I went to Australia last September, and while I had a great time Down Under, I also found some really interesting mystery series. First up we have Michael Duffy’s Blue Mountain mystery series set in Katoomba. I was in the Blue Mountains to see the Three Sisters natural monument and bought this in a wonderful little bookshop (Megalong Books) in Leura. The paperbacks are only available in Australia, but you can find them anywhere else on Amazon kindle. The series is unique because the narrator is a retired journalist and Detective Paul Ruel is not your typical cop. But once I read THE PROBLEM WITH MURDER, I had to read the rest in the series.
More in the Series - #2 The Strange Death of Paul Ruel, #3 The Man in Black
Bella Greaves is semi-retired and edits Katoomba's local newspaper in Australia's Blue Mountains. She is content but just a little bored.
When disgraced homicide detective Paul Ruel is exiled to the Mountains, his superiors expect him to resign from frustration. Then he uncovers a crime that has been covered up for years, and turns to Bella for help.
She finds Paul just as intriguing as the investigation.
In that same bookstore, I picked up Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson. Stevenson – an Australian comedian, has taken an unusual step here by following a certain set of rules for writing mysteries. True story – in 1929 a Golden Age mystery writer/priest, named Ronald Knox, laid out ten commandments for writing the mystery novel. Stevenson introduces that list and promises he will follow them, giving you a chance to solve the mystery. I’ve read all three books in the series so far, and interestingly, the third book takes place in the Blue Mountains!
More in the series - #2 Everyone On This Train Is A Suspect, #3 Everyone This Christmas Has A Secret
Everyone in my family has killed someone. Some of us, the high achievers, have killed more than once. I’m not trying to be dramatic, but it is the truth. Some of us are good, others are bad, and some just unfortunate.
I’m Ernest Cunningham. Call me Ern or Ernie. I wish I’d killed whoever decided our family reunion should be at a ski resort, but it’s a little more complicated than that.
Have I killed someone? Yes. I have.
Who was it?
Let’s get started.
EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY HAS KILLED SOMEONE
My brother
My stepsister
My wife
My father
My mother
My sister-in-law
My uncle
My stepfather
My aunt
Me
I highly recommend these two series. And hey, if you’re ever in Australia, check out Katoomba, Leura (and go to Megalong Books) and the Blue Mountains!
Til next time,
Leslie
Why the hell not?
Leslie Langtry does not like to write bios. Seriously, she’s just not good at it. You’d think that after fifty books, she’d be able to pull off a few sentences, but no, she can’t. It’s very disappointing. At least her books are good, which counts, in her mind, as a win.
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