Getting Warmer

Cato Kwong #2

by Alan Carter

Cato Kwong is back. Back in Boom Town and back on a real case – the unsolved mystery of a missing fifteen-year-old girl. But it’s midsummer in the city of millionaires and it’s not just the heat that stinks. A pig corpse, peppered with nails, is uncovered in a shallow grave and a body, with its throat cut, turns up in the local nightclub. As a series of blunders by Cato’s colleague brings the squad under intense scrutiny, Cato’s own sympathy for a suspect threatens to derail his case and his career.

Genres: Crime, Mystery, Fiction, Australia, Audiobook, Detective

352 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2013

About the author

Alan Carter is an award-winning crime author and sometimes television documentary director. His Cato Kwong series – Prime Cut, Getting Warmer and Bad Seed – has been published in the UK, France, Germany and Spain. His latest novel, Marlborough Man, is set in New Zealand. Alan was born in Sunderland, UK and immigrated to Australia in 1991. These days he divides his time between his house near the beach in Fremantle and a hobby farm up a remote valley in New Zealand. In his spare time he follows a black line up and down the local swimming pool. Alan Carter has won the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel (2018) and the Ned Kelly Award for Best First Fiction (2011).

Reviews

[Zoey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great action packed story featuring Detective Cato Kwong, this time set in and around the streets of Fremantle.

[Sophie Breese · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this. Again quite complicated but it works very well and I found the whole story absorbing and well-written. It definitely helps having read the first book. Really enjoying getting to know Cato.

[Veronica ⭐️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not having read Alan Carters Prime Cut this is my first introduction to Cato Kwong.
The story moved along nicely at the begining,tying in the different gangs and police departments. The story jumps back and forward between a few different storylines and I was intrigued how each story paned out and how the author linked them together.
I loved how everyone thought they were in charge, the police thought they were running the show, the bikies think they are and the asian gangs think they are so it all goes round in circles with everyone passing information( true and false) back and forward.
There were no hints as to how events would be eventually linked,so it was surprise after surprise as the story unfolded and got better and better from laugh out loud moments to heart pounding suspense. The build up of tension - not knowing if the characters are going to survive and then the story would jump back to another scene just to leave the reader hanging a little longer.
All the characters were quite engaging, like them ar not. I developed a soft spot for our hero Cato Kwong. I see him akin to Jackie Chan's DI Lee in Rush hour. Allways in the wrong place at the right time and still managing to add a little humour to even the most dour situation. Cato Kwong is just one of lifes losers, he's a nice honest cop but everything just seems to go wrong for him. He takes his son out to see fireworks for some father and son time and ends up chasing a criminal and getting himself stabbed.Another time he has had a hard day his wound has been hurting and the weather is unbearably hot, he decides to go for a swim in the ocean. The water is cool and the sky is blue and he starts to think life is not that bad after all then suddenly he gets stung on the arm - straight back to reality.
I would recommend this book , it was an easy read, the storyline was interesting. There were characters you will like and also some you will dislike but you will continue to think about them long after you have closed the book.

I would like to thank Goodreads and Alan Carter for my free copy of Getting Warmer in exchange for an honest review.

[Kimmy C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Cato Kwong novel, again located in Fremantle and Perth surrounds (might pay to have some local knowledge for the ‘in’ jokes), but an entertaining read that manages to solve a crime while reaching a satisfactory conclusion for the reader. This one (and I’ve read them out of order, which doesn’t seem to matter that much in terms of coming up to speed on what’s happening) deals with the murky world of undercover cops, police informants, bikie gangs +/- organised crime, prison violence, and police corruption.
A solid and engrossing story, and leaves plenty for me to move onto the next one. Eventually.

[Mack · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book brought the suburb Fremantle, Western Australian prisons and the familiar surroundings of Perth to light in a well balanced plot. It made me a bit wary, living in the suburbs described and the settings used. I’ll probably be a bit more vigilant walking around Thompsons Lake. Cato Kwong,the messy world of the law, drugs, gangs, murder and threats with each group having a dark secret made it a good read.

[Oakleigh Irish · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Getting Warmer. Cato Kwong is a great character. My only reservation is that the story gets overly complicated and convoluted in parts and tries to be overly clever. Otherwise the characters are great and the narrative is excellent

[Buchdoktor · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Cato" Kwong, chinesisch-stämmiger Australier, ist als Nachkomme chinesischer Einwanderer eine „Banane“, nur äußerlich gelb und in seinem Verhalten kaum noch von Weißen zu unterscheiden. Die Polizei von Freemantle hat in Catos aktuellem Fall mit der komplizierten Kombination aus Bandenkriminalität und Bestechlichkeit innerhalb der eigenen Reihen zu tun. Als ein Undercover-Ermittler in einem Nachtclub ermordet wird, stellt sich die Frage, wie Tipps ihrer Informanten bestimmte Polizisten durch geradezu märchenhafte Zufälle auf ihre derzeitige Position spülen konnten. Dem Arbeitsklima tut die Konfrontation mit dem Undercover-Kollegen nicht gut, von dessen Auftrag niemand wusste. Der Auftritt zweier Banden auf Freemantles Straßen stört das Sicherheitsbedürfnis der Bevölkerung empfindlich und veranlasst die Polizei, deutlich Flagge zu zeigen. Eine Sondereinsatztruppe gegen Gewalt im öffentlichen Raum wird organisiert. Kato hat zudem mit einem Gewalttäter zu tun, der die schon länger vermisste Tochter seiner Ex-Lebensgefährtin in seiner Gewalt haben könnte.

