Review: RESURRECTION BAY, Emma Viskic

• 
  This edition read as an e-book on Libby through my local library
  
• first published 2016
• my review 2016  
• Finalist for the CWA (Crime Writers’ Association) Gold Dagger
• Finalist for John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger Awards
• 2016 WINNER OF THREE DAVITT AWARDS: Best Adult Novel, Best Debut Book, Readers’ Choice Award
• 2016 WINNER OF THE NED KELLY AWARD for Best First Fiction
• It was iBooks Australia’s Crime Novel of the Year and shortlisted for the UK’s prestigious Gold Dagger and New Blood Dagger Awards, and the US Barry Award.  
• Libby Reads ANZ (Zoom discussions August 2026) 

Synopsis (publisher)

Caleb Zelic may be deaf, but he knows how to read people better than anyone. When his childhood friend is brutally murdered while helping him on an insurance case, Caleb vows to find the killer. But he can't do it alone. Caleb and his business partner Frankie, an ex-cop, start with one clue: Scott, the last word the victim texted to Caleb.

But chasing the elusive Scott leads them back to Caleb's hometown of Resurrection Bay. And it's here he learns that everyone – including his murdered friend – is hiding something. And the deeper he digs, the darker the secrets ... 

My Take

I originally read this title very soon after it was first published. I am re-reading it so I can sit in on a Zoom meeting being held by Libby Reads ANZ (Zoom discussions August 2026). After re-reading the book, I think that I probably underestimated how good it actually was back in 2016. The plot is quite complex and has a couple of turnings that really nothing warns the reader about. It certainly has won, and been short-listed for, a number of local and even international awards.

One question I would like the author to answer in the Zoom discussion is why she made Caleb deaf. 

My rating: 4.6 

I've also read

4.3, RESURRECTION BAY
4.3, AND FIRE CAME DOWN
4.2, DARKNESS FOR LIGHT  

Review: THE WAY IT IS NOW, Garry Disher

• 
  This edition provided by my local library as an e-book on Libby
  
• Published by Text Publishing 2 August 2022
• ISBN 9781922458704
• 416pp  

Synopsis

Twenty years ago Charlie Deravin’s mother went missing near the family beach shack—believed murdered; body never found. His father has lived under a cloud of suspicion ever since.

Now Charlie’s back living in the shack in Menlo Beach, on disciplinary leave from his job with the police sex-crimes unit, and permanent leave from his marriage. After two decades worrying away at the mystery of his mother’s disappearance, he’s run out of leads.

Then the skeletal remains of two people are found in the excavation of a new building site—and the past comes crashing in on Charlie.

The Way It Is Now is the enthralling new novel from Garry Disher, one of Australia’s most loved and celebrated crime writers.

My Take

Set near on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula, in 2020, just as Covid 19 is making itself felt in Australia and on Australians travelling overseas.

Twenty years ago Charlie's mother had disappeared on the same day that Charlie, a police constable, had been in a search party looking for a young boy who had run away from a school camp. Neither of them had been found.  Now, Charlie, still in the police force, has been suspended from assaulting a senior officer. He has nothing to do but to take good look at his mother's disappearance. He thinks the investigation wasn't very thorough, more focussed on acquitting his father who had been a senior police officer at the time. Charlie's older brother believes their father was to blame and he and Charlie do not see each other much. His father has re-married and is now retired and he and his wife are off on an overseas cruise. Charlie decides to contact people from the community who were around 20 years ago, and he begins to find things that just don't add up.

 You will notice that I am re-reading this novel as I am talking about Garry Disher's contribution to Australia crime fiction with my U3A Award Winning Crime Fiction reading group.

This is a typical Disher stand-alone with sub-plots to keep the mind alert, and a range of interesting characters, including Charlie Deravin himself. The setting of a coastal surfing town is strong and gives the novel a substantial Australian flavour.

