Bright Air

by Barry Maitland

She stood panting on the narrow ledge, pressing herself back against the hard surface of the rock. She heard a voice, far below, calling her name. She tried to answer, but her throat was parched and no sound came. They had heard the stone, clattering down the cliff to the sea, and now they knew where she was.

On a cliff-face in New Zealand, two men fall to their deaths carrying the secret of a horrifying betrayal. Four years before, the bright and beautiful Luce, another member of the same close-knit group of friends, had also died tragically while climbing. As the circle of friends dwindles, Luce's best friend, Anna, persuades Josh, Luce's ex-lover, to help in her own investigation, as she's convinced that the original verdict of accidental death was wrong. Had detail been overlooked, or, worse, ignored? In an attempt to uncover the truth, Josh and Anna follow Luce's last days to Lord Howe Island, but the long-cold trail and conspiratorial islanders seem certain to defeat them. After all, who could possibly have a reason to murder Luce?

A nail-biting page-turner, Bright Air is the compelling new mystery from the master of crime writing, Barry Maitland.

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Australia, Thriller

304 pages, Trade Paperback

First published July 1, 2008

About the author

Barry Maitland is the author of the acclaimed Brock and Kolla series of crime mystery novels, which are set in London, where Barry grew up after his family moved there.

His books have been described as whydunits as much as whodunits, concerned with the devious histories and motivations of their characters. Barry's background in architecture drew him to the structured character of the mystery novel, and his books are notable for their ingenious plots as well as for their atmospheric settings, each in a different intriguing corner of London.

Barry studied architecture at Cambridge University, and went on to work as an architect in the UK, then took a PhD in urban design at the University of Sheffield, where he also taught and wrote a number of books on architecture and urban design. In 1984 he moved to Australia to head the architecture school at the University of Newcastle in New South Wales, and held that position until 2000. He now writes fiction full time, and lives in the Hunter Valley, Australia.

Reviews

[Calzean · Rating 3 out of 5]

An unusual crime novel featuring two amateur sleuths, mountain climbing, the philosophies of Rudolf Steiner, the Lord Howe stick insect, illegal trafficking of endangered critters and the remote beauty of Lord Howe island. It's a good story with the addition of some unusual educational information which makes it a bit more interesting than most.

[Lyn Elliott · Rating 3 out of 5]

A thriller with an environmental issue at its centre. A lively summer read.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Josh returned to Sydney, to his Aunt Mary’s hotel, after spending 4 years in London with his job in finance. He was at a loose end, as his departure from Australia was not a happy one. He had broken up with Luce, his girlfriend, the person he thought he’d spend the rest of his life with, and not long after he’d left, she was killed on a rock climb on Lord Howe Island with the group of close-knit friends he’d also been a part of. Her body hadn’t been recovered, and he felt no sense of closure to that time in his recent past.

Not long into his stay with his Aunt Mary, Anna turned up to see him. She was Luce’s best friend, also part of the climbing group, and Josh knew her well. What she had to tell him, shocked him to the core, but he also didn’t want to believe what she was saying. Two other members of the group, Owen and Curtis, had just recently fallen from a cliff-face in New Zealand, and though Curtis had died instantly, Owen hadn’t, and on his death bed, he seemed to be confessing to something quite unbelievable.

The group had dwindled considerably, with Damien (now a successful lawyer, and married), Josh and Anna left. Plus of course, the professor who had been their mentor, Marcus. Anna didn’t believe Luce’s death was accidental, and wanted Josh to help her follow up on what little they could find out, given that it was four years ago, and her death had been ruled accidental. Damien didn’t seem to be interested in helping, in fact he was dead set against them investigating anything…..

As small details began to come to light, their suspicions deepened, and they decided to head to Lord Howe Island, to talk to the locals, and see what, if anything, they could discover. Suddenly there were signs of a conspiracy…could Luce have met up with foul play? And was there still danger out there, for them? It seemed to Josh and Anna that the dangers were intensifying, and it could be their lives at risk now!

This is my first Barry Maitland novel, and I will definitely be reading more of his work. He paints beautiful word pictures… “And now I was about as fully exposed to it as one could be, suspended in a gossamer net high up a mountain face in bright air.” (Page 120)

This nail-biting, gritty page turner is full of mystery and intrigue, and I recommend it highly.

