Jane was born in England to Australian parents came to live in Melbourne in 1979 and worked at The Age as a reporter feature writer and editor of various sections including the books pages She won the inaugural Australian Human Rights award for journalism. Murder in Punch Lane is Jane s fourth book She has previously published two novels The White Star Penguin Australia 2000 and Little People Scribe 2011 and the nonfiction work Storytime Ventura Press 2019 Melbourne 1868 When dazzling theatre star Marie St Denis dies in the arms of her best friend fellow actress Lola Sanchez everyone believes it was suicide by laudanum overdose Everyone except Lola On the brink of stardom herself she risks everything by embarking on a quest to find Marie s killer When journalist Magnus Scott writing as the Walking Gentleman publishes a compassionate obituary about her friend Lola decides to seek his help A fraught attraction develops between these two amateur detectives from opposite sides of society and their volatile relationship soon begins to compromise their investigation Lola keeps a secret from Magnus She traverses the corrupt underbelly of the brash young metropolis just as he does but disguised as a boy entering dangerous forbidden spaces where the lives of the rich and privileged intersect with the city s underclass and bohemians theatre folk prostitutes down and outs and opium addicts Neither are prepared for the truths they will uncover about the powers that rule Melbourne or the consequences for their own lives And now they must race to find the murderer before the city destroys them both Murder in Punch LaneThe setting of Melbourne 1863 alone was rare The setting of theatre and the life that went on in theatres at the time was similar to theatres elsewhere Actresses were popular sought after but not quite polite society which was a sad reflection for the time. Marie St Denis dies of a supposedly laudunam overdose Her best friend Lola who was present is the only one who believes it was a murder and not an accidental death Finding someone who d believe her and importantly help her to track the murderer is impossible despite the clues she has that everything is not quite what it seems. It was an interesting mystery and the background setting made it even so The characters themselves seemed a bit too simple but it was probably the way people acted at the time 368 If you hold their secrets you have great power yourself. When Lola finds her friend and fellow actress Marie insensible and she shortly dies in her arms thereafter the police are quick to rule it as suicide after all there were some suicide notes left nearby But that s not the Marie that Lola knows The Marie who was her best friend was full of life the best actress and had many admirers Determined to find the murderer Lola becomes an amateur sleuth enlisting a cad about town Magnus or the Walking Gentleman to his readers As they uncover however they become less sure just who the killer could be In the underbelly of mid 19th Century Melbourne criminals are everywhere and under handed dealings are rife. Hmm this is one of these difficult books to rate I found the writing and tone great I felt fully immersed in the underbelly and alleyways of 19th Century Melbourne but the two main characters seemed a bit naive Do you use powders and a magnifying glass and a tape measure and all that malarkey Further it seemed as though the storyline became complex rather than the mystery I ll still look for this author in the future though as her writing was lovely to read 368 Dark doings in Melbourne 1868I really wanted to love this I m familiar with the laneways around this area of Melbourne Chock full of the city s history where the dark underbelly of the city met the rich and powerful A step away from Parliament a whisker from the Melbourne Club. Lola s a struggling actress The police won t investigate The coroner a friend of Marie s has ruled Marie s death as suicide Lola seeks the help of Magnus Scott popular newspaper reporter aka the Walking Gentleman. An Echo ARC via NetGalley Many thanks to the author and publisher 368 In 1868 Melbourne theatre star Marie St Denis dies under suspicious circumstances leading her best friend Lola Sanchez to suspect foul play despite claims of suicide by laudanum overdose Determined to find the truth Lola teams up with journalist Magnus Scott and together they navigate a dangerous investigation that challenges their societal boundaries and sparks a complicated attraction Disguised as a boy Lola infiltrates Melbourne s corrupt underbelly uncovering shocking truths that put both her and Magnus in grave danger as they race to unmask the killer. I went into this expecting it to be a gritty dark mystery But I was really unprepared for just how dark it was I didn t realize until the very end that Marie St Denis who dies at the beginning of the novel is only seventeen years old The entire narrative made her sound like a mature woman in her late twenties I also found it difficult to like Lola and Magnus which is unfortunate since the story alternates between them. There is also an orgy While it wasn t described in great detail it was enough to make me very uncomfortable The fact that the murdered girl had been part of the secret organization s entertainment made it so much worse By the end I d guessed the murderer but found the details of why difficult to follow. I m not sure who I would recommend this to I received an advance copy via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own 368 If you re a fan of the charming intrigue found in Miss Scarlet and The Duke then Murder in Punch Lane by Jane Sullivan is right up your alley This murder mystery keeps you guessing with its mix of captivating characters and occasional dips into monotony. While some parts drag like molasses on a winter s day Sullivan surprises with sudden bursts of action that propel the story forward The inconsistency in pacing is a drawback but it hints at the author s potential growth in future works. Thank you to NetGalley and Echo Publishing for the ARC 368

Murder in Punch Lane By Jane Sullivan

1760688991

9781760688998

English

368

Kindle Edition

Review to follow 368 I found this so slow and boring I just could not bring myself to finish it This is very unusual for me I can usually wade through if I must but not with this one the character s were one dimensional and it was like wading through mud I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily 368 I enjoyed reading this crime novel that is set in 19th century Melbourne It s interesting to hear about the powers who ruled Melbourne and the lifestyles of the city s residents Inspired by real events and people it s a convoluted plot revolving around a theatre star who dies her friend who believes it was murder and a well to do journalist who only cares about his next story 368 Loved the descriptive writing felt authentic like the author had lived in that time The mystery is expertly drawn Great characters that I m still thinking about 368 .

: At present she contributes to The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald writing features and a Saturday column Turning Pages about books and writing. She has also written for Griffith Review Meanjin and Australian Book Review and has reviewed books for ABC Radio National s Books and Arts program: When Marie St Denis a highly regarded actress and best friend of Lola Sanchez dies in Lola s arms Lola decides to find out who s responsible.A solid mystery for sure but didn t quite inveigle me