LITMIR.BIZ

Hodgkiss and the Selwyn Request / Hodgkiss and the Injured Possum / Hodgkiss and the Telescope<br /> <br />– Hodgkiss is never wrong… Or hardly ever. He was quite certain that the number thirteen was never used on houses in the streets of Kanundda. That would be so unlucky! But this time he was wrong and his dogged refusal to admit it led to the discovery of an ingenious art theft being carried out under the nose of the local council.<br />– Hodgkiss' passion for chess is on the wane and while staring absently between moves from the rear window of his opponent's flat, he notices some unusual goings-on in the carpark below. When the body of a neighbour is found locked in the flat next door, he insists, contrary to appearances, that it was murder and provides an ingenious and logical solution to another locked room mystery.<br />– Hodgkiss' daughter, Esme, knows there will be trouble when he arrives home with a telescope after his regular Saturday morning assault on the local garage sales. And she is not wrong. While spying on the neighbours, he makes an acute observation that leads to a brutal murderer being brought to justice. Hodgkiss' talent for solving crime has given a welcome boost to the career of his son-in-law, Detective Sergeant Donald Burke. In spite of this productive partnership, Esme often is hard-pressed to keep the peace between her husband and her father because Hodgkiss exacts a heavy price for his assistance, usually in the hard coin of humiliation.

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Hodgkiss and the Mayoral Stakes / Hodgkiss Hits the Sales / Hodgkiss and the Two Musketeers<br /> <br />– Hodgkiss is back. The cranky old sod is still sniping at the conniving, manipulative members of Kanundda Council through his letters to the local paper, The Northern Star. This time he conspires with the council's General Manager, the highly desirable but extremely devious Jan Campbell-Jones, to save the citizens of Kanundda from a disastrous outcome in the mayoral elections. But not before one of the female councillors is found murdered in a love nest at a local motel.<br />– Then Hodgkiss and the glamorous widow, Pat Strong, who earlier had helped Hodgkiss solve the mysterious death of a local councillor, join the band of compulsive nomads which early each Saturday morning hit the local garage sales trail for profit and pleasure. But soon unexpected and unwelcome complications occur and mystery and murder dog their steps.<br />– When the Mayor of Kanundda decides to hold a Grand Masked Ball in place of the usual boring mayoral dinner, the local Masonic Hall becomes the venue for jollity, music, jealousy and an impossible murder. Hodgkiss helps his son-in-law, Detective Sergeant Donald Burke, solve the crimes thus giving a welcome boost to his career in the force.<br /> <br />In this second volume of The Hodgkiss Mysteries, the sharp 68-year-old retired school teacher provides ingenious, workable, logical solutions to three examples of that branch of the genre beloved of mystery afficionados – The Locked Room Murder.

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Hodgkiss and The Fatal Map / Hodgkiss and the Telltale Eyes / Hodgkiss and the Unsafe Safe<br /> <br />Hodgkiss is a cranky old sod. The continual sniping and point-scoring between him and his son-in-law, Detective Sergeant Donald Burke, drives his daughter Esme to distraction. Hodgkiss compensates for his obnoxious treatment of Donald by helping him to solve a series baffling crimes, thus giving a welcome boost to his son-in-law's career. But it is towards the incompetent and corrupt Kanundda Council that Hodgkiss directs the most venomous products of his bile. <br /> <br />Hodgkiss' letter-writing campaigns in the columns of the local newspaper, The Northern Star, create big problems for the dodgy councillors and their corrupt developer mates when details of their venal little schemes start appearing in print. And when disgruntled council employees begin leaking embarrassing information to Hodgkiss, the trouble starts… big-time.<br /> <br />Murderous mayors, cowardly councillors and manipulative staff weave their way through plots involving sudden death, blackmail, corruption and, of course, sex.<br /> <br />A murdered body in a locked room – but how did the killer escape? How was the invisible body identified? How did the blackmail photos vanish impossibly from a locked and guarded safe? Hodgkiss arrives at the truth through impeccable logic.

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What happens when the keynote speaker at an important arts festival is found dead?<br /> <br />Welcome to modern Melbourne, UNESCO City of Literature, home to arts festivals galore as well as the internationally famous Melbourne Cup horse race. But the Imagine Festival, held in late August, has more surprises in store than the Festival Director planned when he discovers Deborah Dangerfield's lifeless body upstairs at the Malthouse Theatre.<br /> <br />Join Senior Sergeant Brendan O'Leary, a family man who's struggling to keep up with life's changes and Ange Micelli, fourth daughter of Italian migrants, who's fit, fiery and ready to go. Together they make a formidable team in this fast-moving thriller that uncovers much more than just the identity of the murderer.<br /> <br />Through Simpson's spare and gritty prose, threads of political intrigue, society gossip and secret adoption are woven together, capturing the essence of urban Australia.<br /> <br />You won't be able to put this moving and compelling book down. A contemporary crime book for serious aficionados.

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A half-naked body of a girl is discovered on a driveway. A young man researching the defection to Australia of the Hungarian Olympic team in 1956 is having trouble with his love life. An old man living alone with his cat discovers hidden clues…<br /> <br />Set in Melbourne in the 1950s and the present, this crime novel was inspired by an unsolved murder in Mt Martha in 1953. Historically accurate in the details, it blends social commentary with character development and resolution.

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A superb collection of page-turning mysteries in which fabulous female protagonists solve – and sometimes perpetrate – all kinds of crimes.<br /> <br />Featuring cops, killers, PIs, crooks and amateur sleuths, these award-winning stories will have you on the edge of your seat, will chill your blood and sometimes make you laugh out loud.

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A superb collection of page-turning mysteries in which fabulous female protagonists solve – and sometimes perpetrate – all kinds of crimes.<br /> <br />Featuring cops, killers, PIs, crooks and amateur sleuths, these award-winning stories will have you on the edge of your seat, will chill your blood and sometimes make you laugh out loud.

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A superb collection of page-turning mysteries in which fabulous female protagonists solve – and sometimes perpetrate – all kinds of crimes.<br /> <br />Featuring cops, killers, PIs, crooks and amateur sleuths, these award-winning stories will have you on the edge of your seat, will chill your blood and sometimes make you laugh out loud.

Подробнее

A superb collection of page-turning mysteries in which fabulous female protagonists solve – and sometimes perpetrate – all kinds of crimes.<br /> <br />Featuring cops, killers, PIs, crooks and amateur sleuths, these award-winning stories will have you on the edge of your seat, will chill your blood and sometimes make you laugh out loud.

Подробнее

A superb collection of page-turning mysteries in which fabulous female protagonists solve – and sometimes perpetrate – all kinds of crimes.<br /> <br />Featuring cops, killers, PIs, crooks and amateur sleuths, these award-winning stories will have you on the edge of your seat, will chill your blood and sometimes make you laugh out loud.

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