[McBotaglove · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still a high water mark in Australian crime writing. It's memorable for more than the eco themes, although it handles these well. Its use of Lord Howe Island as a contemporary cosy setting, its exploration of the psychology of charismatic teachers and its clever conclusion give it an edge.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic suspense novel featuring climbing on Lord Howe Island/Ball's Pyramid. An eco-suspense thriller.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5 stars! This is a crime mystery in a climbing and research-context which spiked my curiosity. I liked the contrast between the ideologists and the corporate capitalistic people. The writer has done a good job paradoxically portraying that there is a fine line between them, as a lot of the ideologists in the book are being seduced by the other side. Although I liked the story, and really wanted to find out what happened, I did not think the characters were believable all the time.

As a rock climber myself, I think I can understand some of the characteristics of the climbers in the book. Lucy is portrayed as a brilliant but very cautious climber with safety as a priority. Yet she does free soloing and agrees to trad climb with Josh who makes mistake after mistake and is not able to belay himself with 'nuts and friends' (belaying tools you jam in the rock) safely. It is described that when he fell, all of his anchor points failed, and he ultimately fell in Lucy's anchor which saved his life. If Lucy was so brilliant and cautious, Why would she agree to climb with someone so inexperienced without teaching him a thing or two to not let her fall to her death. It is not believable to me. Also, I know a lot of very passionate climbers (like Lucy), who simply would not be able to have a good relationship with a non-climber / not-passionate climber (which Josh actually is) and she would have figured that out very easily. Or he would had to have some very good qualities that would overcome the lack of the climber-quality, but I could not find them. But on the other hand, maybe Lucy could be the exception. But in my experience, I don't think so.

Then Anna: she is portrayed as the quieter girl, less enthusiastic and less brilliant than Lucy. She is calculating and in control. She is working as an activity manager for the elderly, which seems to be something she settled for after having some mental difficulties after the death of Lucy. So Why on earth would a character like that agree to rob a house and then flee with someone shooting at her while she barely escapes?

It is possible that all of these characters are not the way they are described because everything is told from the perception of Josh. Maybe he saw Lucy as more passionate and safetyminded than she was, and maybe he saw Anna as more dull than she is. But either way, it felt inconsistent.

And then they find the laptop, bring the laptop to a friend who can restore it, and that person e-mails the contents of that laptop to her??? I have so many questions! How did the computer-friend know what they were looking for? Or was the computer totally empty except for those documents they needed. It is written as though the contents of the whole computer are emailed, which is not possible with many emailproviders. I do not get this.
Oh, and when Anna and Josh are climbing up the rock in search of a clue of the mystery of Lucy's death, Josh gets himself stuck. He is leading the climb which is a traverse and doesn't trust his own belaying points (at least he knows he is a liability when it comes to safety), and he has No good holds for his hands. So not being able to move forward or backward on the rock, he calls to help from Anna. She comes to the rescue! She is smiling and making jokes when she is abseiling down to him and attaches his harness to hers. Wait, but.. huh? Who is belaying Josh then? And she was already above him?? This doesn't make sense and it got me out of the suspense of the story. These little things all made it less realistic for me, which spoiled it a bit.
Also, I did not like the character of Josh, which is not a criterium for a good book for me, but he annoyed me more than once. So he fakes his enthusiasm for climbing to impress a girl. Then trains like a maniac in another climbing gym so the others won't find out he's a fraud, then shows off at the gym of that girl, gets in a relationship with her, stops climbing and ditches her pretty quickly by cheating on her because he doesn't think he is worthy of her. He is far too concerned about how other people perceive him and manipulates his image to get the appreciation of others. This I think, is realistic, but it made that I didn't like him. I do appreciate that he is honest about his flaws, but it feels to me that he is mentally very immature.

Anyway, I found the book entertaining enough to read it through to the end. But I would not say it is a very well written one. I like the mystery and the climbing vs biology context, mostly because i've studied biology too and I am a climber, but the story had too many little mistakes for me to really appreciate it.

[Mark Latchford · Rating 4 out of 5]

The narrator, Josh, returns to Sydney from London after the death in a tragic climbing accident of his former girlfriend. Soon after, two other members of their university climbing group die in another accident. But are these accidents or something more sinister?

