Review: SLIME INCORPORATED by Adam Graham

Slime Incorporated by Adam Graham
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Isn't it exciting to find a book which is unique in an overcrowded genre?

Such is Slime Incorporated.

From the opening pages, this novel exudes energy and colour, not the least of it the generous array of the main character, Cole. A flamboyant young man who almost "thinks in colour," Cole is, nevertheless, a person of integrity and honour. This comes through clearly as he negotiates what is a very murky plot, involving betrayal of not only a fine political candidate - yes there is such an animal - but also vulnerable, innocent women.

Cole Ustick works for Newton's PI agency, a boss who shuns messy divorce and domestic cases, and concentrates on corporate, insurance and employee background checks. However, this time, the boss has been dealt a different hand and Newton is hired to discover who framed Ignacio Hernandez, the candidate in the Idaho state election, for sexual assault. Things go downhill from there...

No spoilers, so I will concentrate on the characters. Surprisingly, this plot has religious overtones but that said, this aspect does not slow down the plot or give the characters too much "sweetness."

Cole Ustick - most unusual name, but it suits him - carries a private pain which is hidden under an exotic exterior - love his long hair! He reminds me of the Australian Rainbow Lorikeets abounding in our backyard - but the author has cleverly endowed him with compassion and intelligence without making him ridiculous - a rare feat. I was delighted by Cole's love of classical music and skill as a pianist.

A most enjoyable read and I hope Graham brings out more "Cole" stories.

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Review: HOLD STILL by Lisa Regan

Hold Still by Lisa Regan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jocelyn Rush is a character in whom I am happy to invest concern. Not too over-the-top tough, she is engaging, emphatic and compassionate.This book is a winner in every way. Well written, the plot grabbed and wafted me to the finish line without dropping a moment of interest along the way.

Yes, I did pick the bad bloke early in the piece, but this in no way spoiled this excellent story for me. The romance was realistic and touching. Regan brought all her characters to life, investing them with both good and bad qualities, even most of the evil doers.

Now I am hoping that this author is, right, now typing her fingers to the bone with a new book featuring Jocelyn and Anita chasing the crooks from their private investigation business!

ZOE’S MUSTER by Barbara Hannay 26th March.

Zoe's Muster has elements of the traditional - girl looking for her "real" father - but the way Barbara Hannay has written this story makes those elements take on a new perspective.

Zoe takes off to the north of Queensland to join a cattle muster as the camp cook, after she discovers purely by chance that the father she has always known is not her biological one. This is a surprise to her mother as well, and Claire, beset by marriage problems, begs Zoe not to tell anyone why she is at the station working. Obviously, this causes a few problems for Zoe.

I loved that this book was set in Brisbane, as I lived there for many years and now live on an hour and a half away in the country.

The character of Zoe was excellent portrayed and, to my relief, was not "over the top" bull-headed - or "feisty" as authors like to call young women who are badly behaved. Zoe is everyone's daughter, a pleasant character, capable of being hurt without lashing out like a madwoman. She is humble without being servile, takes instruction from anyone who knows what they're talking about and is generally a credit to her creator.

I have known quite a few Mac's in my life - being brought up on a rural property myself - and he is better looking and sexier than any I came across - but then he has to be, he's the main male protagonist.

The supporting cast are excellently presented and had the effect of me wanting to read more by this author. I like Australian fiction - it has to be authentic and not "Americanised" as some are - and this novel is well worth anyone's time to read.

Good work :)

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Review: ZOE'S MUSTER by Barbara Hannay

Zoe's Muster by Barbara Hannay
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Zoe's Muster has elements of the traditional, "girl looking for her "real" father" but the way Barbara Hannay has written this story makes those elements take on a new perspective.

Zoe takes off to the north of Queensland to join a cattle muster as the camp cook, after she discovers purely by chance that the father she has always known is not her biological one. This is a surprise to her mother as well, and Claire, beset by marriage problems, begs Zoe not to tell anyone why she is at the station working. Obviously, this causes a few problems for Zoe.

I loved that this book was set in Brisbane, as I lived there for many years and now live on an hour and a half away in the country.

The character of Zoe was excellent portrayed and, to my relief, was not "over the top" bull-headed - or "feisty" as authors like to call young women who are badly behaved. Zoe is everyone's daughter, a pleasant character, capable of being hurt without lashing out like a madwoman. She is humble without being servile, takes instruction from anyone who knows what they're talking about and is generally a credit to her creator.

I have known quite a few Mac's in my life - being brought up on a rural property myself - and he is better looking and sexier than any I came across - but then he has to be, he's the main male protagonist.

The supporting cast are excellently presented and had the effect of me wanting to read more by this author. I like Australian fiction - it has to be authentic and not "Americanised" as some are - and this novel is well worth anyone's time to read.

Good work :)

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Review: THE CRUELLEST MONTH by Janet Mary Tomson

The Cruellest Month by Janet Mary Tomson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Grace Harrison, almost sixty, finally buries her demanding, emotionally blackmailing mother at 98, and feels guilty because she is so relieved.

Suffering from unrequited love of a young man she lost forty years ago, and in the interim, only managing short forays into the world of romance and sexual encounters, Grace is astonished to discover, just as she becomes eligible for the aged pension, three would-be lovers hovering.

One of the three - the son of the erstwhile first boyfriend - comes to England to have a holiday and his father requests Grace to give him a place to stay and entertain him on the isle of Wight.

There are many "laugh aloud"moments in this charming book.

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The return of the lazy blogger

You'd think I'd be over it by now - the operation, the after effects - and I pretty much am, but the truth is - I'm lazy  :(   Somehow procrastination is the name of the game around here, but it all stops on the 22nd November with :

DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE!!!

That's right, you didn't mishear. The Queensland Writer's Centre is running program where we sluggards commit to 30 THOUSAND words written in 30 HOURS!!! That's 10 thousand words a day and we finish up on the 24th November, hopefully having fulfilled our comittment.

If I don't do this now, AFTER ARIEL will never be finished!

Okay, enough snivelling.

Things have been fraught around here. Poor Andrew has had his gallbladder out, and then the disc at LL5 ulged and pressed on his Sciatic nerve which caused even more problems. He has been in awful pain, but fortunately a CT guided blocker injection into his spine has made things a lot better. Now the physio - lovely Kristie - has given him exercises to ease the situation.

We lost our lovely geriatric rattie, Bash, last Thursday afternoon just before 4pm. He had been on the bed with Andrew and I and we had been stroking and massaging his little tortured body. I scooted to the loo, came back less than a minute later and he was gone. We will miss him so very very much. A rescue rattie, we took him in around two years ago with his brother, Crash. We did not name them! They were about 7-8 months old when we met them, so Bash was pretty long in the tooth when  he went. Crash left us approximately two months earlier.

So that's enough for now and will make a promise not to be too long before I blog again!