Razorhurst

It's 1932. Kelpie is an orphan in a violent Sydney, Australia, neighborhood ruled by mob bosses--one of whom is brothel madam Gloriana Nelson. Kelpie's caught up in a murder and befriended by Gloriana's "best girl," Dymphna, who shares Kelpie's ability to speak with ghosts. Yoking paranormal thriller, roman noir, and historical fiction, Razorhurst teems with precise period details and unsavory characters.

It is 1932, and Kelpie is an orphan waif living on the streets of Surry Hills, Australia, a violent, poor Sydney neighborhood ruled by two mob bosses -- one of whom is Gloriana Nelson, madam of the city's busiest brothel. Kelpie's only caretakers have been ghosts, but they've long dissipated when she's caught up in the aftermath of a gory murder and befriended by Gloriana's "best girl," Dymphna Campbell. In a day spent dodging razor-wielding thugs, gun-happy "coppers," and bloodthirsty rival bosses, Kelpie and Dymphna break free of the crime-riddled underworld and share their common aptitude -- the ability to see and speak with ghosts. Yoking paranormal thriller, roman noir, and historical fiction, Razorhurst teems with precisely realized period details and an expansive cast of unsavory characters, as well as numerous allusions to the films noirs and Sydney history that inspired Larbalestier; what the ghosts add to the mix remains unclear. The story's third-person narration frequently shifts points of view; this and its many cuts and flashbacks disrupt momentum repeatedly, undermining action and suspense. Larbalestier's prose throughout is intensely lucid and sharp, however, and colorful with Sydney's historical dialect and setting. deirdre f. baker