Review: SWIMMING IN THE DARK, Paddy Richardson

• first published in New Zealand and Australia (Pan Macmillan Australia) in 2014
• ISBN 978-1-74353-120-4
• 287 pages
• source: my local library

Synopsis (Pan Macmillan Australia)

Four women
Four secrets
One promise

In a small New Zealand town, four women find their lives inextricably linked by a secret that could bring about their undoing... or set them free.

Serena Freeman, a once-promising high school student, has started to retreat from life and one night does not return home. Her sister, Lynnie Freeman, is carving out a successful career and is desperate to distance herself from her troubled past. But on hearing of Serena's disappearance, Lynnie is forced to return to the town of Alexandra to look for her.

The only link to Serena's disappearance is Ilse Klein, a quietly dedicated English teacher who longs for her lost childhood in Germany and the sense of belonging it gave her. She lives with her mother, Gerda Klein, who is beset by a devastating depression each winter and plagued by memories of Stasi Germany. The Kleins learned long ago that there is safety in silence, can they break a lifelong habit?

My Take

This really is among the best books I have read this year. I think it is one of those rare ones, where the literary merges with crime fiction. For much of the book you wonder what "the crime" is going to be, although in reality there are many.

The Freeman family is one of those small country town families blighted from the beginning by poverty and social circumstances. Lynnie, the eldest of five, escapes early and heads for the city, eventually making a better life for herself. Serena is the youngest, brighter, but still not protected by her mother, the school, and the authorities in the way they should. And then her mother contacts Lynnie to tell her that Serena has been missing for three weeks. Lynnie comes home.

Serena's favourite teacher is Miss Klein. She and her mother are immigrants from East Germany. Richardson does a wonderful job of describing their background and, for me, sheds light on what life in Leipzig under the Stasi was like.

The plots merge in the present in the small New Zealand town of Alexandra, but the story moves the reader effortlessly through time and location.

A fabulous read.

My rating: 5.0

About the author
Paddy Richardson is the author of six novels and two short story collections. Her fiction has been a finalist for the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel and short-listed for the BNZ Katherine Mansfield Awards. She has been the recipient of the University of Otago Burns Fellowship, the Beatson Fellowship, and the James Wallace Arts Trust Residency Award. Four of her novels have been translated and published in Germany. Paddy has lectured and tutored English Literature at university level and taught many creative writing courses. She lives on the Otago Peninsula in New Zealand.

I've also reviewed
5.0, TRACES OF RED

2014 Mystery Author Challenge A-Z

This is the first of many updated pages and posts.
I'm doing quite well on this challenge but I can already see some problem letters like Q, X, and Z. 
Page first begun on 3 March 2014 
Completed 17 Dec 2014

I really am a bit of a sucker for challenges aren't I, but this one appeals to me, and will overlap my existing reading and challenges quite well.

It is really is a bit of a variant of the Crime Fiction Alphabet challenge that I have run for the last few years (and I may well do that again some time in 2014)

The A-Z Mystery Challenge is being run at Red Headed Book Child for the calendar year of 2014.

The rules

• A-Z represents the LAST name of the author in the mystery, thriller, suspense, cozy, noir, etc. genre. 
• Read as many or as little as you want. 
• Post your links here for your Challenge post and your reviews! 
• Challenge Runs January 1, 2014 - December 31, 2014 
• Have fun! 

I am going to use this page as my record page too.

Last updated 17 December 2014

Number of letters achieved: 26/26

• A = HOTEL BOSPHORUS, Esmahan Aykol
• B = 4.4, THE GHOST RUNNER, Parker Bilal
• C = 4.4, THIRD GIRL, Agatha Christie
• D = WITNESS THE NIGHT, Kishwar Desai
• E =  4.3, THE SHADOW WOMAN, Ake Edwardson
• F =  4.6, BLOOD FROM STONE, Frances Fyfield
• G =  4.7, THE GINGERBREAD HOUSE, Carin Gerhardsen
• H =  4.5, THE AMBER FURY, Natalie Haynes
• I =   4.3, FINAL CURTAIN, Ed Ifkovic
• J =   HANK OF HAIR, Charlotte Jay
• K = THE FUNERAL OWL, Jim Kelly
• L =  DEATH IN A STRANGE COUNTRY, Donna Leon
• M = THE NURSING HOME MURDER, Ngaio Marsh
• N = THE DIVIDED CHILD, Ekaterine Nikas
• O =  I CAME TO SAY GOODBYE, Caroline Overington
• P =  4.6, VISITATION STREET, Ivy Pochoda
• Q = 4.6, CURTAIN CALL, Anthony Quinn
• R =  DEATH SURGE, Pauline Rowson
• S =  4.8, THE SECOND DEATH OF GOODLUCK TINUBU, Michael Stanley
• T =  THE GOLDEN CALF, Helene Tursten
• U =  DEATH OF A SWAGMAN, Arthur Upfield
• V =  4.4, DOG WILL HAVE HIS DAY, Fred Vargas
• W = 4.1, GREY MASK, Patricia Wentworth
• X =  4.5, ENIGMA OF CHINA, Qiu Xiaolong
• Y =  4.5, ANTIDOTE TO MURDER, Felicity Young
• Z = 4.5, THE DOCTOR OF THESSALY, Anne Zouroudi

