Review: A POLITICAL AFFAIR

A POLITICAL AFFAIR by Andrew Porteous (Kingslake Publishing, 2010)

Reviewed by Craig Sisterson

An Otago novella that won a worldwide award for unpublished stories is an enjoyable debut that introduces a likable hero with the potential to tent-pole an ongoing series. 

Part-Maori detective Lachlan Doyle's career is already in jeopardy when he draws a dangerous assignment: to quickly and quietly close a high-profile ‘accidental death’ case where an attractive assistant to the Prime Minister is found dead at her boss's private house.

With pressure mounting from many directions, Doyle begins to suspect that the nighttime ‘fall down the stairs’ may have actually been a push, and that powerful forces, political and otherwise, are massing to keep the truth from coming out. But who pushed the assistant, and why?

At 118 pages in length, Andrew Porteous's debut tale is more novella than novel, but it's an enjoyable read from a new voice in Kiwi crime writing. Porteous, who is a playwright and assistant at the University of Otago's science library, creates a nice flow to his crime story, there's a good touch of intrigue to keep the reader guessing, and Doyle is a pretty likable hero. A part-Maori cop descended from the early settlers of Dunedin, hemmed in by forces outside of his control or understanding.

I found it easy to follow and root for Doyle as the pages turned. Porteous potentially has a character that could provide the spine of an ongoing series. I also enjoyed the local touches to this mystery tale.

Hopefully there will be more to come from Porteous and Detective Doyle

Review: FRIENDLY FIRE

FRIENDLY FIRE by Michael Wall (Penguin, 1998)

Reviewed by Craig Sisterson

An outstanding out-of-print political thriller which despite being written more than a decade ago, feels very timely and relevant with its blend of national politics, media power and influence, international spying, and global economic markets. Worth digging out. 

Renowned expat journalist Erin Florian returns to Wellington from Europe to become Press Secretary for the new Prime Minister, after finding her French husband in bed with someone else. She quickly finds herself caught up in the political world, including plenty of intrigue caused by the new MMP system, and the Government’s junior partner undergoing a leadership coup.

When the new leader starts making outrageous demands, Erin has to dampen media speculation that the Government is coming apart at the seams. But why is the new leader so sure that Erin’s boss will eventually succumb to what seems like a poisoned chalice? Erin witnesses a killing, which is covered up, then finds herself under scrutiny from the secretive SIS, and the lesser-known but even more powerful and dangerous GSCB. More deaths, hidden conspiracies, and the country nears the brink of political and economic meltdown.

This is a flat-out great international thriller, from a talented author who's sadly fallen out of print. Before he became a novelist, Wall was himself a Press Secretary for a New Zealand Prime Minister (Jim Bolger in the early 1990s), and he certainly brings all that experience and inside knowledge to bear in what is a fantastic thriller, full of twists, intrigue, interesting characters, and more. Global economics, the Waihopai base and intelligence services, international relations, and the place of the media are all issues canvassed in FRIENDLY FIRE, woven into a cracking plot that keeps the pages whirring.

I was riveted, and left bemused that I hadn't heard more about Wall in recent years. This is world-class thriller writing, set right here in New Zealand. My overall verdict: it's well worth scouring online secondhand dealers or your local library to get your hands on a copy of FRIENDLY FIRE. I'll be reading more of Wall.