Murder and Mendelssohn

This is latest title by Kerry Greenwood in the series of books starring Phyrne Fisher, the 1920s Australian private detective. I haven't read any of these before  but had seen some of the episodes on the TV series. The book is  more graphic and less saccharine then the TV series. I enjoyed the book but there felt that there was some disjointment between the two crimes that are at the centre of the story. One involves the murder of a conductor of a choir about to perform Mendelssohn's Elijah, whilst the second involves the attempted murder of a speaker on the Art of Detection. It felt like two stories being shoehorned together and they didn't quite fit that and they should have been 2 short stories. Having not read any of the author's previous books in this series I can't say if this is her way of writing or if this is a one-off.

Apart from that I did enjoy the book, Phyrne is an engaging and believable character and the 1920s setting, with the shadow of World War 1 and its impact on survivors reminds us that the Roaring Twenties was a period when people tried to forget what they had lived through.

If you like your crime stories with a good sense of time and place and a slightly darker edge (but not that dark) this is a series for you - but the books are not the same as the TV series!

This title was provided free by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Riot by Sarah Mussi

I have to admit this book grabbed me from the opening pages and I raced through it! It was a thoroughly enjoyable, fast paced read which challenges you to think as well.
Set in a present day Britain similar enough to ours to be recognisable but with a darker and more dystopian slant. The government has decided to introduce a new law that all school leavers will be forcibly sterilised as soon as they leave school if they are not going into education or employment. The country is seemingly overpopulated and the welfare budget is spiralling out of control.
The country is on the march as more and more people take to the streets to protest against this and as the marches spread so does the violence. In light of this martial law is on the point of being declared. In this midst of this is Tia organising the marches from the deep web and trying to stop the outbreaks of violence.
During one particular violent march things take a turn for the worse and Tia finds herself injured and relying on Cobain, who seems to be a the root of the violence.
Over the space of a few days and before the new law can be introduced these two try to stop the law and find out who is behind the violence.
With echoes of Nazi Germany and the popular dystopian novels this book is an easy but thought provoking read and is highly recommended.
How far would you go for your rights?

This book was given free by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review