Cold cases and hot pursuits
Gripping tales of a mobster implicated in JFK’s assassination, a perplexed private eye and a cop dream team.
The assassination of John F Kennedy on a sunny day in Dallas on Friday, November 22, 1963 ended a presidency and stunned the world. In the exceptional new novel from Lou Berney, NOVEMBER ROAD (HarperCollins,
$35), it may also spell the end for Frank Guidry. A street lieutenant in the New
Orleans mob, Frank ran an innocuous errand in Dallas a fortnight before JFK was shot. Not so innocuous, perhaps. Now Frank’s Kennedy-hating boss Carlos Marcello is cleaning house and Frank is on the run. Heading to Vegas for a long shot at his life, Frank picks up stranded housewife Charlotte and her kids, hoping to disguise himself as a family man. But Charlotte is also on the run. Berney crafts an exquisite tale as the two strangers head west to escape their pasts and grasp at a shaky future. It moves like a freight train while not short-changing character depth or rich historical texture. Alternating between Frank and Charlotte’s perspectives and a trailing hit man, this multifaceted crime novel pulses with humanity, authenticity and, just maybe, redemption.
Madness and genius have been seen as two sides of the same coin since Aristotle and his pals were using silver drachmas in Ancient Greece. Sara Gran’s singular detective Claire DeWitt encapsulates
that idea in THE INFINITE BLACKTOP (Faber,
$32.99), the long-awaited third tale in a quirky, hallucinogenic mystery series.
The self-proclaimed “best detective in the world”’, DeWitt is damaged, drug addled and looking to find out who decided to play demolition derby with her Kia rental. Dazed and confused and bloodied to boot,
DeWitt still backs herself more than the local cops, and she follows a threadbare lead to Nevada while flashing back to past cases that may be relevant. Or not. In the 1980s, DeWitt and her adolescent pals solved real mysteries growing up in pre-gentrified Brooklyn, until one of her friends vanished. Years later, reeling from the death of her mentor, DeWitt had sought the truth behind a famed artist’s death in order to gain her California PI licence. Gran weaves these past cases into the present in a bizarre, addictive story told with highly original style. In October, Michael Connelly received the prestigious Diamond Dagger for a career of sustained excellence and significant contributions to crime writing. His latest, DARK SACRED NIGHT (Allen & Unwin, $29.99), shows the modern-day master is still at the top of his game. Banished to Hollywood’s night shift after filing a harassment claim, fierce and fascinating detective Renee Ballard (first seen in last year’s excellent The Late Show) stumbles over an old guy rifling through old files. Harry Bosch has sneaked into old haunts, looking for any clues to crack the brutal cold-case killing of a teen runaway left in a dumpster. Two lone wolves willing to put it all on the line, Ballard and Bosch recognise something in each other, unofficially partnering up as they juggle cases old and new. Connelly provides fascinating “compare and contrast” perspectives between two of his great creations. His crime tales are both timely and timeless, addressing deeper societal issues alongside the struggles and humanity of his characters. A new classic in a career filled with them.