What I've read in November 2012

Nearly at the end of the month, and I won't finish any more books this month.

I read 12 books this month - nearly all on my Kindle. My choice of books was largely determined by the fact that I wanted to complete the Global Reading Challenge for 2012 which I did.

There are 4 books by Australian authors, means I am close to completing  self-imposed target of 20 books for the 2012 Aussie author challenge- just one to go.

Last month my pick of the month was A DECLINE IN PROPHETS by Australian author Sulari Gentill - this was the winner of Davitt Award for Best Adult Crime Fiction 2012 (Australian Sisters in Crime)

This month my choice is the next book in Sulari Gentill's Rowland Sinclair series:  MILES OFF COURSE  If you haven't caught up with this series, make time to do so.

A close second was PERFECT HATRED by Leighton Gage

1. 3.9, THE JEWELS OF PARADISE, Donna Leon  - Kindle
2. 4.6, WINTER CHILL, Jon Cleary  - Aussie author, audio book
3. 4.4, SUICIDE RUN, Michael Connelly - Kindle 
4. 4.7, PERFECT HATRED, Leighton Gage  - Kindle
5. 4.5, ALL YOURS, Claudia Pineiro  - Kindle
6. 4.4, WHO KILLED PALOMINO MOLERO?, Mario Vargas Llosa  - Kindle
7. 4.4, A POCKET FULL OF RYE, Agatha Christie  - Kindle
8. 4.4, FAULT LINE, Robert Goddard  - British author, audio book
9. 4.8, MILES OFF COURSE, Sulari Gentill  - Australian author, historical setting, library book
10. 4.5, SCARED YET? Jaye Ford  - Australian author, review copy
11. 4.4, BEYOND FEAR, Jaye Ford  - Australian author, library book
12. 4.5, INSPECTOR SINGH INVESTIGATES: A MOST CURIOUS INDIAN CADAVER, Shamini Flint   - library book

See what others have chosen for their Pick of the Month for November.

Review: THE JEWELS OF PARADISE, Donna Leon

• published Grove Atlantic 2012
• Format: Kindle e-book
• File Size: 399 KB
• Print Length: 292 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0434022284
• Publisher: Cornerstone Digital (October 4, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B009IJZD9C
• source:  review copy supplied by publisher through NetGalley.com

Synopsis (NetGalley)

Donna Leon has won heaps of critical praise and legions of fans for her best-selling mystery series featuring Commissario Guido Brunetti, one of contemporary crime fiction’s most beloved characters. Over twenty-one books this sharp, kind-hearted native Venetian {??] has exposed read­ers to contemporary Venice in all its aspects: its arts and architecture, food and family life, but also its crime and insidious corruption. With The Jewels of Paradise, Leon takes readers beyond the world of the Venetian Questura in her first stand-alone novel.

Caterina Pellegrini is a native Venetian, and like so many of them, she’s had to leave home to pursue her career elsewhere, mostly abroad. With a doctorate in baroque opera from Vienna, she lands in Birmingham, England, as a research fellow and assistant professor. Birmingham, however, is no Venice, so when she gets word of a position back home, Caterina jumps at the opportunity.

The job is an unusual one. After nearly three centuries, two locked trunks, believed to contain the papers of a once-famous, now largely forgotten baroque composer, have been discovered. The composer was deeply connected in religious and political circles, but he died childless, and now two Venetian men, descendants of his cousins, each claim inheritance. With rumors of a treasure, they aren’t about to share the possible fortune. Caterina has been hired to attend the opening of the trunks and examine any enclosed papers to discover the “testamentary disposition” of the composer. But when her research takes her in unexpected directions and a silent man follows her through the streets, she begins to wonder just what secrets these trunks may hold. From a masterful writer, The Jewels of Paradise is a superb novel, a grip­ping tale of intrigue, music, history, and greed.

My Take

While there will be some who love this book, I'm afraid I am not one of them. I think I love the Guido Brunetti series (see my reviews below) too much.

THE JEWELS OF PARADISE felt a bit bloated to me. I couldn't fault the research and accepted that the author had a few things she needed to get off her chest, but there were times when I felt myself losing interest.

