Crime Story

by Maurice Gee

Worlds separate Brent Rosser from Ulla Peet, but a burglary gone wrong brings them into a confrontation that will change their lives - and end one of them, or perhaps both.

There are many crimes in this chilling novel - brutal murder, corporate fraud, domestic violence and spiritual bankruptcy. Through the chance meetings of the Peet and Rosser families, Crime Story asks questions about the victims and perpetrators of crime, and about the price of greed and personal isolation. It is a haunting portrayal of human frailty but also of human courage.

Parr's adaptation is an intelligent and respectful adaptation of Gee's novel. His script makes Leeanne Rosser (Brent s sister) the pivot of the story.

Genres: Crime, Fiction, 20th Century

272 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 29, 2002

About the author

Maurice Gough Gee was a New Zealand novelist. He was one of New Zealand's most distinguished and prolific authors, having written over thirty novels for adults and children, and having won numerous awards both in New Zealand and overseas, including multiple top prizes at the New Zealand Book Awards, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize in the UK, the Katherine Mansfield Menton Fellowship, the Robert Burns Fellowship and a Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement. In 2003 he was recognised as one of New Zealand's greatest living artists across all disciplines by the Arts Foundation of New Zealand, which presented him with an Icon Award.
Gee's novel Plumb (1978) was described by the Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature to be one of the best novels ever written in New Zealand. He was also well-known for children's and young adult fiction such as Under the Mountain (1979). He won multiple top prizes at the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults and in 2002 he was presented with the prestigious Margaret Mahy Award by the Children's Literature Foundation in recognition of his contributions to children's literature.

Reviews

[Christelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise reminds me of Crime and Pushiment. A young man, while conducting a burglary, pushes a woman and breaks her neck. Needless to say that this incident has repercussions on both the victim's family and the murderer's family. It is an interesting exploration of humans and it forces the North American reader to let go of the romantic idea it has of New Zealand. There are absolutely no mention of the breathtaking scenery of NZ. It is actually the opposite. The book is about the typical trials of any human being: greed, rejection, murder, politics as well as one's hopes and forgiveness. Life can be tough. Imagine being paralysed from the neck down... would you call that a life?

[Chelsea Berry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Monthly reading challenge: A book that came out while you were at high school.

This multi POV story, follows the lives of the criminal the victim and their families following a burglary that goes wrong and leaves a woman permanently injured.

I started off not really enjoying this book, by the end I

[Dead John Williams]

Supposedly a New Zealand classic but more of that cinema of unease stuff that I cannot bear, no offence Mr Gee but not for me. It requires an emotional investment for nil return.

[Fiona R · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF

[zespri · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is so much going on in this book, it is hard to know what to think about first! The book starts with a robbery and act of violence that draws all the characters of this book together, and flaws and strengths are exposed as they come to terms with what has happened in their midst.

There wasn't really one character in this book that I remotely liked, and I found the book sad and heavy going in places. Good to be made to think about the issues though - domestic violence, murder, perpetrators and crime victims.

[Kristine · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read but the pace of the book was somewhat uneven and the story just didn't seem to flow well. Some parts of the book seemed to rush along, while others dragged on laboriously and unnecessarily. The characters were thoroughly unlikeable, but intriguing. Gee confronts us with some uncomfortable issues in the book and undoubtedly intended to give the reader much to think about, but ultimately the book felt like it was a draft that needed more editing and refinement before being presented to readers.

[Shazzt]

Not my favorite Gee book- it seemed too unfocused and meandering. What I found most interesting was that although it was set in the late eighties, it felt quite modern with its failed companies and contrast between rich and poor.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Made me terribly uncomfortable as gee normally does! Characters all quite unlikeable but easy to have a deep empathy with them!