Blue Wolf Reviews

Tag: revenge

  • The Chanteuse from Cape Town

    The Chanteuse from Cape Town

    Set in Port Elizabeth, a Port town located on the Eastern Cape of South Africa, we met unlikely PI Solomon ‘Sol’ Nemo, a man who has many issues in his life, does not handle stress well and tends to become deeply depressed when life gets a bit too much to handle.

    He has been called to a meeting with a thoroughly unlovely accountant Eugene du Toit, a man with maximum security at his home, a somewhat unpleasant personality and very secretive manner.

    What du Toit has to tell Sol rocks his world and sets off a train of events which will test him to the very limit, call on all his skills learned in the SA Police Force and places Sol firmly into a dark world of danger, kidnapping, revenge and drug dealing on a grand scale.

    Gripping and thoroughly enjoyable, Sol races across the pages of The Chanteuse From Capetown, always almost there, almost seeing a result, almost but not quite, beginning to understand how to handle his life; his black periods of depression and trying to make sense out of exactly what is happening when the wife of his long-time friend and ‘adopted’ father Frank Zarakolu, is kidnapped makes captivating reading.

    The ransom required is exorbitant, far too much for this situation and is one that Frank is apparently prepared to pay to get his beloved Mira back. But something does not feel right at all to Sol, and even when he is warned off the case, he keeps on hunting for the reasons why, which places him in deadly danger.

    This very new PI Solomon ‘Sol’ Nemo, champion of the truth and coffee coloured skinned man of independent means, is set to charm and beguile his readers, soon to become fans, as he refuses to give up or give in, until either he pays with his life, or gets those responsible for this tragic event.

    First in a series by John Constable, Sol Nemo will be a man to watch as he takes life and crime head on, even if sometimes it is by ‘hiding under the covers’ of depression, while he sorts life and crime in Port Elizabeth out!

  • The Tilt

    The Tilt

    Once again, the master craftsman of crime Chris Hammer has woven an engaging tale in The Tilt. His characters are realistic and well developed, his plot is complex with many threads, but the outstanding feature of this book is his descriptions.

    The reader is transported to the area between New South Wales and Victoria, near Tulong. We are taken to the tiny township, or the forest, or the banks of the Murray River; all our senses are engaged while we navigate the storyline. In the early pages, the geology of the area gives an introduction to the tone of the story and a sense of the age of the land.

    However, this is a murder mystery, where we are introduced to the newly promoted homicide detective Nell Buchanan. She has been assigned a case in her hometown.  A regulator on the river has been breached and once the water has drained out, a skeleton is exposed. This seems like a cold case, as the remains are old and while it is definite that a murder has occurred, the chances of discovering the history seem faint.

    The complexity is eased when an early identification of the remains is made. Many local issues were at play at that time. The army were supervising Italian prisoners of war who worked in the forest, there was local small-time criminality and forest dwellers who were avoiding any attention.

    Then, a second skeleton was found. It is more recent than the first; a gun is also found. While Nell comes to grips with the complex family links in the town, she begins to discover her own family has secrets. To add to the understanding, a parallel story is told by one of the residents who witnessed a murder as a child.

    There isn’t a “down time” in this story. It is dangerous in many ways. The Tilt, all too real, all to possible.

  • Revenge: Murder in Three Parts

    Revenge: Murder in Three Parts

    To feel that one hasn’t been given the opportunity to reach one’s full potential, often leads a person to become frustrated and discontented; this certainly is the case for Yannie, a bright, intelligent woman, who is the main protagonist in S.L.Lim’s second novel.

    Yannie, the second child of Chinese parents feels that she’s had to play second fiddle to her spoilt, arrogant, older brother, Shan, who was often violent towards her. She spends much of her life harbouring resentment towards her family, in particular her brother for the lack of fulfillment of her potential and for the resultant achievements which were denied her.

    ‘Revenge: Murder in Three Parts’ covers several family issues including lesbian relationships, parental expectations and the role of the daughter in many Chinese families. The author, S.L.Lim’s, first book ‘Real Difference’ won the 2020 Glenda Adams Award for New Writing in the New South Wales Premier’s Literacy 2020 Awards; this one was long listed for the 2017 Epigram Fiction Prize.

    The title ‘Revenge’ keeps the reader engaged and turning the pages to discover how the revenge is executed! This book lends itself to an animated book club discussion.

  • Widows’ Revenge

    Widows’ Revenge

    Following on from Widows, originally published in 1983, Widows Revenge takes things one step further when the three women, Dolly Rawlins, who husband was a respected master criminal and mastermind of the robbery gone wrong, Shirley Miller and Linda Pirelli, decided to get even and stage a heist to end all heists.

    They, along with new recruit Bella O’Reilly set out to complete the final plan drafted by Harry before his death, that of a security van robbery, but while going through Harry’s papers Bella finds the address for Jimmy Nunn, so she decides to pay him a visit. She discovers far more than she ever really wanted to know, which completely changes the rationale for the planned heist; it is now nothing but pure revenge that is the motivating force.

    The four women pull off the heist and flee to Rio in the knowledge that they outwitted the Master himself, Harry Rawlins. The scales are balanced, or are they? But Harry is far from dead. When learns what has happened, his ego takes a devastating blow, and he sets out to discover just where Dolly and the others have gone!

    And so, the storyline is set for another thriller of a novel from the Queen of crime writing Linda La Plante as she carefully plays out what happens next when the four women head back to London, intending to reclaim the remainder of het hidden money, and then go their own way.

