WHEN trawling through the innumerable Facebook pages devoted to crime fiction it seems as if Australia has resumed its status of more than two hundred years ago; a distant, unknown, almost unheard of land in danger of falling off the edge of the world. And this was before Covid-19 persuaded its dithering ensemble of state governments to isolate it and its citizens from contact with anyone beyond its borders. It has long been hugely rare for Australia’s many crime writers ever to rate a mention in  UK lists of highly recommended works. Avid readers of this popular genre seem unaware… Continue reading

BOOK covers sometimes go overboard in trying to entice readers to buy. The Dinner Guest by BP Walter is an excellent example. It should carry a “spoiler alert“ sticker. Before opening a single page we are told “four people walked into the dining room that night, one would never leave”. Synopsis complete. Not much more to say. End of story, almost. For those needing more enticement, it does reveal that the dinner of the title “ends in death” and there was “a stranger at the table”. Although this is being somewhat lax with the truth as all four diners are quite… Continue reading