SHATTER and CORONER'S LUNCH in CWA Shortlists

I am delighted to see that Colin Cotterill's CORONER'S LUNCH and Michael Robotham's SHATTER, which I have just begun reading, have both been nominated in this year's CWA and Duncan Lawrie shortlists.
http://www.thecwa.co.uk/daggers/2008/index.html

The Duncan Lawrie Dagger 2008
James Lee Burke, The Tin Roof Blowdown
Colin Cotterill, Coroner's Lunch
Frances Fyfield, Blood From Stone
Steve Hamilton, Night Work
Laura Lippman, What the Dead Know
RN Morris, A Vengeful Longing
More information on the Duncan Lawrie Dagger page.

The Duncan Lawrie International Dagger 2008
Andrea Camilleri (Italy), The Patience of the Spider (Picador, Macmillan)
Translated by Stephen Sartarelli
Stieg Larsson (Sweden), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (MacLehose Press, Quercus)
Translated by Reg Keeland
Dominique Manotti (France), Lorraine Connection (EuroCrime, Arcadia Books)
Translated by Amanda Hopkinson and Ros Schwartz
Martin Suter (Germany), A Deal with the Devil ( EuroCrime, Arcadia Books)
Translated by Peter Millar
Fred Vargas (France), This Night's Foul Work (Harvill Secker, Random House)
Translated by Sîan Reynolds
More information on the Duncan Lawrie International Dagger page.

Other Daggers
Ian Fleming Steel Dagger
Mo Hayder (Ritual),
Gregg Hurwitz (I See You),
Michael Robotham (Shatter),
Tom Rob Smith (Child 44) and
David Stone (The Echelon Vendetta)

ISABELLA MOON, Laura Benedict

Heinemann 2008, 978-034-01705-8, 351 pages

Most days, Sheriff Bill Delaney of Carystown, Kentucky, liked his job. He'd been Sheriff for the last twelve years, and the job had largely proved pretty uneventful. That's unless you counted the disappearance of 9 year old Isabella Moon without trace nearly two years earlier. That had really put Carystown on the national map with lots of media attention for several months. Bill Delaney preferred the quiet life.

Kate Russell had turned up in Carystown just over two years ago and she had never met Isabella Moon, in the flesh, that is. But now here she is in Bill's office telling him that she knows where Isabella Moon is buried, that she's been having visitations from Isabella's ghost.

There's rather a lot going on in Laura Benedict's debut novel ISABELLA MOON, and there does seem to have been quite a lot that Bill Delaney, in his preference for the quiet life, simply hasn't seen or deliberately ignored. The death of a local teenager from a drug overdose, his mother and school both asserting he didn't "do drugs", is linked to a thriving drugs factory kept hidden through police corruption. I'm not particularly fond of my crime fiction being mixed in with the paranormal, and this element of the novel, with several "appearances" of Isabella Moon, does require suspension of disbelief in the reader.

But that wasn't the only thing that bothered me. There is a scene early on where Bill Delaney and his wife Margaret are digging in a local cemetery by moonlight in the spot where Kate Russell says the body is buried. Most unlikely, I thought. As in most small towns, the main characters of ISABELLA MOON are linked in only a couple of degrees of separation, rather too much in the fashion of a spider's web. And then there's the way that Kate's past in the form of a domineering left-for-dead husband catches up with her. As I said, there's a lot going on. A more experienced writer may have been able to weave the story with a few less strands.

Nevertheless, I found ISABELLA MOON compulsive reading, and those who do like their paranormal interwoven with crime fiction will love it. Laura Benedict expects to be publishing her second novel CALLING MR. LONELY HEARTS early in 2009. Her website contains a slick video promo for ISABELLA MOON, a synopsis, and an excerpt, among other things. Her blog First and Last Lines was created to show progress with her new novel. A search of Amazon shows that ISABELLA MOON is available for Kindle.

My rating: 4.3

WILLOWS FOR WEEPING, Felicity Pulman

Random House Australia, 2008, 313 pages, ISBN 978-1-74166-250-4

Set in the 1140s during the wars between King Stephen and the Empress Matilda, the novel tells the story of Janna's search for her father. She joins a band of pilgrims passing through Wiltune where she has lived for a year in the convent. Janna wants to go to Ambresberie where her mother was once the infirmarian, known as Sister Emanuelle. The pilgrims, a disparate bunch, have been to the shrine of St. James and are now on their way home. A little way out of Wiltune Janna discovers a man's body carrying a letter from the Bishop of Winchester. She is sworn to secrecy about the letter by Bernard the leader of the pilgrims who is himself killed. Janna is torn between her secret knowledge of the letter, her own support for the Empress, and her desire to learn more about her father.

