The Souvenir - Hardcover

Lean and tricky, this psychological twister from Australian Carlon (The Whispering Wall) invites comparison to Patricia Highsmith, Ruth Rendell in her Barbara Vine mode and even Heavenly Creatures, the recent celluloid revision of the real crime in crime novelist Anne Perry's youth. Four years have passed since two teenage girls, Sandra Kilby and Peta Squire, stole mementos and forged an uneasy friendship on a hitchhiking adventure. Their odyssey ended in tragedy when they argued in a park and a young man who tried to intervene was stabbed to death. Both girls claimed innocence, and the police were unable to break either alibi, even though one of them was clearly lying. Now Marion Burton, the victim's sister, hires investigator Jefferson Shields to review the evidence. As Carlon switches between the present investigation and the past events, we have the constant sense that the vital clue is staring us in the face, buried somewhere in the mesmerizing array of letters, witness statements and, finally, Shields's chilling face-to-face interviews with the two girls. Shields himself is a bit of a cipher, and one coincidence plays a crucial role. Nevertheless, the tension is almost palpable, and the solution is a triumph of logic and narrative pitch. British, translation, first serial and dramatic rights: Wakefield Press, Australia.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Readers who saw the movie Heavenly Creatures, about a long-ago murder committed by mystery writer Anne Perry and a young friend, will find many parallels in Carlon's book. Two young Australian girls--quite different in temperament, background, and personality--set out on an innocent holiday hitchhiking adventure. Peta Squire attempts to take the younger and more inexperienced Sandra Kilby under her wing, but Sandra is appalled to discover that Peta likes taking "souvenirs" from the travelers who offer rides to the two girls. When Peta steals a pretty pillbox, neither of the girls can know the horrifying consequences of their little game, but the ultimate result is a tragic murder and a stigma that will haunt Peta and Sandra for the rest of their lives. Carlon's story is not the usual action thriller. Her focus is far more subtle, showing how little lies and small misdeeds can cause a sudden shift in the delicate balance between good and evil, how innocence can quickly turn to guilt, and how childlike guile can become hidden deceit. An understated, absorbing, intelligent novel. Emily Melton