Review: EXPECTANT, Vanda Symon

• 
  This edition read as an e-book on my Kindle (Amazon) 
  
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BKPJRDV2
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Orenda Books, Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 16, 2023
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 306 pages
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1914585586
• Book 5 of 6 ‏ : ‎ Sam Shephard

Synopsis (Amazon) 

A killer targeting pregnant women.

A detective expecting her first baby…

The shocking murder of a heavily pregnant woman throws the New Zealand city of Dunedin into a tailspin, and the devastating crime feels uncomfortably close to home for Detective Sam Shephard as she counts down the days to her own maternity leave.

Confined to a desk job in the department, Sam must find the missing link between this brutal crime and a string of cases involving mothers and children in the past. As the pieces start to come together and the realisation dawns that the killer's actions are escalating, drastic measures must be taken to prevent more tragedy.

For Sam, the case becomes personal, when it becomes increasingly clear that no one is safe, and the clock is ticking…

My Take:

Highly recommended.  I love the feistiness of Sam Shephard and the intution that she brings to solving cases. 

I realised when I recently read Vanda Symon's latest,  PREY, that I had missed a story in the series. EXPECTANT feels a very personal book, and the Author's Note at the end goes a long way to explaining why that emotion comes through. I think in many ways this is a "woman's" book.

I thought too that I hadn't noticed before how "Kiwi" some of Symon's language is, particularly dialogue.

Most enjoyable. 

My rating: 4.7 

I've also read

• OVERKILL - #1
• THE RINGMASTER -#2
• CONTAINMENT - #3
• 4.8, BOUND - #4
• 4.5, PREY -#6

Review: THE LAST DEATH OF THE YEAR, Sophie Hannah

• 
  This edition read as an e-book on my Kindle (Amazon)
  
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DMYM1492
•  Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins, Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 23, 2025
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 318 pages
•  ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0008710026
•  Book 6 of 6 ‏ : ‎ New Hercule Poirot Mysteries  

 Synopsis (Amazon)

The new Hercule Poirot mystery by Sophie Hannah, follow-up to the bestselling Hercule Poirot’s Silent Night.

New Year's Eve, 1932.

Hercule Poirot and his good friend Inspector Edward Catchpool arrive on the Greek island of Lamperos for a little holiday…or is it?

Catchpool suspects Poirot has a different reason for being there — one he won't reveal. As the clock ticks towards the New Year and a festive guessing game takes a sinister turn, can Poirot stop a murderer who is determined to strike before midnight?

My Take

There were a number of times when I almost abandoned this book, and I will seriously think about reading another. I found the plot convoluted and pretentious and could not imagine Agatha Christie putting her name to it.

Poirot has not told his friend Catchpool the truth about why they are spending the New Year on the Greek island of Lamperos, at the "The House of Perpetual Welcome", that he is there to investigate an attempted murder, and to prevent a murder occurring in the future. 

My appreciation of the book was limited by the fact that I did not like any of the characters, and struggled to understand the philosophy behind "The House of Perpetual Welcome".  

My rating: 4.1

I have also read

• 4.4, THE CARRIER
• 4.3, THE MONOGRAM MURDERS - #1
• 4.2, CLOSED CASKET - #2
• 4.4, CLOSED CASKET - audio
• 4.4, THE MYSTERY OF THREE QUARTERS - audio book #3
• 4.4, THE KILLINGS AT KINGFISHER HILL - audio book #4  
• 4.4, HERCULE POIROT'S SILENT NIGHT - #5
• 4.4, THE MYSTERY OF THREE QUARTERS 

Review: THE HITWOMAN'S GUIDE TO REDUCING HOUSEHOLD DEBT, Mark Mupotsa-Russell

• 
  This edition read as an e-book on my Kindle 
  
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0D9GKWJ87
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Affirm Press, Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 27, 2024
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 313 pages
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1923046962 

Synopsis (Amazon)

"I met my husband on the same day I committed my very last murder. There's a joke in there somewhere, about ending two men's lives.'
Olivia Hodges used to do horrible things - back when she worked for a Spanish crime syndicate - but she fled that life and moved home to Australia, building a family in the hippie, hipster community of the Dandenong Ranges.

When a small-time criminal gang brings tragedy to her family, superstitious Olivia believes it's the universe demanding payment for her crimes. She wants revenge, but has to get it without adding to her karmic debt. So she creates situations where these bad men get themselves killed through their anger, ego and greed - all while trying to mislead the cops long enough to finish what she started.

My Take

Olivia Hodges is a retired assassin living a life of seeming innocence with her family in the Dandenong Ranges, when she learns what it is like to be a victim. Her elder daughter is a accidentally killed, collateral in a robbery that goes wrong. Olivia decides to take revenge, using her skills to track down the driver and passengers in the car that caused her daughter's death. The police become suspicious that she is not telling them all that she knows, and then the tables turn and she becomes the hunted. 

