For the Love of Mary
by Carne Maxwell
In spite of the title, it’s hard to love Mary. And she certainly can’t be trusted. She’s calculating, conniving and dishonest. She’s blithely deceiving her husband, Peter, causing her parents grief, betraying her friends and generally being objectionable.
Set in and around the wider Auckland area, For the Love of Mary is the third book in ‘The Contest Trilogy’ which began with The Contest, followed by Redemption. Although For the Love of Mary is described as a stand-alone read, I found it confusing at times not knowing the various families’ back stories and how their lives have been interwoven since The Contest began. Maxwell uses a clever ploy on page 6 when Terrance attempts to summarise events from the previous two books in some ‘notes to self’ spanning a period of around 10 years. This highlights the fact that wherever there has been trouble, Mary has frequently been in its centre.
Now Mary’s former husband is in prison and Terrance is trying to persuade the police that Mark is innocent.
As the story unfolds, for all Mary’s faults, it becomes evident that real evil exists elsewhere. Taking a break on the Awhitu Peninsula some of the characters are soon in terrible danger. Maxwell describes the Peninsula landscape vividly: the narrow roads, the deep gullies, the sheer cliffs plunging into the sea. Maxwell skilfully draws us into the dramatic events that occur so that the reader is gathered up in the urgency and horror, desperation and fear of the moment. The Contest and Redemption back stories become irrelevant and For the Love of Mary actually blossoms as a stand-alone.
The improbability of some events aside, Maxwell handles depravity, darkness and foreboding with skill. The book ends with Terrance making a decision that some will consider dubious at best – he’s entangled in a real “What would I do?” dilemma.
Whereas in The Contest there was nastiness and stupidity at every turn and a huge body count, and Redemptionwas hard to fathom without reading The Contest, For the Love of Mary is much more focused and plot development is more structured. A pared down body count proves that less really is more: when death and wickedness strike, they are all the more shocking for being unexpected.
by Carne Maxwell
In spite of the title, it’s hard to love Mary. And she certainly can’t be trusted. She’s calculating, conniving and dishonest. She’s blithely deceiving her husband, Peter, causing her parents grief, betraying her friends and generally being objectionable.
Set in and around the wider Auckland area, For the Love of Mary is the third book in ‘The Contest Trilogy’ which began with The Contest, followed by Redemption. Although For the Love of Mary is described as a stand-alone read, I found it confusing at times not knowing the various families’ back stories and how their lives have been interwoven since The Contest began. Maxwell uses a clever ploy on page 6 when Terrance attempts to summarise events from the previous two books in some ‘notes to self’ spanning a period of around 10 years. This highlights the fact that wherever there has been trouble, Mary has frequently been in its centre.
Now Mary’s former husband is in prison and Terrance is trying to persuade the police that Mark is innocent.
As the story unfolds, for all Mary’s faults, it becomes evident that real evil exists elsewhere. Taking a break on the Awhitu Peninsula some of the characters are soon in terrible danger. Maxwell describes the Peninsula landscape vividly: the narrow roads, the deep gullies, the sheer cliffs plunging into the sea. Maxwell skilfully draws us into the dramatic events that occur so that the reader is gathered up in the urgency and horror, desperation and fear of the moment. The Contest and Redemption back stories become irrelevant and For the Love of Mary actually blossoms as a stand-alone.
The improbability of some events aside, Maxwell handles depravity, darkness and foreboding with skill. The book ends with Terrance making a decision that some will consider dubious at best – he’s entangled in a real “What would I do?” dilemma.
Whereas in The Contest there was nastiness and stupidity at every turn and a huge body count, and Redemptionwas hard to fathom without reading The Contest, For the Love of Mary is much more focused and plot development is more structured. A pared down body count proves that less really is more: when death and wickedness strike, they are all the more shocking for being unexpected.
Review by Carolyn McKenzie
Title: For the Love of Mary
Author: Carne Maxwell
Publisher: Carne Maxwell
ISBN: 9780473684419 paperback; ISBN 9780473684433 kindle ebook
RRP: $35
Available: Amazon https://www.carnemaxwellauthor.co.nz; The Little Bookshop (Remuera)
Author: Carne Maxwell
Publisher: Carne Maxwell
ISBN: 9780473684419 paperback; ISBN 9780473684433 kindle ebook
RRP: $35
Available: Amazon https://www.carnemaxwellauthor.co.nz; The Little Bookshop (Remuera)
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