RWC Quarterfinal 4: Argentina vs New Zealand (Martinez vs Symon)

For the fourth and final instalment in my quarterfinal round of rugby-themed international crime fiction posts, we have Argentina vs New Zealand. In rugby terms, this is being picked as the least-close of the quarterfinal match-ups, the only one that shouldn't be able to go either way (1 vs 8, in effect), but you never know. The ball can bounce in funny ways...

As for the crime fiction, well, let's take a look at a book from each country that I've read and/or purchased in the past year or so.

Representing Argentina: THE BOOK OF MURDER by Guillermo Martinez
I saw this book in the Brisbane airport bookshop when I was travelling a few months ago, and grabbed it. Unfortunately I haven't yet got around to reading it, but I will endeavour to do so soon. I understand that Martinez's novels are of the psychological suspense and literary thriller variety; this one certainly looks intriguing.

The narrator is an up-and-coming young writer who has little in common with Kloster — a literary giant whose disturbing crime novels dominate the bestseller lists. However, they have both, at one time, employed the secretarial services of the alluring Luciana B. Out of the past, Luciana makes a desperate plea to the young writer. She thinks that Kloster is slowly killing off everyone close to her — can he help before her grandmother and younger sister are murdered?

While the narrator suspects her misfortunes have driven her mad, Kloster has a powerful motive; and eerie parallels surface between the murders in Kloster’s books and the real-life deaths surrounding Luciana. As the body count multiplies, the question arises: Can words really kill?

 Representing New Zealand: BOUND by Vanda Symon
Symon's fourth and latest novel starring Dunedin police detective Sam Shephard is in my opinion her best yet. And the others have all been good to great, too. I read and really, really enjoyed BOUND earlier this year.

Symon kick-starts her latest thrilling tale with a brutal home invasion; a businessman is killed with a shot gun; his wife, who watched him die, nearly chokes to death, gagged and tied to a chair. As Shephard and her CID colleagues investigate, it becomes clear that the businessman's succes might not have been all that legitimate, leading the police eventually to a couple of lowlifes suspected of an earlier cop killing. But while Shephard's colleagues are happy they might be able to kill two birds with one stone, she's uneasy, and keeps investigating - much to the chagrin of her police peers.

BOUND is top notch crime fiction; excellent storytelling with real verve and energy, starring one of the most enjoyably readable heroines on the crime fiction scene.

Result: As I haven't read THE BOOK OF MURDER yet, it would be unfair for me to speculate whether this contest will go the same way as the rugby (ie, a likely New Zealand victory). All I will say is that, like the All Blacks, Symon's BOUND is a very strong contender that would take a heck of a performance from the Argentinians to overcome.

Comments welcome.

RWC Quarterfinal 3: Australia vs South Africa (Corris vs Smith)

As I said yesterday, one of the biggest sporting events on the planet is currently being staged right here in New Zealand; the Rugby World Cup 2011. As a way of celebrating crime fiction from around the world, and joining in the 'everything rugby themed' atmosphere down this way at the moment, I'm creating crime fiction posts that mirror the playoff games being played. So for the next eight games (four quarterfinals, two semifinals, one 3rd/4th playoff, one final) I will highlight a crime, mystery, or thriller novel from each of the countries playing the game, that I have either read or purchased in the past year or so.

Yesterday Wales overcame Ireland, and France overcame England in the rugby games (probably the reverse of what I would have picked in the crime fiction match-ups). Today it's the turn of the Southern Hemisphere.

The third quarterfinal sees Australia taking on South Africa. Should be a titanic battle.

Representing Australia: FOLLOW THE MONEY by Peter Corris
Although THE WRECKAGE by Michael Robotham is probably the best crime novel written by an Australian I've read in 2011, it's not set in Australia, so to represent the Lucky Country in this crime fiction match-up I'm picking the latest novel from another great Australian crime writer, Peter Corris. I read FOLLOW THE MONEY in January this year, in preparation for interviewing Corris.

The ‘godfather of Australian crime writing’, Corris has been penning his acclaimed Cliff Hardy tales for decades. This new instalment sees the aging hero in a slump; he’s lost his private eye license and his entire life savings - embezzled by a dodgy financial advisor, who later wound up dead. But then Hardy’s unofficially ‘hired’ by a slick, desperate lawyer to find out whether the embezzler faked his own death; an assignment that has the budding granddad entwined with ethnic gangs and Sydney’s gritty underbelly. There are a lot of things to like about FOLLOW THE MONEY, and I'd definitely read more of Corris and Hardy.

Representing South Africa: MIXED BLOOD by Roger Smith
South Africa is definitely gaining in stature on the international crime fiction stage. Deon Meyer has garnered plenty of acclaim, and other authors like Smith and Margie Orford, amongst several others, are certainly putting their indigenous crime fiction on the map. I read MIXED BLOOD in April this year.

