It is a year since Matiu Douglas and his friends slew Puarata, the tohunga makutu, and nine months since they rescued the taniwha in Lake Waikaremoana. Life has settled into a normal routine, although Mat is training every school holidays in Taupo, with Aethlyn Jones, refining his magical and martial skills. He is also in mental contact with Ngatoro-i-rangi. The legendary tohunga is imprisoned somewhere in Aotearoa, the Ghost World, where war continues among the warlocks who served Puarata. It has become a covert war, of bitter intrigue and chilling murders, as they seek the elusive power Puarata used to gain pre-eminence - Te Iho - The Heart. The first of the warlocks to find Te Iho will assume Puarata′s bloody korowai and dominate Aotearoa. They are closing in. Mat′s next visit to Taupo will see him drawn once more into the fray. When Jones is attacked and a fellow protege kidnapped, Mat finds himself... Views: 48
From Publishers WeeklySet in 1860s London, Finch's middling fourth mystery featuring gentleman detective Charles Lenox (after 2009's The Fleet Street Murders) finds Lenox newly married to his longtime friend, Lady Jane Grey, and newly elected to Parliament. When Ludovic Starling, a slight acquaintance, asks Lenox to look into the bludgeoning murder of his footman, Frederick Clarke, Lenox, who wonders why Starling hasn't called in Scotland Yard, at first declines. In the end, despite the demands of his new vocation, Lenox agrees to help. The investigator, who's troubled to learn that Starling has been less than forthright with him, can't accept the police theory that a rival servant killed Clarke. Finch equips Lenox with his own Bunter in the person of a former butler turned political secretary, but the pair come across as weak, warmed-over versions of the golden age Dorothy Sayers originals. Portentous chapter endings undermine the otherwise solid prose. (Nov.) (c) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. FromCharles Lenox, the gentleman detective, is now a member of Parliament. He just wants to focus on his new duties, including the preparation of his maiden speech. He is also settling into married life with Lady Jane Grey. Matters become more complicated when an old friend and fellow MP, Ludovic Starling, asks him to launch a discreet investigation into the death of one of his servants. With his assistants, John Dallington and Thomas McConnell, helping out, Lenox tries his best to balance his new political duties with the investigation. As he prowls through the pubs, boxing clubs, and servants’ quarters of Victorian London, he discovers some very dark secrets and finds himself in danger from a killer who is willing to strike again to keep him quiet. Finch (The Fleet Street Murders, 2009) captures the atmosphere of Victorian London and creates a solid British mystery that will appeal to both procedural and cozy readers. --Barbara Bibel Views: 48
EDITORIAL REVIEW: **A compulsively readable new series that explores a fascinating culture set purposely apart. In the wooded Amish hill country, a professor at a small college, a local pastor, and the county sheriff are the only ones among the mainstream, or "English," who possess the instincts and skills to work the cases that impact all county residents, no matter their code of conduct or religious creed. ** When an Amish boy is kidnapped, a bishop, fearful for the safety of his followers, plunges three outsiders into the traditionally closed society of the "Plain Ones." Views: 48
An incredible love story set against a backdrop of revenge, Los Angeles style! Viktor Bout, the Ukranian mobster who attacked Jackie is back, with deadly intentions. Jackie, on the other hand, has fallen in love with Johnson, a mean cop. Together, they plan their revenge on Bout. Keep your loved ones close when you read this. Don't be alone at home when you get to the final chapter! Views: 48
The Cutting Room heralds the arrival of an outstanding, contemporary Glasgow novel. Its charismatic protagonist, Rilke, is eccentric, witty and frequently outrageous. An auctioneer by profession, he is an acknowledged expert in antiques but also considers himself something of an expert in many other fields. When Rilke comes upon a hidden collection of graphically violent erotic photographs, he feels compelled to unearth more about the deceased owner who coveted them. What follows is a compulsive journey of discovery, decadence and deviousness, steered in part by Rilke's gay promiscuity and inquisitive nature. Louise Welsh's writing is stylish and captivating; she combines aspects of a detective story with shades of the gothic in a colourful Glasgow ranging from the genteel suburbs to a transvestite club, auction house to the bookies, pub and porn shop. The result is a page-turning and deliciously original debut. The Cutting Room has won the Crime Writers Association award for.... Views: 48