I don't usually review adolescent literature, so reading WILLOWS FOR WEEPING made an interesting change to my normal fare. The setting is an much written about period in English history, one also used by Ellis Peters in her Cadfael series. The portrayal of life in this period felt very authentic as did the historical detail. Just after their discovery of the first body Bernard, the leader of the pilgrim party, tells Janna to "trust no-one". It's not advice she always manages to keep and there's a good sense of the peril she is in. She really doesn't know who to trust.

WILLOWS FOR WEEPING is catalogued as "for secondary school age" and I think that is right too. There are some enthusiastic comments on the back cover for the earlier titles by YARA ONLINE reviewers aged 12-15.

If you are new to the Janna series, then I would seriously suggest that you look out for the first 3 in the series and try to read them in order, because I did feel that there was some back-story I was missing that would add to my understanding of what had already happened to Janna.
The books to find:
ROSEMARY FOR REMEMBRANCE
RUE FOR REPENTANCE
LILIES FOR LOVE.
According to Felicity's blog, a 5th in the series called SAGE FOR SANCTUARY will be published in early 2009.

Felicity Pulman is an Australian author who has written a number of books for children and teenagers. Her website at http://www.felicitypulman.com.au/ contains comprehensive details of all of her books, reviews, writing tips, as well as notes and class activities for teachers. Random House Reading Guides contains more information about the themes of the Janna series and activities for teachers. And then finally there is Felicity's blog.

My rating: 4.5

NEMESIS, Jo Nesbo

Harvill Secker, 2008, ISBN 978-1-846-55039-3, 474 pages

It is a busy Friday afternoon in October in Oslo. The bank robber is wearing a boiler suit and a balaclava, and is brandishing a gun. He whispers instructions to the female cashier for the ATM to be opened and unloaded. Less than 90 seconds later she is dead, executed. The aging, frantic bank manager has taken too long to open the ATM and the gunman carries out his threat to kill her, despite the fact that he now has the money, two million kroner. He then disappears without trace into the crowded street.

It's been a year since Detective Harry Hole's partner Ellen Gjelten was killed, and Harry has rejoined the Crime Squad and is part of the team investigating the bank murder. A newcomer to the squad is an expert in gaining information from video footage. In the course of the investigation she becomes Harry's new partner.

The Harry Hole we first met in THE DEVIL'S STAR and then again in REDBREAST is dealing with his alcoholism and has been semi-successful in giving up smoking. Just now though, he's on his own, because his girlfriend Rakel and her young son have gone to Russia to fight a custody battle. Harry accepts an invitation to coffee from an old flame Anna, and then finds himself at home without any recollection of how he got there. Then he hears that Anna is dead. Harry is not at all sure that he might not have killed her, although the police investigation concludes suicide.

When the bank robbery investigation is stalled, it is decided to try a new tack. Harry and his new partner Beate will be allowed to work on their own. This suits Harry down to the ground as he feels stifled by having to follow orders. A break through leads them to believe they know who the bank robber is. Nevertheless they still need proof and the bank robberies continue - but are they the real thing, or copy-cats?

The remarkable thing for me about NEMESIS is that just when you believe everything is stitched up, Nesbo reminds you of something you forgot, and the roller coaster ride takes off again. The other thing that I noticed is that I have a much better idea of what Harry looks like than I did after the earlier two novels - that is probably a bit trivial, but it is also very satisfying. I also liked Harry's new partner Beate Lonn and the relationship that is building between them.

Harry Hole is not just a Norwegian version of the other "modern" loose cannons in crime fiction: Rankin's John Rebus, Wingfield's Jack Frost, and Mankell's Kurt Wallander to name few. Sure he shares some of their problems - the alcoholism, tobacco addiction, poor social relationships, and a workaholic to boot. But, at just under 40, he is younger than them, with much of his career before him, and for me each novel is defining him more clearly.

NEMESIS is the 3rd of Jo Nesbo's highly acclaimed novels to be translated from Norwegian into English and it is well worth while to try to read them in order. Just to make things tricky, look for THE DEVIL'S STAR and then REDBREAST (this is not their translation order). You will see from Nesbo's own website that there are in fact many more Harry Hole books - let's just hope we see them in English. He is certainly a crime fiction writer to treasure. [Visit his website too and read extracts in English, or sign up for his newsletter]

My rating: 5.0

More from Abu Dhabi

Yesterday we took a tour at the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital, a local foundation dedicated to the care of captivity-bred falcons.