Reluctant bank robber Jack Burn is on the run after a heist in the United States that left $3 million missing and one cop dead. Hiding out in Cape Town, South Africa, he is desperate to build a new life for his pregnant wife and young son. But on a tranquil evening in their new suburban neighborhood they are the victims of a random gangland assault that changes everything.

Benny Mongrel, an ex-con night watchman guarding a building site next to Burn’s home, is another man desperate to escape his past. After years in the ghetto gangs of Cape Town he knows who went into Burn’s house. And what the American did to them. He also knows his only chance to save his own brown skin is to forget what he saw. Burn’s actions on that night trap them both in a cat-and-mouse game with Rudi "Gatsby" Barnard—a corrupt Afrikaner cop who loves killing almost as much as he loves Jesus Christ—and Disaster Zondi, a fastidious Zulu detective who wishes to settle an old score. Once Gatsby smells those missing American millions, the four men are drawn into a web of murder and vengeance.

I really enjoyed MIXED BLOOD. It twists and turns in a violent yet engaging journey, that is filled with memorable characters. I'll definitely be reading more of Smith's work (as well as more South African crime fiction in general).

Result: while the rugby is a toss-up that could go either way depending how the teams play this evening, if I had to pick a winner between these books, I might go for MIXED BLOOD, even though Corris has had an illustrious career. I will be reading many more of Corris's Cliff Hardy books, but for me, MIXED BLOOD might just pip FOLLOW THE MONEY on the day. Whether this is an omen for the rugby quarterfinal, we'll just have to wait and see.

Have you read either of these books, or authors? Do you like Australian and/or South African crime fiction?

RWC Quarterfinal 2: England vs France (Billingham vs Manotti)

As I said earlier today, one of the biggest sporting events on the planet  is currently being staged right here in New Zealand; the Rugby World Cup 2011. As a way of celebrating crime fiction from around the world, and joining in the 'everything rugby themed' atmosphere down this way at the moment, I'm creating crime fiction posts that mirror the playoff games being played. So for the next eight games (four quarterfinals, two semifinals, one 3rd/4th playoff, one final) I will highlight a crime, mystery, or thriller novel from each of the countries playing the game, that I have either read or purchased in the past year or so.

Second up (following the Celtic tussle), it's another ding-dong battle with plenty of history and tradition, as England meet France in the second quarterfinal of RWC 2011. Like the Ireland vs Wales game, I'm intending to go and watch the game at 'The Cloud' in downtown Auckland - a fan zone with food, drink, activities, and tonnes of big screens to watch the action. But onto the crime fiction match-up:

Representing England: GOOD AS DEAD by Mark Billingham
Just as England is the home of rugby (in the 'where it was created' sense), you could make an argument that England is something of the home of modern detective fiction - or at least the place where it first rose to great popularity with the likes of Wilkie Collins and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, then Agatha Christie (the bestselling author of all time, in any genre). As such, there's plenty of choices you could make to represent England in a crime fiction sense, but in terms of picking just one to highlight, I'm going to go with the most recent English born and based author, English setting, novel that I've read; GOOD AS DEAD by Mark Billingham.

Few if any are better than Billingham when it comes to contemporary British crime. His tenth novel to feature DI Tom Thorne finds the gritty London copper in a race-against time to save police officer Helen Weeks (from IN THE DARK), who’s being held hostage by a dairy owner who’s snapped. What does the gunman want? Not money or his personal safety, but for the Police to properly investigate the death of his son in custody; he’s sure it wasn’t suicide.

For me, Billingham never disappoints, and GOOD AS DEAD was no exception. An exciting plot (more of a 'ticking clock' type pace than Billingham usually uses) marries with compelling characters, and continuing threads that run throughout the series, to create a great, gripping read that will leave longtime readers wondering what is next for DI Tom Thorne. Billingham also gets you thinking about a few issues, salting in some nuggest of social commentary, in amongst the page-turning prose.

Representing France: THE LORRAINE CONNECTION by Dominique Manotti
In all honesty, I haven't yet read any French crime fiction - which is a travesty considering I go out of my way to source, purchase, and read plenty of translated crime fiction, and crime fiction from a variety of countries. I do have some French crime fiction that I have bought, but not yet read, however, including THE LORRAINE CONNECTION by Dominique Manotti, which I purchased earlier this year.

When a cathode ray tube factory in a small French town is hit first by a strike and then by a suspicious fire, the battle for the takeover of the plant’s beleaguered parent company heats up. The Lorraine factory is at the center of a strategic battle being played out in Paris, Brussels, and Asia for the takeover of the ailing state-owned electronics giant Thomson. Accusations of foul play fly, and rival contender Alcatel calls in its intrepid head of security Charles Montoya to investigate. He soon uncovers explosive revelations and a trail of murders, dirty tricks, blackmail, and corporate malfeasance.

