MYSTERIES in PARADISE: Search results for Hyland

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9 May 2026

Review: THE REDLINE, Adrian Hyland

This edition an e-book made available through my local library on BorrowBox
ISBN: 9781761153556
Published 25 / 11 / 2025
Pages: 336
QBD Books
#3 Jesse Redpath series

Synopsis (publisher)

An open road. A dead cop. A killer in the hills ...I flicked on the torch, swept the surrounds. Nothing. Then I directed the beam into the trees on the other side of the road.

Up on a high, jutting branch, something moved. It may have been a white face, a pale body, a curved leg. Or it may have been none of those things. Was it human? Too quick for me to tell. A ripple, a blink and it was gone. But it seemed to leave an afterglow, an impression upon the fabric of the night.

I took a deep breath. What had I seen? It had appeared to be a pair of piercing eyes in a pale visage. It could almost have been an owl, so compelling was its gaze, so swift its departure. Maybe it was just a trick of the light, a distorted shadow?

There was a crunch of leaf in the litter below and it was gone.

Whatever it was, it sent a chill through me.

It's the festive season in the Windmark Ranges and Sergeant Jesse Redpath's day is going from bad to worse. It begins with her having to arrest the usual drunks and troublemakers and ends with the death of a colleague out on the Redline road. A death which may or may not have been an accident.

Jesse learns there have been other deaths and disappearances in the ranges, and that the local rumour mill suggests the perp is an elusive, semi-mythical character who goes by the name of 'Anarchy'.

Beneath the charm of a close-knit community, a darker truth festers, and Jesse's driven to expose it, no matter the disruption to the valley's fragile tranquillity.

My Take

Three years since we have had a novel from Adrian Hyland.

Jesse Redpath is filling in for a colleague on leave and is a little older than we last met her but no less enthusiastic about her job. This novel turns out to be a fast pace thriller.

My rating: 4.6

I've also read

5.0, GUNSHOT ROAD

4.5, CANTICLE CREEK -#1

4.7, THE WIREGRASS -#2

The Redline is the third in Adrian Hyland’s Australian regional crime series featuring Sergeant Jesse Redpath. The books are is set in a group of small towns in the fictional Windmark Ranges, a few hours drive from the centre of Melbourne. This entry is named after a local road that has earned the nickname “the redline” due to the drivers who redline their cars while speeding along it.

1 June 2024

Review: THE WIREGRASS, Adrian Hyland

this edition made available as an e-book on BorrowBox by my local library
published 2023 by Ultimo Press
eISBN 978-1-76115-036-4
322 pages

Synopsis (publisher)

A murder made to look like an accident. A disgraced cop trying to forget his past.

My eyes sprang open. What was wrong? Something had been hovering down in the backwoods of my brain. A disturbing image that only rose to the surface when I began to relax. Wild winds, wet hair, black bark, blood. A crushed body. The poor bastard killed by the falling tree at Wycliff Rise. Something about that scene wasn’t right.

Nash Rankin is a disgraced cop trying to escape his past – his career was destroyed when he chose to take justice into his own hands. Now he’s living a quiet life in a small town, caring for the local wildlife and trying to stay away from trouble.

Jesse Redpath has a new job in a new town: Satellite. The stormy weather that greets her first few days on the beat seems like a sign of what’s to come. A local has died in what looks like an accident, but Jessie isn’t so sure that the ‘accident’ wasn’t planned. All the evidence points to Nash, but Jesse’s not sure about that either.

Seems like Nash has enemies. And what looks like a close-knit community might just be a cover for dark secrets.

No amount of rain will wash this town clean.

The new Jesse Redpath crime thriller from the bestselling author of CANTICLE CREEK.

My Take

Readers looking for authentic Australian crime fiction will not be disappointed.

Central protagonist Jesse Redpath is an interesting character who brings intuition to a police procedural set in a compelling Australian landscape. The setting is in the northern Victorian highlands not far from Canticle Creek where Jess has family. Her new appointment as a police station head gives Jesse a chance to show what she is made of, but before long she has has a new man in her life, has blotted her copy book, is suspended, and being targetted by those she has been investigating.

Adrian Hyland has a lovely writing style.

Highly recommended.

My rating: 4.7

I've also read

6 March 2022

What I read in February 2022

I continue to read at good pace so far this year with 10 books read in February.

4.4, A GHOSTLY SHADOW, H. L. Marsay
4.6, WILD PLACE, Christian White - Australian writer
4.5, THE INVITATION, Lucy Foley
4.4, THE NIGHT BIRD, Brian Freeman
4.6, TRANSIENT DESIRES, Donna Leon
4.4, A ROMAN SHADOW, H.L. Marsay
4.5, CROOKED HOUSE, Agatha Christie
4.6, CROCODILE TEARS, Alan Carter - Australian writer
4.5, CANTICLE CREEK, Adrian Hyland - Australian writer
4.4, REMEMBER ME, Liz Byrski - Australian writer

26 February 2022

Review: CANTICLE CREEK, Adrian Hyland

this edition published by Ultimo Press 2021
ISBN 978-176115003-6
342 pages

Synopsis (publisher)

Two bodies. One long hot summer. A town that will never be the same.

When Adam Lawson's wrecked car is found a kilometre from Daisy Baker’s body, the whole town assumes it’s an open and shut case. But Jesse Redpath isn’t from Canticle Creek. Where she comes from, the truth often hides in plain sight, but only if you know where to look. When Jesse starts to ask awkward questions, she uncovers a town full of contradictions and a cast of characters with dark pasts, secrets to hide and even more to lose.

As the temperature soars, and the ground bakes, the wilderness surrounding Canticle Creek becomes a powderkeg waiting to explode. All it needs is one spark.

A twisty crime thriller set in small town Australia perfect for readers of The Dry and Scrublands.

My take

It is over 10 years since I have read anything by Adrian Hyland and CANTICLE CREEK demonstrates that he still has the touch.

