desperate for new twists. There is apparently no connection between the victims, male and female, brother and sister, old and young. DI Thorne eventually discovers the link, each of the victims had a mother murdered by the same serial killer 15 years before. The man convicted is long dead, but the X-ray turns out to be his. How and why would anyone start murdering the children of murder victims? How much tragedy can a family stand?

This book will be an idea holiday read, because you won’t want to put it down. As always with Billingham there is a clear picture of the criminal’s mind and what he is doing makes absolute sense. But as Thorne tries to find and protect the other likely victims, the tension builds. The story is told from both sides, and the reader knows that the killer needs help to find all the victims. Unwittingly Thorne assists, but is his protection enough? Sorry, I’m not spoiling here.

This book also offers some ideas for reflection. What does happen to the family when one member is a victim of crime? In this case all the mothers were murdered. How would that change the lives and personalities of the children? Billingham offers several different suggestions, all of them plausible.

And I liked the start. It is very unusual for a crime novel to present the final scene in chapter 1, but this works. All in all, this is one of the better murder mysteries around

It is sad, very sad when only a few pages into a murder mystery you discover that you have not only read it before, but even remember who-dun-it, well, kind of. What is even sadder is that I kept reading regardless. My excuse? I remembered a few of the highlights then how much I enjoyed it the first time.

A famous heart surgeon is found shot in the alley behind an expensive restaurant. Who on earth would want him dead? This man was a humanitatian in every sense of the word, active in his church, on the verge of announcing the successful development of a drug that would save the lives of vast numbers of transplant patients and so forth and so on. But instead he is dead, the drug development will die with him and his family is literally torn apart by the disaster. All anyone can ask is ‘Why?’

Decker is on the case. However, Rina knows the victim and his family. Can he remain objective? Or is jealousy going to get in the way?

OK, so a murder mystery isn’t nearly as good the second time around. But sometimes it is nice to be just ahead of the resolution.

Thank goodness for my ebook reader. This book has been out for nearly a year now and so far it has lived with the Scarpetta fans instead  of the library. The queue is still horrible, so this was one of the first books I downloaded. And then it didn’t wait very long.

There is no need for a plot summary. This series has long since exhausted any originality. There are just so many serial killer – stalker stories that can be told, and this is another one. But what is wrong with a a comfortable pair of slippers? Nowadays I read this series for the recurrent characters. How are Kaye and Marino going to resolve their differences after the violence? And what is Lucy up to now? This book provides this news and even gives an engaging plot as bonus.

By now you must have realised that I am a crime fiction tragic. All my life I have loved getting involved in a long series of books and once there, it is really hard to say ‘No More!’  So here is one more person who will spend the money on the latest Patricia Cornwell, just now I will save some money by ordering it in electronic form.

Before I start the review, I have to admit that this is the first book that was read on my new toy. A few weeks ago I purchased an ebook reader, very uncommon in Australia, and I have been using it almost constantly since then. Years ago I was reading my way through the Faye Kellerman -Peter Decker series, and honestly I forgot where I was up to. So while downloading books for the reader, I picked one that had an unfamiliar plot.

And what a story. The opening pages hint that Decker is off to New York to find a serial killer frightening college students. But no, murders closer to home distract him and keep him thinking. Besides, he is a new lieutenant and has to learn to delegate and trust. And then there is this strange romance between two young musicians. What does that have to do with anything?

This book has more red herrings than most Kellerman novels. But strangely I worked out who-dun-it long before the end. I never work this stuff out. Hmm…

As soon as I opened the next book in the series, it was obvious. I had read it before. That makes it very unfair for me to offer a review. Murder mysteries do not stand rereading, at least not judgement on the second time around

One book, two authors. Yeah right, tell me that works. It can be done if the plot involves telling a story from two different points of view, but a murder mystery? Not likely.

When a New York Times reporter is brutally murdered in his apartment, NYPD is under pressure to solve the crime. Vincent D’Agosta thinks that he has everything under control, when FBI Special Agent Pendergast shows up to ‘help’. But is his help only a distraction into voodoo and black magic? Quickly the investigation leads to a hidden cult deep in the heart of Manhattan.

This book is an interesting mix of crime thriller and horror. There are zombies mixed right in with the forensic police work. Most surprising, it works. The plot is convincing and the characters ring true. The two authors successfully blend their writing style to tell one story. OK so it isn’t totally realistic. That is very obvious from the entrance of the first zombie. But the story is engaging and generally an entertaining read, just switch off the logic functions and go along for the ride.

Welcome to Inspector Singh, a new detective in the ever-expanding world of crime fiction.

Singh is in trouble. He has been sent from home to KL in order to investigate the murder of a wealthy Malaysian businessman. The accused is the famous Singaporean model Chelsea Liew. Singh’s assignment is to ensure that she is really guilty before she is executed. It appears an open and shut case. She had motive and opportunity. Unfortunately she claims that she didn’t do it, and Singh believes her. Therein lies the problem. The Malaysian police think the crime is solved, so they aren’t very helpful. Every clue that Singh turns up, seems to point to Liew’s guilt. What is really the truth?

Crime novels rise and fall on two things – the appeal of the investigating officer and the credibility of the solution. Agatha Christie had that right when she created such memorable personalities as Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot. Flint’s Singh has a wonderfully human desire for comfort and familiarity, grumpy nature when sleep deprived or hungry, but also a true determination to discover the truth. And the solution is very neat. It fits within the culture and personality of the victim and real plausibility.