Hard to say that I enjoyed this book. 

My rating: 4.5

About the author

Mark Mupotsa-Russell is a writer living on Wurundjeri Country in the Yarra Ranges. His debut noir thriller, The Hitwoman's Guide to Reducing Household debt, won the 2023 Affirm Press Mentorship Award and is out now! Before writing novels, he was a screenwriter, film reviewer, cocktail columnist, PR consultant and communications adviser in the suicide prevention sector.

Mark was previously shortlisted for the Text Prize, won a screen development grant from Screen Australia and had screenplays optioned. He lives among the trees with his Therapist-superstar wife, hilarious son and a moodle majestically-named ‘Mufasa’. When not writing he obsesses about movies and martial arts.

Review: MISCHANCE CREEK, Garry Disher

• 
  This edition read as an e-book on my Kindle (Amazon)
  
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0F495RSCY
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Text Publishing, Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 30, 2025
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 372 pages
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1923059535
• Book 5 of 5: The Paul Hirsch mysteries

Synopsis  (Amazon)

Hirsch is checking firearms. The regular police audit: all weapons secured, ammo stored separately, no unauthorised person with keys to the gun safe. He’s checking people, too. The drought is hitting hard in the mid-north, and Hirsch is responsible for the welfare of his scattered flock of battlers, bluebloods, loners and miscreants.

He isn’t usually called on for emergency roadside assistance. But with all the other services fully stretched, it’s Hirsch who has to grind his way out beyond the Mischance Creek ruins to where some clueless tourist has run into a ditch.

As it turns out, though, Annika Nordrum isn’t exactly a tourist. She’s searching for the body of her mother, who went missing seven years ago. And the only sense in which she’s clueless is the lack of information unearthed by the cops who phoned in the original investigation.

Hirsch owes it to Annika to help, doesn’t he? Not to mention that tackling a cold case beats the hell out of gun audits and admin…

My Take

Another lovely treat from Garry Disher. The Hirsch series is set in South Australia just north of the Barossa Valley. Years ago Paul Hirschausen blotted his copy book, was stripped of his rank, and became a lone police constable at Tiverton. He does all the usual things a solitary cop would do but occasionally other things a bit more adventurous. 

In this series we've seen him develop in the role, and show himself not just competent  but conscientious and thoughtful, with a few detective skills thrown in. There is a strong Australian flavour not just to the characterisation but also to the settings and plot lines. Local concerns and issues are to the fore too.

My rating: 4.7

I've also read

4.7, WYATT

4.8, WHISPERING DEATH

4.7, BLOOD MOON

4.2, THE HEAT

4.5, SIGNAL LOSS

4.7, HER

4.9, UNDER THE COLD BRIGHT LIGHTS

4.7, KILL SHOT

5.0, BITTER WASH ROAD - Hirsch #1 - aka HELL TO PAY

5.0, PEACE- Hirsch #2

5.0, CONSOLATION - Hirsch #3

4.7, DAY'S END- Hirsch #4

4.8, THE WAY IT IS NOW

4.8, SANCTUARY

4.7, THE WAY IT IS NOW 

Review: LEGACY, Chris Hammer

• 
  This edition read as an e-book on Libby, provided by my local library 
  
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Allen & Unwin, Publication date ‏ : ‎ 30 September 2025
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 491 pages
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1761507359
• Book 4 of 4 ‏ : ‎ Martin Scarsden

Synopsis (Publisher) 

Martin Scarsden flees an assassination attempt but lands in even more trouble with a deadly family feud leaving him at death's door in Chris Hammer's next blockbuster crime novel.

MARTIN SCARSDEN IS ON THE RUN. WILL THE DESERT SAVE HIM – OR BURY HIM?

The blast hits them, a shock wave ... glass smashing ... Somewhere a woman screams. A second explosion, and Martin looks towards the hall, what's left of it, flames roaring and smoke pouring skywards.

Someone is targeting Martin Scarsden. They bomb his book launch and shoot up his hometown.

Fleeing for his life, he learns that nowhere is safe, not even the outback. The killers are closing in, and it's all he can do to survive.

But who wants to kill him and why? Can he discover their deadly motives and turn the tables?

In a dramatic finale, Martin finds his fate linked to the disgraced ex-wife of a football icon, a fugitive wanted for a decades-old murder, and two nineteenth-century explorers from a legendary expedition.

Martin Scarsden's most perilous, challenging and intriguing assignment yet. 

My Take

An excellent read. Highly recommended. There is a lovely interweaving of 19th century Australian history with current events. A story about legacy on so many levels. And a lovely Australian flavour. 

Chris Hammer is certainly an author to watch out for.