Jesse Redpath is a Northern Territory outback cop. She is the officer in charge of the station at Kulara. One of the local boys Adam Lawson has gone off the tails a bit and Jesse has put in a word for him with the local magistrate and has set him up with a job at the roadhouse, and boarding with her artist father. Despite getting on well with Jesse's father Ben, Adam takes off for the south and ends up going to Melbourne. The next Jesse hears is that he has been killed in a road crash near Canticle Creek after killing his girlfriend. This doesn't sound like the Adam that Jesse and her father knew.

Ben Redpath is a highly regarded artist. He has been invited to Melbourne to participate in a joint art exhibition and Jesse decides to accompany him and to go to Canticle Creek to satisfy herself that everything had been done to investigate Adam's death.

This was a very believable book. I really like the new character Jesse Redpath, who always seems to ask those extra questions. Here also is a writer who seems to have a special connection to "country" which he acknowledges himself at the end of the book.

My rating: 4.5

I've also read 5.0, GUNSHOT ROAD

20 November 2012

Crime Fiction Alphabet 2012 - the Summary: N to Z

Did you catch the first part of the summary for this fabulous meme yesterday?

Each week for the past 26 weeks participants have suggested an author, a title, or a topic beginning with a letter of the alphabet.They've linked their suggestion to a post on their blog.

In all, there have been nearly 400 crime fiction reading suggestions of both titles and authors.

The letter N
crime fiction alphabet Participants

1. Margot Kinberg - Edward Stratemeyer's Nancy Drew
2. gautami tripathy (Nemesis)
3. Margaret @ BooksPlease -Now You See Me by S J Bolton
4. Srivalli- The Leopard by Jo Nesbo
5. MiP - NEXT OF KIN by Elsebeth Egholm
6. Peter Reynard - N or M?

7. Scott: N is for Nero Wolfe
8. TracyK (Night at the Vulcan)
9. Bev@My Reader's Block (Meredith Nicholson)
10. Katrina (The new Sonia Wayward)
11. Mysteries and More from Saskatchewan ("N" is for Stuart Neville)
12. The Game's Afoot - N is for Nonídez, Manuel Nonídez

13. Peggy Ann - Natural Causes by James Oswald
14. a hot cup of pleasure - No Comebacks by Frederick Forsyth
15. Sergio (Tipping My Fedora) - NIGHTMARE CRUISE by Wade Miller
16. MaryR - N is for Name of the Rose

The letter O
crime fiction alphabet Participants

1. Margot Kinberg - Denise Mina's Maureen O'Donnell
2. TracyK - O is for Anthony Oliver
3. The Game's Afoot - O is for Oliver, Maria-Antonia Oliver
4. Srivalli -The Great Impersonation by E Philiphs Oppenhiem
5. Margaret @ BooksPlease - Baroness Orczy, The Old Man in the Corner
6. gautami tripathy - (Out at Night by Susan Arnout Smith)

7. Clarissa Draper - Knots
8. Peggy Ann - When the Music Stopped, Elizabeth Ogilvie
9. a hot cup of pleasure - Ordeal by Innocence by Agatha Christie
10. Mysteries and More from Saskatchewan ("O" is for Gregg Olsen)
11. Bev@My Reader's Block (O' Artful Death)
12. MiP - O is for Octavia (THE NOBODIES ALBUM, Carolyn Parkhurst)

13. O is for OLD SCHOOL TIE by Paul Thomas (Crime Watch - Craig)
14. Scott: O is for Outlaw
15. Sergio (Tipping My Fedora) 0 One for the Road by Fredric Brown
16. MaryR - O is for Okrant

The letter P

crime fiction alphabet Participants

1. Margot Kinberg - Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot
2. TracyK - Pardonable Lies, Jacqueline Winspear
3. gautami tripathy - (Paul Byers)
4. Margaret @ BooksPlease - Postern of Fate, Agatha Christie
5. The Game's Afoot - P is for Padura

6. Srivalli- The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain
7. Peggy Ann-Phoebe Atwood Taylor
8. Bev@My Reader's Block (Bernadette Pajer)
9. MiP - P is for Louise Penny
10. Scott: P is for Phillip and Perry

11. Clarissa Draper - Lynda La Plante
12. a hot cup of pleasure - Primal Fear
13. Mysteries and More from Saskatchewan ("P" is for Edward O. Phillips)
14. Sergio (Tipping My Fedora) - PIZZA HOUSE CRASH by Denise Danks
15. MaryR - P is for Louise Penny

The letter Q
crime fiction alphabet Participants

1. Margot Kinberg - Anthony Bidulka's Russell Quant
2. Margaret @ BooksPlease - Death of a Red Heroine by Qiu Xiaolong
3. The Game's Afoot - Q is for Quinteto de Buenos Aires
4. Srivalli- A Question of Belief by Donna Leon
5. Peggy Ann-Death in the Quadrangle

6. And The Game's Afoot - Q is also for Quílez
7. Scott: Qis for Ellery Queen
8. MiP -Q is for THE QUARRY
9. Bev@My Reader's Block (A Question of Time)
10. a hot cup of pleasure - Question of Blood by Ian Rankin

11. TracyK -- A Quiet Flame by Philip Kerr
12. Sergio (Tipping My Fedora) - QUEEN IN DANGER by Adam Hall
13. Mysteries and More from Saskatchewan ("Q" is for Kwei Quartey)
14. MaryR (Q is for Spencer Quinn)

The letter R
crime fiction alphabet Participants

1. Margot Kinberg - Alexander McCall Smith's Mma. Precious Ramotswe
2. gautami tripathy - (Rosemary Harris)
3. Margaret @ BooksPlease - Bad Boy by Peter Robinson
4. Srivalli- R is for Ruth Rendell
5. Jose Ignacio - The Game's Afoot - Rafael Reig

6. Peggy Ann-Raspberry Jam
7. MiP - R is for Ruth Rendell
8. Scott: R is for Remington Steele
9. TracyK - Helen Reilly
10. a hot cup of pleasure: Rex Stout's Mother Hunt

