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Tooth and Claw
Alone on an isolated farm since her partner's death, Beth lives by her own rules. When she senses that she is being hunted, she searches out the predator, turning the tables on him in an unsettling and violent climax.
156 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1983
2 people are currently reading
27 people want to read
About the author
Gabrielle Lord
108 books238 followersGabrielle Craig Lord is an Australian writer who has been described as Australia's first lady of crime.
She survived being ‘razed’ by the nuns, acquired an education despite this, and after working in many different areas, sales, teaching, brick-cleaning, peach-picking and packing, and in the Public Service as an employment officer, started writing seriously aged 30.
Her first two manuscripts ended up composting the tomatoes at her market garden – another attempt to make a living – but the third one FORTRESS was picked up internationally and made into a feature film starring Rachel Ward. A later novel WHIPPING BOY was made into a telemovie starring Sigrid Thornton. The film rights money, coinciding with her daughter leaving school, allowed Gabrielle to resign and instead of getting up at 4.30am and writing for several hours before heading off for work, she could write full-time and lead a more ‘normal’ writer’s life – hanging around with scientists and detectives, badgering forensic anthropologists (she studied some Anatomy at Sydney university) and doing work experience with a busy private security business and of course, writing.
Research is everything, she says. ‘Out of my contacts with experts (who are always far too modest to describe themselves that way) I get not only the fine-tuning necessary for today’s savvy readers, but also wonderful incidents and images that enrich and enlarge my books.’
Gabrielle’s interests are very simple. ‘After a misspent youth, I don’t have many brain cells left so I enjoy walking, meditation, singing, gardening, chatting with close friends, being with my family and grandkids, feeding my goldfish and keeping up to date with bodywork and enlightened psychotherapy.’
Gabrielle has now written fourteen adult novels and a novel for young adults. Once the 12 books of Conspiracy 365 are completed, this tally will be a tad bigger! Following this mammoth endeavour she already has plans for another three adult novels and two more YAs.
2013
She survived being ‘razed’ by the nuns, acquired an education despite this, and after working in many different areas, sales, teaching, brick-cleaning, peach-picking and packing, and in the Public Service as an employment officer, started writing seriously aged 30.
Her first two manuscripts ended up composting the tomatoes at her market garden – another attempt to make a living – but the third one FORTRESS was picked up internationally and made into a feature film starring Rachel Ward. A later novel WHIPPING BOY was made into a telemovie starring Sigrid Thornton. The film rights money, coinciding with her daughter leaving school, allowed Gabrielle to resign and instead of getting up at 4.30am and writing for several hours before heading off for work, she could write full-time and lead a more ‘normal’ writer’s life – hanging around with scientists and detectives, badgering forensic anthropologists (she studied some Anatomy at Sydney university) and doing work experience with a busy private security business and of course, writing.
Research is everything, she says. ‘Out of my contacts with experts (who are always far too modest to describe themselves that way) I get not only the fine-tuning necessary for today’s savvy readers, but also wonderful incidents and images that enrich and enlarge my books.’
Gabrielle’s interests are very simple. ‘After a misspent youth, I don’t have many brain cells left so I enjoy walking, meditation, singing, gardening, chatting with close friends, being with my family and grandkids, feeding my goldfish and keeping up to date with bodywork and enlightened psychotherapy.’
Gabrielle has now written fourteen adult novels and a novel for young adults. Once the 12 books of Conspiracy 365 are completed, this tally will be a tad bigger! Following this mammoth endeavour she already has plans for another three adult novels and two more YAs.
2013
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 28, 2016
After the death of her partner Beth is left on a farm in the middle of nowhere to fend for herself. She has only her ever growing feral sense and her huge black dog Sam for company. Until now. Someone is watching her. Someone is killing her chickens...
The mute character of Sam is given such life by countless little observations, and there is a chapter on beekeeping that is actually rivetting. The book manages to get systematically nastier as it goes on, containing traditional elements of horror before morphing into a Deliverance style action thriller. And what a great character Elvira is - a shallow, beautiful wasteland. for a slim book this hits on a lot of little truths.
The mute character of Sam is given such life by countless little observations, and there is a chapter on beekeeping that is actually rivetting. The book manages to get systematically nastier as it goes on, containing traditional elements of horror before morphing into a Deliverance style action thriller. And what a great character Elvira is - a shallow, beautiful wasteland. for a slim book this hits on a lot of little truths.
November 2, 2017
Mmm... a strange little tale indeed - & a difficult one to using spoilers.
Character wise, I preferred Beth to Elvira - I didn't like Elvira's very self-obsessed character although her journals were intriguing. Beth' s story however, particularly in the first part of the book I found so atmospheric & creepy.... a little Blair Witch-ish
It's a book of few character's but all are well-written & credible (the Sergeant made my blood boil!!) & I did love the relationship between Beth & her dog Sam. A good enough read.
Character wise, I preferred Beth to Elvira - I didn't like Elvira's very self-obsessed character although her journals were intriguing. Beth' s story however, particularly in the first part of the book I found so atmospheric & creepy.... a little Blair Witch-ish
It's a book of few character's but all are well-written & credible (the Sergeant made my blood boil!!) & I did love the relationship between Beth & her dog Sam. A good enough read.
January 25, 2020
Strange book. On the one hand the writing is really good, on the other the plot is peculiar in that there are two separate stories which play out and have no impact on each other. Almost as if the author wrote two short stories and decided to stitch them together. An okay read but not enough to make me recommend more widely.
November 27, 2022
Australian Gothic. Quite dense writing style, which helped build up the tension - but maybe dragged out a little too long (it is only a fairly short novella), which meant that the action all happened very quickly at the end.
December 11, 2015
Characters are well-drawn.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews