When Shamini Flint's first novel in the Inspector Singh
Investigates series was published, most readers probably
found the
adventures of the rotund,
irascible Sikh detective amusing light reading.
But with the second, A Bali Conspiracy Most Foul
(Piatkus, pbk, $27.99), Flint has stepped up the pace and
calibre of her writing to the top ranks of detective fiction.
Singh, out of favour as usual with his superiors in
Singapore, is dispatched to Bali as part of the international
team investigating the terrorist bombings that wrecked the
tourist paradise.
But amid mass murder, an individual murder is discovered - a
small piece of skull with a bullet hole in it.
From such tiny beginnings, Flint creates a new standard for
the genre and will quickly attract a huge following. -
Geoffrey Vine
If there is a category for the scariest book of the
year, then a top contender has been found.
Level 26 Dark Origins, by Anthony E. Zuiker with Duane
Swierczynski (Penguin, $37, pbk) follows the deeds of a
serial killer who likes to wrap his entire body, except for
one rather obvious exception, in white latex.
According to Zuiker, the creator of the popular CSI
television series, there are 25 levels of evil.
However, the killer who goes by the alias "Sqweegel"
qualifies for his own classification at 26.
The book pumps along at a good pace.
While it takes a leap of faith to believe that all of this
could happen, the fact that sometimes the book had to be put
down for a few minutes at crucial intervals of action was
testimony to the creative writing of Zuiker and his helper.
The villain is vilified in the book as truly evil and he does
evil things.
There is a love match between a retired policeman -
blackmailed into returning to track the killer - his wife of
the moment and a previous lover, who just happens to be
partnered with him on the hunt of the century.
Even the flat moments manage some sort of drama. This is a
scary book. - Dene Mackenzie
Nora
Roberts writes romances and, as J. D. Robb, writes gritty
crime novels set in 2060, but just how difficult it is to
keep the personas apart shows in Kindred in Death
(Piatkus, $38.99, pbk), the 29th Robb offering.
Try as she might to ladle out the blood and have fictional
detective Eve Dallas tackle vicious murders, the romance
leaks through, more treacle-like than the blood, as the New
York cop hustles to solve the crimes before acting as matron
of honour at her best friend's wedding. - Geoffrey Vine
Another contender for scariest book of the year is
Or She Dies, by Gregg Hurwitz (Sphere, $37.99, pbk) in
which Patrick, a man who has followed his dreams only to see
them turn to disaster, starts being stalked.
A DVD taken by hidden cameras in the home he shares with his
wife arrives along with some emails which urge him to tell
no-one, otherwise his wife will die.
The idea of someone watching your daily routine through
hidden cameras is strong enough to make you check behind your
paintings.
It is a worthwhile read. - Dene Mackenzie
The Dead Room, by Chris Mooney (Penguin, $25,
pbk) started with great promise with lots of gratuitous
violence, an attempted suicide by a young boy who had asked
to speak to the heroine's dead policeman father, and the
premise that there were bent cops on the force.
Unfortunately, it got bogged down in the last quarter and
drifted away to a tame finish. - Dene Mackenzie
Brainjack, by Brian Falkner (Walker Books,
$19.99, pbk) is a fascinating book for a technology writer.
"Right now as you read this prologue," the book starts, "I am
sifting through the contents of your computer.
Yes, your computer. You. The one holding the book."
The book is believable.
Falkner could have ended it in several ways but made a
relatively tame choice.
Notwithstanding that, the book is science fiction with a
reality twist for those watching the development of computer
technology.
- Dene Mackenzie
Having always been a fan of James Patterson's
Alex Cross books, Alex Cross's Trial (Random House, $38.99,
pbk) was a bonus.
From his grandmother Cross has heard the story of his
great-uncle Abraham and his struggles for survival in the era
of the Ku Klux Klan.
Patterson manages to combine history and fiction in a way
that makes the book difficult to put down.
It has all the elements of a good read.
A brilliant young lawyer is commanded by the United States
president to return to his home town to investigate rumours
of the resurgence of the Klan.
The lawyer, estranged from his judge father, meets Abraham
Cross and his daughter to investigate the commonplace
lynchings.
Patterson knows how to draw readers into a book and provide
them with a satisfying ending.
He does it again. - Dene Mackenzie
A name, residential address, and (preferably residential) telephone number is required from readers who comment on ODT Online. These details will not be visible to site visitors.