Continued
The Kookaburra Gambit
The War Between the Hearts
  The Kookaburra GambitBy Claire McNab Alyson Books ISBN: 1-55583-904-5 Paperback $13.95 226 pages This novel is the second installment in the Kylie Kendall private detective series, and as Kylie herself would say, it is certainly bonzer! Having inherited a fifty-one percent interest in her father’s detective agency, Kendall & Creeling, Kylie wants to become more involved in actual case solving and has begun her training. When her cousin back in Australia recommends her Los Angeles-based agency to twins Alf and Chicka Hartnidge, Kylie is grateful for the business and for the chance to conduct an investigation under the tutelage of Bob Verritt and the watchful eye of Ariana Creeling, her business partner…and object of her unspoken love and passion. The boisterous twins arrive and are about to embark on a joint business venture with Lamb White, a film company owned by the highly suspect evangelist Brother Owen. However, it seems someone has been smuggling valuable Australian opals inside the Hartnidge brothers’ plush toy characters from their popular show The Oz Mob. Unless Kylie can discover the identity of the culprits, thousands of dollars, the Hartnidges’ reputation, Hollywood’s charismatic guru, and jail time may all prove to be the common denominator. This important investigation is made even more difficult by Kylie’s inability to resist the magnetic pull she senses from Ariana, her secretary Melodie’s endless acting auditions which leave the office in chaos, and her fractious Aunt Millie who has arrived to drag her niece back to Oz where she belongs. McNab has created a strong protagonist in Kylie Kendall. She is a genuine and captivating young woman who possesses just enough vulnerability and emotional insecurity with which the reader can readily identify. Through Kylie’s speech and actions, we understand what motivates, elates, and exasperates her. By using a variety of Australian vernacular and sensibility, McNab has constructed an intriguing opposite for the typical Los Angelino woman. McNab often magnifies the inherent cultural differences in a most amusing manner. Although Gambit is a mystery, the author has included a fair amount of wit, humor, and sexual tension which propels the reader along at a fast pace. The characterizations are deftly drawn and engrossing. Kylie and Ariana are attractive intelligent women who initially appear to have little more than business in common. However, this second series book further develops and explores their personal relationship. The reader is well aware that Kylie finds Ariana to be simply and totally irresistible, and now through the nuances of word and action, Ariana’s veil of mystique is slowly beginning to descend. One evening, upset by what her aunt may have told Ariana, Kylie fears she is about to cry. “Ariana put an arm around my shoulders…I couldn’t help it. I leaned forward and kissed her” (p. 128). There are no corpses falling out of closets, no shoot-outs in dark alleys, no superhero antics. The Kookaburra Gambit is an entertaining and real depiction of a woman trying to come to grips with her new home, a challenging job, and inexplicably intense feelings for her enigmatic partner. What is especially satisfying about this novel is the sense of realism surrounding Kylie’s attempt to begin her new life with a rather ordinary case which is further complicated by the everyday routines of the workplace, associates, and family. These are regular people going about their daily lives while trying to attain that which will make them ultimately happy and content. McNab has created in Brother Owen all that embodies the slick exploitative con man operating under the guise of pious religiosity. One can easily infer parallels with several church groups of today. His type with his bombastic tenet to believe in him or die has been seen too often on cable television and in the headlines. The reader has an immediate distaste for this man and his cohorts; McNab has succeeded in creating an antagonist worthy of that loathing. The Kookaburra Gambit is a wholly rewarding and satisfying reading experience. Amiable, appealing, and assertive protagonists, emerging character revelations, and a most compelling and enjoyable cast of secondary characters keep the reader engaged and immersed. McNab has created an amusing and delightful new series with Kylie Kendall. As an added bonus, there is also included at the end of the book an excerpt from the soon to be released third book in the series. This reader strongly recommends that you read The Kookaburra Gambit. You too will find it a bonzer experience. |
 The War Between the HeartsBy Nann Dunne Intaglio Publications ISBN: 1-933113-27-8 Paperback $17.95 292 pages Sarah-Bren Coulter’s mother asks, “Why can't you act like most other women" (p. 67)? Sarah responds with “Because, Mother...I'm not like most other women" (p.67). Thus, the thematic point in Nann Dunne’s latest novel, an historical romance entitled The War between the Hearts, is established. The setting is the Civil War, and Sarah desperately wants to do her part rather than remain at home and help her brother run a factory. She has no doubts that she can pass for a male given her build, voice, and strength. With an additional bit of costume make-up, Sarah looks very much like the typical soldier. Because she knows the geographical area so well, she convinces the commanding officer that spying behind enemy lines would be a worthwhile endeavor. So begins her new career as a Confederate soldier/Union spy. It is not long after that Sarah witnesses the brutality firsthand. “…shooting a man face to face…ending his life with my own hand. That’s a heavier burden than carrying messages back and forth….God, I hate this war” (29)! As the story progresses, Sarah suffers an injury and finds herself recuperating in the home of an attractive Union woman, Faith Pruitt. Unable to reveal her true identity and not quite understanding her attraction for this young woman, Sarah begins her recovery. However, this quiet interlude is soon interrupted with her capture by a squad of Union soldiers. Believing that Faith has turned her in because she is a Confederate, Sarah, feeling both angry and completely betrayed, is led away to an uncertain fate. As the title implies, many battles will be waged before these two women can realize what destiny has in store for them. Dunne has captured this historical period quite effectively. The premise is based on fact; there were many instances, and not just in this particular conflict, where women assumed the male warrior role and fought for what they believed. Sarah is a three-dimensional character and one with which the reader will empathize and certainly will admire. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures, and Sarah rises to the occasion with bravery, intelligence, and cunning. This woman has set goals for herself, and though they are beyond the mainstream of behavior for the times, she is nonetheless undaunted in her quest. Sarah’s vulnerability is evidenced as she experiences every woman’s worst nightmare at the hands of her own Union soldiers who stubbornly refuse to believe that she is not the enemy. Despite all the trials and hardships Sarah encounters, her spirit, although sorrowfully tested at times, never wavers. She makes heart wrenching decisions whose consequences impact her greatly, but through it all, she has few regrets. Dunne has created a compelling and original character with Sarah. It is particularly arresting and riveting to read the scenes where she and her twin brother Scott heatedly discuss her abnormal feelings for the woman she loves. Sarah-Bren Coulter is a genuinely memorable multi-faceted character Faith Pruitt is also a well-crafted round character who displays a quietly steadfast and tranquil demeanor. She is a loving and kind woman who aids Sarah in her time of need. Her unquestioning willingness to take her in and nurse her back to health has nothing to do with politics. Faith reacts to the individual; it is of no consequence to her if that person be a Union or a Confederate soldier. There is an immediate conductivity between Faith and Sarah, one with which Faith is familiar, even if Sarah is not. As the storyline progresses, the reader senses that beneath that cool and tranquil exterior that she presents to the world, Faith is indeed an intriguing and sensuous woman who will give of herself, body and soul, only to the one she believes to be her true soul mate. There is a smoldering sexuality about Faith which this reader found to be both captivating and enthralling. This is a self-reliant woman raising a child by herself who knows what and whom she needs and wants to enhance and complete her life, and Faith is willing to risk being profoundly disappointed and possibly emotionally scarred by rejection. The War between the Hearts is a wonderfully written tale of suspense, passion, betrayal, and forgiveness. Original and striking characters take the reader on an unforgettably remarkable and fascinating journey. The novel is powerful in its depiction of two distinctive and assertive women who challenge the tenor of the times to pursue their goals and dreams and to establish a niche for themselves. The War between the Hearts is certainly a commendable contribution to the genre of historical romance. |