The October crime review
These are the crime books which have been read and reviewed by our excellent booksellers this month – all in one place!
Everyone On This Train Is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson
Reviewed by Lian Hingee from Readings online
Benjamin Stevenson’s bestselling novel Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone was a comedic delight: Agatha Christie meets Knives Out via a distinctly Australian first-person narrator.
In Everyone On This Train Is a Suspect, Ernest Cunningham – mystery-solver and now debut crime-writer – returns after his adventures with his murderous family. But, as Ernest himself says, sequels are about being new and familiar at the same time. So, this time, Stevenson has swapped the snowbound chalet for a Murder On the Orient Express-style train (The Ghan, naturally) hurtling across the Australian desert with seven crime writers on board. One is a victim, one a murderer, and the others are engaged in a battle of wits to solve the crime first. Whodunnit? Ernest knows. As with the first book, he’s narrating the story from some point in the future, gleefully scattering clues like confetti and interjecting wry 20/20 hindsight that often poses more questions than answers. Never fear, it all ties up neatly in the end.
If, like me, you were a fan of Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone, you’re in safe hands here. The prologue begins with Ernest both laying out and simultaneously skewering the tropes of a crime sequel in an email to his editor where he is refusing to write the exact kind of prologue that his email provides: a train cabin, the signs of a struggle, a faceless victim. Oh, also Ernest will need a new literary agent. For … reasons.
Not just a hilarious comedy, a clever work of meta-fiction, a compelling murder mystery, and an affectionate nod to classic mysteries, Everyone On This Train Is a Suspect is also a masterclass in the art of writing murder mysteries.
The North Light by Hideo Yokoyama & Louise Heal Kawai (trans.)
Reviewed by Kate McIntosh from Readings Emporium
At first glance one might be forgiven for thinking this is a crime novel. It is not. There is a mystery, yes, and someone died, but the further you get into this story, the more it becomes clear it is an homage to great architecture, and architects. Not what you were expecting now, was it?
Minoru Aose was given the chance to design and build the house of his dreams. Not an extravagant or decadent showpiece, rather the one he would choose to live in if he could – his ideal home. The finished product was a masterpiece, and the project had allowed the architect to forget his woes for a while (there are always woes, in this case: alcohol, an ex-wife and a teenage daughter he struggles to connect with). Now, some months later, it appears the clients never moved into the house. Aose cannot understand what has happened. They seemed so happy with his work, they were definitely planning to occupy the place immediately, where has the family of five disappeared to?
As Aose attempts to track down the mysterious owners, he discovers the work of Bruno Taut, a renowned German architect who was given sanctuary in Japan when the Nazis came to power. Having struggled for inspiration since building his dream house, Aose rediscovers his passion for great craftsmanship and design. And to the credit of the author, this passion is contagious. The beauty, art and creativity involved in creating a space for people to live, work and memorialise in becomes entrancing. Our homes are reflections of ourselves, the buildings all around us show us what kind of society it is that we live in. We should spend more time thinking about the process behind their creation, and this novel certainly made me do that.
Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon
Reviewed by Aurelia Orr from Readings Carlton
When real estate empress Lana Rubicon is diagnosed with brain cancer, she can think of no one but her estranged daughter, Beth, to go to for help. As her worsening condition forces her to move to Beth’s home near a small coastal town, Lana finds it difficult adjusting from her opulent lifestyle in L.A. to living with a daughter who barely speaks with her and her teenage granddaughter, Jack, with whom she’s never been close. But when Jack is hosting a kayaking tour and finds a dead body by the beach, the Rubicon women must suddenly look to each other for safety and protection as the police target Jack as their number one suspect.
I loved observing the intergenerational bonds grow between the grandmother, mother, and daughter. I could tangibly feel the love they had for each other as it was unearthed from all the external animosity and distance it was buried beneath. Oftentimes, it is during the most strenuous and dire moments that a family’s bond is put to the test, and it was inspiring witnessing the matriarch, Lana, immediately step up to protect her granddaughter. Although she is not initially a typically maternal figure, she does not let her cancer hold her back from helping to uncover the truth and becoming the source of strength her family needs in their time of need. From Lana to Beth, and then Beth to Jack, you see the intricate complexities and messiness of mother-daughter relationships, the deep desire of some mothers to protect, love, and sacrifice themselves for their child, and the gravitational pull that can exist between mother and child.
Mother-Daughter Murder Night is a stirring family drama and thrilling murder mystery that will both unravel the web of lies this town has spun, and piece back together a family.
