When the Mayor of Marlow suddenly drops dead after a seemingly innocuous cup of coffee, amateur crime sleuths Suzie Harris, Judith Potts and Becks Starling set out to solve the mystery. In the idyllic English town of Marlow, local Suzie Harris decides to look in on a council meeting. Her intentions aren’t particularly civic. She intends to find out who the weakest council members are, the ones who can possibly be influenced, or bent to Suzie’s will. The reason? Suzie always has a side project going, and she wants to install a Japanese pod-style hotel in her backyard. She needs council approval. While watching the meeting get ready to take place, she notices Mayor Geoffrey Lushington make himself a coffee. Minutes later he keels over, dead. The first thing Suzie does is to call her good friend, Judith Potts. It’s clear they have another murder to solve. There are three women - Suzie, Judith, and their friend Becks Starling, wife of the local Vicar - who form the crime solving trio. Judith is the most forthright of the group. In her early seventies, her style is crash or crash-through. Middle-aged Suzie is always a step behind Judith and shares her gung-ho approach. Becks is the more diplomatic of the trio, offering apologies for toes trodden on and clarifying to suspects and persons of interest that they are indeed not the police, despite their air of brash confidence. The trio are early on the scene of Geoffrey Lushington’s murder, and soon start trespassing on detective sergeant Tanika Malik’s investigative turf. She knows the women well from previous murder cases, and realising that they are an unstoppable force, decides to give them civilian advisory roles, including official looking lanyards. The women are soon making inroads into the case, especially the unstoppable Judith Potts, working their way through the town’s suspects until the unlikely killer is caught. The Queen of Poisons (the title refers to aconite, the poison used to kill Geoffrey Lushington) is the third in Robert Thorogood’s Marlow Murder Club series. While the novel does read like something made for television (Thorogood is a successful TV writer), there is much to enjoy in its pages.The pacing is juicy and the humour is terrific, with the characters of all three women astutely drawn. They are all like people you’ve met in real life - the insufferably pushy Judith Potts, the blowsy Suzie Harris and Becks Starling, forever saying sorry and doing much of the trio’s emotional labour. The plot is well worked out and ticks like a finely tuned watch, with all the various parts falling nicely into place. The final ending has a bit of the pantomime about it, with the characters, situations and motivations all slightly nutty and overwrought. But nonetheless, this reader couldn’t pick the killer and was indeed surprised at the real culprit. A brilliant entertainment with a cast of characters you will immediately love. The Queen of Poisons, by Robert Thorogood. Published by HQ Fiction. $32.99 Review by Chris Saliba Two accomplished thinkers consider a range of controversial subjects. Australian philosopher Peter Singer met Shih Chao-Hwei, a Buddhist monk based in Taiwan, while visiting Taiwan in 2002. A Chinese edition of his book, Animal Liberation, had just been published with an introduction by Shih, and the two found they had much in common, despite coming from different philosophical and theological backgrounds. Singer suggested they participate in dialogues together to further flesh out their differences and similarities. The resulting book is the work of five years of on-again, off-again discussions. The Buddhist and the Ethicist ranges over all the big topics of interest to a Western audience: women and equality; sexuality; animal welfare; embryo research; abortion; the death penalty; euthanasia; the death penalty and war. An early chapter also discusses ethics and key Buddhist concepts such as karma and nirvana. The tone of these dialogues is respectful and, as you'd imagine, quite serious. Most readers of Singer's work will be already familiar with his often controversial views on euthanasia and embryo research. What gives the book a special interest are Shih's views on tricky ethical questions, as interpreted through a Buddhist lens. While both Singer and Shih are on the same page for a lot of subjects (Shih has championed many progressive causes in Taiwan, notably same-sex marriage), their subtle differences make for thought provoking reading. As such, the book provides an education in the subtleties of Buddhist thought, especially the importance of karma. Big questions are considered thoughtfully in this fascinating philosophical exchange. The Buddhist and the Ethicist, by Peter Singer and Shih Chao-Hwei. Published by Text Publishing. $36.99 Review by Chris Saliba A fictionalised 20-year-old Jane Austen must use all her wits to solve a murder. It's 1796, Hampshire, England. Jane Austen is just about to turn twenty. While attending a ball at Deane House, with some thirty families in attendance, a woman is found dead in a closet. She's been violently bashed over the head. It is Jane who recognises the woman – Madame Renault, a French milliner who had recently set up shop at a local market. Jane had bought some items from her. The investigation of the murdered woman officially falls to the magistrate for the country, Richard Craven, who is also Jane's uncle. When the dead woman's necklace is found in the possession of Jane's brother, Georgy, he is accused