Remembering my training I depressed the door handle with my elbow, nudged it open with my foot, then wished to god I hadn’t. My stomach shrivelled and I had to lean against the frame to stop my legs bucking beneath me.
I was staring into an office with a floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the river. More unpacked boxes were stacked against the walls, and between me and the massive desk sat a high-packed leather swivel chair, facing away.
And the whole room was covered in blood.
Simone Kirsch is back in business, celebrating the opening of her very own detective agency. But when crime novelist Nick Austin hires her to show him how she works, she doesn’t expect this innocent-sounding job to land her deep in hot water. Nick’s ex-wife is found brutally murdered, Nick himself disappears, and Simone is deep in trouble. Someone wants to kill her, and her investigative license has been suspended. Only by finding Nick Austin, and figuring out who wants to kill both her and him, will she get her life back on track.
Thrill City is the fourth title featuring sassy ex-stripper turned PI Simone Kirsch and ,like its predecessors, this offering is a blend of action, suspense and wry humour. Kirsch is likeable, flawed, and self-deprecating. Her first person narration takes the reader on a ride through the highs and lows of her investigation and her personal life. Favourite characters from earlier books, including her friend Chloe, now heavily pregnant, also add interest.
Great stuff.
Thrill City, by Leigh Redhead
Allen & Unwin, 2010
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