This week, Jeff Popple reviews three books about women assassins, time travellers and a very determined stalker.
Killing It by Asia Mackay
Zaffre, $29.99
This is a great fun read. Like thousands of other new mums, Lex Tyler is returning to work after being off on maternity leave. The only difference is that she is an assassin for the British Government. Shrugging off ‘working mum guilt’, she dives into her new case involving a Russian oligarch and finds that the easiest way to get to her target is through his wife and her West London group of yummy mummies. Asia is a gifted, amusing author and Killing It zips along at a brisk pace with plenty of witty, funny asides and the occasional moment of suspense. Highly recommended.
The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas
Head of Zeus, $29.99
In 1967, four female scientists invent a time travel machine. They are on the cusp of fame when one of them, Barbara, has a breakdown. Fifty years later Barbara’s granddaughter receives a message from the future about the death of an elderly lady in a year’s time. Is it her grandmother’s death or someone else’s? This is a clever, engaging novel. Part murder mystery, part science fiction and part feminist conspiracy thriller, it quickly catches the reader up in its thrall and keeps them entertained. The story flows along well and despite the frequent moving back and forth between years, it rarely gets confusing.
The Sunday Girl by Pip Drysdale
Simon & Schuster, $29.99
This is a story of revenge. Following a fight with her boyfriend, Taylor is horrified to find that he has posted a sex tape of her online for the whole world to see. She then discovers that he has taken another woman on the ski trip that they had planned and decides to get revenge. Consulting Sun Tzu’s Art of War she sets about bringing him down. Unfortunately, once Taylor starts she finds that she cannot stop, and events soon begin to spiral out of control. You know that things cannot end well, but you can’t turn away or stop reading this gripping novel.
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