I am re-reading this novel for discussion with my U3A Crime Fiction reading group. I think I originally read the novel soon after publication. Kathryn Fox was at that time a new voice on the Australian noir landscape. In Fact she was largely pioneering this style of crime fiction in Australia. Most of this style of fiction came from British and American authors. (Barbara Seranella, Deborah Crombie, Marcia Muller, Heather Graham, Stephen Booth, Laura Lippmann, Val McDermid, Patricia Cornwell, James Patterson, Jeffrey Deaver - to name a few)

I would like my group to understand in what ways Kathryn Fox is a pioneer.

I feel that with this novel Kathryn Fox had a lot that she wanted to say (as if she was speaking from her experience and her observations). There were topics such as domestic violence that were comfortable reading about (and still aren't). This novel is very different from an Agatha Christie cozy.

We learn that domestic violence is not just physical violence.

Among the other topics that this novel touched on were the cultural differences shown in the various cases, the difficulties of being a single mother (who got custody and why), the importance of forensic evidence being documented and followed up from crime to crime, the importance of appropriate forensic funding, and of there being a place where records are centralised and indexed. She is also telling us that solving crimes is not just a matter of intuition but of training and experience.

Fox is a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners with a special interest in forensic medicine. After 12 years, she ceased medical practice to concentrate on writing.

In 2005 her achievement with MALICIOUS INTENT was recognised by being shortlisted for the Ned Kelly Awards for Crime Writing — Best First Novel and she was the 2005 winner of the Davitt Award for Crime Writing — Best Adult Novel ( )

This book is a good first suspense novel for the author. It appears to be very well researched in forensic details without giving so much information as to cause the reader to skip over just to get back to the story. I had the “murderer” figured out fairly early on and wish their had been a few more believable red herrings thrown in to add intrigue and interest. The one who was presented was so obviously not the serial killer that I felt that Anya was a bit less intelligent for even suspecting him.

It did wrap up a bit too neatly at the end although there was one small twist that I didn’t expect.

I will look for the next. ( )

Fascinating book which held me enthralled just as much this time around as it did when I first read it 11 years ago. Enough time had passed for me to be shocked by the twist that came out of nowhere. Great characters have ensured that I devour every word Kathryn Fox writes in subsequent books. ( )

From the book jacket: (Sydney’s) only female freelancer in the male-dominated field, pathologist Dr. Anya Crichton will take any work she can find to pay child support and her mortgage, get her new business of the ground, and battle her ex-husband for custody of their three-year-old son. When her expert forensic evidence is instrumental in winning a high-profile case, new work offers start pouring in. But Anya’s investigation into the drug overdose of a young Lebanese girl is raising troubling questions. Startling coincidences between this death and a series of seemingly unrelated suicides that Anya is also examining, suggest that there’s a [serial killer] at work.

My reactions
Great debut in a crowded field. Fox writes a tense, compelling mystery thriller with a (mostly) strong female lead. Anya is intelligent, resourceful, and tenacious. But she is also prone to self-doubt when it comes to certain aspects of her life. As a free-lancer, and female to boot, she’s fighting an uphill battle convincing the police that her findings point to a crime, so she forced to pursue the investigation on her own. Her best friend, Kate, is a detective and begins to become an ally, but then betrays Anya’s trust when dealing with the lone survivor.

Because this is number one in a series, there’s a lot of personal background that has to be covered, and in this case Anya’s own back story is instrumental in shaping the current plot. It helps to explain why she’s such a loner, and her personal troubles with her ex-husband make her emotionally vulnerable.

I had identified the culprit pretty quickly, certainly by half-way through the novel, but enjoyed watching the characters figure it out for themselves. I recognized that Fox gave the reader clues that Anya and the police did not have. The ending somewhat sets the reader up for future installments. I would hope that her relationships with Kate, Martin and Brody are continued and developed further as the series progresses. ( )

I discovered Fox via Private:Sydney and was pleased to see she had her own crime fiction series. It's always interesting to read police procedurals set in other cities/countries and police systems. This was made especially interesting with Anya Crichton's freelance role and how that fit in with typical police.
I can already see the hint of a little formula building of Kate/Anya getting into trouble but with 7 books in the series I'm glad to know Anya always survives. A good, light fluff read. ( )