Dancing on Knives
By Kate Forsyth Publisher: Random House Australia This is the first of Kate Forsyth’s books that I have read, and I was hooked from the first page. Dancing on Knives is an extremely well written, and crafted story of a family haunted by their own personal demons, as well as those carried by the family. The story is revealed over the Easter long weekend, with the disappearance of Augusto, a passionate father, artist, and womaniser. Sara, is tormented by a terror, which has left her homebound for five years, and the story unfolds, with her facing her fears and unravelling the secrets of the family. Filling in the characters are Sara’s brothers and half-sister, each with their own fears and secrets. While all is revealed through the story, the magic of the book, is the character development and the craft in which the story is told. The passion of Sara and Augusto are particularly vivid throughout the novel.
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You Know Who I Am
Diane Patterson Publisher: All Night Reads A wonderful murder, mystery thriller that has twists and turns everywhere. The story was written well, that I didn’t guess the killer, until it was revealed in the end. I enjoyed the character development, particularly the strong and engaging female protagonists. Even with her faults and past issues Drusilla appears as a tough, multi-layer character, that Patterson will reveal more of in later books. Just as damaged is Drusilla’s sister Stevie, who has her own issues and problems. The story is set in Los Angeles, where Drusilla finds her husband’s dead body, and is the prime suspect. She needs to discover who the real murder is, and as she digs, she discovers a long list of suspects. An enjoyable mystery, that starts a new series off. I will be interested to read the next of Patterson mysteries. A Morbid Habit By Annie Hauxwell This is the third novel in Annie Hauxwell’s Catherine Berlin Series. A series of dark crime fiction. Berlin is a financial investigator with a drug habit, and more issues that you can throw a stick at. The story opens with Berlin in London, however the scene quickly switches to Moscow, a few days before Christmas, as she accepts an assignment to investigate some Russian partners of a UK firm. The story was slow to start, and introduced many characters early. The characters developed depth and colour as the story unfolds. I can’t say there was any character that I liked, and there are not really any good guys in the story, although one could suggest that Berlin is the heroine of the story. There are a lot of loose ends that are not satisfactory tied up by the end, however this seems Hauxwell’s style, and they may be picked up in the next book. While I appreciate the time and effort the author took to develop both the characters and the plot, the book moved too slow for me, and jumped between scenes too much too early. |
AuthorHeath writes reviews regularly for newspapers and magazines. Archives
January 2020
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