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Thursday, August 21, 2008

Crime seen by Jenny Pausacker.

As a fan of both children’s/young adult and crime fiction, and the parent of a son very interested in policing and forensic science, I found Jenny Pausacker’s novel both plausible and well-paced. I was initially intrigued by the title ‘Crime Seen’ and the possibilities of the interpretation of this title. Did the story revolve around the Forensics Unit or had Harris ‘seen’ a crime committed or been involved in one? This thought drew my interest, one I needed to explore.
The novel centres on Harris Johnston, a 15 year old undertaking a week of work experience at the city’s Forensics Unit. Harris has been interested in forensic pathology for a long time, (much to his mother’s disapproval) and is excited and keen at the prospect of meeting, joining and helping ‘real people’ in this challenging profession. ‘Crime Seen’ deals with Harris’s day by day activities in all the different departments , from the Coroner’s Court and lecture lab, to the quiet, reserved staff in the Pathology Lab and (what one would not expect), the bubbly, chatty female staff, of the Grief Counselling Unit. Gia Agnelli, Harris’s supervisor, sums them up well ‘You don’t say much, do you, Harris?’ she observed. You’ll fit in well here. They’re mostly the silent type, except for my mob in the Grief Counselling Unit, of course.’
Harris slots in straight away, feels accepted by the friendly girls, and is given tasks and responsibility. He feels instantly mature and brags to his mate Seb, who is undertaking his work experience at the Water and Sewerage Services, keeping him informed throughout the novel by text messages. Their friendship is shown through their communication and meetings and the added interesting SMS ‘speak’ of teenagers which was fun to decipher.
The plot involves Harris’s direct and indirect involvement in the disappearance and death of Tansy, a girl he met when he was 5, the daughter of the chief pathologist, Jim Dimitropoulos, who is married to Harris’s uncle Melvin’s ex-wife Rina. Jim becomes a mentor, Harris becomes involved on both a ‘professional’ and personal level as he gets caught up in the mystery surrounding both Tansy’s death and the young, pretty reporter Lara, who seems intent on a story no matter what the cost. But Harris is astute, he won’t be sucked in by Lara’s manipulating and we see the adult side of Harris shine through.
His mind shifts focus suddenly and haphazardly as any 15 year olds would. What does Harris see? What does he think? What does he deduce from his interaction with the staff, personalities he meets and the facts at his disposal?
Harris leads us into the world of Forensic Science seen through his eyes and thoughts. He grabs eagerly at the possibility of solving a murder with the exuberance of his 15 years, but realises he is getting ahead of himself. He wants to ‘help the dead’ and clues to help and hinder are found throughout the novel.
I enjoyed the novel very much; it had for me much more than a peek into forensics and crime solving. It draws a clear, realistic picture of Harris’s other life – home, his relationship with his younger brother, his uncle and his complex relationship with his ex-wife and importantly for character developing, his relationship with his mother. Her reluctance to allow Harris to continue on at the Forensics Unit has roots in hurt from the past and through disclosure, their relationship is strengthened, her attitude is changed and Harris realises what he really wants from life.
Alison.

Destroyed by Jane Sterne

“Jackie was not the sort of game any child would have wanted to play.” These are the words of Jayne Sterne. Now a woman, Jayne had suffered many frightful events including aggravated sexual assault, endured and witnessed violence, peer pressure, and bullying as both a child and as a young adult.
At about the age of nine, Jayne and her family had moved locations to live with a man, Graham. Little to one’s acknowledgement, he was the devil in disguise. Late one night, Graham sneaked into Jayne’s room and sexually assaulted her. It was only a few weeks after this non-repetitive incident that Jayne’s family had moved, yet once again, to another house. It was here where the full extent of Graham’s abuse had taken place.
Unfortunately, this is not the only thing that Jayne had encountered. She battled against abuse from her first partner, John, who beat her so badly that she“...fell on the floor choking on [her] own blood.” While her older brother, Stuart, was coming to grips with his past anger issues, thus becoming intolerable to his future wives; leading to a shock ending!
“Destroyed” is an incredible recount of an amazing girl’s journey throughout her early to mid life. And although I would like to suggest this book to anybody who enjoys a good read, I understand that it is not everybody’s ‘cup of tea’. Furthermore, I must make note that there are so many more themes, twists and turns and although I have discussed bits and pieces, this does not give justice to the style of writing Jayne Sterne has conceded. In saying this, as a conclusion, you must read the book to feel the full extent of awe that I had experienced once in completion of reading the novel. Furthermore, the way in which this novel has been written leaves one with such images that it comes to grips with you, and makes you realise exactly what type of lives some people are leading.
Sara