11. Sergio (Tipping My Fedora) - REUNION WITH MURDER by Timothy Fuller
12. Mysteries and More from Saskatchewan ("R" is for Robert Rotenberg)
13. Peter Reynard - Jack Reacher
14. Bev@My Reader's Block (Mary Roberts Rinehart)
15. MaryR - R is for Ellen Raskin

The letter S
crime fiction alphabet Participants

1. Peter Reynard - S is for Erle Stanley Gardner
2. Margot Kinberg - Karin Fossum's Konrad Sejer
3. Margaret @ BooksPlease - Maigret and the Ghost by Georges Simenon
4. Jose Ignacio - The Game's Afoot - Juan Jose Saer
5. Peggy Ann-A.D. Scott

6. Peggy Ann -The Shole Keys
7. Scott: S is for Sherlock Holmes
8. TracyK - Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
9. MiP - S is for Shamini Flint & Inspector Singh
10. a hot cup of pleasure: Successor by Ismail Kadare

11. Bev@My Reader's Block (Strange Murders at Greystokes)
12. MaryR - S is for Sayers
13. Mysteries and More from Saskatchewan ("S" is for Josef Skvorecky)
14. Sergio (Tipping My Fedora) - SALT RIVER by James Sallis
15. Srivalli- The Scarlet Letters by Ellery Queen

The letter T
crime fiction alphabet Participants

1. Margot Kinberg - Adrian Hyland's Emily Tempest
2. Srivalli- The Tragedy of Z by Ellery Queen
3. Peter Reynard - Tarquin Hall
4. Jose Ignacio - The Game's Afoot - Paco Ignacio Taibo II
5. Margaret @ BooksPlease - The Four Last things by Andrew Taylor

6. Peggy Ann -Josephine Tey
7. Scott: T is for Travis McGee
8. TracyK - The Tattoo Murder Case by Takagi
9. Bev@My Reader's Block (Will Thomas)
10. MaryR - T is for Traditional

11. Sergio (Tipping My Fedora) - Traitor's Purse by Margery Allingham
12. Mysteries and More from Saskatchewan ("T" is for Donald Serrell Thomas)
13. a hot cup of pleasure: Twelve Red Herrings by Jeffrey Archer

The letter U
crime fiction alphabet Participants

1. Margot Kinberg - Rita Mae Brown's Tally Urquhart
2. Srivalli- U is for Undertow and Upson
3. Bev@My Reader's Block (Unhappy Hooligan)
4. TracyK - U is for Under World

5. Margaret @ BooksPlease (Fear in the Sunlight by Nicola Upson)
6. Jose Ignacio - U is for Ungar, Antonio Ungar
7. MaryR - U is for Upson
8. MiP - U is for Unger

9. Mysteries and More ("U" is for The Battling Prophet by Arthur W. Upfield)
10. Mysteries and More ("U" is for Arthur W. Upfield)
11. Sergio (Tipping My Fedora) - UNFINISHED PORTRAIT by Agatha Christie

The letter V
crime fiction alphabet Participants

1. Srivalli- V is for Villar
2. Margot Kinberg - Håkan Nesser's Inspector Van Veeteren
3. Bev@My Reader's Block (Vera Caspary)
4. Margaret @ BooksPlease (The Chalk Circle Man by Fred Vargas)
5. Jose Ignacio - V is for Villar, Domingo Villar

6. TracyK - S. S. Van Dine
7. MiP - V is for Virginia Duigan, THE PRECIPICE
8. Mysteries and More from Saskatchewan ("V" is for Michael Van Rooy)
9. V is for Vanda Symon's THE FACELESS (Crime Watch - Craig)
10. a hot cup of pleasure: Vision by dean Koontz

11. Sergio (Tipping My Fedora) - VERONICA'S ROOM by Ira Levin
12. The Maine Massacre by Janwillem van de Wetering - Peggy Ann
13. MaryR - V is for Victoria Dock

The letter W
crime fiction alphabet Participants

1. Margot Kinberg - Sara Paretsky's V.I. Warshawski
2. Scott: W is Without Due Process
3. Margaret @ BooksPlease - Wycliffe and the Cycle of Death
4. Srivalli- W is for Edgar Wallace

5. Peggy Ann -Episode of the Wandering Knife
6. Jose Ignacio - W is for Wilson, Robert Wilson
7. Mysteries and More from Saskatchewan ("W" is for L.R. Wright)
8. MiP - W is for Martin Walker, THE CROWDED GRAVE

9. Bev@My Reader's Block (The War of the Worlds Murder)
10. TracyK - W is for R. D. Wingfield
11. MaryR - W is for Well Schooled in Murder
12. Sergio (Tipping My Fedora) - THE WENCH IS DEAD by Fredric Brown

The letter X
crime fiction alphabet Participants

1. Margot Kinberg - Exes
2. Mysteries and More from Saskatchewan ("X" is for Qiu Xiaolong Again)
3. Bev@My Reader's Block (E. X. Ferrars)
4. Jose Ignacio - Alfonso X of Castile

5. MiP - X is for DEATH OF AN EXPERT WITNESS, P. D. James
6. Margaret @ BooksPlease - The Expats by Chris Pavone
7. Mysteries and More ("X" is for A Loyal Character Dancer by Qiu Xiaolong)
8. TracyK - X is for XPD

9. Sergio (Tipping My Fedora) -BEAST OF THE CAMARGUE by Xavier-Marie Bonnot
10. Srivalli- X is for When Red is Black by Qiu Xiaolong
11. MaryR - X is for Qui Xiaolong

The letter Y
crime fiction alphabet Participants

1. Margot Kinberg - Louise Penny's Yvette Nichol
2. Margaret @ BooksPlease - Murder by Yew by Suzanne Young
3. Bev@My Reader's Block (Felicity Young)
4. Mysteries and More from Saskatchewan ("Y" is for Scott Young)

