Killing the Rabbit

by Alison Goodman

Bantam Spectra,433 pp, $6.99

A pharmaceutical company main product is contraceptives. Its forecaster looks at many years of record profits but a mutation has occurred for a few women who can spontaneously reabsorb their unborn children,

A film maker is doing a documentary about these women. This film will crush the company in its efforts to make a profit.

An aging assassin looks for one last commission to retire on, suspecting payment for this one may well be his death. Somehow, the world will be changed.

This is a comedic thriller in many respects. The action is episodic, and woven together like a hangman’s noose. The characters flawed and engaging , running around Australia in a future dominated by Japanese corporate culture. The author, known for her multiple award winning young adult Singing the Dogstar Blues, is a writer to be watched and read. - Pam Allan