Death of a gentle lady by M. C. Beaton

For those of you familiar with the Hamish Macbeth TV series, you’ll find that the names of the characters are changed and indeed some of the characters are totally different to some in the books but nonetheless the books are still well worth reading.
This is the current book in the “Hamish Macbeth” mystery series. In the sleepy village of Lochdubh, lives Mrs Gentle, who, according to all the townsfolk but one, is supposed to be gentle by name and gentle by nature. Local PC Hamish Macbeth, who feels he is a very good judge of character knows that beneath that gentle exterior is a very wicked, malicious woman. The locals all think Hamish is just too cranky and crotchety, maybe he needs a good holiday or the love of a good woman to get him back in a better mood. Lo and behold, Hamish turns out to be right and that supposedly very gentle woman gets murdered in a very less than gentle way. Throw in a few more murders, an unexpected marriage, lots of village gossip, quite a few red herrings, an amateur production of Macbeth, people trying to do away with Hamish and a big assortment of quirky characters and pets and you get a very amusing laugh out loud murder mystery.
By Chris

Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisberger

This book is written by the author of “The Devil wears Prada”. It is the story of three best friends who live in New York and are about to turn thirty.
Emmy has always been in a long term relationship but suddenly finds herself single, Leigh has the perfect boyfriend, job and apartment, and Adriana is a gorgeous man-eating party girl.
Over drinks one night the girls decide to make a pact to change their lives for the better. Emmy resolves to have a wild fling on every continent, Adriana vows she’ll get a five carat Harry Winston engagement ring and settle down, and Leigh knows that she wants to change - but isn’t quite sure how. Could her confused feelings have anything to do with Jesse Chapman, the new author she is editing?
This book is perfect reading for any fans of Sex and the City.
Cathy.

The forgotten garden by Kate Morton. Allen & Unwin 2008

On the eve of the first world war, a little girl is found abandoned on a ship to Australia. A mysterious woman called the Authoress had promised to look after her but has disappeared. A kindly family adopt “Nell” and it is not until her twenty-first birthday that she learns the circumstances of her arrival in Australia. Decades later Nell embarks upon a search for the truth which leads her to Cornwell. On her death Nell’s granddaughter continues the search which will finally uncover the truth about the family and solve the mystery of the little girl lost.
Spanning several generations the author Kate Morton skillfully interweaves the different periods in which the novel is set.
The forgotten garden is an historical saga with mystery, passion and tragedy.
SC

Maximum ride series by James Patterson

Maximum Ride is a series of 4 science fiction books beginning with ‘The Angel Experiment’, ‘Schools Out Forever’, ‘Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports’, and ‘The Final Warning’. It follows the journey of 6 extraordinary children, aged 6 to 14 years, who have the unique gift of flying. The children were put through some horrible experiment that integrated avian DNA into their genes giving them wings, and other interesting abilities. Maximum Ride is the leader of the ‘flock’ and must help the others to avoid being captured by the scientists at all costs. The scientists also altered the genes of other children with wolf DNA to develop creatures called “Erasers”. The scientists use the Erasers to track down the flock to test their survival abilities. They encounter many dangerous situations and adventures throughout the series including traveling to new countries, sleeping in subway tunnels, scavenging for food, finding their parents, encountering ‘normal’ people and some pretty awesome fighting scenarios against the Erasers and other adversaries. Their ability to choose whom to trust and make the right decisions is tested to find out whether they have the ability and determination to save the world.
There is also an underlying moral that really gets you thinking about the impact the humans are having on the world today, and when to realise that we’ve reached a point of no return.
I found this series of books very compelling, extremely addictive and very hard to put down. The only disappointment was that there were no other books to continue the story. They were very well written and easy to follow. I would highly recommend these books to the young adult reader or anyone who enjoys an action packed adventure story.
Amy

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