Part of (my) trouble is probably that it barely falls into the crime fiction category. Sure there is a possible murder that took place some 400 years ago when a prominent man simply disappeared, and then in the current setting there is some fraud and deception happening. But the author felt too compelled to give me the benefit of her research and I also got impatient with Caterina humming over baroque music in her head.

I found the final denouement barely satisfactory. I could understand why the "cousins" were interested in the possible treasure but couldn't get a handle on what the lawyer was trying to do. Although there is some irony at the end that made me chuckle. It tied in well with the discussion in the story about people seeing things differently because they are viewing them from different perspectives.

My rating: 3.9

I've also reviewed
ABOUT FACE
THE GIRL OF HIS DREAMS
THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY
4.4, A QUESTION OF BELIEF
4.5, BEASTLY THINGS
4.4, QUIETLY IN THEIR SLEEP

Review: WINTER CHILL, John Cleary - audio book

• originally published 1995
• audio book published by Chivers 2011
• playing time 9 hours 40 mins
• Narrator Christian Rodska
• ISBN 978-1-4458-1306-6
• source: my local library

Synopsis (Audible.com)

It is 3.30 a.m. The Sydney monorail performs its endless circuit like a pale metal caterpillar - all for the benefit of one dead passenger.

Elsewhere in the city’s bleak midwinter, Darling Harbour buzzes to the sound of 1,000 American lawyers attending an international conference. And that means 1,000 opinions as to who killed their president. Two bodies later, and the more Scobie Malone fillets the heart of the city’s legal profession, the more he cuts into an intrigue of international proportions.... 

My Take

#12 in Jon Cleary's Scobie Malone series, CID police procedurals set in Sydney, that reflect current events such as the building of the Sydney Opera House and the holding of the Sydney Olympics.

Against the background of  an international conference for lawyers being held in Sydney, an American lawyer who turns out to have been born in Australia is killed. His body is discovered on the monorail and then the security guard who discovered the body is murdered.

There's quite a bit of human interest in the story too. Scobie Malone has two teenage children and his wife discovers she has breast cancer. Scobie Malone is a principled detective who believes in thorough investigative techniques.

A good story made even better by the excellent narration of Christian Rodska.Quite an intricate plot.

My rating: 4.6

In 2004 Cleary (1917-2010) won a Ned Kelly Award for best novel for the last of the Scobie Malone books DEGREES OF CONNECTION. He also won an Edgar Award for Best Novel in 1975 for a non Malone novel PETER'S PENCE.

Jon Cleary was probably better known for the fact that he wrote THE SUNDOWNERS.

Wikipedia has a good listing of the Scobie Malone books with single sentence plot outlines.

Cleary once stated that, "There's more than a bit of me in Scobie. We both come from fighting Irish stock, we're both from Erskineville, the wrong side of the tracks, and both of us slugged our way up." Malone was a Catholic family man with rigid principles who mostly worked in Sydney, although his adventures occasionally took him overseas.
Other regular characters in the series included:

• Malone's Dutch wife Lisa, who he first met working as Sir James Quentin's secretary in The High Commissioner. She was based on Cleary's wife Joy.
• Malone's partner Sergeant Russ Clements, who eventually became head of Homicide.
• Inspector Leeds, Malone's superior.
• His father Con and mother Brigid (based on Cleary's parents).
• His children Tom and Maureen (based on Cleary's grandchildren).

Scobie Malone (Fantastic Fiction)
1. The High Commissioner (1966)
2. Helga's Web (1970)
3. Ransom (1973)
4. Dragons at the Party (1987)
5. Now and Then, Amen (1988)
6. Babylon South (1989)
7. Murder Song (1990)
8. Pride's Harvest (1991)
9. Dark Summer (1991)
10. Bleak Spring (1993)
11. Autumn Maze (1994)
12. Winter Chill (1995)
13. A Different Turf (1996)
14. Endpeace (1997)
15. Five Ring Circus (1998)
16. Dilemma (1999)
17. The Bear Pit (2000)
18. Yesterday's Shadow (2001)
19. The Easy Sin (2002)
20. Degrees of Connection (2005)

Sadly I have only one or two of this series, and that really is something I should correct.

2012 Global Reading Challenge completed

2012 Global Reading Challenge: 21/21 - -  

Completed at Expert Level.