5. MaryR - Y is for Yiddish Policeman's Union
6. Scott: Y is for Alan Geoffrey Yates
7. MiP - Y is for Yvette and Yaba
8. TracyK - The Yiddish Policemen's Union

9. Jose Ignacio - Yanet Acosta
10. Mysteries and More (Murder in a Cold Climate by Scott Young)
11. Sergio (Tipping My Fedora) - THE YELLOW DOG by Georges Simenon
12. Srivalli- False Pretences by Margret Yorke

The letter Z
crime fiction alphabet Participants

1. Margot Kinberg - Donna Leon's Elettra Zorzi
2. Srivalli- Zone Defence by Petros Markaris
3. Bev@My Reader's Block (M. J. Zellnik)
4. Mysteries and More from Saskatchewan ("Z" is for Mark Richard Zubro)

5. Margaret @ BooksPlease - The Whispers of Nemesis by Anne Zouroudi
6. TracyK - Zombies of the Gene Pool
7. MiP - Z is for Zita and Zero
8. Scott: Z is for Zelda

9. Jose Ignacio - Carlos Zanon
10. Mysteries and More (The Truth Can Get You Killed by Mark Richard Zubro)
11. Sergio @ Tipping My Fedora - The Zebra-Striped Hearse by Ross Macdonald
12. MaryR - Z is for Zouroudi

25 July 2012

Best crime fiction reads so far in 2012 - the full list

On Monday I gave you the list of titles that had been mentioned more than once by my 15 or so contributors in their list of 150+ titles.

Yesterday the list consisted of authors mentioned for more than one title.

Here today is the full list in alphabetical order of title with year of publication included where I was given it.

1222	Anne Holt	2010
A FEW RIGHT THINKING MEN	Sulari Gentill	2010
A GOOD DEATH	Elizabeth Ironside	2000
A SPARK OF DEATH	Bernadette Pajer	2011
A TRICK OF THE LIGHT	Louise Penny	2011
A WALK IN THE DARK	Gianrico Carofiglio	2010
ALL I SAW WAS THE GIRL	Peter Leonard
AN EMPTY DEATH	Laura Wilson	2009
ANOTHER TIME ANOTHER LIFE	Leif Persson
ASHES	Sergei Gakas
AWAKENING	S.J. Bolton
BEASTLY THINGS	Donna Leon
BEFORE THE POISON	Peter Robinson	2011
BELIEVING THE LIE	Elizabeth George	2012
BERLIN GAME	Len Deighton	1983
BLACK SKIES	Arnaldur Indridason	2012
BLEED FOR ME	Michael Robotham
BLUE LIGHTNING	Ann Cleeves	2010
BLUFFING MR. CHURCHILL	John Lawton	2001
BROKEN HARBOUR	Tana French
BURNED	Thomas Enger
CHAMPAGNE FOR ONE	Rex Stout	1958
CHELSEA MANSIONS	Barry Maitland	2011
CUT SHORT	Leigh Russell
CUTS LIKE A KNIFE	M.K. Gilroy
DEFENDING JACOB	William Landay
DEPARTMENT THIRTEEN	James Houston Turner	2011
DOUBLE INDEMNITY	James M. Cain	1943
ENDLESS NIGHT	Agatha Christie	1967
ESCAPE THE NIGHT	Mignon G. Eberhart	1944
EYES OF LIRA KAZAN	Eva Joly
FATHERLAND	Robert Harris	1992
FIFTY GRAND	Adrian McKinty
GILLESPIE & I	Jane Harris	2011
GODS AND FATHERS	James LePore
GONE	Mo Hayder	2010
GREEN RIVER KILLER	Jeff Jensen	2011
HIDDEN RIVER	Adrian McKinty
HOUR OF THE WOLF	Hakan Nesser	2012
I AM HALF-SICK OF SHADOWS	Alan Bradley	2011
I’LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS	William Deverell
ICELIGHT	Aly Monroe
IF THE DEAD RISE NOT	Philip Kerr
IN THE WOODS	Tana French	2007
INSPECTOR AND SILENCE	Hakan Nesser
JOURNEY INTO FEAR	Eric Ambler	1940
KINGLAKE - 350	Adrian Hyland
LAST WILL	Liza Marklund
LIAR MOON	Ben Pastor
MISERY BAY	Steve Hamilton
MISSING	Jane Casey
MIXED BLOOD 2009	Roger Smith
ON BEULAH HEIGHT	Reginald Hill
ONE, TWO, BUCKLE MY SHOE	Agatha Christie	1940
OUTRAGE	Arnaldur Indridason
PHANTOM	Jo Nesbo	2012
PRAGUE FATALE	Philip Kerr
REBECCA	Daphne du Maurier	1979
RED BONES	Ann Cleeves	2009
SILENT FEAR	Katherine Howell	2012
SLEEPING MURDER	Agatha Christie	1976
SNOW ANGELS	James Thompson
SOMETHING TO KILL FOR	Susan Holtzer	1994
SONS AND LOVERS	James LePore
SUCH FRIENDS ARE DANGEROUS	Walter Tyrer	1954
SUMMON UP THE BLOOD	R.N. Morris
THE BAT	Mary Roberts Rinehart	1932
THE BLACK PATH	Asa Larsson
THE BLACKHOUSE	Peter May
THE BLIND GODDESS	Anne Holt
THE BOUNDARY	Nicole Watson
THE BOY IN THE SUITCASE	Lena Kaarbol & Agnete Friis	2011
THE BROTHERHOOD	Y.A. Erskine	2011
THE BURNING COURT	John Dickson Carr	1937
THE BURNING SOUL	John Connolly	2011
THE BURRY MAN’S DAY	Catriona McPherson	2006
THE CALLER	Karin Fossum	2011
THE CAMBRIDGE THEOREM	Tony Cape	1989
THE COMPANY OF STRANGERS	Robert Wilson	2001
THE CORONER	M R Hall	2009
THE DEVOTION OF SUSPECT X	Keigo Higashino
THE DROP	Michael Connelly	2011
THE DROWNING	Camilla Lackberg
THE FIFTH WITNESS	Michael Connelly
THE GHOSTS OF BELFAST	Stuart Neville
THE GUARDS	Ken Bruen	201
THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES	Sir Arthur Conan Doyle	1889
THE HOUSE OF SILK	Anthony Horowitz	2011
THE INFORMATION OFFICER	Mark Mills	2009
THE INNOCENCE OF FATHER BROWN	G.K. Chesterton	1911
THE INVISIBLE ONES	Stef Penney
THE LEOPARD	Jo Nesbo	2011
THE LITIGATORS	John Grisham
THE MALTESE FALCON	Dashiell Hammett	1930
THE MESSENGER OF ATHENS	Anne Zouroudi	2007
THE MONSTER IN THE BOX	Ruth Rendell	2009
THE MOONSTONE	Wilkie Collins	1868
THE MORNING AFTER DEATH	Nicholas Blake	1966
THE NAMELESS DEAD	Brian McGillowray
THE NOBODIES ALBUM	Carolyn Parkhurst	2010
THE POTTER’S FIELD	Andrea Camilleri
THE PRECIPICE	Virginia Duigan	2011
THE QUARRY	Johan Theorin	2011
THE RAGE	Gene Kerrigan	2012
THE REDBREAST	Jo Nesbo	2006
THE REDEEMED	M R Hall	2011
THE RETRIBUTION	Val McDermid	2011
THE RETURN OF CAPTAIN JOHN EMMETT	Elizabeth Speller	2010
THE ROPE	Nevada Barr
THE SO BLUE MARBLE	Dorothy B Hughes	1940
THE UNLUCKY LOTTERY	Hakan Nesser
THE WOMAN IN WHITE	Wilkie Collins	1859
U IS FOR UNDERTOW	Sue Grafton	2009
UNTIL THY WRATH BE PAST	Åsa Larsson	2011
V IS FOR VENGEANCE	Sue Grafton	2011
VOICE OF THE VIOLIN	Andrea Camilleri
VOICES OF THE DEAD	Peter Leonard
WHERE ALL THE DEAD LIE	J. T.Ellison	2011
WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?	Wendy James	2010
WHERE THE DEVIL CAN'T GO	Anya Lipska
WYCLIFFE AND THE CYCLE OF DEATH	W J Burley	1990
ZONE DEFENCE	Petros Markaris	2006

