A round-up of crime novels
Kiwi communism, rich prose, humour and unsporting conduct in a fine crime selection.
New Zealand history from the early 1950s comes to life in RED HERRING, by Jonothan Cullinane (HarperCollins, $36.99). It’s the time of the waterfront dispute and the Korean War, when Kiwis feared the communists would spread all the way from Asia to New Zealand. Private investigator Johnny Molloy is hired to find an Irish-American suspected of faking his death in an insurance scam and fleeing to New Zealand. Molloy soon suspects that a union official named Frank O’Flynn is actually the fugitive – and a former IRA assassin. The waterfront union is in a dispute that would cripple the country’s export trade and an unlikely seeming coalition is opposing it, taking in Prime Minister Sid Holland, fat-cat businessmen with dubious morals, hard man Fintan Patrick Walsh and his Federation of Labour and the Communist Party. Plenty of action and intrigue – including a complex crossword clue devised with the help of Listener cryptic crossword setter David Tossman – make this a very readable history lesson.
Through no fault of his own, Aaron Holland Broussard acquires some very dangerous enemies. Just 17, growing up in Houston in the early 1950s, Aaron faces threats from cheap hoodlums, rotten rich kids and even members of the Mob. In James Lee Burke’s wonderfully complex
THE JEALOUS KIND (Orion, $34.99),
Aaron is afraid but knows he needs to find the courage to confront his enemies. He also has to sustain his relationships with his first love, the rather remarkable Valerie, and his erratic friend Saber – who is largely responsible for the mess Aaron finds himself in. Aaron sticks rigidly to his principles, refusing to compromise or look for a safe way out, as he survives a series of threatening incidents. His enemies grow more and more determined to injure or even kill him. Corrupt police are no
Hiaasen maintains his reputation as the world’s funniest crime writer.
help. This novel covers a lot of ground, including the nature of evil, children’s relationships with their parents, coming of age, fear and courage. Burke’s prose, rich in descriptions of landscapes and emotions, tells his story beautifully.
Poetic justice and scathing satire are hallmarks of Carl Hiaasen’s work and RAZOR
GIRL (Sphere, $37.99) deals out both in fine fashion. Objects of his ridicule this time include a reality TV show featuring obnoxious Louisiana rednecks who are actually from Montana, an operator who steals vast quantities of sand from beaches to replenish eroding coastlines near flash Florida hotels and a shady lawyer who organises lawsuits against the manufacturer of a deodorant that has disastrous side effects – while he keeps using the product himself. Unusually, Hiaasen brings back a character from an earlier novel, Andrew Yancy from
Bad Monkey. Yancy is desperate to get back his police badge, lost after an indiscretion had him demoted to health inspector checking restaurants for cockroaches. He takes it upon himself to investigate the disappearance of one of the fake TV rednecks, with some assistance from the lovely and mysterious Merry, who has a spectacular scam of her own. In the end, justice is dealt out in highly appropriate fashion and Hiaasen maintains his reputation as the world’s funniest crime writer.
Two brothers, Wally and Darren, grow up playing cricket on the lawn at home in Melbourne. In THE RULES OF BACKYARD
CRICKET, by Jock Serong (Text, $37), their rivalry is ferocious and frequently leads to fights. But their talent and constant practice see them rise through the ranks, encouraged by their solo mother, to be selected for Victoria and eventually Australia. Whereas Wally is disciplined and determined, Darren becomes one of the bad-boy sportsmen whom Australians seem to love, more interested in bashing sixes and having a good time than applying himself for the good of the team. Darren’s temptations include money for match-fixing, which helps explain why the book starts with an older Darren tied up in the boot of a car with a bullet hole in his knee; he has got offside with the wrong people. Serong’s strong story takes in sibling rivalry, sporting ethics and the effects of fame. Very good.