C. J. Carver

THE SNOW THIEF is set in Tibet, with a Chinese Detective as it's central character, fighting her bosses for permission to look into the mysterious deaths of multiple little boys. It's a story of murder, a serial killer, stalking the entire country, obviously killing to a pattern, but it's also the story of the tensions between Tibet and China and the way that every step could be your last if you offend the wrong people.

Told with what feels like great authority, Carver has created central characters in this novel that draw you into the story, and the place deeply and completely. She declares, in the acknowledgements, that THE SNOW THIEF is a labour of love stemming from a childhood visit, bolstered by numerous returns as an adult. It's a story that's as much about a country under severe external pressure, a people who are desperately trying to hold onto their own identity in the face of overwhelming pressure from a mighty power, as it is the individual stories of Chinese Detective Shan Lia and those around her. Exiled to Tibet after a fall from grace and the death of her beloved husband, stuck in a very strange place, with only her husband's elderly relative, Fang Dongmei for company, there's much to her personal story that's tragic, and very moving.

As is the story, in the opening chapter, of six-year-old twin boys. One of whom, after an important visit to the local monastery, is found dead, from a broken neck, obviously murdered. Shocking enough, but when Shan Lia discovers he is the fifth boy to die of a broken neck in five weeks, she's shattered when rebuffed by her bosses who seem to be desperate to downplay the possibility of a serial killer in the countryside. Only one man, her immediate superior, seems willing to allow an investigation, but even that comes with potential personal cost to Shan Lia, although there's twists and turns, and official interference even there.

Readers with some knowledge of the tension between Tibet and China, the background to the exile of the Dalai Lama, and a bit about the structure of Tibetan Buddhism might be able to work out what the pattern of killings means, and therefore get some idea of the why, how and who. In some ways that's less important than the fact that it's happening, the impact the killings are having on families and communities at the time they are happening, but the chilling bit is more to do with the long-term outlook, the impact that these killings will have for years to come. It's murder with a long, cruel, manipulative viewpoint and all the more sobering because of that.

In particular, the backstory of Shan Lia's marriage is very moving, and the tentative forming of a relationship between the two women, exiled to Tibet through no fault of their own, each with their own grieving to be done, is beautifully done. Atmospheric and gripping THE SNOW THIEF casts light on the political situation between China and Tibet, reflected elegantly in the way that personal relationships work when there are power imbalances as well.

https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/snow-thief-cj-carver… (mehr)

Wow that was a good read. I have a few CJ Carver books in my TBR and they have just shot up the queue based on this outstanding thriller. I do love books filled with secrets and I don't think any more could have been crammed into this book and I realised towards the end that I was reading in a perpetual state of wide eyed shock and surprise.

Nick is a great central character; he's family oriented and extremely likeable but I felt like he was in the middle of a merry-go-round with his world spinning before his eyes. It must have been quite a shock to see his brother, Rob, on TV, especially when Rob had been missing presumed dead for twelve years. It was actually at Rob's funeral where Nick originally met Susie, the woman he went on to marry. Uh-oh, I've watched enough spy dramas to suspect an orchestrated meeting, but what would Susie have to gain from marrying Nick? Susie didn't give me any reason to suspect her, although we find out she has her own secrets, but my brain was in complete overdrive that I even had her painted as a Russian spy at one point.

So many questions buzzed around my head in relation to Rob. He didn't just disappear, he faked his own death. What or who is he running away from? It definitely felt like the danger levels were ramped up to maximum when Rob stuck his head above the parapet. I couldn't read fast enough to unearth all of the secrets; the majority of which managed to surprise me. One little surprise was spoiled slightly though, so hopefully it will be corrected in the final print version; Nick and a passenger are driving in one car with his brother in the car behind but Nick refers to his band of merry men as being 'four of us'. For a split second I thought I'd missed something but I'm a numbers queen so I immediately suspected a stowaway. I didn't guess who it was though so part of the surprise did work.

Over Your Shoulder is a superb story; it's gripping right from the start and doesn't loosen its hold one bit until the final page is turned. Chock full of shocks and surprises, it's a fast-paced gripper of a thriller.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.… (mehr)

This is my second CJ Carver book and although it didn't quite knock Over Your Shoulder off the top spot, it was still an excellent read. CJ Carver writes a might fine thriller with so many strands woven through the story, giving it a multi-layered effect. The pacing is fast and the pages turn effortlessly as the story unravels.

I love books with secrets in them and Cold Echo starts with Harry, Guy and Lucas as young boys sharing a secret that will haunt them all their lives, with some lives proving to be shorter than others. The intrigue was certainly ramped up to full when, many years later, a head is found that belongs to Guy. As if that wasn't intriguing enough, Harry is a psychotherapist who is called in to help the police in this case, a case that sees one of his clients go missing and brings him back into contact with Lucas and another face from their past.

Cold Echo is rather like a supermarket trolley; it goes in unexpected directions. Although I didn't fully engage with the characters, I was completely riveted by the story and found it very hard to put down as there are so many strands of intrigue to unravel, it's like a ball of wool that has been in the paws of a kitten. I really enjoy CJ Carver's writing; it's so intriguing, gripping and filled with eye-opening surprises.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.… (mehr)