This is starting point for this crime novel that ticks many of the essential boxes for a crime thriller: mystery, complexity, twists and turns and vivid scene setting. The author uses Sydney and then magnificent Lord Howe Island to unravel what really happened to the beautiful Luce and what role did her colleagues play in her apparent 'accident'. Although heavily focused on the sport of mountain climbing, the writing is crisp and swift and the reader does not get bogged down in the technicalities. The characters are realistic and very few absurd actions/decisions are made by the main characters. There is no padding but concise writing to set scenes up whether it be on the volcanic Ball's Pyramid, the heritage cottages of Castlecrag or the tower blocks of downtown Sydney. I enjoyed this very much and found it hard to put down.

[Mark Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first Barry Maitland I read and still in my opinion the high water mark for this author, although that's a pretty high mark indeed. The lack of indebtedness to a long running series like Brock and Kolla or the Belltree trilogy meant that Maitland could let his love of place soar and the rock climbing scenes are wonderfully evocative, both mesmerisingly beautiful and viscerally terrifying in equal proportions. The murder mystery has satisfying red herrings and dead ends and is nicely fitted into a broader narrative of academic and corporate duplicity, while never overwhelming the intense sense of loss and remorse which suffuses the whole books. Top marks.

[Andy Kabanoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great read! As others have said: a crime novel with an environmental conscience. I probably would have liked it a lot even if I hadn't just spent a few days on Lord Howe Island exploring all the places where the action occurs and learning a lot about the wildlife and ecological issues of the island itself and nearby Ball's Pyramid. Reading it just after that trip made it so much more intimate. The Sydney settings were also familiar. While the biological and philosophical questions were really interesting and within my domain, the climbing descriptions were gripping and well outside of my experience. Read it - but go to Lord Howe Island first!

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling, intriguing and highly satisfying mystery from the master of crime writing, Barry Maitland, one of Australia's best crime writers. I've read and really enjoyed most of his Brock and Kolla novels set in London, this is a stand-alone story with Lord Howe Island (just north-east of my location off our east coast here in Australia) as a focus. The plot is believable, engaging and the resolution surprising....I'll say that as a passionate nature lover, I was thrilled to read the evocative and emotive descriptions of scenery, flora and fauna. Highly recommended.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping action, engaging characters. With Barry Maitland the is always a twist, and "Bright Star" is no exception.

[Ian Murray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too slow-paced for my taste, although the climbing/mountaineering background was interesting, as were the familiar Sydney landmarks.Added Lord Howe Is to my holiday bucket list.

[Earp_wyatt · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Bright Air" would make a great short story. Utterly timely. But Lordy how it rambles on as a novel. ..... A shame to see the otherwise excellent Maitland off his feed here.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bright Air is a well-plotted and imaginative thriller set in the beautiful and unusual location of Lord Howe Island off the East coast of Australia. With believable and engaging characters, a stunning setting and interesting background information on rock-climbing, Maitland escalates tension right up to the story’s surprising and unexpected finale.

Having recently returned to Sydney from England after a four-year absence, Josh is being visited by Anna, an old friend from university and member of their former rock-climbing group. Josh is shocked to hear that two climbers from their original group of six have recently died in a rock-climbing accident in New Zealand, bringing back memories of another accident four years ago, which claimed the life of Josh’s ex-girlfriend Luce when he was already in England. On his deathbed in the ICU, one of the men confessed to Anna that Luce’s death had not been accidental, but he dies before being able to say any more. Still mourning her old friend, Anna asks Josh to help her make some inquiries into Luce’s death on Lord Howe Island, where she disappeared in mysterious circumstances during a solo climb on the island’s rugged cliffs, her body never having been recovered. Battling with his own demons and guilt concerning Luce’s accident, Josh agrees to help Anna with her investigation. After reading the coroner’s report, and talking to the only member of their group who is still alive as well as their former university professor and mentor who led the expedition, Josh and Anna discover some inconsistencies in the official storyline. Travelling to Lord Howe Island in an effort to finally uncover the truth, the pair find out more than they have bargained for ….