My rating: 4.9

I've also read

• 4.7, SCRUBLANDS - Martin Scarsden #1
  
• 4.4, SILVER - - Martin Scarsden #2
• 4.6, TREASURE & DIRT - aka OPAL COUNTRY - Detective Nell Buchanan #1 
• 4.7, TREASURE & DIRT - re-read
  
• 4.8, THE TILT - aka DEAD MAN'S CREEK - Detective Nell Buchanan #2
• 4.8, SCRUBLANDS - re-read
• 4.8, THE SEVEN - aka COVER THE BONES - Detective Nell Buchanan #3
• 4.6, THE VALLEY - aka BROKEN RIVER - Detective Nell Buchanan #4 

Review: THE HALLMARKED MAN, Robert Galbraith

• 
  This edition read as an e-book on my Kindle (Amazon)
  
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DS571XMN
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sphere, Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 2, 2025
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 908 pages
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1408723777
• Book 8 of 8 ‏ : ‎ Cormoran Strike  

Synopsis   (Amazon)

A dismembered corpse is discovered in the vault of a silver shop. The police initially believe it to be that of a convicted armed robber - but not everyone agrees with that theory. One of them is Decima Mullins, who calls on the help of private detective Cormoran Strike as she's certain the body in the silver vault was that of her boyfriend - the father of her newborn baby - who suddenly and mysteriously disappeared.

The more Strike and his business partner Robin Ellacott delve into the case, the more labyrinthine it gets. The silver shop is no ordinary one: it's located beside Freemasons' Hall and specialises in Masonic silverware. And in addition to the armed robber and Decima's boyfriend, it becomes clear that there are other missing men who could fit the profile of the body in the vault.

As the case becomes ever more complicated and dangerous, Strike faces another quandary. Robin seems increasingly committed to her boyfriend, policeman Ryan Murphy, but the impulse to declare his own feelings for her is becoming stronger than ever.

A gripping, wonderfully complex novel which takes Strike and Robin's story to a new level, The Hallmarked Man is an unmissable read for any fan of this unique series. 

My Take

After reading the blurb, you don't need me to tell you much about the plot. I will comment though on how long this book is -900 pages - how complex the plot is, and how the strands seemed to multiply, and how it took me all of 2 weeks to read. There was a lot of extra information to take in, quotations from various authors at the beginning of each chapter and selected bits about freemasonry. (I did feel that some of this information was extraneous and could have been edited more tightly.) The number of staff working for the agency has multiplied and relationships have become very complex.

But, for all that, I never thought of giving up. And I'm ready for the next in the series, whenever it happens.

My rating: 4.7

I've also read

5.0, THE CUCKOO'S CALLING #1 

4.5, THE SILKWORM  #2

4.6, A CAREER OF EVIL  #3

4.7, LETHAL WHITE - #4

4.8, TROUBLED BLOOD- #5 

5.0, THE RUNNING GRAVE -#7

Review: A MURDER IS ANNOUNCED, Agatha Christie

• 
  This edition read as an e-book on my Kindle (Amazon)
  
• Originally published in 1950
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B004APA52O
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins, Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 14, 2010
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 321 pages
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0007422524
• Book 5 of 12 ‏ : ‎ Miss Marple Mysteries

Synopsis  (Amazon)

An ordinary village
A shocking announcement

One morning the villagers of Chipping Cleghorn wake to find a strange notice in their papers:

‘A murder is announced and will take place on Friday, October 29th, at Little Paddocks at 6.30pm.’

Suspecting this is just a joke, they gather for some evening entertainment.

Then a gunshot is heard.

In desperation, the police turn to an old lady whose hobbies are gardening, gossiping – and solving murders.

After all, old ladies know better than anyone exactly what goes on in quiet English villages…

Never underestimate Miss Marple

My Take

No-one really expects a murder to actually take place at at Little Paddocks at 6.30 pm as the newspaper advertisement predicted. All the curious neighbours expect it to be one of those new fangled Murder parties. Even less do they expect the victim to be someone they have never met.

So the shooting death is the beginning of a complex plot, eventually solved by Miss Marple with contributions by a new-to-us policeman, Inspector Craddock. Miss Marple has been highly recommended to Craddock by the Chief Constable, and this is another novel where Miss Marple colludes with a police constable to set a honey trap to catch the murderer.

Miss Marple makes her appearance courtesy of a friendship with yet another member of the clergy whom  she comes to visit. The setting is just after World War II and there are a number of references to the effect of the war on English society and economy, as well as the influx of foreigners and refugees into England after the war. These really do have the effect of making Agatha Christie a largely unrecognised social commentator.

I've read this book for the umpteenth time, but this time for discussion with my U3A Agatha Christie discussion group.  

My rating: 4.5

Other reviews I've written: here, and here

Reviews of Agatha Christie Novels.