Marina Maxwell
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I read and review both historical fiction and non-fiction, but also enjoy biographies, crime and some contemporary fiction.
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Please note that unless stated that I have received these books directly from the publisher or author in exchange for an honest review, I either purchase my own copies or source them from my local library service. 

​Links to Amazon, Book Depository or Dymocks Australia are only for the reader's reference.
(Due to some poor experiences recently with Booktopia, from 2023 I will no longer link to them.)

My reviews for Historical Novels Review, the magazine of the Historical Novel Society, can be found online here
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The Taint of Midas

25/9/2015

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This is the second book I have read in the Greek Detective series by Anne Zouroudi and am looking forward to the rest of the series. The books all feature the enigmatic character Hermes Diaktoros, usually described as in the narrative as simply “the fat man”, who involves himself in resolving crimes in unusual ways and has a fetish about keeping his shoes white.

Visiting a Greek island from Athens, the fat man is the first on the scene of a hit-and-run only to discover that the victim is an old friend. Although at first considered a suspect by the local police, they soon realise the fat man has his own agenda to discover the truth and punish the guilty; that he represents some unknown higher crime fighting authority that is never revealed.

Greed and corruption lie behind the death of the elderly victim, who owned land of interest to a trio of property developers. Justice is meted out in unexpected ways and for one individual who nearly succumbed there is redemption.

There is something truly magical about these books that is very difficult to describe. The characters, the settings, the moral complexities, all combine to provide a unique, rich and rewarding reading experience. Most excellent.

Amazon UK

Amazon.com

Booktopia

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The Herring Seller's Apprentice

1/9/2015

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Those of us who really appreciate it, often bemoan the lack of wit these days. Everybody and everything has to be taken SO seriously, with political correctness or fear of offence being one of the major obstacles to wit, and so it was with a great deal of joy that I stumbled across this title in my library’s e-book collection while searching for something light, short and entertaining.

It is all those things, although I suppose there are hidden messages to be found if you’re the type of reader who can’t take things at face value and have to dig around for dark or sinister purposes.

Ethelred Tressider is the “herring seller”, a somewhat jaded mystery writer known for the red herrings strewn throughout his “Fairfax mysteries”. Under other aliases he also writes romances and about the 14th Century. He is supported in his endeavours by his agent, the chocolate-obsessed fashion-flop of Elsie Thirkettle. When Ethelred’s ex-wife appears to have been murdered but he doesn’t seem too keen to get involved, Elsie sets herself up as his apprentice in order to solve the crime.

Some readers are unlikely to “get” this book. It’s laugh out loud in some spots and far more subtle in other places. The switches in the first-person narration between E and E work smoothly for the most part, and I liked the quirky diversions with the italicised sections where the bored Ethelred is fighting his protagonist Fairfax in his latest novel and gets his revenge every time with the “Edit. Select All. Delete” button. (All fiction authors will identify with this type of thing!)

The mystery can be guessed at and there are the usual coincidences and contrivances to reach the conclusion, but it’s the journey along the way that makes this such a delightful read. I shall definitely hunt up the following books in this series.


Amazon US

Amazon UK
 
Booktopia

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