The Apricot Colonel

I loved this one. It's a murder mystery set in Canberra, with recognisable places and people. It's always fun to feel part of things - Cliff Hardy's Sydney is another example.

There's humour, food, books, and a little romance. The writing style is gentle and charming; the plot is nicely complex without being too hard to follow. I picked a couple of twists, but there were still some some good surprises. I particularly enjoy the detail that many of the characters are non-standard sexually, and this is just ordinary and OK, not some big drama.

(7.5) Cassandra Travers, book editor, single mid-thirties believes she is reasonably content with her life. During a trip returning from visiting a new client, she suffers a tyre puncture. Alone on a stretch of road, a man in a Monaro, eventually stops to help her. She is grateful but uneasy when he infers repayment is required. She purposely gives him another female client's card, intent on getting away from him. When a week or two later she learns that this young woman has been murdered she begins to feel frightened. Her new client, Colonel Al Marriott invites her to stay while she is editing his book on the Gulf War. She accepts. She confides in him, her concerns about the driver of the Monaro. A friend of her back in Canberra sets show more her up on a date with a colleague. Cassandra's life is full, but who can she trust.
This is a lighter read but this writers skill with language makes it enjoyable, particularly her comments on the art of book editing. show less

A good read with enough light tension to make the story interesting. Edgy prose. I like Marion Halligan's style.
[Pam]

Fun to read but very forgetable.

Transferring the books on my spreadsheet to Goodreads - one thing I do remember though is that I hated the lack of punctuation - I gritted my teeth through the whole book!!!