Having been to Lord Howe Island many years ago, I was thrilled to read a book set on its beautiful shores. Maitland does an excellent job describing the island in all its glory – right down to the scary airstrip (our plane, too, nearly flipped sideways as we tried to land – that brought back memories). After Maitland’s descriptions of the island’s natural marvels, only accessible by rock-climbing, I instantly wished that I had been able to pursue that sport all those years ago – then again maybe not, seeing that it cost Luce’s life! Maitland’s descriptions of Ball’s Pyramid are so vivid and realistic that I am wondering if he has actually climbed it. I could not get enough of reading about the experiences Josh describes when he recalls his climbing adventures, as they opened up a completely different world to me. And the information on what the climbers finally discover on the island was fascinating and enlightening – not to give anything away, but I was amazed at what I found out when I googled it.

Whilst the plot follows an inevitable trajectory, its resolution is fresh and surprising without going over the top and stretching credibility like so many other books in the same genre. Bright Air is a top class Australian thriller which delighted and thrilled in many different ways – I am looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maitland has taken a break from his popular Brock and Kolla series with the release of BRIGHT AIR. It opens with Josh, having recently returned to Sydney after working in London, still mourning the death of his girlfriend Luce, they had both been members of the University climbing club. Luce had fallen to her death off the rugged coast of Lord Howe Island, her body never found, other members of the climbing team on the same trip had said she was climbing on her own and had simply disappeared. Josh is not only mourning her loss, but feeling profoundly guilty because of what happened between the two of them, and how he wasn't there when she died.

When Anna, one of the remaining team members, contacts him he discovers two other members of the climbing team - two of the three that had been climbing with Luce when she disappeared - are now also dead after falling from a cliff-face in New Zealand. One of them has told Anna something very startling as he died. Josh and Anna find themselves going back to the Coroner's Report into the death of Luce and following in her tracks to Lord Howe Island.

BRIGHT AIR has an interesting plot that slowly builds up an intricate picture of this little group of people. Whilst the 2 dead men are slightly more shadowy, Josh, Anna and Damien - the remaining characters still alive are revealed as real people as the plot continues. Although a lot of the revelations are described from Josh's own perspective, the guilt driving him to understand what really happened to Luce also loosens the string on the experiences of his own life.

But what was really fascinating was the resolution - which is impossible to discuss without giving away the plot totally, but it's an unusual denouement with some obscure aspects that are handled with exactly the aplomb that you would expect from an author of this calibre. BRIGHT AIR is slightly different in style and feel from the Brock and Kolla series, despite it having another male and female central partnership. These two - Josh and Anna are more on a level partnership, and there's obviously something that could build between them. The book takes place in Sydney and on Lord Howe Island, and that setting provides a different sort of atmosphere and experience, although there is definitely something dark and foreboding about the cliffs of Lord Howe Island.

Fans of Barry Maitland's writing will not be disappointed by this standalone novel, and if you've never tried Maitland's books then BRIGHT AIR will definitely give you an introduction to a master crime writer.

[Gary Van Cott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had this on a list of Kathy and Brock books by Maitland, but it isn't part of that series. This story takes place in Australia (where the author has lived since 1984) and Lord Howe Island. I found it to be an excellent book, although the story gets a bit convoluted at the end. The main characters are not police but a man and a woman investigating the death of woman they both knew well. This book is probably more suitable to be made into a movie than any of the Kathy and Brock books.

[Sharon Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.
There's that half star extra rating again :)

This is the first Barry Maitland novel I have read - and surprise surprise (not) I have another 5 on my shelf.
I was a bit worried that I wasn't going to like Maitland's writing style in the first few pages, to be honest it seemed a bit amateurish, but after a few pages I was finding myself slowly drawn in to the story and ended up really quite enjoying it. Not quite a four star though.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable crime thriller set mainly in Sydney and Lord Howe Island. I particularly enjoyed the rock climbing theme that was interspersed throughout the plot. My first Barry Maitland book, and a captivating thriller that will compel me to read more of his books in the future.

[Spitz]

This is apparently not available in the US yet.

[Sharron · Rating 2 out of 5]

not part of his Kolla and Brock series and not as good. it's set off Lord Howe Island which is why I read it but even the setting (very intriguing) couldn't save the silly plot.

[Terese · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed it - architectural detail is interesting especially Castlecrag. Ebook from State
Library collection.

[Judy O'Laoi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this Australian mystery, fast moving story, with several intriguing characters. Highly recommended.

[Ann Tonks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe it's because I hate heights and have no interest in mountain climbing that is the reason that I just couldn't get into this book. I've liked Barry Maitland's work in the past but not this one.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read from a master of the crime with a twist!