Razorhurst
Razorhurst is the nickname given to a seedy part of Sydney, Australia, which in 1932 is controlled by two competing gangsters and their best hit men. Their empires are beginning to crumble following the murder of Boss Gloriana’s top man, who happens to be beautiful Dymphna Campbell’s lover. Streetwise and powerful Dymphna, known as the Angel of Death, discovers young Kelpie at the scene and, fleeing, takes the orphaned waif under her wing. Kelpie is tormented with the uncanny ability to see and communicate with ghosts, a gift that helped her survive as a youngster alone on the streets. She is unaware that her new protector also has this gift, but maturity has taught Dymphna to control them so that they cannot control her as they do Kelpie. We follow them for the next 24 hours after finding the victim, while the victim’s ghost follows them. Danger is around every corner as the ladies team up with Snowy, the head gangster for the other mob boss, Mr. Davidson. Who can they trust, and who will ultimately become ghosts in this murderous city?
The novel is edgy and bloody, and readers of gangster stories will love the dangerous situations that the characters experience. The added level of the supernatural gives this story another dimension, literally. The author has developed the characters well and slips in Kelpie’s storyline through her memories, allowing the reader to discover more about her parentage than Kelpie. The book has a satisfactory conclusion. For 14 plus.