Review: DOG WILL HAVE HIS DAY, Fred Vargas

• published by Harvill Secker 2014
  
• ISBN 978-1-846-55820-7
• translated from French by Sian Reynolds
• source: my local library
• The Three Evangelists #2

Synopsis (Random House Australia)

HOW DO YOU SOLVE A MURDER WITHOUT A BODY?

Keeping watch under the windows of the Paris flat belonging to a politician's nephew, ex-special investigator Louis Kehlweiler catches sight of something odd on the pavement. A tiny piece of bone. Human bone, in fact.

When Kehlweiler takes his find to the nearest police station, he faces ridicule. Obsessed by the fragment, he follows the trail to the tiny Breton fishing village of Port-Nicolas – in search of a dog. But when he recruits ‘evangelists' Marc and Mathias to help, they find themselves facing even bigger game.

My Take

I really did find this Fred Vargas novel a most peculiar read. That was probably I have never read the first in The Three Evangelists series and kept expecting her usual sleuth, Inspector Adamsberg, to make an appearance.

The little piece of human bone that Louis Kehlweiler finds convinces him that a murder has taken place. But his contacts tell him that no murder of an elderly woman has been reported. After a week he decides the murder has not taken place in Paris but in the country. By watching the dogs that visit a particular tree in Paris, he identifies one that has come from the country and that leads him to a fishing village in Breton.

A review in The Independent called it a "bizarre tale" with "surreal touches" and it certainly is, but at the same time as stretching the bounds of credibility, there is something compelling about reading it.
Keihlweiler ends up not only identifying a multiple murderer, and tracking down a former lover, but also solving a puzzle related to his own family history. Throw in too an Incredible Machine that performs the role of a modern oracle, with the whole story delivered with patches of quirky humour.

My rating: 4.4

I've also reviewed
SEEKING WHOM HE MAY DEVOUR
THE CHALK CIRCLE MAN
THIS NIGHT'S FOUL WORK
WASH THIS BLOOD CLEAN FROM MY HAND
4.8, AN UNCERTAIN PLACE
5.0, THE GHOST RIDERS OF ORDEBEC 

Review: THE CINDERELLA KILLER, Simon Brett

• published by Severn House 2014
  
• ISBN 978-1-78029-5
• 186 pages
• #19 in the Charles Paris series

Synopsis (author website)

Landing a minor part in the Empire Theatre Eastbourne’s Christmas production of Cinderella, Charles Paris soon discovers that his main role is gently to introduce the show's baffled American star, famous sitcom actor Kenny Polizzi, to the bizarre customs of English pantomime.

During their convivial sessions in the local pub, Charles finds himself increasingly caught up in Polizzi’s tangled affairs as the American fends off a vengeful soon-to-be-ex-wife, an obsessed groupie, and a barely-controlled drink problem. But Charles is about to be far more involved than he might wish when he stumbles across a body beneath Eastbourne Pier, a neat bullet hole in the centre of the forehead.

As the world’s press descends on Eastbourne, the pantomime rehearsals descend into chaos and he himself comes under suspicion, it’s up to Charles to put his renowned sleuthing skills to the test to find out who really killed his fellow cast member – and why.

My Take

Until Simon Brett revived the Charles Paris series last year with  THE STRANGLING ON THE STAGE we hadn't heard from Charles for about fifteen years. He is still the loveable dipsomaniac and part time bit actor, viewing his world through the bottom of a Bell's bottle.