    However, Harry is furious he has been outsmarted, his bank accounts cleaned out; he wants revenge and is none too fussy about how he takes that revenge. He slowly pieces together where they have gone and so a very dangerous game begins.

    Who will survive and who will not, is to be discovered as it is a ‘kill or be killed’ situation that finally plays out with surprising results!

    The Afterword ties so much together turning what is obviously a well-crafted plot into something which could indeed be very real!

    A gripping read that is best read after reading or rereading Widows, as it gives a lot more clarity to the Widows Revenge.

  • The Hanging Girl

    The Hanging Girl

    This psychological thriller will keep you on your toes as a reader. Just when you think you can relax into the story, something most unexpected happens. The action is really more about the mental anguish of the characters, and how they cope with conflict. The main character is an eighteen year old (called Skye), who is graduating from school with her best friend, Drew. The girls, especially Drew, have been planning to move to New York after their graduation. Skye has a mother who has little money, and will be unable to support her daughter.

     Skye and her Mother both read Tarot cards, her mother seriously, the daughter just as a revenue raiser. Even then no money has been saved for the girl’s move interstate. One gets the feeling that the mother is fairly detached from her daughter. She was fifteen when she had Skye, and the father left very quickly, so single parenting was the only option. An opportunity now presents itself to Skye in the guise of Paige, the local judge’s daughter who has a proposition and needs Skye’s help to pull it off.

     What a dilemma! The reality is that Paige wants to give her parents an awful fright, to punish them for neglecting her. She needs Skye to give psychic clues to the police so that she can eventually be found. A large sum of money will change hands and Skye will be able to move out with her best friend. The best laid plans go astray, and the girls have to rework the initial plot.

     Meanwhile Skye is under suspicion by the Police, as well as Paige’s friends. She often feels as though she is being followed, and goes through the motions at school. She becomes more and more pressured, until her mother begins to take charge. Unfortunately, Mother does this by calling in the media, the last thing that Sky wanted. As the tension mounts and different plans are put in place, things become truly complicated. Skye and Paige want such vastly different things. For Skye, it is just the money, for Paige, it is revenge.

     There is so much uncertainty shown by the characters that we can feel the moral issues they are struggling with. The view of the real world is quite different for all of the women; for Drew “Money is just not a problem,” for Paige, “Revenge is everything,” and for Skye “Being able to change your future to one with promise,” is a goal to reach towards. As we follow their journey, and events unfold, we realise that nothing usually goes completely to plan. That they could go so drastically wrong rocks even the most complaisant reader. The main character’s age is certainly appropriate to the way she thinks and behaves, adding extra insight into the story.

  • 5 Ways to be Famous Now

    5 Ways to be Famous Now

    There is no doubt that the author is a keen observer of human nature as well as the weaknesses we all possess. If you are comfortable with a strong element of revenge and an equally strong sense of preserving personal wealth you will enjoy this story. The characters are portrayed by the nameless narrator in all their aspects and relationships go back a long way. Maybe we live the mundane life, finding it difficult to relate to excessive wealth and power, but some parts of this story are hard to relate to.

     The nameless narrator used to love his father’s stories about how he would light fires, often in railway stations, and then don his uniform to help put them out. He has also developed a penchant for fire lighting and has his deceased father’s cigarette lighter. He is discovered by an incredibly wealthy woman, who seeks to lure a person of interest on to her luxurious private yacht. Kirstin McKinley, the captain of the yacht and planner of the deadly cruise, uses the narrator as her private secretary and right hand man.

     He in turn sees a way of settling some grievances of his own, inviting other people to journey to Antarctica on Kirstin’s yacht. The sumptuous boat is called the Queen Mary and as Kirstin takes the guests on a tour she points out that there may be a ghost appearing and not to be concerned. We learn more about the group of people who believe they have won their ticket in a lottery. The clever way the author unravels the connection between the passengers’ and the Captain’s needs, keeps us guessing until the end.

     For readers who enjoy the realms of revenge, and savage storytelling, this will be an enjoyable read. It evokes no compassion for any of the characters, just outlining the basest of human behavior, and addiction to wealth. For many there is a sense of amusement and justice to be found here.

  • Summer Skin

    Summer Skin

    “It’s all girl meets boy, girl steals from boy, seduces boy, ties boy to a chair and burns boy’s stuff, just your typical love story”. Well I’m not sure that it is a typical love story, but rather a look at young people beginning a university life. They are more bemused by their freedom and power, and how to exert both.

     We meet Jess as she is suffering from a nasty hangover, which seems to be how most of the characters live. At last year’s ball, one of the girls in her campus was lured into bed by a boy from an adjoining campus and he shared photos of the act with his mates. In order to get even, Jess needs to steal a rugby top from one of the boys to be used at the next ball, where the girls are plotting an equally demeaning ploy.

     There is plenty of heart to heart discussions in the girl’s rooms and plenty of nightly drinking at the bar. I suppose lectures were attended and tutorials were presented, but this is certainly not the focus of the book. There is plenty of sexual titivation and many plans to “get even” but most of the discussion would be more suited to a Primary School bike shed.

     Perhaps younger readers would be more suited to this style of story, but it presents characters with little depth of personality and reasoning powers. It is set in Brisbane which may be an attraction. The code of dress for the formal ball is diverting, with Jess wearing a corset, tutu, and Doc Martins. Apart from this there is little to smile about and hold the attention for the reader.