A review by shelleyrae
Sinister Intent by Karen M. Davis

4.0

A retired Australian police officer, Karen M. Davis draws on her years of career experience in Sinister Intent, her impressive debut crime fiction novel.

After surviving a violent attack from a crazed Bikie in a Kings Cross laneway, Lexie Rogers is disconcerted when her first big case as a new detective with the Bondi Junction office involves the increasing rivalry of two local Bikie gangs known as the Devil's Guardians and the Assassins. It's rumoured the animosity between the outlaw clubs began over a woman but Lexie is about to discover this latest quarrel has been carefully orchestrated and she is at risk of becoming the next casualty of war.

Well paced with a balanced dose of action, psychological suspense and romance, Sinister Intent is an enjoyable novel. The plot holds a few surprises circling around the outlaw Bikie gangs, police corruption, a missing daughter and a police officer's death.

Sinister Intent is in part a police procedural as Lexie and Bondi Junction detectives chase leads and gather evidence trying to identify the man, presumed a Bikie, known only as 'The Grub' responsible for the hit on the Devil's Guardians member. Stymied by the Bikie's code of silence it's a difficult investigation and the pieces don't all fall into place until it is almost too late.

I thought the characters were portrayed authentically from the cops who drink a little more than they should do, to the casual chauvinism of a predominately male workplace, to the Bikie's who have little respect for the law and believe in loyalty to each other above all. I probably would have rated Sinister Intent slightly higher if Lexie had been a little stronger, both emotionally and physically. Though she has good reasons to be paranoid and vulnerable given her recent brush with death, and the murder of her brother, I thought Lexie was a little too often at the mercy of her post traumatic distress.

The only other niggle with this novel for me was the fairly frequent use of exclamation marks - it's a petty thing to point out, but they distracted me every time and mostly seemed unnecessary.

I really enjoyed Sinister Intent, I read it almost straight through and was reluctant to put it down. I am glad to welcome another great woman writer to the Australian crime fiction genre and I hope we see more from Karen M Davis soon.