This week, Michael Popple reviews entertaining crime fiction from three top Australian authors. You can find more of Michael’s book reviews on his blog: unseenlibrary.com
Pacific Heights by S. R. White
Headline, $32.99
When a young woman is murdered in the courtyard of the Pacific Heights apartment building, five separate people witness the killing. However, none of their stories match, and any one of them could be lying. To solve the crime, Detectives Carl ‘Bluey’ Blueson and Lachlan Dyson must unravel the full puzzle and interview the suspects to determine who is telling the truth before a killer gets away. S. R. White continues to impressive with his outstanding, character-focused murder mysteries. A complex and clever novel that includes some interesting suspects, Pacific Heights is a captivating novel that comes highly recommended.
2 Sisters Murder Investigations by James Patterson and Candice Fox
Century, $34.99
After a tumultuous start, chaotic half-sisters Rhonda and Baby Bird have taken over their father’s detective agency as partners. But when they accept a controversial missing person case, their reputations come under attack from a judgemental public. To keep their agency afloat, the sisters need to solve the case before the police, but nothing is what it seems, and danger is all around them. The superstar team of Australian author Candice Fox and the legendary James Patterson return for this amazing sequel. Slick, exciting and utterly addictive, this is an extremely fun read that you will not be able to put down.
Landfall by James Bradley
Penguin, $34.99
In a flooded Sydney beset by a climate catastrophe and unrest, a little girl has gone missing. Senior Detective Sadiya Azad is assigned to find her, but the discovery of a body at the site of the child’s disappearance suggests a darker conspiracy. Contending with corruption and fear, Sadiya needs to find the missing child before a deadly storm strikes the city, washing everything away. Acclaimed author James Bradley presents an intense and emotionally charged novel with Landfall. Expertly blending a thought-provoking dystopian Australian setting with a compelling crime fiction story, Landfall is an excellent book that is really worth reading.