I committed myself to reading 21 titles, all crime fiction, 3 titles each from 7 "continents". My 7th continent - historical crime fiction.
Blog site: 2012 Global Reading Challenge

 Africa - completed

1. 4.5, THE LIMPOPO ACADEMY OF PRIVATE DETECTION, Alexander McCall Smith (Botswana)
2. 5.0, DEATH OF THE MANTIS, Michael Stanley (Botswana)
3. 4.6, TRUE MURDER, Yaba Badoe   (Ghanaian author)

Asia - completed

1. 4.5, A BALI CONSPIRACY MOST FOUL, Shamini Flint (Indonesia)
2. 4.5, THE THIEF, Fuminori Nakamura (Japan)
3. 4.2, ASIA HAND, Christopher G. Moore (Thailand)

Australasia/Oceania (my modification) - completed

1. 5.0, THE BROTHERHOOD, Y.A. Erskine (Tasmania)
2. 4.7, BLOOD MOON, Garry Disher (Victoria)
3. 4.0, BODY ON THE STAGE, Bev Robitai (New Zealand)

An extra hurdle for Australasia - at least one from New Zealand.
I can count separate Australian states.

Europe - completed

1. 4.7, HEADHUNTERS, Jo Nesbo (Norway)
2. 3.5, OUR KIND OF TRAITOR, John Le Carre (Britain)
3. 4.6, THE COLD COLD GROUND, Adrian McKinty (N. Ireland)

North America - completed

1. 5.0,  A TRICK OF THE LIGHT, Louise Penny (Canada)
2. 4.5, THE END OF EVERYTHING, Megan Abbott  (North America)
3. 4.4, SUICIDE RUN, Michael Connelly (North America)

South America - completed

1. 4.4, WHO KILLED PALOMINO MOLERO?, Mario Vargas Llosa (Peru)
2. 4.5, ALL YOURS, Claudia Pineiro (Argentina) 
3. 4.7, PERFECT HATRED, Leighton Gage (Brazil)

7th Continent: Historical crime fiction - completed

1. 4.5, MURDER AT THE SAVOY, Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo (Sweden in 1960s)
2. 4.4, THE RESURRECTION MEN, Sara Fraser (England 1826)  
3. 4.7, DEATH COMES AS AN END, Agatha Christie  (Egypt 2000 BC

Review: SUICIDE RUN, Michael Connelly

• Format: Kindle (Amazon)
• File Size: 422 KB
• Print Length: 112 pages
• Publisher: Allen & Unwin (October 4, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005SDMDRW
• source: I bought 

Synopsis (Amazon)

In this first collection of three thrilling Harry Bosch stories, Michael Connelly once again demonstrates that he is the greatest living American crime writer.

In SUICIDE RUN, the apparent suicide of a beautiful young starlet turns out to be much more sinister than it seems.
In CIELO AZUL, Bosch is haunted by a long-ago closed case - the murder of a teenage girl who was never identified. As her killer sits on death row, Bosch tries one last time to get the answers he has sought for years.
In ONE DOLLAR JACKPOT, Bosch works the murder of a professional poker player whose skills have made her more than one enemy.
Whether investigating a cold case or fresh blood, Bosch relentlessly pursues his quarry, always on the lookout for the 'tell'.

My Take

This short story collection, quickly read, is an excellent reminder of what is so good about the Harry Bosch stories.

SUICIDE RUN is the perfect illustration of the fact that Harry Bosch always picks up more from a crime scene than others do. Great story.

CIELO AZUL is written in the first person, Harry Bosch's point of view. He shows how he never achieves closure if he can't give a murder victim a name. Again a great story.

ONE DOLLAR JACKPOT - this one is more a novella in length and structure. Harry Bosch has a gut feeling about this one but lacks proof. It demonstrates how often his gut feelings are right.

This is a really quick read, if you are looking for one, but still gives you some essential Harry Bosch.

My rating: 4.4


I've also reviewed
THE OVERLOOK
THE BRASS VERDICT
THE CONCRETE BLONDE
4.3, THE REVERSAL

Review: PERFECT HATRED, Leighton Gage

• Format: I read this on my Kindle via an e-copy ARC sent to me by the author
• Publisher: Soho Crime (February 19, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1616951761
• ISBN-13: 978-161695176
• available for pre-order from Amazon

Synopsis (Amazon)

Chief Inspector Mario Silva and his team have a heavy work load with several high-profile cases. First, a suicide bombing that was apparently the work of a militant Islamist group.

