Review: SILK CHASER, Peter Klein

Pan Macmillan Australia 2010
319 pages
ISBN 9-781405-039765
Copy supplied for review by the publisher

Publisher's Blurb

A serial killer is stalking young, female strappers. No one knows who it is, why he's doing it, or who is likely to be next. The police and the race clubs seem powerless to do anything. The women are terrified and the union is threatening to go on strike and close down the entire racing industry unless security can be guaranteed and the killer caught.
Meanwhile, John Punter's got problems closer to home to worry about. There's a protection racket afoot and his restaurant Gino's is getting lent on. Then there's his new girlfriend Maxine. Everyone says she's trouble. She's the socialite daughter of a shock-jock announcer; the biggest rating name in radio and a major client of his father's stable. And he's made it clear he doesn't want Punter hanging around...
Back at the track, as the body count mounts, Punter finds himself involved in a desperate race against time to find a crazed killer.

This is #3 of Klein's Punter series, and I'm hooked. SILK CHASER is the best so far. Among the things that I like are the readability, the yarn that flows well, the continuing threads and characters from the previous novels, the authentic Australian flavour, and the believable scenarios.

My rating: 4.5

If you'd like to sample before you buy, the publishers have provided the first chapter online.

However, if you haven't read either of the others in the series, PUNTER'S LUCK and PUNTER'S TURF, then this is a series where you really should take advantage of the chance to begin on the ground floor. Peter Klein has avoided overloading each novel with back-story, and while there is just enough to help the reader  understand what has gone before, reading the series in order will show you character and plot development.

You can buy SILK CHASER as an e-book in pdf, .mobi, and epub, which really means you should be able to read it on the device of your choice.
The only thing wrong with the Macmillan e-book provision is that the price ($25.45) is pretty high (unrealistically so) in my opinion.
Amazon do have it for a lower price for Kindle but by the time you take the exchange rate into account, you might save a few dollars. PUNTER'S TURF is available for Kindle at a more "usual" price.