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/ 9 September 2008
A feast of new South African crime novels criss-crosses various genres, writes Barbara Ludman.
Barbara Ludman reviews Robert Baker’s latest book about the indelible impact of epidemics.
Barbara Ludman reviews new police procedurals and a courtroom drama.
<i>Payback</i> by Mike Nicol (Umuzi) and <i>Dead Point</i> by Peter Temple (Quercus) are reviewed by Barbara Ludman.
Barbara Ludman reviews Rafael Reig’s <i>Blood on the Saddle</i> and <i>A Pretty Face</i>, set in a dystopian world where the oil has run out and parts of Madrid have been flooded, so one gets around by boat, bicycle or elevated electrobus, as well as Michael Harvey’s <i>The Chicago Way</i>.
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/ 21 February 2008
Crime fiction doesn’t always make easy reading, writes Barbara Ludman.
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/ 6 November 2007
Why are readers so stuck on series? Do we count the cast as personal friends or are we longing for the familiar in a world out of control? Whatever the reason, the authors of crime novels tend to be caught in a web of their own spinning, unable to jettison a likeable or interesting protagonist and create something different.
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/ 12 September 2007
In his new life Mac Faraday is a blacksmith set up on his late father’s spread not too far from Melbourne. In his old life, he was a senior detective in the Australian federal police, but he left after a stakeout went sour and he’s trying to forget the whole thing. Then his friend on the next farm is found hanging in a machine shed.
Psychotics knocking off young women feature prominently in three new releases. Barbara Ludman wonders why.
The legacy of apartheid has left schools in rural areas in a poor state contributing to poverty in these areas. The Emerging Voices report stresses that education must be at the heart of any poverty-reduction programme and looks at the need to improve the quality of education through the participation of rural communities.