This week, Jeff Popple reviews three good crime novels for your winter reading. More of Jeff’s reviews can be found on his blog: murdermayhemandlongdogs.com
Melaleuca by Angie Faye Martin
HQ, $34.99
One of the major Australian crime novels of the year is Angie Faye Martin’s Melaleuca. Set in a small Queensland country town, it follows the efforts of Indigenous policewoman Renee Taylor as she investigates the murder of a woman found down by the local creek. A crime that strangely seems to be connected to the disappearance of two young Aboriginal women thirty years before. This is an evocative and moving crime novel that deals with major themes around racism and poverty, while also delivering the suspense and surprises expected of a crime novel. A fresh and provocative mystery that will leave you thinking.
The Chemist by A. A. Dhand
HQ, $34.99
Set a long way from outback Queensland is A. A. Dhand’s exciting new book The Chemist. Idris Khan is a pharmacist working in a deprived area in Leeds, doling out methadone to addicts and trying to make ends meet. A trusted member of the community, Idris is also in debt to a local gang leader. When the woman he loves gets caught up in a murder, Idris becomes trapped in a criminal turf war and has to use his deadly professional skills to keep those he loves safe. This is a gritty, fast-paced tale with plenty of good twists and turns. Recommended.
The Man Made of Smoke by Alex North
Michael Joseph, $34.99
Also very dark in tone is Alex North’s The Man Made of Smoke. As a boy, Dan witnessed a crime involving a notorious serial killer, known as ‘The Pied Piper’, and has been haunted his entire life by that day. His father, who was a police officer at the time, has also spent many years fruitlessly looking into the case, to the point of obsession. When Dan is informed that his father has died under suspicious circumstances, he returns home and finds that the past is still alive and dangerous. Skilfully interweaving multiple timelines and various characters, North gradually builds the tension to a powerful climax.