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

Review: MURDER ON THE LINKS, Agatha Christie

• 
  This edition an e-book on Kindle
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DK9D7QTQ
  
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 267 pages
• #2 of 38 Poirot stories
• originally published 1923  

Synopsis (Amazon)

Agatha Christie's second published novel featuring her famous detective Hercule Poirot. It marks the beginning of Poirot's adventures in the world of literature. Step into the gripping world of 'The Murder on the Links' by Agatha Christie, where the tranquil beauty of the French countryside belies a sinister plot waiting to be unraveled. It is a timeless tale of intrigue, betrayal, and murder that will leave readers on the edge of their seats until the very end. Despite being written nearly a century ago, "The Murder on the Links" remains as fresh and captivating, making it a timeless classic that continues to entertain readers of all ages.

Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie's brilliant detective, returns to find his would-be employer murdered, too many suspects, and the detective directing the local police investigation ignoring his polished investigative technique. The two butt heads compete to solve the case until a second body is discovered, murdered in the same manner as the first.
Poirot's razor-sharp perception and in-depth knowledge of criminal history are required to connect both murders as he successfully works toward an unanticipated conclusion.

My Take

I have of course read this before at least a couple of times. I am re-reading it for discussion with my U3A Agatha Christie reading group.

This is only the 2nd in the Hercule Poirot series. At first the author challenges us to identify the narrator, who is of course Arthur Hastings.

The main action takes place in France. Hercule Poirot gets a letter from an English businessman living in France, but by the time he and Hastings get there, his potential employer is dead.

I'd like our discussion to include the following:

• the role assigned to Hastings as the romantic, and the foil to Poirot
• the reference to World War One with the murder weapon
• does Agatha Christie deliberately set out to confuse the reader (and Hastings) with the complexity of the plot? There seem to be a lot of red herrings. What hinders Poirot in his solving of the case?
• The contrast between Poirot's methods and those of Surete detective Giraud
• this is only the second Poirot novel, but it is implied that he and Hastings have worked a number of cases since "Styles". Inspector Japp has consulted Poirot more than once in the intervening period. Hastings gets impatient with what he sees as Poirot's lack of action.
• Is the title misleading? What does it refer to?
• What is the motive for the murder?
  

My rating: 4.4

I also reviewed it at 

4.4, THE MURDER ON THE LINKS  

4.5, THE MURDER ON THE LINKS,- audio book

 

My Agatha Christie novels

Review: THE SECRETS SHE KEEPS, Michael Robotham - a re-read

• 
  This edition an e-book for Kindle (Amazon)
  
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01N7SVPRI
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sphere (11 July 2017)
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 385 pages  

Synopsis (Amazon)

Agatha is pregnant and works part-time stocking shelves at a grocery store in a ritzy London suburb, counting down the days until her baby is due. As the hours of her shifts creep by in increasing discomfort, the one thing she looks forward to at work is catching a glimpse of Meghan, the effortlessly chic customer whose elegant lifestyle dazzles her. Meghan has it all: two perfect children, a handsome husband, a happy marriage, a stylish group of friends, and she writes perfectly droll confessional posts on her popular parenting blog—posts that Agatha reads with devotion each night as she waits for her absent boyfriend, the father of her baby, to maybe return her calls.

When Agatha learns that Meghan is pregnant again, and that their due dates fall within the same month, she finally musters up the courage to speak to her, thrilled that they now have the ordeal of childbearing in common. Little does Meghan know that the mundane exchange she has with a grocery store employee during a hurried afternoon shopping trip is about to change the course of her not-so-perfect life forever…

With its brilliant rendering of the secrets some women hold close and a shocking act that cannot be undone, The Secrets She Keeps delivers a dark and twisted page-turner that is absolutely impossible to put down.

My Take

I've actually read this twice before: once shortly after it was published,  and also two years ago.

I've read it a third time to refresh my memory, and to lead a discussion with my U3A Crime Fiction group, where I've nominated Michael Robotham as one of two Australian prize winning authors we will discuss. The other is Garry Disher.

Originally written as a standalone, in it Robotham attempted "two voices" for the first time, and also introduced us to psychologist Cyrus Haven. 

