Craig Sisterson reports:
Congratulations to Cleave, who is hugely popular in European markets, and has previously won crime writing awards in New Zealand and France. The Edgar Awards are like the Oscars of the crime writing community, and Cleave joins a select group of New Zealanders to ever be nominated for or presented with an Edgar.
JOE VICTIM is one of six nominees in the Best Paperback Original category:
- The Guilty One by Lisa Ballantyne (HarperCollins Publishers – William Morrow Paperbacks)
- Almost Criminal by E. R. Brown (Dundurn)
- Joe Victim by Paul Cleave (Simon & Schuster – Atria Books)
- Joyland by Stephen King (Hard Case Crime)
- The Wicked Girls by Alex Marwood (Penguin Group USA - Penguin Books)
- Brilliance by Marcus Sakey (Amazon Publishing – Thomas and Mercer)
JOE VICTIM by Paul
Cleave (Penguin, 2013)
He’s baaaa-aaack. Joe, the charming and brutal serial
killer who masqueraded as a slow-witted police janitor while terrorising
Christchurch in Cleave’s raw but outstanding 2006 debut, THE CLEANER.
In the
years since, Cleave has gathered awards and acclaim here and abroad for his
gripping and gory thrillers, yet for Joe only one year has passed. Joe awaits
trial on multiple murder charges, but sees himself as the victim. Stuck in
prison, unable to continue his ‘work’, forced to liaise with lawyers and
psychologists as he plots a defence that he wasn’t in control of his actions.
And then there’s the movement calling for the reintroduction of the death
penalty, with him as posterchild for the hangman, as well as former cops,
victims’ family, and a sociopathic ex-girlfriend all coming for him.
Cleave
writes vividly and violently, ratcheting up the tension as we wonder what will
happen to Joe, and all those whose lives he touches. Ferocious and fun.
2 comments:
"Lives he touches"?? That is, takes away, as in kills? I'm sorry, Graham, I feel sick every time I hear of yet another book/film/TV series focusing so lovingly - there is no other word for it - on a serial killer and his endlessly fascinating character. Enough, already!
Hi Anne, thanks for your comment. In relation to the 'lives he touches' line in my review, I actually meant that more broadly - the effect Joe has on everyone he comes into contact with, from his family, to cops, to Melissa, to innocents, to victims' families, and much more. The pebble in the pond effect so to speak. Joe is certainly a fascinating character, but I don't think Cleave focuses 'lovingly' on him. Just my opinion. It's a good book, but might not be up your street.
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