NO MORTAL THING. By Gerald Seymour. Hodder & Stoughton. $29.99.

Seymour's first novel, the acclaimed IRA thriller Harry's Game, appeared in 1975, and since then the author has established himself as a master of the gripping, intelligent thriller. A former journalist, Seymour always brings to his novels a strong sense of credibility and an appealing topicality. From Belfast to Bosnia to Iraq and the spread of terrorism, his books have covered most of the major trouble spots of the past four decades in a well-informed, unsentimental and exciting manner. His latest returns to the theme of the under-resourced war against organised crime in Europe and the deadly consequences of involving amateurs in the fight. A tough and convincing novel, this is not one for the optimists among us.

DEADLY DIPLOMACY. By Jean Harrod. Woodslane. $21.95.

This debut crime novel is sure to appeal to Canberra readers. Harrod is a former British diplomat who was stationed in Canberra for several years. The story follows the efforts of the British consul, Jess Turner, to determine why a British businesswoman was brutally murdered in Brisbane. The woman was involved in a controversial project to provide Australian LNG to China, and when her sister disappears with some explosive documents it is up to Turner to find the sister before the killer does. This is an enjoyable, well constructed, light mystery that mainly moves along at a good pace. The plotting is interesting and it makes for a nice change to read about rendezvous in Chinese restaurants in Manuka.

DEAD JOKER. By Anne Holt. Corvus. $29.99.

Holt is Norway's bestselling female crime writer and her books always feature intelligent, slightly unusual plots.

Dead Joker is the fifth entry in her series about Oslo detective Hanne Wilhelmsen and involves her in an investigation into the beheading of the wife of the chief public prosecutor. When a second victim is killed in a similar way, Hanne must use all her experience to try and catch the killer while dealing with a terrible personal crisis involving her partner of 20 years.

This is an engaging and emotive novel that provides a good mystery as well as some interesting social commentary and evocative descriptions of life in Norway. Recommended.