B. Michael Radburn

Aussie author and Carpe Librum favourite B. Michael Radburn is back with Subterranean; a story about a woman on the run after leaving an abusive relationship and a homeless Army veteran living in the abandoned train tunnels beneath Sydney's streets. Cassie is being pursued by twins hired by her husband who put me immediately in mind of the twin brothers Leonel and Marco Salamanca from Breaking Bad.

Daniel is trying to recover from the physical and emotional trauma experienced in Afghanistan show more and when these two flawed characters meet, the reader can't resist hoping they will find a way to help each other.

Subterranean is a novella and a quick read, however the presentation in smaller format paperback, large font and with the inclusion of several illustrations gave me the immediate impression this was a YA novel. This stand alone novella can easily be read by a YA audience, but it's a confusing presentation of an adult novella in my opinion. The shadowy cover design captures the feel of the story perfectly and I could easily have done without the illustrations and large print.

As with his Taylor Bridges series, Radburn does an excellent job of bringing Australian characters to life and describing the Australian landscape. In Subterranean he convincingly captures Sydney's urban and underground environment and the pips of the ABC Radio News broadcasts were a very nice touch.

Highlighting the plight of our own homeless veterans and the lack of services from the Department of Veterans' Affairs in this novella was an added bonus and as a fellow veteran, I hope this helps shine a light on this important and ongoing issue.

However, Subterranean's ending was the real highlight for me. It was an unexpected climax I didn't realise we were working towards and which provided a very satisfying end to the story. A great read!

* Copy courtesy of Atlas Productions * show less

Almost more a coming of age tale than a piece of crime fiction BLACKWATER MOON is Andy Walker’s story. He is a child of the 60′s in the small town of Blackwater in rural New South Wales and his life is not an easy one. His small family lives in a constant state of worry about what mood Andy’s father will be in at any time: the man is a violent drunk and Andy’s mother is no help to her children. Andy’s older sister collects things for her glory box knowing it will be her means of show more escape, while Andy takes on a job at the local supermarket to earn some pocket money and gain essential time away from the house. Things turn even darker for Andy when a person struggling with their own demons enters his young life and involves him in something that has a ripple effect for years to come.

BLACKWATER MOON is Radburn’s second book after 2011′s THE CROSSING which I’ve not read. It reads like the work of a well-established author though, taking some risks with literary conventions and managing to pull them off successfully. The first person narrative works well for the kind of deeply personal story being told here and Radburn does manage to maintain Andy’s voice credibly even though it has to span the period from when he is about 10 or so to when he’s a middle-aged man. All the way along Andy’s story is a compelling one, all the more so for the understated quietness with which he travels through life.

The setting – both time and place – is a strong element of the novel, though for me there’s nothing particularly Australian about any of it. I’m prepared to admit though that this might just be because I was reminded of American stories such as Stephen King’s THE BODY and Betty Smith’s A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN as I read. Nevertheless I do have very clear images of the town and its surrounds in my head and the portion of the book set during the time of the Vietnam war is particularly strong. By this stage Andy is married with a young baby and his wife is vehemently opposed to the war, to the point she’d rather Andy went to prison for conscientious objection than to Vietnam to fight. The suspense that builds as the couple wait to hear if Andy’s will be drafted is intense and a really superb depiction of this under-explored theme.

Although many of the events depicted in BLACKWATER MOON are horrific the book doesn’t dwell on the showy, overt consequences of those horrors. Instead it shows the daily grind of living through such traumas. Andy’s story is juxtaposed with that of his tormentor at key points, someone unable to rise above the traumas of their own childhood. I’ve seen this kind of counterbalance before and it’s often awkward or incredible but Radburn didn’t overplay things and so this element did add something worthwhile to the novel.

It’s quite hard to talk about this book because there is so much I would consider a spoiler. I was lucky enough to come to BLACKWATER MOON with absolutely no preconceived ideas about it and I think you should get to do the same should you care to. I found it a gently compelling novel, with a terrific central character and several genuine surprises. show less

Taylor Bridges is back! We first met Park Ranger Taylor Bridges in Tasmania in The Crossing, then caught up with him in Gippsland Victoria in The Falls, and this time he's on secondment to the Hawkesbury River in NSW.