For the discussion with my U3A group I found the following "AI-generated" questions online. I will see how they go with my group. I suspect they are based on the television series rather than the book.

"The Secrets She Keeps" invites questions about the complex motivations of both Agatha and Meghan, the nature of their secrets, and the societal pressures surrounding motherhood, including:

About Agatha's motivations and past:

•  What drove Agatha to make the drastic decision to kidnap Meghan's baby?
•  How did Agatha's past experiences with motherhood and loss shape her actions?
• To what extent does Agatha believe she is acting in the best interests of the baby?
• How does Agatha rationalize her actions to herself?
  

About Meghan's perspective:

• How does Meghan's public persona as a social media influencer impact her perception of the situation?
• How does Meghan's relationship with her husband, Jack, change throughout the story?
• Does Meghan ever suspect Agatha's true identity and intentions?
• How does Meghan grapple with the trauma of losing her baby and the subsequent investigation?

Exploring the themes:

• How does the series portray the complexities of motherhood and the pressures placed on women to be perfect mothers?
• What commentary does the show make on the dangers of online privacy and social media scrutiny?
• How does the narrative explore the concept of maternal instinct and its potential for extreme behavior?

 Not all of my group will have read the book recently. Some will be telling us about other Robotham books they have read. I'd like to know what has stuck in their mind from this book in particular.

My rating: 5.0

I've also read

BOMBPROOF

SHATTER #3

SHATTER (audio)

BLEED FOR ME #4

5.0, THE WRECKAGE #5

4.8, SAY YOU'RE SORRY #6

5.0, WATCHING YOU #7

4.8, IF I TELL YOU... I'LL HAVE TO KILL YOU (edit)

5.0, LIFE OR DEATH Shortlisted for the 2015 CWA Gold Dagger

4.8, CLOSE YOUR EYES

5.0, THE SECRETS SHE KEEPS

5.0, THE SUSPECT #1 (audio)

4.8, LOST #2 (audio)

5.0, THE OTHER WIFE

4.8, GOOD GIRL, BAD GIRL -Cyrus Haven #1

4.8, WHEN SHE WAS GOOD -Cyrus Haven #2

5.0, WHEN YOU ARE MINE 

5.0, LYING BESIDE YOU - Cyrus Haven #3

5.0, THE SECRETS SHE KEEPS

5.0, STORM CHILD - Cyrus Haven #4

Re-read: THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES, Agatha Christie

• 
  This is edition read as an Amazon e-book on Kindle
  
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0C5BSNVN4
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Global Publishers (September 24, 2023)
• Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 24, 2023
• Originally published 1920
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 201 pages  

 Synopsis (Amazon) 

The Mysterious Affair at Styles is the first detective novel by British writer Agatha Christie, introducing her fictional detective Hercule Poirot. It was written in the middle of the First World War, in 1916, and first published by John Lane in the United States in October 1920 and in the United Kingdom by The Bodley Head (John Lane's UK company) on 21 January 1921.

Styles introduced Poirot, Inspector (later, Chief Inspector) Japp, and Arthur Hastings.[3] Poirot, a Belgian refugee of the Great War, is settling in England near the home of Emily Inglethorp, who helped him to his new life. His friend Hastings arrives as a guest at her home. When Mrs Inglethorp is murdered, Poirot uses his detective skills to solve the mystery.

The book includes maps of the house, the murder scene, and a drawing of a fragment of a will. The true first publication of the novel was as a weekly serial in The Times, including the maps of the house and other illustrations included in the book. This novel was one of the first ten books published by Penguin Books when it began in 1935.

My Take

You are right! I have read this numerous times before. I have read it yet again because I am starting up another face-to-face Agatha Christie reading group with my local U3A. During this year we will read the first 5 Poirot novels and the first 5 Marple novels. One a month. The pattern will be that we will read the book, then at a monthly meeting, spend an hour discussing it, and then watch an ITV  video version.

I have a number of reviews of the novel already on this blog:

• from 2008
• from 2014
  
• from 2021 

 I also have a chronology of Hercule Poirot which may be useful.