The books are flavoured by comedy and in this case obviously written by someone who knows his pantomimes. I find that underneath the murder mystery and comedy, Simon Brett also has the occasional serious point to make, the occasional observation of English life, what makes society tick.

This places the books on the lighter side of crime fiction, basically cozy, but very readable.

My rating: 4.2

I've also reviewed
BLOOD AT THE BOOKIES
THE POISONING IN THE PUB
4.4, THE SHOOTING IN THE SHOP
4.3, SO MUCH BLOOD
4.2, A DECENT INTERVAL
4.5, BONES UNDER THE BEACH HUT
4.2, GUNS IN THE GALLERY
4.6, THE CORPSE ON THE COURT
4.3, THE STRANGLING ON THE STAGE 

Summary: Agatha Christie Blog Carnival for July 2014

The Agatha Christie Reading Challenge continues this year and the August carnival is now open.

We welcome all contributions providing they relate in some way to Agatha Christie.

What are your best Christies? Check out some lists in the posts below.


Agatha Christie Reading Challenge Participants

1. CozyMysteryBlogTour-AgC SignupsOpen- Sharon 2. New POIROT Monogram Murders- Sharon 3. Explore Poirot's apartment 4. AND THEN THERE WERE NONE @Readers Respite 5. Sparkling Cyanide at Clothes in Books 6. Top 5 Agatha Christies at Clothes in Books 7. Martin Edwards - Best 6 Agatha Christies 8. Christine Poulson's Top 5 Agatha Christies 9. Top 5 Agatha books - follow-up post Clothes in Books

Powered by... Mister Linky's Magical Widgets.

I'd like to also point out to you the Agatha Christie Blog Tour happening September 1-14 over at Cozy Mystery Blog Tours. Participants can now sign up for a spot.

What I read in July 2014

I caught up with some Australian authors, some Vintage crime, and a British author I should have read a few years ago.

1. 4.7, THE LOST GIRLS, Wendy James -  Aussie author
2. 3.5, THE CARTOGRAPHER, Peter Twohig - Aussie author
3. 4.6, THE CONFESSION, Charles Todd - audio book
4. 4.8, HOLY ORDERS, Benjamin Black - British
5. 4.2, MURDER IN THE MONASTERY, Lesley Cookman - cozy, British
6. 4.7, ELIZABETH IS MISSING, Emma Healey
7. 4.6, STRANGE SHORES, Arnaldur Indridason - translated
8. 3.7, THE FOOTPRINTS ON THE CEILING, Clayton Rawson - Vintage crime
9. 3.9, THE CIRCULAR STAIRCASE, Mary Roberts Rinehart - Vintage crime
10. 4.0, DEATH-WATCH, John Dickson-Carr - NetGalley, Vintage crime
11. 4.3, FINAL CURTAIN, Ed Ifkovic - NetGalley
12. 5.0, LIFE OR DEATH, Michael Robotham - Aussie author

My pick of the month had to be Michael Robotham's July publication LIFE OR DEATH.
It is a stand-alone and it will be interesting to see how readers react to it.

Synopsis (Net Galley)

Why would a man escape from prison the day before he's due to be released?

Audie Palmer has spent a decade in prison for an armed robbery in which four people died, including two of the gang. Seven million dollars has never been recovered and everybody believes that Audie knows where the money is.

For ten years he has been beaten, stabbed, throttled and threatened almost daily by prison guards, inmates and criminal gangs, who all want to answer this same question, but suddenly Audie vanishes, the day before he's due to be released.

Everybody wants to find Audie, but he's not running. Instead he's trying to save a life . . . and not just his own.

See my review

See what others have chosen this month

Crime Fiction Pick of the Month July 2014

Crime Fiction Pick of the Month 2014

Many crime fiction bloggers write a summary post at the end of each month listing what they've read, and some, like me, even go as far as naming their pick of the month.

This meme is an attempt to aggregate those summary posts.
It is an invitation to you to write your own summary post for July 2014, identify your crime fiction best read of the month, and add your post's URL to the Mr Linky below.
If Mr Linky does not appear for you, leave the URL in a comment and I will add it myself.

You can list all the books you've read in the past month on your post, even if some of them are not crime fiction, but I'd like you to nominate your crime fiction pick of the month.

That will be what you will list in Mr Linky too -
e.g.
ROSEANNA, Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo - MiP (or Kerrie)

You are welcome to use the image on your post and it would be great if you could link your post back to this post on MYSTERIES in PARADISE.

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