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“where a good crime C r i m e can be had by all” c h r o n i c l e Issue #229 February 2005 AUTHOR OF THE MONTH BORIS AKUNIN Boris Akunin burst onto the English crime world in 2003 with his first Erast Fandorin mystery, The Winter Queen (Pb 19.95), set in Moscow, 1876. A young law student commits suicide in broad daylight in Moscow’s Alexander Gardens. But this is no ordinary death, for the young man was the son of an influential industrialist. Erast Fandorin, a hotheaded new recruit to the Criminal Investigation Department, is assigned to the case. Brilliant, young and sophisticated, Fandorin embarks on an investigation that will take him from the palatial mansions of Moscow to the seedy backstreets of London in his hunt for the conspirators. 2004 saw the publication of the second volume, Murder on the Leviathan (Pb 19.95). On 15 March 1878, Lord Littleby, an English eccentric and collector, is found murdered in his Paris house, together with nine members of his staff. A gold whale is found in the victim’s hand – a badge owned only by the first class ticket holders on the maiden voyage of the Leviathan, the world’s largest steamship. Commissioner Gauche of the French police is called to solve the ‘Crime of the Century’ and narrows the suspects down to ten, who are forced to eat every meal together in the ship’s Windsor Suite. Amongst these ten is the elegant young Erast Fandorin. Can he discover the murderer’s identity before Gauche? Now the third adventure, which is set between the previous two books during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877, Turkish Gambit (Tp 29.95), is available. There is a traitor in the Russian camp and our reluctant gentleman sleuth will need to resurrect all of his KERRY GREENWOOD dormant powers of detection if he is to unmask the traitor, help the Russians to victory and smooth the REPRINTS path of young love. The re-issues of the earlier Phryne Boris Akunin is the pseudonym of Grigory Fisher titles will be completed in Chkhartishvili. He has been compared to Gogol, February and March with the follow- Tolstoy and Arthur Conan Doyle and, in Russia, his ing reprints: February Blood and Erast Fandorin books have sold over ten million Circuses #5 (Pb 19.95) and The copies. His accomplished writing is a treat, as he Green Mill Murders #6 (Pb 19.95) and in March Murder on the writes with such intelligence and humour, and I can Ballarat Train #3 (Pb 19.95) and heartily recommend the series to you. I, for one, Death at Victoria Dock #4 (Pb can hardly wait another year for the next 19.95). The 15th in the series I instalment, which could be set in Japan. would expect around June this year, but at this stage I have no idea of Peter the title. Peter 2 Modern Crime Donna ANDERS Karen Grigsby BATES Afraid of the Dark Plain Brown Wrapper Paul ADAM 373pp Pb 16.95 368pp Pb 16.95 Flash Point As a single mother struggling to get by in An Alex Powell novel. While attending the 490pp Pb 19.95 a tough neighbourhood, policewoman annual National Association of Black Camerawoman Maggie Walsh Jessie Cline knows she cannot protect her Journalists Conference, columnist Alex travels to McLeod Ganj, home of son from the streets forever. For his sake, Powell turns sleuth when her former the Tibetan government in exile, she takes a job as assistant police chief in publisher, Everett Carson, who was where the Dalai Lama is secretly dying. a small island town off the coast of supposed to receive the Journalist of the Smuggling herself into the compound, Washington state where she lived as a Year Award, is found dead prior to the Maggie films the footage she knows will child. But her search for a safe haven will ceremony. (American) make her a fortune. But when an idealistic lead her toward more danger than she young monk Tsering thwarts her escape, David BEST ever imagined. Someone on the island her film is confiscated. When she is finally Amnesia 325pp Pb 16.95 knows Jessie very well, and will do released, the Dalai Lama’s death has been What brings psychiatrist Marti anything to drive her away. They will announced to the world and Maggie Segerson to the isolated asylum in rural stalk her. They will frighten her. And if heads to his homeland to capture his Tennessee? Is it the madman who killed she cannot unravel a sinister people’s reaction. Tsering, too, is heading her sister years ago? Marti never forgot disappearance that connects her past to for Tibet. As their paths cross, Tsering the horror or her need for revenge but in the present, they will kill her! (American) and Maggie find themselves drawn this strange institution, something else is together