14 January 2012

Best Crime Fiction Reads 2008 -2011

I have collected best crime fiction reads for the past 4 years now from a range of participants.
In that time 154 contributors have suggested 1521 titles

2008, 40 contributors 396 titles
2009, 56 contributors 541 titles
2010, 23 contributors 220 titles
2011, 35 contributors 364 titles

If you'd like to check previous years, here they are. Just click on the image.

2008

I've chosen the top reads from each year and aggregated them. There are 24 books on the list.
The number at the end of the line is the number of votes the book got.
Stieg Larsson was not mentioned by 2011 contributors, there is no doubt in my mind he would still be there if he was alive and writing.
I'm pleased to see some Australian authors making it into this list too. ***
Interesting too to see some names other than Larsson repeated: Johan Theorin, Megan Abbott, Arnaldur Indridason.
Translated titles abound too ++ (nearly half the list)

So what have you missed out on reading? - as you can see I have 3 to go.

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO by Stieg Larsson    16 ++
THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE by Stieg Larsson    15 ++
GUNSHOT ROAD by Adrian Hyland    9 ***
HYPOTHERMIA by Arnaldur Indridason    9 ++
CROOKED LETTER, CROOKED LETTER by Tom Franklin    7
SHATTER by Michael Robotham    7 ***
KEEPER OF LOST CAUSES (aka MERCY) by Jussi Adler-Olsen    7 ++
THE DARKEST ROOM by Johan Theorin    6 ++
THE END OF EVERYTHING by Megan Abbott    6
WHERE WILL THERE BE GOOD NEWS? by Kate Atkinson    6
A TRICK OF THE LIGHT by Louise Penny    5
BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP by    S.J. Watson    5
FIELD GRAY by Philip Kerr    5
THE COLD DISH by Craig Johnson    5
THE END OF THE WASP SEASON by Denise Mina    5
A BEAUTIFUL PLACE TO DIE by Malla Nunn     4 ***
ARCTIC CHILL by Arnaldur Indridason     4 ++
BURY ME DEEP by Megan Abbott     4
ECHOES FROM THE DEAD by Johann Theorin     4 ++
SILENT IN THE GRAVE by Deanna Raybourn     4
SKELETON HILL by Peter Lovesey     4
TRUTH by Peter Temple    4 ***
THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET'S NEST by Stieg Larsson    3 ++
THIRTEEN HOURS by Deon Meyer    3 ++

13 January 2012

Best crime fiction reads 2011 - all the authors

Today my post lists all the authors. (there are nearly 230 of them)

Ace Atkins
Adrian Hyland
Adrian Magson
Adrian McKinty
Agatha Christie
Alan Bradley
Alan Glynn
Alan Hunter
Alice LaPlante
Aly Monroe
Amanda Kyle Williams
Andrea Camilleri
Andrew Gross
Ann Cleeves
Ann Holt
Anna Katherine Green
Anthony Horowitz
Ariana Franklin
Arnaldur Indridason
Arne Dahl
Arthur Upfield
Asa Larsson
Barry Grant
Belinda Bauer
Benjamin Black
Blaize Clement
C.J. Box
C.J. Sansom
C.S. Challinor
C.S. Forester
Camilla Lackberg
Cara Black
Cara Hoffmann
Carlo Lucarelli
Carol K. Carr
Carolyn Morwood
Carston Morton
Carter Dickson
Catherine O'Flynn
Catriona McPherson
Charles Cumming
Charlie Huston
Chevy Stevens
Chris Bohjalian
Chris Brookmyre
Chris Nickson
Colin Cotterill
Colin Dexter
Conor Fitzgerald
Craig Johnson
Craig MacDonald
Craig Smith
Daniel Stashower
Danny Miller
David Downing
David Hosp