Result: well, it's a bit unfair for me to call this one, considering I haven't yet read Manotti's book (not that not watching the games or knowing very much prevents far too many people commenting about the rugby on talkback radio and the Internet etc, of course). As for the real game, although I'd like to see France win - as badly as they've been playing, they have some flair and can play great rugby on their day - plus, it would be nice for them to finally do to someone else what they've done to New Zealand a couple of times - I think England will edge it in the end. But you never know in the oval ball game.

So, who do you think should win, England vs France - in the rugby, or the crime fiction context?

Updated (Sunday 9 October): Well, well, well. In the real life rugby result, the Manottis stormed out of the gate, getting a great first-half lead that the Billinghams just couldn't overcome. Another great RWC 2011 upset that sees Martin Johnson and his lads heading home to Blighty. There was certainly plenty of francophile celebrating here in Auckland last night, that's for sure. Here I am with a very proud and happy Frenchman at the Cloud, just after the final whistle.

Allez les bleus!

RWC Quarterfinal 1: Ireland vs Wales (McGilloway vs Bauer)

Currently, one of the biggest sporting events on the planet (some say the third biggest after the FIFA World Cup and the Summer Olympics) is being held right here in New Zealand; the Rugby World Cup 2011. As you can imagine, all sorts of rugby-themed and linked things are happening up and down the country, and plenty of the the world's sporting media have their lens and pens (laptops) turned this way.

Given this weekend marks the kick-off of the knock-out stages of the tournament, I thought I would use this opportunity to have a little fun, and create crime fiction posts that mirror the games being played (ie the quarterfinal line-up). So for the next eight games over the next three weekends (four quarterfinals, two semifinals, one 3rd/4th playoff, one final) I will highlight a crime, mystery, or thriller novel from each of the countries playing the game, that I have either read or purchased in the past year or so.

First up, it's the Celts in the Ireland vs Wales quarterfinal, later this afternoon/evening in New Zealand:

Representing Ireland: BORDERLANDS by Brian McGilloway
I'd heard some good things about Irish writer Brian McGilloway before I bought a copy of BORDERLANDS and read it in January this year. McGilloway's debut novel introduces Garda Inspector Benedict Devlin, and involves a murder case where the body of a local teenager is found on the 'borderlands' that span Ireland and Northern Ireland. The only clues are a gold ring placed on the girl's finger and an old photograph, left where she died. Then another teenager is murdered, and things become further complicated when Devlin unearths a link between the recent killings and the disappearance of a prostitute twenty-five years earlier a case in which he believes one of his own colleagues is implicated.

I really, really enjoyed BORDERLANDS, and I'm very much looking forward to reading more of McGilloway's writing (I already have BLEED A RIVER DEEP on my TBR bookshelf at home). He has a nice writing style, and a great touch for weaving plot, theme, setting, and character together into something polished yet still distinctive. It's certainly one of the better debut crime novels I've read in the past few years, and a worthy initial representative of Ireland in my little RWC-themed blog series here.

Representing Wales: BLACKLANDS by Belinda Bauer
Another debutant on the crime fiction scene, Welsh author Bauer certainly hit the ground running with BLACKLANDS, which won the CWA Gold Dagger last year - a rare feat for a first novel. I read BLACKLANDS late last year, and enjoyed it. The novel centres on 12-year-old Steven Lamb, who spends his free time searching the windswept moors outside his small town, hoping to find trace of his uncle Billy whose disappearance two decades ago fractured the impoverished family in such a way that even though Steven wasn't born when it happened, he experiences the ongoing effects of the tragedy.

Desperate for closure, Steven turns to an imprisoned paedophile, writing him a letter that he hopes might garner some much-needed clues - but instead opening Pandora's Box to an even worse nightmare. I liked the way that even though Bauer's debut was seemingly simple in storyline terms and the way she writes, there was plenty going on underneath. BLACKLANDS delves deeply into character and human frailties, gives convincing “voice” to both child and child killer, and ably depicts the dark underbelly of English village life.

Result: for me, although I'm picking Wales to beat Ireland in the rugby, I think I'd have to go with BORDERLANDS over BLACKLANDS in the crime fiction match-up, in a close call. Both are very good books, and worthy representatives of their respective crime writing and rugby playing nations, but I'd probably rush back to read more McGilloway before more Bauer, just.

UPDATE: In the real-life result, the Bauers took down the McGilloways 22-10, deservedly moving ahead to the semifinals of RWC 2011. One of the form teams of the entire competition, the boyos from the valleys are certainly playing some scintillating rugby, and it will be a great game between them and France next weekend.

I enjoyed the Celtic tussle down at 'party central' in Auckland, where the game was displayed on huge screens and thousands of fans gathered, dressed up in their teams' colours. Here's a pic of me and a friend with a very happy Welshman, now living in New Zealand, following the final whistle (see left).

So, what do you think of Irish and Welsh rugby, and crime fiction? Comments welcome.