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Good Reading : December 2012 - January 2013
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crime / thriller woM word of mouth Watching the Dark Peter Robinson Peter Robinson never fails to deliver a satisfying read, and it was with great anticipation that I opened Watching the Dark, his new ‘Inspector Banks’ novel. In Watching the Dark, Inspector Banks is brought in to investigate the bizarre death of Detective Inspector Reid, killed by a crossbow while recuperating in a police rehabilitation centre. A search of Reid’s room uncovers revealing photographs of him with a young woman, and this leads to questions about blackmail and possible police corruption. For this reason, Joanna Passero from the Professional Standards Division is assigned to work with Banks, who initially has a very uneasy relationship with her; the tension between them adds another subplot to the novel. Banks’s subsequent investigation into Reid’s death leads him and Passero to Estonia and the disappearance of a young English woman. Estonia is far from the Yorkshire Dales that fans have come to know so well, but Robinson evokes such a sense of place in his writing that I felt as though I would recognise parts of Tallinn were I ever to visit. While Banks investigates in Estonia, Annie Cabbot parallels his investigation in Eastvale and reveals an underbelly of corruption and exploitation in the employment of migrant workers. A wonderful read from an author who never disappoints. Hodder $39.99 Reviewed by Linda George Standing in Another Man’s Grave Ian Rankin Five years ago, Ian Rankin rocked the crime fiction world by retiring, to howls of protest, one of the most popular characters in the history of crime writing: curmudgeonly, anarchic yet noble Detective Inspector John Rebus of the Lothian and Borders Police. But now Rebus is back, as part of a team of retired detectives who sift through cold cases, hoping to find something long overlooked. He’s tempted by a potential return to CID duties, thanks to a rise in the official retirement age. But does the police force, especially DI Malcolm Fox of internal affairs, want the maverick copper back? While delving into a series of seemingly unrelated disappearances dating back more than a decade, Rebus stubbornly continues to put himself, and those around him, in jeopardy. Sparks certainly fly in Standing in Another Man’s Grave – not just between Rankin’s two series heroes, Rebus and Fox, but also Rebus and plenty of other people. Series favourites like Siobhan Clarke and Ger Cafferty feature strongly in this page-turning story that also muses on the passing of time and an ever-changing world. A cracking crime novel that demonstrates that Rankin is still very much at the top of his game. Orion $32.99 Reviewed by Craig Sisterson The Wrath of Angels John Connolly The ‘Charlie Parker’ franchise rolls on. This time Parker becomes embroiled in a search for a missing plane, long lost in the depths of the Maine woodlands. Officially, no-one knows this plane and its passengers are missing; unofficially, there is a grimly intense search going on with Parker and his long-time associates, Angel and Louis, racing to beat the evil, mysterious Darina Flores and her young companion to the plane to recover a list of names. In parallel with these efforts, Parker’s old nemesis, the serial killer known as the Collector, becomes aware of a subset of names from this list, and as he slowly slaughters the owners of those names, he also joins in the search. And if he must kill Parker and Flores to obtain the full list, then so be it. The plot is tensely threaded with the gnawing sense of evil that typifies the ‘Charlie Parker’ tales; Angel and Louis add their usual touch of raucous bonhomie, and while we learn a little more about the Collector’s background, there is not much additional insight into his underlying persona. Given how little new information is revealed, this tale almost seems to be marking time in the advancement of the Parker storyline. It is, nevertheless, the usual addictive and engrossing read from Connolly. Hodder $29.99 Reviewed by Leslie Lightfoot December 2012 / January 2013 main Share the gift of good reading Why not give a gift subscription to Good reading to your book-loving friends and family this Christmas? It’s the gift that keeps on giving. SPeciAl SiX iSSUe SUBScriPtiONS AVAilABle FOr ONlY $54. To subscribe call 02 9810 2477 or email subscriptions@ goodreadingmagazine.com.au or go to goodreadingmagazine.com.au ta l ksabouthermemo i r When We Remember They Call Us Liars june2012 goo dreadi ngm agaz ine .c om PP255003/05581 9 771445 283013 25 ISSN 1445-2839 Literary pubs of the worLd Sicilian adven tureS CreATivewAyS w i ThpAper suzanne covich DaviD Gly n n ’ s fasc i nat i nGlook atthel i vesof theworlD ’ s bestsell i nG authors O ver 70bOOk s feat u re d may 2012 goodr eadin gmag az ine. co m PP255003/05581 five billion sold 9 771445 283013 24 ISSN1445-2839 talksaboutfarm litandherlatest novelWattleCreek HOWTOMAKEASA I NT What’s on Jessica Watson’s bookshelf? AuSTrAl I ANClASS I CS Revived! apRil2012 good readi ngm agaz ine. c om PP255003/05581 fiona mccallum 9 771445 283013 23 ISSN 1445-2839 $2000woRthofpRizestobewon! august2012 to hell & high water walk i ng i nthe footstepsof henrylawson special issue special issue Fathers’ Day GiFt GuiDe insiDe sulari Gentill niGel Marsh lisa noPs 977144528301327ISSN1445-2839 PP255003/05581 goodreadingmagazine.com Meet: september2012 t a r a m o s s meet bestsell i ng AustrAl i An Cr i meWr i ter L A LArkin chiLLs out in AntArcticA A Big AustrALiA Yes or no? cooking chinese with the Best goodreadingmagazine.com977144528301328ISSN1445-2839 PP255003/05581 november2012 the secret keeper auss i eauthor katemortonon hernewbook goodre adingm agaz i ne.c om PP255003/05581 9 771445 283013 30 ISSN1445-2839 Maggie alderson on living here and there ed i nburghforbooklovers Photos froM the Woolshed Chr i stmasg i ft gu i de i ns i de Maggie alderson on living here and there ed i nburghforbooklovers Photos froM the Woolshed Chr i stmasg i ft gu i de i ns i de 32_WOM_c.indd 32 12/11/12 12:17:41 PM
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