of grand larceny. It is thought he at best stole the necklace, for which he is charged, but at worst could be guilty of murder. Grand larceny carries the death sentence. Georgy is mute, unable to speak due to some type of learning difficulty. He communicates via a rudimentary sign language. Jane and her family know in their heart of hearts that Georgy is incapable of murder or theft, but magistrate Craven is a by the book man. He refuses to listen to Jane's pleas. It quickly becomes clear that it is up to Jane to clear her brother's name, but a woman's place in 18th century England is to be seen and not heard. Nonetheless, Jane begins a haphazard yet impassioned investigation, often making mistakes and accusing the wrong people. Hers is a small community where everyone knows everyone, and Jane's persistent inquiries rub many up the wrong way. With a two week deadline before Georgy's case goes to court, can Jane unravel the mystery and find the killer in time? Of all novelists, Jane Austen is the most astute judge of character. So it makes sense to imagine her as a crime sleuth. To some it might seem like a cheesy premise. Yes, there is a bit of the clearly ridiculous here (the novel's timeline predates the beginning of crime fiction by about 50 years). But for readers who are happy to go along with Miss Austen Investigates as a pleasant bit of entertainment, there is much to enjoy. Jessica Bull does a terrific job of creating a believable 18th century England – its people, fashions, customs and laws. In this way, the novel works as a nuanced explainer of the Regency Era. This is done in a way which works seamlessly with the plot, anchoring the book in time and place. Even the descriptions of furniture and kitchenware give some nice little surprise touches. The whodunnit aspect works well, with the story well paced over four hundred pages and the final reveal a genuine surprise. The murderer's motivation is neatly explained in terms of social and economic expectations, making the book both instructive and entertaining. If you're an Austen fan looking for a frolic, then this is the perfect outing. Miss Austen Investigates, by Jessica Bull. Published by Michael Joseph. $34.99 Book review by Chris Saliba Acclaimed actress Judi Dench talks all things Shakespeare What started out as a series of conversations destined for the archives at Shakespeare's Globe have turned into a book. It was actor and director Brendan O'Hea's idea to capture Judi Dench's musings on her career, specifically as a Shakespearean actress, but when the recordings were heard by a third party it was suggested they be turned into a book. The Man Who Pays the Rent was Dench and husband Michael Williams' nickname for Shakespeare. The playwright's expansive oeuvre kept them in work. For a book based on a series of conversations, you'd expect something light and frothy. Indeed, it is that. But so much more besides. Dench shows an impressive knowledge and incredible recall of lines, passages, dialogue, poetry and plot lines from the plays. There is also a detailed consideration of character, psychology and motive. Often Dench celebrates the mystery and subtlety of Shakespeare, advising that meaning is ultimately in the eye of the beholder. A broad range of the plays are discussed – tragedies, comedies, histories and the so-called problem plays. Mini in between chapters discuss stagecraft, language and the role of critics. Dench peppers her commentary with amusing stories from her acting career – falls, stumbles, forgotten lines, wardrobe malfunctions. Like all wonderful books on Shakespeare, The Man Who Pays the Rent inspires the reader to return to the plays. A companionable book that mixes serious analysis with jolly, break-a-leg stories from the stage. Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent, by Judi Dench. Published by Michael Joseph. $36.99 Review by Chris Saliba Three young men who can't return to their home in Libya find comfort in friendship. It's 1984. Khaled has left his politically troubled home in Libya to study in England. At his friend Mustafa's suggestion, they attend a protest against the Libyan regime in London. They wear balaclavas to conceal their identity. To be discovered attending would make returning home next to impossible. They are elated to be doing their bit, trying to liberate their country from dictatorship under Gaddafi. But things take a bad turn when armed men – no doubt regime sympathisers or direct plants – start shooting into the crowd. Khaled is hurt – shot in the chest – and requires hospitalisation. He survives without major injuries or complications, but lives in fear of returning home. He must also keep his attendance at the protest a secret from his family. Another plot involves Khaled's deep admiration for the writer Hosam Zowa, who he later befriends, and who becomes entwined in his circle. Covering the period between 1984 and 2011, the year of Gaddafi's downfall and murder, My Friends speaks in the voice of a middle-aged man looking back on a life separated from home and family. It's a story of dislocation, fear and yearning, written in an elegiac prose that is intimate and personable. Hisham Matar has won many accolades for his writing, and fans will not be disappointed with this heartfelt exploration of loss and exile, one that is also filled with warmth and compassion. My Friends, by Hisham Matar. Published by Viking. $34.99 Review by Chris Saliba |
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