Kathryn had seen the tour written up in a local magazine and as it turned out we were the only 3 people taking the tour.

Here you see me with one of the falcons they use for visitors, and the poor little guy sitting patiently on the bench with his hood on is waiting to have bandages on his feet changed, or his talons clipped or his beak trimmed or similar.

We had a very comprehensive tour of everything that happens at the hospital. It is currently the moulting season so many birds are "hospitalised" there while they lose most of their feathers. The tour is followed up with a lovely Arabian lunch. More here.

Today we drove back to just south of Dubai to Madinat Jumeirah, a beach front resort which has its own souq, hotel accommodation, Venetian style canals, and cafes.

This very close to the Palm Jumeirah, a new set of islands being specially constructed off shore.

Below is a view of the souq, where it would have been lovely to spend a small fortune, but we had to be content with some very packable wind chimes.

In the background of the photo below you can see Dubai's very famous monument, Burj Al Arab and just behind Kathryn and me, part of the canal system that divides the souq of Madinat Jumeirah from the hotel accommodation.

Prices for 1 night's accommodation start at 999.99 AED ( about $300$AUS) for a very basic room.

And no, you haven't gone mad - I haven't got my photos muddled up. The photo below is at Ski Dubai which is at the nearby Mall of the Emirates.

A mere -4 degrees C in there, and only 42 C outside! People who work in there must have serious thermal adjustment problems when they leave work.

Carnival of Criminal Minds #17

Somehow Martin Edwards over on Do You Write Under Your Own Name has managed to fit a hosting The Carnival of Criminal Minds into his very busy life.

I love his pictures of the big tent and the hurdy gurdy.
And his other blog postings are always interesting and worthwhile adding to your list.

If you still don't know what The Carnival of Criminal Minds is all about check here for back listings.

Sunday Salon #11 - 1 June 2008

According to the site, there are now 152 members of Sunday Salon, which is staggering growth. I haven't yet managed to identify all the crime fiction devotees though.

We arrived here in Abu Dhabi a week ago now and have only 6 days to go before we take off back for Australia. My daughter has a guide book that lists the top 10 things to do in Abu Dhabi and so far we are doing pretty well, as well as a good range of things outside AD.

One of the effects of being away from home is that fact that I'm not able to spend as much time on the internet as I do at home, and also I 'watch' RSS feeds from my favourite blogs via an RSS reader on my desktop computer. Won't I have a lot to read when I get home! And just one more thing.. my webmail is not reachable today - hopefully it will come good soon.

However there has been plenty of time to read. It is really hot most days, with the result that there is a limit to how long you actually want to be outside. So we retreat back to our daughter and son-in-law's apartment for large parts of the day.
The other thing to do is to visit a shopping mall - there are some huge ones, with hectares of shopping and food courts, all air-conditioned to the nth degree. One we visited today has a running club from 7-10am every morning for those who prefer a cool 22 degrees Celsius to 40+ degrees outside later in the day.
Today we also visited a couple of Kathryn's favourite book shops.

My postings this week (in reverse order)

• Travels in Abu Dhabi
  Yesterday we explored an oasis in Al Ain and had Friday brunch on the top of a mountain at Jebel Hafeet
• THE DEAD POOL, Sue Walker
  I was disappointed in this book - I read and enjoyed her previous two.
• NO TIME FOR GOODBYE, Linwood Barclay
  Highly recommended. Those who've called it a page-turner are not wrong.
• SNOW CANDY, Terry Carroll
  Sortlisted for Canada's Arthur Ellis awards. Well worth looking out for.
• Ned Kelly Longlist 2008 announced
  Lots of goodies listed here. Ned Kelly Awards are highly prized Australian Crime fiction awards announced at Melbourne Writers' Festival. You'll find many of them linked to reviews by me or at Aust Crime Fiction.
• RENDEZVOUS AT KAMAKURA INN, Marshall Browne
  This is a good read from Australian author Marshall Browne - you may be familiar with his Inspector Anders series
• TRICK OR TREAT, Kerry Greenwood
  This is what I read on the plane. Didn't get as much read as I thought I would. Good light read though. You've probably heard of her Phryne Fisher series but maybe not Corinna Chapman.