Bridges has earned a reputation as a remote crime scene specialist and this time he's heading into a remote logging community called Devlins Reach. With a population of only 320 people, Devlins Reach is accessible by ferry across the Hawkesbury River. Taylor has been asked to show more employ his unique set of skills to assist Detective Sergeant (DS) Ryan Everett in the investigation into the remains of three men discovered at an excavation site.

Radburn's skill at capturing the Australian bush is in full swing again and the isolated environment almost becomes a character of its own as the river swells and a huge weather event is on the way.

Small town characters feature throughout the book as DS Everett and Taylor Bridges attempt to identify the men and establish who may have wanted to harm them. The history of the island is full of secrets and unexplained disappearances and the locals are reluctant to talk; preferring to keep their secrets to themselves. Bridges shares his beliefs on energy and history which adds to the tension:

"I believe when something bad happens - and I mean something truly wicked - it can leave a stain, some kind of residue on the place; a memory that can't be wiped clean. Nothing to do with spectres, things that go bump in the night; it's more grounded than that, as if the energy sparked during that wicked deed remains burning somehow." Page 106

The Reach has a dark and otherworldly undercurrent, with an old logger's tale about a Hoodoo that takes on many forms and is responsible for men disappearing from the logger's camp. Taylor's daughter is channelling warnings from her deceased sister Claire that may or may not be relevant to the case. Many locals believe in a dark power and it's up to the reader to decide if any of it is real or not. I really enjoyed this duality and it certainly added to my reading experience.

With limited resources at hand and zero back up available, Bridges and Everett make a great team. We hear from them in alternating chapters that makes for an entertaining and convincing crime-solving endeavour. The Reach can be comfortably read as a stand alone with a few references to Taylor's background enough to inform the reader, however I do recommend you start at the beginning in order to enjoy the character arc and understand how Taylor has found himself with this unique set of skills.

This series continues to be cinematic, and I can easily imagine Bridges holding his own with many of the other single name crime and mystery solving specialists on our TV screens, like: Bones, Bosch, Cardinal, Castle, Chance, Dexter, Goliath, Harrow, House, Lucifer, Luther, Sherlock, Strike, River and Wallander. Okay, sorry, I think I got a little carried away there. Obviously single name TV shows are a 'thing' I enjoy and I totally think Bridges should be added to their company.

I really enjoy the continuity in the titles of this series, Glorys Crossing becomes The Crossing, The Falls is the location of the second book and Devlins Reach becomes The Reach. In listening to an interview with the author on the Good Reading podcast, I've learned the next book in the series is called The Wells which will be taking Taylor Bridges up north to the Northern Territory.

What a terrific Australian crime series this is turning out to be; with each book set in a different state of Australia, readers are able to journey around the country with Taylor, solving crimes in national parks and rural and remote locations as they go. I'll definitely be looking forward to Taylor's next interstate secondment.

* Copy courtesy of Pantera Press * show less

The Falls pulls you straight in with adrenaline pumping action as adventurers Dylan and Aroha first find footprints in a desolate location then discover the body of a young woman. They soon realise they are not alone.

After a gripping start the story soon settles to more of an intriguing murder mystery with surges of thrills and suspense.

Radburn has a colourful cast of characters including a demoted Detective, a traumatised Park Ranger and an ex Golf war pilot and each lend a real Australian show more flavour to the story.

It was hard to tell who the true protagonist was as different characters take on the lead role at different times in the story. Bridges takes a bit of a back seat coming to the fore towards the end of the novel.

Radburn has a fine hold on the plot and he knows how to build tension, slowly revealing snippets of information.

Written around the area of an abandoned goldmine the description of the Australian landscape and devastating fires, combined with Radburn’s poetic prose, delivers a story that captivates the reader and keeps those pages turning.

I was so caught up in this story with its twists and turns that I’ll even forgive the characters for some of the stupid, dangerous decisions they made.

And that ending blew me away!! show less