CANBERRA WEEKLY 3 MARCH 2022: THREE GOOD THRILLERS!
Last week in the Canberra Weekly (3 March 2022) I reviewed three good, new thrillers!
All of the three books I reviewed were very good, but I thought that Emma Viskic’s Those Who Perish (Echo) was just ahead of the other two in terms of the depth of the characters and the credibility of the plot.
In the Canberra Weekly I said:
“Emma Viskic is one of Australia’s premier crime writers and her latest novel, Those Who Perish, is another taut and gripping tale that packs an emotional punch. Deaf PI Caleb Zelic rushes to the help of his wayward brother, Anton, one dark morning, only to find himself being shot at by a sniper. Caleb’s subsequent investigation leads him to a small, wind-punished island off the Victorian coast, where Anton is in rehab and the locals are being picked off by a deadly killer.
This is a gripping read with finely nuanced characters that you care about and a plot that sizzles with suspense.”
I also did a longer review here: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/those-who-perish-by-emma-viskic-echo/
Amy McCulloch’s Breathless (Michael Joseph) abounds with great descriptions of the Himalayas and interesting details about climbing in extreme conditions. It also has a good plot that steadily increases in tension as it nears the end. The final pages also contains a neat twist.
In the Canberra Weekly I said:
“Books about small groups of people trapped in a remote location and being stalked by a killer are very much in vogue at the moment, but Amy McCulloch takes it to another level with her debut thriller Breathless. Struggling journalist Cecily Wong joins an expedition intent on scaling one of the Himalayas’ toughest peaks, but she soon realises that a killer has also come along for the climb.
McCulloch is a very experienced climber and Breathless is full of vivid descriptions of the Himalayas, fascinating insights into mountaineering and plenty of suspense and action. A very exciting read.”
I also did a longer review here: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/march-mayhem-four-new-crime-novels-for-march-2022/
The Interview (Macmillan) by C. M. Ewan (Chris Ewan) is a clever, twisty tale that keeps the reader guessing as to what is happening. Like Harlan Coben, Ewan has a very readable style, and the book smoothly moves its way through a string of good surprises.
In the Canberra Weekly I said:
“Publicist Kate Harding is invited to a late Friday afternoon interview for her dream job at an innovative public relations firm. The interview is on the thirteenth floor of a new, stunning, all glass, high rise building in the heart of London. Kate is nervous about the interview, and well she should be as the questions quickly become more and more weirder, and Kate finds herself trapped in a dangerous situation.
C. M. Ewan is very adept at gradually drawing out the real reason for the interview and he keeps tension high as The Interview races down some very unexpected paths.”
I also did a longer review here: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/february-thrillers-new-books-by-barclay-gardner-and-ewan/
So a trio of very entertaining books that will provide several hours of reading pleasure.
Thanks to the publishers and the Canberra Weekly for the books.
The weekly reviews can also be seen on the Canberra Weekly site: https://canberraweekly.com.au/category/entertainment/books/