13-Point Plan for a Perfect Murder

A Pufferfish Mystery #7

by David Owen

TASMANIA'S rise and rise as a tourist destination makes the island an ideal location for the cashed-up international polo-set, jetting in from Europe, Buenos Aires, Shanghai and LA for their late summer carnival and relaxathon in the world's latest clean-green hotspot. They play fiercely and party hard at the swish Polo Palace, built near beautiful beaches through the largesse of an island-loving polo-mad billionaire Bahraini businessman.

So when this idyll is gruesomely interrupted by the murder of Sebastian Wicken, a dashing and wealthy Englishman famous for wielding his stick and ball. Pufferfish, aka seasoned Detective Inspector Franz Heineken of the Tasmanian Police Force, is called to investigate.

Genres: Crime

Paperback

Published January 1, 2016

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

David Owen was born in Zimbabwe in 1956 and grew up in Malawi and Swaziland. He completed his education in South Africa and then spent some years working in London. He migrated to Australia in 1986. A past editor of Island magazine, he writes fiction and nonfiction. He is now settled in Tasmania.

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pufferfish is one of my all time favourite Australian Crime Fiction identities. He's taciturn, reticent and often recalcitrant. He's frequently obtuse, often slightly grumpy, addicted to strong espresso and liquorice all-sorts and finally, he's back. No matter how many of these books are written, it's always going to be way too long between visits with DI Franz Heineken, his offsiders Rafe and Faye and the brief glimpses of glorious Tasmanian locations.

In order to get this series readers will need to love dry, wicked humour with a dose of tongue firmly placed in cheek. Sort of. Owen is an author who is not above a little go at just about everybody via our beloved and tricky Pufferfish. Even his own, where a hapless professional development course in which a lone blowfly is considerably more appealing than yet another Powerpoint slide, includes a lovely dig:

Our PD man further averred that the enduring popularity of the genre sends inappropriate messages about policing's reality, the public gulled into assuming that being a cop is a glossy gun-and-capspray-on-hip caper with no need for more government funding, and he singled out the absurdity of the dramatic insistence that there must be a dead body in the first chapter or before the first ad break, and he further said that while crime fiction readers are innocent fools and can therefore be forgiven, its authors, by peddling and profiting off their deliberate distortions and falsehoods, should themselves be treated as criminals, and he quoted S.18 C of the IGGA, the Ill-Gotten Gains Act, to prove his point.

Oh Pufferfish, if being at one with the sort of character that quotes such bitterness is a fool's game, it's one worth playing :)

But then that's the point of Pufferfish. He grumps and mumbles his way through the excesses of the worst and highest of society in his books. In 13-POINT PLAN these class distinctions collide in a most unpleasant manner - what with the murder of a posh, wealthy English polo player, at the feet of the rotting, and somewhat Tasmanian Tiger mangled corpse of a local, recently released from prison, criminal. How these two deaths are connected, if the crime scene is to be believed becomes foremost in Pufferfish's mind. As does the need to understand why Rafe's taken to wearing skinny leather ties, why his ex-girlfriend is back in town and what current paramour Hedda's going to make of that, and when he is ever likely to cut a break when it comes to bosses.

Part of the sheer joy of these books is obviously Pufferfish himself. A man with a chequered background he's not so much hiding out deep in the Tasmanian Police Force as he is immersed. He's not exactly unlucky in love, but he certainly makes it hard for himself sometimes. He's a good boss, provided his colleagues don't mind the occasional outburst, and that habit of drinking espresso and eating liquorice all-sorts is enough to make a reader vaguely queasy. This whole series is part sheer enjoyment, part laugh out loud, and part serious detecting with some particularly horrible criminals to be tracked down. In this outing the family connections of both victims play and interesting part in the entire story, with Pufferfish and his team moving between the two different worlds seamlessly for them, creating all sorts of dangerous rips for others.

