It appears that Carl Brookins has found another good read to share with us today.
Jennifer Rowe
ISBN:
978-1-59058-543-6
A
2011 hard cover
release from
Poisoned
Pen
Press. 286 pages.
The
author of
this romp, Jennifer Rowe, is a highly prolific Australian writer.
Her list of
publications is nothing short of amazing. Once can legitimately
wonder how she
can turn out so many fine works. Perhaps that’s why this one too
frequently
sets this reviewer’s teeth on edge. Having made that comment I
will go on to
note that the book is well-written, contains some fine,
well-thought-out unusual
characters and resolves a plot that is ingenious.
Holly
Love, our
protagonist is an inexperienced young woman making her way for the
first time
in the world of commerce. She’s a back-office clerk in a sizeable
office supply
retailer in Sydney. She processes invoices in a competent if
uninspired manner.
She has few friends outside the office and they don’t appear very
interesting. Holly
Love has the unfortunate experience of falling for a slick,
handsome bounder. A
man with apparently stimulating talents, but one who has the moral
balance of a
feral cat.
On
the eve of her
wedding day to Andrew McNish, he pulls a disappearing act. Holly
finds his
house empty, his belongings gone and, later, all the money from
their joint account.
Holly quickly learns that Mr. McNish doesn’t own the house and is
in arrears
all over town. Among those he apparently owes, are some seriously
criminal thugs.
Holly,
being of
sterner stuff than many young ladies, decides to pursue that man
and get her
money back, if not her feelings mended. She hires a dodgy private
detective who
promptly locates the missing bridegroom and just as promptly,
dies. Left alone
for the second time, Holly does what any upstanding young lady
would do, and
therein lies the rest of this very funny and very clever tale. I
recommend this
well-nuanced novel highly.
A
copy of the
novel was supplied to me at no charge from the publisher.
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Carl Brookins www.carlbrookins.com BLOG: http://agora2.blogspot.com -BOOKS: Case of the Great Train Robbery, Reunion, Red Sky
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Carl Brookins www.carlbrookins.com BLOG: http://agora2.blogspot.com -BOOKS: Case of the Great Train Robbery, Reunion, Red Sky
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