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A worthwhile read

28/2/2014

Memories in the Bone - He who pursues revenge digs two graves
by Mee-mee Phipps

If you can get the end of the first chapter with its gruesome account of beheadings in the wake of the Taiping revolution in Suzhou in 1870 you will find this book a worthwhile read.
The story unfolds over the rest of decade as Zhou Yu moves from China to Melbourne and Ballarat during the Australian gold rush then onto Otago and the New Zealand goldfields and back to China where he marries. He returns to New Zealand as he slowly comes to grips with the violence in his past and confronts life and death.
This author has very cleverly woven several stories in this ten year period of Zhou Yu’s life during a colourful period in history, and many of them are worthy of a book of their own.
At the end one question remains, what happens next? I for one can only hope Mee-mee Phipps is planning at least one more book about Yu, Horowhai, Yung and all the others as they live history. Perhaps the book should come with the warning - Reader beware, if you read this it will leave you wanting more!

Review by Rewa Vivienne

Memories in the Bone: He who pursues revenge digs two graves
Publisher: (NZ) Seriously Red Books, 16a Kingfisher Grove, Greenhithe, Auckland 0632; ISBN 978-0-473-22265-9
(US) IUniverse: www.iuniverse.com. print book ISBN 978-1-4759-3268-3
epub 978-1-4759-3269-0
Available: Dear Reader, The Women's Book Shop, Unity
or email: meemee.f.phipps@ gmail.com

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Confident writing in series of crime thrillers

16/2/2014

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Killerbyte, Terrorbyte, Exacerbyte
by Cat Connor

A New Zealand author who writes with confidence about the FBI and American military agencies – that’s an interesting scenario in itself.
     Cat Connor’s first three books in a series – Killerbyte, Terrorbyte, Exacerbyte – are apparently followed by other titles, but this review is restricted to those named. Each of these three ends in a way that leaves plenty of scope for the next to follow on from the ones before. For that reason, they should be read in this order. It is important to see them as a series because ideas, and even some sections, are repeated in later books.
     The central character is Ellie Conway, a Special Agent with a ‘kick-ass’ approach to her job – much better to meet her on the printed page than in reality. So too, the scenes of horrific murders she witnesses, often described rather too graphically. These books are for readers with a strong stomach.
     It also pays not to be offended by extreme language – all the characters pepper their conversations liberally with ‘f’ words. They’re also addicted to cigarettes – some parts almost appear to be ads for tobacco. Perhaps both habits are understandable given the pressure of the job of special agents, but the writing and the scenes would be just as strong without reliance on language that can antagonise some readers.
     There’s a growing sense throughout that over-frequent references to movies and music is contrived, and that if you are not familiar with them you could miss some significance in places, but these can be skipped over. Given the above warnings, the stories should appeal to male and female readers alike; and those who are technologically minded should be interested in the references to methods used by both sides in the race between law enforcement and international terrorists.
     Agent Ellie tells the story in first person, so you get to know her very intimately, her strengths and weaknesses. You can understand how she has become as she is and can admire her (though not her poetry), even if you can’t identify with her. In one chapter in Killerbyte the first-person narration switches to someone else – the only part where this happens – and this stands out as a glitch in the writing.
     In Exacerbyte the storyline brings the agents to New Zealand, so readers here are more on home ground for a while before the action, thankfully given the violent details, returns to eastern USA.
     Does the Author’s knowledge of these locales and agencies stack up? As far as I, and the average reader, would know, they do.
     Cat Connor has talent as a writer, especially in the areas of storyline and character. It’s a shame the publishing company has let her down by not picking up a number of grammatical and proofing errors that take away from her stories. With stronger editing advice she is likely to become better known in this country and elsewhere.

Review by Kauri Wood

Publisher: Rebel ePublishers, USA.
http://rebelepublishers.com/
Killerbyte ISBN: 9780981425696
Terrorbyte ISBN: 9780986973147
Exacerbyte ISBN: 9780986973161
All books including Flashbyte, Soundbyte, and Snakebyte are available from all most online stores in electronic formats and paperback.
Amazon (all Amazon stores worldwide), Book Depository, Fishpond, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, Smashwords, etc.

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Well crafted story

3/2/2014

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Bye Baby Bunting
by Tannis Laidlaw

Yet another tale about the angst, misery and heartache surrounding child adoption. Ho hum.
Or so I thought until I started to read this well-crafted story about an ordinary young mother who is driven to extraordinary acts to be with her child.
Following the mother and child for fifty years and halfway across the world the reader builds up a rapport with them and gets to answer the question the author asks “Is kidnapping your birth child a criminal act?” She might well have asked does the end justify the means?
The author’s descriptive powers are such that I felt the enervating humidity of Auckland which was not surprising as I have experienced it, but I have never felt the bone aching cold of a Winnipeg winter and I felt that just as keenly through her writing.
This novel definitely comes into the good read category to the point where the unbelievable becomes believable and where minor inconsistencies can be easily ignored.
Well done Tannis Laidlaw.

Review by Rewa Vivienne

Bye Baby Bunting
Publisher: Forth Estate Ltd
ISBN-13: 9781477487372 ISBN-10: 1477487379
Available for Kindle at Amazon; for most other e-formats at Smashwords.
Paperback from Amazon, CreateSpace, Fishpond (NZ)

Comments

A worthwhile read

Confident writing in series of crime thrillers

Well crafted story

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