in the most dangerous of quests. Sarah ANDREWS happening: mind games that cross the For once the Chinese Army discover who Earth Colors 368pp Pb 16.95 line between illusion and reality. And not they are looking for, there is no way they Asked to investigate a famed even murder is what it seems. (American) will be allowed to leave Tibet alive. painting that may be a counterfeit, Claudia BISHOP (British) forensic geologist Em Hansen undertakes Buried by Breakfast a journey through several states and 253pp Pb 16.95 discovers that she is on the trail of a A Hemlock Falls mystery. A raucous group murderer when her client begins to suffer is protesting the planned relocation of the KEY the effects of poisoning. (American) local Civil War cemetery, when their academic Marion BABSON leader turns up dead. Now, Meg and The Cat Who Wasn’t a Dog Quill must catch a killer before another banking 206pp Pb 16.95 local VIP is greeted with an untimely RIP. Dame Cecile Savoy’s (American) canine detectives revolting floor mop of a Victoria BLAKE Pekinese has passed Bloodless Shadow clerical away at a ripe old age. 320pp Pb 12.95 Now, the aging British This novel introduces PI Samantha cosy/malice domestic actress convinces her Falconer, a fascinating series character rivals on stage and whose private life is as intriguing as her culinary/food screen, Trixie and cases. Four times world judo champion, Evangeline, to support Sam now runs the Gentle Way fbi her in her hour of grief investigation agency in London. But by accompanying her to when her brother Mark asks her to return feline detectives a taxidermist. But it is a cab ride straight to Oxford to investigate the into a cat-astrope! No sooner do the three disappearance of a young woman, she forensic elderly thespians enter Stuff Yours than finds herself confronting a past she hoped they discover a dead body, a live kitty in she had left behind. Soon she receives a horse racing mystery a cage and flames bursting from the back letter from a man who has been dead for room. Fortunately for a rare Japanese 28 years, her father. (British) medical bobtail called Cho-Cho-San, Trixie grabs Anna BLUNDY the cat before fleeing the scene. Cho-Cho- military Faith Without Doubt San knows more than she is letting on as 282pp Tp 32.95 the curtain goes up on foul play, native american 2003, war-torn Baghdad: Saddam murderous jealousies and a killer who Hussein may be hiding in a hole, but police procedural may be going to the dogs. (American) foreign correspondent Faith Zanetti is Linda BARNES once again at the heart of the action. And political/legal Deep Pockets 320pp Pb 16.95 once again, she is loving it: the heat, the A Carlotta Carlyle mystery. Hired by rush, the danger, and dare she say it, the psychological a respected Harvard professor whose excitement. But there is one bombshell indiscretions with a student are being that even Faith is not prepared for. Green- private eye threatened by a blackmailer, Carlotta eyed weapons inspector Joshua Klein is struggles with her morals to track down powerful, wise and seductive, and he has romantic suspense the blackmailer, a case complicated by a also got the stories Faith needs. Standing suspicious death. (American) under fire with this man, she feels safer sport than she has ever felt before. But in fact, she is in more danger than ever - buffeted spy by passion for a man whose allegiances are as mysterious as he is elusive. (British) suspense/thriller AUTHOR’S NATIONALITY AT END OF BLURB CRIME CHRONICLE www.abbeys.com.au 3 Kate BORDEN Agatha CHRISTIE Jodi COMPTON Death of a Trickster Poirot: Four Classic Cases Sympathy Between Humans 200pp Pb 16.95 772pp Tp 39.95 448pp Tp 32.95 A Cobb’s Landing mystery. The body of the A brand new Poirot omnibus, featuring On the heels of her best-selling debut (see police chief’s teenage son is found during four of the world-renowned detective’s below), comes a new novel featuring Cobb’s Landing’s annual Halloween most challenging cases: Three-Act Tragedy, Detective Sarah Pribek, who is drawn pumpkin float and full-time mayor Peggy Sad Cypress, Evil Under the Sun and The into a tangled family mystery as she Turner must turn part-time sleuth to Hollow. The 1930s/40s were dangerous struggles with the aftermath of a case that catch the culprit. (American) times. Wherever he went, Hercule Poirot changed her forever. Six months after the Alafair BURKE was followed by death. With all this death of a small-time criminal in rural Judgment Calls 313pp Pb 12.95 killing, he sometimes wondered if anyone Minnesota, Sarah is still protecting the Deputy DA Samantha Kincaid knew there was a common enemy! At an identity of a killer.