The group is a mixture of members who are new to the group and some who have been with me before.

I really want to make their first session a gentle introduction and I don't want to spoil the impact of their discovery of Poirot, so I want to focus on how they feel about their first read and to encourage discussion.

So here are some of the topics we will cover

• Who is this narrator chap (Hastings)?
• Poirot's background
• The setting, the period, World War One and its effect on English society
  
• Agatha Christie as an observer - social, economic
• What did they make of the story itself? Red herrings, relationship between Poirot and Hastings, role of Hastings, Poirot's opinion of himself, characters we will meet again (Inspector Japp)
• their rating of the novel (1-5)
  

My collection of Agatha Christie reviews

My rating: 4.5

Review: ONE GOOD TURN, Kate Atkinson

Just a note here to say that I have re-read Kate Atkinson's ONE GOOD TURN, forgetting that I had read it 15 years ago. My original review is here and I am pleased to see that I basically concurred with it.

This was the second in the Jackson Brodie series and made good reading even the second time around. Since then I have read others:

ONE GOOD TURN
WHERE WILL THERE BE GOOD NEWS?
4.6, STARTED EARLY, TOOK MY DOG-audio
LIFE AFTER LIFE
4.5, TRANSCRIPTION  

ONE GOOD TURN is set in the Fringe of the Edinburgh Festival, and it was interesting to see  that the Fringe of the Adelaide Festival shares many elements of it, although perhaps not road rage incidents leading to murder.

Review: AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, Agatha Christie

• 
  this large-print edition published by Harper Collins 2011
  
• Originally published in 1939
• ISBN 978-0-06-208152-0
• 307 pages

Synopsis (Harper Collins)

A couple of publisher's blurbs for you to consider

Ten people, each with something to hide and something to fear, are invited to an isolated mansion on Indian Island by a host who, surprisingly, fails to appear. On the island they are cut off from everything but each other and the inescapable shadows of their own past lives. One by one, the guests share the darkest secrets of their wicked pasts. And one by one, they die…

Which among them is the killer and will any of them survive?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ten strangers, apparently with little in common, are lured to an island mansion off the coast of Devon by the mysterious U.N.Owen. Over dinner, a record begins to play, and the voice of an unseen host accuses each person of hiding a guilty secret. That evening, former reckless driver Tony Marston is found murdered by a deadly dose of cyanide.

The tension escalates as the survivors realise the killer is not only among them but is preparing to strike again… and again…

My Take

I've lost count of the number of times I have read this novel by the Queen of Crime. The fact that I can re-read it again and again should explain to you why I have given it the highest rating. 

This time I am re-reading it with purpose, for a discussion with my local U3A Agatha Christie reading group. Last year we tackled some Poirots and some Marples. This year we are tackling some "stand-alones" and this is the first.

Last week I posed the question of whether THE INVISIBLE HOST was the novel that inspired this one. There is an author's note at the beginning of the novel, an extract from her autobiography, that makes it clear that this book involved "a tremendous amount of planning" and that she found it quite difficult to write. So no, I don't think it is plagiarism in action. I think Christie recognised a challenge - to write a novel where people die without it becoming ridiculous or the murderer being obvious.

I thoroughly enjoyed it, and as I read, I kept an eye on the "Ten little soldier boys" rhyme conveniently displayed at the beginning of the novel, so I could track how the rhyme worked in the novel.

Our group is also going to watch one of the film versions of the novel which should be interesting. (The video has Oliver Reed, Elke Sommer, Richard Attenborough, Herbert Lom, Gert Frobe, Charles Aznavour and the voice of Orson Welles and is 94 mins.)

And of course I originally read it when it didn't have a politically correct name. Amongst talking about the many names the novel has gone by, I want also to talk about the central idea that people can commit quite dreadful crimes, even murder without punished for them. That is what binds all the people on Soldier Island together.

See my original review on this blog over 10 years ago.

My rating: 5.0

see my list of Agatha Christie novels