Trick or Treat
The latest Corinna Chapman, Trick or Treat is in the bookshops, rather ahead of its official launch (8 Sepember, at Sun Bookshop by Hon. Barry Jones).
As one may gather from the title, Halloween or, more accurately, Samhain is central to the story. The prosperity of the Earthly Delights bakery is threatened by the opening of a franchise bakery a few doors down. There are drug-induced hallucinations and delusions, hints about Max Merten and the Salonika treasure (pdf), a rather threatening blonde supermodel type who seems to have designs on Corinna's Daniel and her bakery plus serious Wicca politics. A real witches brew of magic, treasure, romance and mystery. Not to mention cats.
While any medievalist should work out a crucial detail in the first 60 pages, the mysteries simply add spice to the journey, which is the real fun. Lots of wit, shrewd observation and characters one enjoys experiencing in action. Plus food. Reading any Corinna makes one hungry, and I mean that in a good way. (As per normal, there are recipes at the back.)
Oz as a country of refuge is, as is common in Kerry G's books, a background theme. Fairly inevitable, if one is writing mysteries which involve New Australians. And provides an added frisson when that refuge, or sense of refuge, is violated.
One picks up on the way through Trick or Treat quite a lot of background information and Greece, particularly during WWII and the fate of Greek Jews. That history happens and can be vile (pdf) is presented much more effectively since Kerry G is far too respectful of reader and story to lapse into didacticism. (Novels can be an excellent way to make points, if one realises that a novel is not a lecture and is not improved by having such inserted in it.) Aided further by the deeply commonsensical realisation that history is done by people and not cardboard cut-out caricatures.
Which means that the characters do the things people do, including have disastrous families, cope or not, grow or not, get grumpy, be very sensitive, be oblivious, enjoy ordinary things, obsess about stuff, be fortunate (and know it), be not.
And, even if Kerry G insists on the first page Even the City of Melbourne is an artefact of my imagination, a thoroughly engaging fictional experience of Melbourne. Lots of fun.
As one may gather from the title, Halloween or, more accurately, Samhain is central to the story. The prosperity of the Earthly Delights bakery is threatened by the opening of a franchise bakery a few doors down. There are drug-induced hallucinations and delusions, hints about Max Merten and the Salonika treasure (pdf), a rather threatening blonde supermodel type who seems to have designs on Corinna's Daniel and her bakery plus serious Wicca politics. A real witches brew of magic, treasure, romance and mystery. Not to mention cats.
While any medievalist should work out a crucial detail in the first 60 pages, the mysteries simply add spice to the journey, which is the real fun. Lots of wit, shrewd observation and characters one enjoys experiencing in action. Plus food. Reading any Corinna makes one hungry, and I mean that in a good way. (As per normal, there are recipes at the back.)
Oz as a country of refuge is, as is common in Kerry G's books, a background theme. Fairly inevitable, if one is writing mysteries which involve New Australians. And provides an added frisson when that refuge, or sense of refuge, is violated.
One picks up on the way through Trick or Treat quite a lot of background information and Greece, particularly during WWII and the fate of Greek Jews. That history happens and can be vile (pdf) is presented much more effectively since Kerry G is far too respectful of reader and story to lapse into didacticism. (Novels can be an excellent way to make points, if one realises that a novel is not a lecture and is not improved by having such inserted in it.) Aided further by the deeply commonsensical realisation that history is done by people and not cardboard cut-out caricatures.
Which means that the characters do the things people do, including have disastrous families, cope or not, grow or not, get grumpy, be very sensitive, be oblivious, enjoy ordinary things, obsess about stuff, be fortunate (and know it), be not.
And, even if Kerry G insists on the first page Even the City of Melbourne is an artefact of my imagination, a thoroughly engaging fictional experience of Melbourne. Lots of fun.