If you've not caught up with the earlier books in the Pufferfish series (and seriously why the hell not!) the earlier ones might now be a a challenge to find (Pig's Head - 1994, Z and Y - 1995, A Second Hand - 1995 and The Devil Taker - 1997), but the more recent ones from 2011 No Weather for a Burial and How the Dead See should be around. If access is an issue then start wherever you can - you'll get enough of the background to DI Franz Heineken, his team, his bosses, and his Tasmania to feel right at home.

https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/review-13-point-plan-perfect-murder-david-owen

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been meaning to read the "Pufferfish" series, by Tasmanian author David Owen, for quite some time. However, I have to admit that my motivation for selecting this paperback edition from the library shelves recently was to satisfy a prompt in an annual reading challenge in which I'm participating: "A book with a hideous cover". Although set in present-day Hobart, this edition is published in pastiche of a libro giallo or "pulp fiction" style of the latter 20th century. Strange as it seems, the rather odd image of the devil's face materialising from within a pile of multicoloured garbage bag does reflect a scene from the book!
This was a satisfyingly gritty and multi-layered police procedural with a quintessentially Tasmanian flavour.
Detective Inspector Franz "Pufferfish" Heineken investigates three crimes simultaneously over the course of the novel - the disappearance of a local violent hoodlum, the murder of a visiting British Polo player at an exclusive resort development, and the theft of a surprisingly valuable stamp album from a primary school student. Meanwhile, he's navigating an intricate personal situation - the return of a former lover to Tasmania after a long break, while his present partner is overseas following a family bereavement.
I found the characterisations and dialogue almost hyper-realistic and intense, and conseqently it took me a while to get into the vibe of the book, but once I was going I read the last two-thirds in a single sitting. I'll certainly be seeking out the other instalments in Owen's "Pufferfish" series soon.

[Suzy Dominey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detective mystery set in Tasmania . Loved it ! perfect for winter days by the fire

[Jill Stirling · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read just about all the Pufferfish stories And some others of David Owen's books. He writes in a clipped, collequial style. The stories are fast paced and quite exciting. Characters are memorable and well developed. The plot moves along and is well paced. The setting is a much a part of the story line as the characters and plot. Being an expat Tasmanian, having left because of the poor employment opporunities, it is lovely to see this writer use the beautiful setting. But it is really sad to see how much Tasmania depends on tourists without due consideration for said tourists. One has to be rich and fit to enjoy Tassie. This is born out in the book with a polo club of all things for the idle rich. MONA is rightly labeled a monument to sex and death. Definitely a waste of money. The religious aspect of this book was once again treated lazily. The protagonists who developed a 13 point plan have their warped and murderous intentions explained very poorly and the Jewish AFP detective is allowed to indulge his views on Our Lord Jesus in a very disturbing way. Just a word on the availability of these books. I always visit Fullers Bookshop in Hobart to find Mr Owen's books. It is a pity they are not more widely available and that there are not Kindle versions (my preferred option) of these stories.

[Mike Taverner · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great Tassie romp

[Honeyeater · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had an enjoyable time with this book and I'll be recommending it to my friends.

It is set in the town where I live and it is populated with characters that seemed oh so familiar. The dialogue was a particular treat.

I'll be seeking out the other Pufferfish novels..

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has been great reading something with a local feel. Being in Tasmania, I did identify and recognise many of the settings of this novel. I know that may not been much of a big deal, especially with so many books being set in such iconic locations, but Tasmania does not get a lot of love in literacy, so it made for a refreshing change.
However, there were also colloquial aspects of this book that would put many readers off too; I am sure that some Australian references to AFL (our code of football) as well as certain vernacular would have been concerting for someone not in the know.
I found some aspects of David Owen's writing and his use of language to be a grammatical challenge; But by the end of the novel I had fallen into line with him and the manner he set the scenario of each chapter and the characters stream of consciousness.
Normally I will not start mid series; however with this book did not feel I was missing too much of the back storey to not get the character or plot.
Crime drama is not necessarily my preferred genre either, but I did warm to this protagonist (as a reader is supposed to do in any series). The author did not loose me in plots, keeping three points of interest (crime stories), and storylines that explained and solved the details without being over whelming.
I particularly enjoyed evidences of the authors' research for this novel as demonstrated with a use of a particular fruit tree and a collectable stamp that had me rushing to Google for further explanation