David Ignatius
Deborah Lawrenson
Declan Burke
Denise Mina
Deon Meyer
Domenic Stansberry
Domingo Vilar
Don Winslow
Donna Leon
Dorothy L. Sayers
Duane Swierczynski
E.C.R. Lorac
Ed McBain
Edward Conlon
Elizabeth Haines
Elizabeth Ironside
Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli
Ellery Queen
Elly Griffiths
Elmore Leonard
Emlyn Rees
Eric Keith
Erle Stanley Gardner
Esi Edugyan
Frances Fyfield
Frank Bill
Fred Vargas
G.M. Malliet
Garry Disher
George Pelecanos
Gianrico Carofiglio
Graham Moore
Hakan Nesser
Harlen Coben
Heather Gudenkauf
Helen FitzGerald
Henning Mankell
Henry Chang
Honey Brown
Ian Rankin
Inge Ash Wolfe
J.A. Jance
J.D. Robb
James Anderson
James Patterson
James Sallis
James Thompson
Jane Adams
Jane Casey
Janet Evanovich
Jassy Mackenzie
Jeanne Dams
Jeff Lindsay
Jeffery Deaver
Jo Nesbo
Johan Theorin
Johan Theorin

John Ajvide Lindqvist
John Hart
John Lawton
John Sandford
John Verdon
Julia Crouch
Jussi Adler-Olsen
Karen E. Olsen
Karin Fossum
Karin Slaughter
Kate Atkinson
Katherine Howell
Kathryn Fox
Kelli Stanley
Kim Westwood
L.B. Greenwood
L.C. Tyler
Larry Millett
Laura Lippman
Laurie R. King
Lawrence Block
Layton Green
Lee Child
Lee Vance
Leigh Russell
Leighton Gage
Lena Kaaberol & Agnete Friis
Lin Anderson
Linda Castillo
Lindsay Ashford
Lisa Gardner
Lori Roy
Lou Manfredo
Louise Penny
M.J. McGrath
M.M. Kaye
Maj Sjowal & Per Wahloo
Malla Nunn
Marcia Clark
Margaret Cole
Margaret Yorke
Margery Allingham
Margie Orford
Martin Edwards
Matthew Dunn
Megan Abbott
Michael Connelly
Michael Koryta
Michael Robotham
Michael Stanley
Neal Stephenson
Neil White
Nick Quantrill
Nicola Upson
Nicole Watson
P.D. Jamees
Pamela Beason
Paula Morantz Cohen
Peter Corris

Peter James
Peter Lovesey
Peter Robinson
Peter Spiegelman
Peter Temple
Philip Kerr
R.J. Ellory
Ray Banks
Reavis Z. Wortham
Reed Farrell Coleman
Reginald Hill
Rex Stout
Ricardo Piglia
Richard Castle
Richard Stark
Rob Kitchin
Robert Rotenberg
Roger Smith
Ron Hansen
Rory Clements
Rosamund Lupton
Roslund & Hellstrom
Russel McLean
Ruth Rendell
S.J. Bolton
S.J. Watson
Sally Spencer
Sam Hayes
Sara Gran
Sarah Caudwell
Scott Phillips
Sebastian Rotella
Simon Beckett
Simon Brett
Simon Lelic
Simon Tolkien
Sophie Hanna
Spencer Quinn
Stephen King
Steve Mosby
Sue Grafton
Sulari Gentil
Sylvia Johnson
Tana French
Tess Gerritsen
Thomas Perry
Todd Borg
Tom Bale
Tom Franklin
Val McDermid
Victor Gischler
W.J. Burley
Wallace Stroby
William Ryan
Y.A. Erskine
Zoe Sharp

11 January 2012

Best crime fiction reads for 2011 - titles mentioned once

I have been collecting lists of best crime fiction reads for 2011 for a couple of weeks now. You will see the majority of the links in my post here but they also came in as comments on posts and by emails. In the long run there were 35 contributors and 364 titles.

Note that they are a mixture of mysteries and thrillers, and also include titles that have been published pre-2011: some in fact would qualify as vintage publications.

Yesterday I published a list of titles with multiple mentions.
Here are those that got just one mention.