Then, a gubernatorial candidate is assassinated in broad daylight at a campaign rally. Could the cases be related? To complicate Silva's investigation, a criminal with a very bad grudge against the Chief Inspector has been released from prison and is plotting ugly revenge.

My Take

First up, let me point out that I have reviewed an ARC of this book courtesy of the author but that it is now available for pre-order from Amazon. Publication date is Feb 19, 2013.

While I pointed out in my recent review of  ALL YOURS by Claudia Pineiro that I felt I hadn't really learnt a lot about life in Argentina, the same cannot be said of PERFECT HATRED which is set mainly in Brazil. The author's awareness of politics and corruption, and the recent appearance of terrorism and jihad in Brazil all come through loud and clear, and the events and themes of PERFECT HATRED are set against that background.

“Just politics and favoritism is an understatement,” Arnaldo said, standing up. “In case you guys never noticed, politics and favoritism is what Brasilia is all about.”

The book begins with a bomb blast in Sao Paulo. A Muslim extremist detonates a bomb hidden in a baby carriage outside the American Consulate.

350 km to the south in Curitiba, Plinio Saldana, apparently squeaky clean, looks like a golden hope for the governorship of the state of Parana. When he is elected, it will signal the end of corruption and nepotism, and his election looks a cert:

The turnout that day was unprecedented. People had flocked into the city from all over the state. The Civil Police later estimated the size of the crowd to have been somewhere between 250 and 300 thousand—the largest ever to witness the assassination of a Brazilian politician

Seemingly without a qualm his wife Stella steps up as the new candidate, while Mario Silva and his team of federal cops try to work out how and why Plinio could have been assassinated by one of his own team.

Are the two events connected or are they both just signs of political disaffection in Brazil? 

A third story joins the plot when wealthy gangster Muniz tries to ensure that he will not go to jail for crimes he has committed by arranging the assassination of both the public prosecutor responsible for the case against him, and the federal cop, Mario Silva, who saw him gun down an unarmed, penniless priest.

PERFECT HATRED is #6 in Gage's Mario Silva series. Do I have to read them in order I hear you ask? Well, I'd recommend that strategy although I realised today that I haven't read them all.

PERFECT HATRED is an excellent read. Be sure to order your copy.

My rating: 4.7

Author's website

Other books in the series I have reviewed

BLOOD OF THE WICKED
4.7, DYING GASP
4.5, A VINE IN THE BLOOD  

Crime Fiction Alphabet 2012: My Contributions

The Crime Fiction Alphabet meme has been run 3 times in the past 4 years on this blog and has proved both challenging and popular.

Some contributors decided on a pattern for their posts.
For example Bill at Mysteries and More from Saskatchewan decided he would put up 26 mystery author profiles of authors whose books he had read. Yesterday he wrote a summary post.

Margot at Confessions from Mystery Novelist decided she would list protagonists used by mystery novelists.

I decided I would select from books/authors I have read and reviewed this year.
Below are my selections.

A: Anne Holt
B: THE BOY IN THE SUITCASE
C: THE CALLER
D: Garry Disher
E: THE FLATEY ENIGMA
F: Gordon Ferris
G: Sulari Gentill
H: Howell, Holt and Horst
I:  Ian Rankin
J:  Jo Nesbo
K: Karin and Katherine
L: Louise and Lovesey
M: Michael Robotham
N: NEXT OF KIN
O: Octavia
P: Louise Penny
Q: THE QUARRY
R: Ruth Rendell
S: Shamini Flint
T: A TRICK OF THE LIGHT
U: Unger
V: Virginia Duigan
W: Martin Walker
X: EXPERT WITNESS
Y: Yvette and Yaba
Z: Zita and Zero

I was very pleased to find that I had overlapped only 3 times!

If you were a contributor to the Crime Fiction Alphabet for 2012 and have written a similar summary post (doesn't matter if you don't have all the letters covered) I invite you to add a link to your post on the Mr. Linky below.