CANBERRA WEEKLY 7 JULY 2022: MURDER, MYSTERY AND DACHSHUNDS

This week in the Canberra Weekly I reviewed three books which perfectly matched this blog: Murder, Mayhem and Dachshunds (Long Dogs).

Stefanie London’s The Dachshund Wears Prada (HQ, June 2022) was hard to pass up! A mix of romance, humour, subtle social observation and dachshunds, it was a light, fun read. In the Canberra Weekly I said:

“It is difficult for a dachshund owner like myself to go past this enjoyable new novel by Stefanie London. Set in Manhattan, The Dachshund Wears Prada is an engaging tale about a failed social media consultant, Isla Thompson, who finds herself working as a dog minder for a spoilt dachshund named Camilla. Camilla’s owner, the very rich and reclusive Theo Garrison, has a reputation for being tough and unapproachable, but gradually under Isla’s spell he begins to let his guard down.  This is an entertaining story with some interesting insights into the world of social media and influencing.  Good fun.”

I also recently updated my Long Dogs page with some new photos of the blog’s Long Dogs: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/the-long-dogs-2/

Michael Robotham is a great writer and his latest novel, Lying Beside You (Hachette, July 2022), is another terrific read. The third in his series about Cyrus Haven and Evie Cormac, it grips from the beginning to the end and has a real depth to it, as well as considerable emotional impact.

In the Canberra Weekly I said:

“Michael Robotham is an author who rarely disappoints and his latest novel, Lying Beside You, is another terrific thriller. The third in his series about forensic psychologist Cyrus Haven, and troubled young adult Evie Cormac, it finds Cyrus dealing with problems on several fronts, including the pending release of his brother from a psychiatric hospital. More pressing, however, for Cyrus, who is a consultant to the London police, is the abduction of a young woman from her home. This is a well-crafted and clever mystery that quickly draws the reader in and keeps them enthralled all the way to the startling conclusion.  Recommended.”

I did a longer review a couple of weeks ago: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/lying-beside-you-by-michael-robotham/

I also had the pleasure on Tuesday night (5 July 2022) of doing a ‘conversation event’ with Michael at the Harry Hartog Bookshop at the Australian National University. It was a great night with Michael entertaining the audience with insightful stories into his books, especially Lying Beside You. He particularly focused on how everyone lies everyday, and where the inspiration came from for his character Evie Cormac, who can always tell when someone is telling a lie.

He also gave insights into the forthcoming television shows based on his books. British television has developed a new series based on his first novel about clinical psychologist Joe O’Loughlin, The Suspect. The series will screen in the United Kingdom in September and will star Aidan Turner in the role of O’Loughlin. Michael said that Turner is far more attractive than he ever envisaged O’Loughlin being, but that he had watched the episodes and thought that they were brilliant.

A second season of The Secrets She Keeps has also been developed and will screen in Australia in July. The first season was based on Michael’s book of the same name and the second season follows the main characters after the tense climax of the book and the first season of the show. Michael was involved in some of the story-boarding and says he is very pleased with how it turned out

Michael also told the audience that he is taking a break from writing next year, but that he has plans for new books in his Joe O’Loughlin series and the Cyrus and Evie series. He is also planning on doing a follow up to his popular novel When You Are Mine, which featured Philomena McCarthy, a dedicated young police officer officer who has defied the odds to join the Metropolitan Police, despite her father being a notorious London gangster. Apparently there is also keen interest in the United Kingdom in developing When You Are Mine for television.

So some very exciting news for fans of Michael’s novels, although it will be a shame that there won’t be a new novel next year.

Margaret Hickey’s first novel Cutters End has recently shortlisted for a Ned Kelly Award for Best Debut Crime Fiction. It was a very good debut, but I think that her second book, Stone Town (Bantam, 5 July 2022) is much stronger.

In the Canberra Weekly I said:

“Margaret Hickey made an impressive entry into Australia’s crime writing ranks last year with Cutters End, and she has now followed it up with the even better Stone Town.  Detective Mark Ariti took the posting to the small outback town he grew up in to be with his dying mother, but stayed on enjoying the relative peace. That quietness is destroyed, however, when a property developer is found murdered and Ariti becomes caught up in the search for a missing policewoman. This is an impressive piece of crime fiction, with good characters, a twisty plot and crisp descriptions of an outback town undergoing change.”

I did a longer review of Stone Town a couple of weeks ago: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/new-australian-crime-fiction-margaret-hickey-allie-reynolds-and-sue-williams/

So some very enjoyable reads!

Thanks to the publishers and the Canberra Weekly for the books.