11/22/63 by Stephen King
61 HOURS by Lee Child
A BEAUTIFUL PLACE TO DIE by Malla Nunn
A BRUTAL TELLING by Louise Penny
A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT by Jeanne Dams
A DEATH IN SUMMER by Benjamin Black
A DECLINE IN PROPHETS by Sulari Gentil
A DROP OF THE HARD STUFF by Lawrence Block
A GRAVEYARD TO LET by Carter Dickson
A RED HERRING WITHOUT MUSTARD by Alan Bradley
A SIMPLE ACT OF VIOLENCE by R.J. Ellory
A VINE IN THE BLOOD by Leighton Gage
A WILD SURGE OF GUILTY PASSION by Ron Hansen
ABSOLUTE ZERO COOL by Declan Burke
ALMOST BLUE by Carlo Lucarelli
AN AUTHOR BITES THE DUST by Arthur Upfield
AN UNCERTAIN PLACE by Fred Vargas
AWAKENING by S.J. Bolton
BACK OF BEYOND by C.J. Box
BACKLASH by Sally Spencer
BAD INTENTIONS by Karin Fossum
BEFORE THE POISON by Peter Robinson
BENT ROAD by Lori Roy
BETRAYAL OF TRUST by J.A. Jance
BLACK FLOWERS by Steve Mosby
BLOOD FALLS by Tom Bale
BLOOD HARVEST by S.J. Bolton
BLOODMONEY by David Ignatius
BLUE LIGHTNING by Ann Cleeves
BOX 21 by Roslund & Hellstrom
BREAKING SILENCE by Linda Castillo
BROKEN DREAMS by Nick Quantrill
BURIED PREY by John Sandford
BUTCHER'S MOON by Richard Stark
CAT SITTER AMONG THE PIGEONS by Blaize Clement
CAUGHT STEALING by Charlie Huston
CHRISTMAS IS MURDER by C.S. Challinor
COLD CRUEL WINTER by Chris Nickson
COLD KILL by Neil White
COLD RAIN by Craig Smith
COLD SHOT TO THE HEART by Wallace Stroby
COP HATER by Ed McBain
CORDIALLY INVITED TO MEET DEATH by Rex Stout
CRIMES IN SOUTHERN INDIANA by Frank Bill
CUCKOO by Julia Crouch
DAED END by Leigh Russell
DANCERS IN THE MORNING by Margery Allingham
DANNY GILVER AND THE PROPER TREATMENT OF BLOODSTAINS by Catriona McPherson
DEAD DOGS AND ENGLISHMEN by Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli
DEAD MONEY by Ray Banks
DEATH AND THE SPANISH LADY by Carolyn Morwood
DEATH COMES TO PEMBERLEY by P.D. James
DEATH IN KASHMIR by M.M. Kaye
DEATH IN THE GARDEN by Elizabeth Ironside
DEATH MASK by Kathryn Fox
DEATH OF THE MANTIS by Michael Stanley
DEATH ON THE MARAIS by Adrian Magson
DIAMOND DOVE (aka MOONLIGHT DOWNS) by Adrian Hyland
DJIBOUTI by Elmore Leonard
DOUBLE DEXTER by Jeff Lindsay
DUMB WITNESS by Agatha Christie
ECHOES FROM THE DEAD by Johan Theorin
ECHOES OF THE DEAD by Sally Spencer
ENDANGERED by Pamela Beason
EXCURSION TO TINDARI by Andrea Camilleri
EXIT LINES by Reginald Hill
EYES WIDE OPEN by Andrew Gross
FAITHFUL PLACE by Tana French
FALLING GLASS by Adrian McKinty
FEAR NOT by Ann Holt
FEAST DAY OF FOOLS by James Lee Burke
FIFTH VICTIM by Zoe Sharp
FIFTH WITNESS by Michael Connelly
FUN & GAMES by Duane Swierczynski
GAUDY NIGHT by Dorothy L. Sayers
GENTLY DOES IT by Alan Hunter
GUILT BY ASSOCIATION by Marcia Clark
HALF BLOOD BLUES by Esi Edugyan
HARBOUR by John Ajvide Lindqvist
HEARTSTONE by C.J. Sansom
HEAT RISES by Richard Castle
HELL & GONE by Duane Swierczynski
HELL IS EMPTY by Craig Johnson
HELL IS EMPTY by Craig Johnson
HERCULE POIROT'S CHRISTMAS by Agatha Christie
HIDDEN DEPTHS by Ann Cleeves
HUNTED by Emlyn Rees
HYPOTHERMIA by Arnaldur Indridason
ICELIGHT by Aly Monroe
IN A DRY SEASON by Peter Robinson
INDIA BLACK & THE WIDOW OF WINDSOR by Carol K. Carr
INK FLAMINGOS by Karen E. Olsen
INTIMATE KILL by Margaret Yorke
INTO THE DARKEST CORNER by Elizabeth Haines
IRON HOUSE by John Hart
IRON HOUSE by John Hart
KILLED AT THE WHIM OF A HAT by Colin Cotterill
KISS ME QUICK by Danny Miller
LASTING DAMAGE by Sophie Hanna
LIVEWIRE by Harlen Coben
LOVE YOU MORE by Lisa Gardner
LUCIFER'S TEARS by James Thompson
MANIFESTO OF THE DEAD by Domenic Stansberry
MISTRESS OF THE ART OF DEATH by Ariana Franklin
MIXED BLOOD by Roger Smith
MURDER IN PASSY by Cara Black
MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS by Agatha Christie
NEMESIS by Jo Nesbo
NEVER KNOWING by Chevy Steevens
NEW YORK TO DALLAS by J.D. Robb
NEXT OF KIN by David Hosp
NINE MAN'S MURDER by Eric Keith
NOCTURNAL TARGET by Ricardo Piglia
NOW YOU SEE HER by James Patterson
OLD CITY HALL by Robert Rotenberg
ONE TRUE SENTENCE by Craig MacDonald
OUTRAGE by Arnaldur Indridason
PANDEMONIUM by Chris Brookmyre
PICTURE HER DEAD by Lin Anderson
POTSDAM STATION by David Downing
PRAY FOR SILENCE by Linda Castillo
RAVEN BLACK by Ann Cleeves
RED JADE by Henry Chang
RED ON RED by Edward Conlon
REVENGER by Rory Clements
RIZZO'S FIRE by Lou Manfredo
ROSEANNA by Maj Sjowal & Per Wahloo
SECRET DEAD MEN by Duane Swierczynski
SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE CASE OF SABINA HALL by L.B. Greenwood
SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE SHAKESPEARE LETTER by Barry Grant
SHOCKWAVE by John Sandford
SHROUD OF DARKNESS by E.C.R. Lorac
SHUT YOUR EYES TIGHT by John Verdon
SISTER by Rosamund Lupton
SMOKIN' SEVENTEEN by Janet Evanovich
SO MUCH PRETTY by Cara Hoffmann
