The Chemical Detective by Fiona Erskine

The Chemical Detective by Fiona Erskine
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A good up to date story of organised crime at it's worst. It is fiction however I am always amazed at the risks and violence that they undertake in pursuit of an illegal living. This is made more topical by the linking to Chernobyl following the success of the recent drama on TV. The story is easy to follow and on point the whole time - no complicated bios or flashbacks to contend with which in my mind is always good. There are one or two surprises and twists but in all it is a fast moving and exciting action adventure for Jaq Silver our chemical detective.

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Blood in the Dust by Bill Swiggs

Blood in the Dust by Bill Swiggs
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The gold rush in Victoria, Australia is the backdrop for this excellent story of Toby O'Rourke whose parents have been murdered by bushrangers raiding their small homestead. Not only do we get a great story of a young man maturing in the most difficult conditions and circumstance we also get a very real look at what life must have been like for those trying to build the new colonies of Australia. No cell phones, no TV, no internet, no electricity, no nothing - just imagine how you would fair in this environment, far less carve out a more comfortable life for yourself. Great book.

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Cold Storage by David Koepp

Cold Storage by David Koepp
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ever scared of going to the fridge, well you might think differently after reading this and might not look at mushrooms the same way again. After investigating a suspected bio-terror incident Roberto Diaz recovers a fungus which is stored in cold storage underground for eternity, or is it. I initially thought this story was going to be an endless series of lengthy character bios but once the essentials were in place the book went into top gear to the end. The author, like with Jurassic Park plays with the "what if" this time not extracting DNA from insects trapped in amber but a fungus sample from a Sky Lab experiment that returns home. It is this linking that provides the credibility needed to make it exciting and thrilling.

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