The next volume of this three part series is due out in November. Watch for it.

This month has held some real variety in my reading choices. But a good old-fashioned crime novel is always a refreshing change. And ‘The Neighbour’ was exactly what was needed.

A young couple are devoted to raising their young daughter. The mother is a teacher and the father a journalist who works evenings so that one or the other can be home with the girl at all times. But one night mother disappears, leaving the little girl alone in the house. Hours later the father rings the police and reports his wife missing.

So why the delay? There were signs of violence, so why did it take nearly 8 hours to report the disappearance? Almost always the husband is the first suspect, but then there is the registered sex offender who lives on the next street. It seems the police have a variety of suspects and no clues.

Once again Gardner has put together a wonderful crime novel, not too heavy on the police procedurals, but still giving the reader an unusual snapshot of the life of an ex-con trying to make a new life after prison. There are so many possible suspects, the reader is just as confused as the police as they try to find a motive for the kidnapping and murder. In spite of all this confusion, the resolution is simply right.

This was a most entertaining read. Perfect for the holidays.

I have read and greatly enjoyed the previous two books in this remarkable series, and was therefore very happy to place book three right at the top of the reading mountain. And it did not disappoint.

The form of this book is radically different from the previous ones. There is a very distinct prologue and epilogue with the real mystery taking place nearly 10 years earlier in Paris. Of course his friend and assistant Robert is there to act as Watson to Wilde’s Holmes.

While in Paris Wilde works with the famous actor Edmond La Grange to produce the definitive version of Hamlet. This gives him the opportunity to observe the various members of the company. But then one by one several of those associated with La Grange meet with accidents or even appear to commit suicide. First a dog, then a servant and eventually even La Grange’s son. But are the murders connected? Only Wilde can explain.

This is truly an engaging read. The story is related simply, but the characters are truly complex. And the liberal sprinkling of historical figures only adds to the colour. The mystery doesn’t seem to be the core of the tale, but somehow the suspense builds and the reader is inevitably caught trying to work out who-dun-it. 

Is anybody noticing a theme? For the last two months I have been reading a lot of crime fiction. It is certainly making it very interesting to compare writers styles and themes. The Dexter series of books is promoted as a very different crime novel, one in which the leading character is a serial killer. Certainly this series is different, but I am not sure that I am going to join the ‘critical acclaim.’

Dexter is a blood spatter specialist for the Miami police. He arrives on a crime scene long after the rest of the forensic team and draws his own conclusions about what happened. But this part of his life only plays a very minor part of this novel. This book is far more about the ‘dark side’ that Dexter successfully hides from the world, the side of him that thoroughly enjoys his self-appointed role of vigilante executioner. You see Dexter takes it upon himself to rid the world of the scum that the courts put back on the streets.

But in this novel, he makes a mistake. He witnesses a crime, discovers that the police have found no evidence, and then carries out the execution in a very bloody manner. Later he discovers that he did not see what he though he saw. Another person was in the house at the time the crime was committed, and this second person was the guilty party. What is worse, a film exists of Dexter’s activities. As you can imagine this fact motivates Dexter to ensure that he solves the problem completely next time.

I do have a few problems with the underlying themes of this book. Dexter’s public persona is just too slick and too practiced to be believable. His job as a blood splatter specialist who can’t stand the sight of blood seems too illogical for words. And the fact that he is getting married simply to add credibility to this false persona bothers me. He isn’t honest with anyone, especially himself.

The other problem that I had with the book involves his two step-children. They are recruited and trained in Dexter’s unique vigilante style. Why, if he can’t trust anyone else, does he take these two kids into his confidence? Sorry, but this just seems wrong.

Don’t get me wrong. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It got me involved quickly and I hardly put it down for about 48 hours. The misgivings arrived later as I was thinking about this review. 

Someday it would be a good thing if the publicist and the publisher actually met and discussed the book they were promoting. All the publicity said this was a new Alex Delaware novel thanks to the publicist, but Kellerman’s webpage and the publisher’s webpage and the also by… list all tell the truth that it isn’t. But, hey, it was a very good read anyway.

It was actually refreshing to read about a new ‘team’ of detectives. In this case two brothers, Aaron and Moe. Aaron is a flash private investigator, used to bending the rules and pushing boundaries. Moe, short for Moses, is a young detective working in the same precinct as Milo Sturgis. The brothers each have different fathers and it appears their resentment of each other can be traced back to their father’s partnership. The fathers were both policemen and one man died through his partner’s inaction. This kind of resentment can build in a family and at the opening of this book Moses and Aaron are barely civil to each other.

But then a missing persons case arrives on Moe’s desk. His brother is hired to investigate the disappearance because the family are quite convinced that the police are doing nothing. Not really the best basis for reconciliation. However, each man brings his own insights and talents to the search and they uncover a murder and much much more.

I quite enjoyed this book. Yes the core Kellerman plot was there, but changed enough to suit the two new leading detectives. And the LA that these men inhabit is a very different city from the one where Alex and Milo live. 

I hope there is more to come from the adventures of Moses and Aaron, but please inform the publicist that these books are not Alex Delaware novels.