SOMEONE ELSE'S SON by Sam Hayes
SPYCATCHER by Matthew Dunn
STOLEN LIVES by Jassy Mackenzie
SWORN TO SILENCE by Linda Castillo
TAHOE HIJACK by Todd Borg
TEMPORARY PERFECTIONS by Gianrico Carofiglio
TEN LITTLE HERRINGS by L.C. Tyler
THE ADJUSTMENT by Scott Phillips
THE AFFAIR OF THE MUTILATED MINK by James Anderson
THE ART OF DROWNING by Frances Fyfield
THE BOUNDARY by Nicole Watson
THE BRUTAL TELLING by Louise Penny
THE BURNING by Jane Casey
THE BURNING WIRE by Jeffery Deaver
THE CALLING by Inge Ash Wolfe
THE CASE OF THE LAME CANARY by Erle Stanley Gardner
THE CHALK CIRCLE MAN by Fred Vargas
THE CHINESE ORNAGE MYSTERY by Ellery Queen
THE COMPLAINTS by Ian Rankin
THE COURIER'S NEW BICYCLE by Kim Westwood
THE CROSSING PLACES by Elly Griffiths
THE CYPRESS HOUSE by Michael Koryta
THE DARK SIDE by Belinda Bauer
THE DARKEST ROOM by Johan Theorin
THE DEAD OF WINTER by Jane Adams
THE DEPUTY by Victor Gischler
THE DIME MUSEUM MURDERS by Daniel Stashower
THE DOG WHO KNEW TOO MUCH by Spencer Quinn
THE DONOR by Helen FitzGerald
THE DOORBELL RANG by Rex Stout
THE DROP by Michael Connelly
THE DYING TRADE by Peter Corris
THE FATAL TOUCH by Conor Fitzgerald
THE GARDEN OF BETRAYAL by Lee Vance
THE GENTLEMEN’S HOUR by Don Winslow
THE GIRL IN THE GREEN RAINCOAT by Laura Lippman
THE GOOD DAUGHTER by Honey Brown
THE HANGING WOOD by Martin Edwards
THE HOLY THIEF by William Ryan
THE ICE PRINCESS by Camilla Lackberg
THE INFORMANT by Thomas Perry
THE INFORMANT by Thomas Perry
THE JANUS STONE by Elly Griffiths
THE JANUS STONE by Elly Griffiths
THE KILLER IS DYING by James Sallis
THE KILLER IS DYING by James Sallis
THE KING OF DIAMONDS by Simon Tolkien
THE LANTERN by Deborah Lawrenson
THE LEAVENWORTH CASE by Anna Katherine Green
THE LOCKED ROOM by Maj Sjowal & Per Wahloo
THE LOST SISTER by Russel McLean
THE MAGIC BULLET by Larry Millett
THE MAN ON THE BALCONY by Maj Sjowal & Per Wahloo
THE MAN WHO WENT UP IN SMOKE by Maj Sjowal & Per Wahloo
THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF JANE AUSTEN by Lindsay Ashford
THE NIGHT STRANGERS by Chris Bohjalian
THE ONE FROM THE OTHER by Philip Kerr
THE PERFECT SUSPECT by Margaret Cole
THE PURSUED by C.S. Forester
THE RANGER by Ace Atkins
THE RETRIBUTION by Val McDermid
THE RETURN by Hakan Nesser
THE ROCK HOLE by Reavis Z. Wortham
THE RULE BOOK by Rob Kitchin
THE SECOND CONFESSION by Rex Stout
THE SHORTEST WAY TO HADES by Sarah Caudwell
THE SILENT GIRL by Tess Gerritsen
THE SILENT WORLD OF NICHOLAS QUINN by Colin Dexter
THE STABBING IN THE STABLES by Simon Brett
THE STONE CUTTER by Camilla Lackberg
THE STRANGER YOU SEEK by Amanda Kyle Williams
THE SUMMONER by Layton Green
THE TRINITY SIX by Charles Cumming
THE UNLUCKY LOTTERY by Hakan Nesser
THE VAULT by Ruth Rendell
THE VAULT by Roslund & Hellstrom
THE WOODCUTTER by Reginald Hill
THESE HIDDEN THINGS by Heather Gudenkauf
THINK OF A NUMBER by John Verdon
THREE SECONDS by Roslund & Hellstrom
TRACKERS by Deon Meyer
TRACKERS by Deon Meyer
TWO FOR SORROW by Nicola Upson
V is for VENGEANCE by Sue Grafton
VIOLENT EXPOSURE by Katherine Howell
VOICES by Arnaldur Indridason
WATCH OUT FOR ME by Sylvia Johnson
WATER-BLUE EYES by Domingo Vilar
WHAT ALICE KNEW: A MOST CURIOUS TALE ABOUT HENRY JAMES AND JACK THE RIPPER by Paula Morantz Cohen
WHAT WAS LOST by Catherine O'Flynn
WHERE THE BODIES ARE BURIED by Chris Brookmyre
WHITE DOG by Peter Temple
WICKED AUTUMN by G.M. Malliet
WINTERLAND by Alan Glynn
WRITTEN IN BONE by Simon Beckett
WYATT by Garry Disher
WYCLIFFE AND THE LAST RITES by W.J. Burley

7 August 2011

Sunday Salon: 7 August 2011: a quick catchup

My reading seems to have slowed down a bit this week, although there's been a lot happening on the blogging front.

Currently I'm running a poll about e-reading and you have 6 more days to take part. The poll is in the right hand column.

Last Monday 1 August we began the meme Crime Fiction on a Euro Pass
Tomorrow, August 8, we move on to Spain/Portugal.
Just check on the blog tomorrow. Your participation in the 12 week meme can be occasional if you like.

This week the Ned Kelly Awards shortlist was released and I for one was disappointed at the omission of some big contenders, in particular Adrian Hyland's GUNSHOT ROAD.

Other posts

News & Headlines

Currently Reading

next Australian - BEREFT, Chris Womersley
next from library: THE GOLDEN MILE TO MURDER, Sally Spencer
now on Kindle - THE COSY KNAVE, Dorte Hummelshoj Jakobsen
next on Kindle - BLUE MONDAY, Nicci French
now on audio - STILL MIDNIGHT, Denise Mina
next Agatha Christie: N or M?

Do you read Agatha Christie?

If so you will be interested in Plans to celebrate Agatha Christie's birthday and the invitation to you to participate.

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