Das Setting eines Einwanderungslandes, das sich inzwischen mit Zuwanderung verschiedenster Nationalitäten schwertut, hat mich schon in Carters erstem Krimi interessiert. Sprache und Setting sind Stärken auch des zweiten Bandes. Die Arbeitsbedingungen seiner Ermittler unter diesen Voraussetzungen schildert Carter äußerst realistisch. Verdächtige und Polizisten langen ohne Rücksicht auf Verluste hin, auf Seiten der Polizei sitzt der Taser locker. Bemerkenswert auch, dass die Ermittlungen durch umfangreiche Videoaufzeichnungen aus Überwachungskameras im öffentlichen Raum gestützt werden. Schnelle Schnitte und Gewalt auf beiden Seiten können jedoch nicht darüber hinweg täuschen, dass die Figuren flach bleiben. Zurückhaltung in Bezug auf die Persönlichkeit der Ermittler könnte ein handwerklicher Kniff des Autors sein, um möglichst spät erst die weicheren Seiten seiner Figuren zu enthüllen. Trotz des interessanten sozialen Hintergrunds sind mir in diesem Band auf Kosten einer differenzierteren Personenzeichnung deutlich zu viele Wunden aus dem Kampf Polizei gegen „das Böse“ enthalten. Spannung in Krimis und Thrillern setzt bei mir Entwicklung der Figuren voraus.

[Xerodog · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to read this book as my father had been a detective in Fremantle during the sixties and I was somewhat familiar with the old police detectives’ offices and ways of working due to a few visits back then. Naturally times have changed but certain aspects of the geography and feel of the place seemed authentic. I also worked (but not in the police service) and lived in Fremantle myself and I think that the author gets a lot right about the feel of the place and it’s suburbs and people. As to the story, it’s a complex and rather bloody imagining of how criminals and police might interact in this part of the world but this is not meant to disparage it. As a matter of fact the author gets the ‘feel’ of Western Australia, the boom times and the sometimes banal and purposeless lifestyles that might emerge from that pretty right. I thought that the creation of the character Dieudonne, his backstory and fascination with the myth of Thanatos was telling. The other characters (not all of them criminal by the way) were often similarly nihilistic and disturbing. There were enough references to mining magnates and others to make it clear that not all the bad guys are sociopathic bikers or gangsters or thrill killers, that’s for sure. I also found the character of DI Hutchens fascinating: somewhat cynical and weary but pragmatic and effective. It seems that there is something in his past that he knows is wrong, but to get to that I guess that I will have to read the previous book in the series.

[Lesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the first of Alan Carters books I have read.I found it was a good read with plenty of action.Set in and around Fremantle,Australia I was able to understand most of the local slang along with the geography.
Our main hero Cato is determined to solve the disappearance of a teenage girl 15 years ago and is determined to bring her home to her mother.Cato believes in thinking outside the square and loves his cryptic crosswords which helps him in his work.
There is a heatwave and a lot of crime to solve for the whole team.The members of the team are varied and well explained to us which helped to see where they were coming from.Just as the reader thought they knew who was guilty they would be eliminated so it kept you thinking .
During the investigation we are introduced to the waring gangs who live in the area plus the tools of their trade such as guns,knives and nail guns.
As many of the characters are undercover at times it was difficult to be quite sure which side they were on which made it equally interesting .
With quite a few nasty murders and bodies a sense of humour still was evident on many occasions most of our main characters sailed close to the wind but fortunately solved the crimes and settled old scores together.
It was helpful having the map of the area and for readers overseas it may be handy to explain some of the slang/local language.This book is definitely worth reading .

[Marj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in Perth, Det Cato Kwong investigates the disappearance of a 15 yo girl. Simultaneously a turf war between a bikie gang and Vietnamese gang heats up, a UC is murdered and Kwong is trying to work out which coppers are on the take. Although completely over the top and implausible at various points I still enjoyed this book due to the dark humour and wit. Cato is a very likeable character. It's a tightly written, fast paced novel. I haven't read the first instalmant (that is next on my list) but didn't feel like I was missing anything.

[Kathy S · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first Alan Carter novel. I loved the setting (Fremantle) and the references to what was happening in WA at the time. It fits the stereotypical ‘cop’ genre with lots of crimes to be investigated. There is lots of suspicion and double crossing within and out of the police force. This annoyed me a tad as I have just finished SR White’s Hermit’ which showed it is possible to write a gripping crime book where all the police support each other and treat each other with respect. However I will read more of his books.

[Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cato Kwong #1 was good, but this was better. Really good read, but I'll leave you with a bit of advice. There is alot that goes on in the Authors books. Not just the main plot but lots of side stories as well. I like this style of writing but you need to concentrate. Can't imagine that this type of book would work for a casual / read every few days type style. Lots of grit and a rollicking storyline. I actual read the Nick Chester books first (completely different series), and they were great reads too!

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dense and complex as this was, well-plotted and with a just about bearable number of occasional daft decisions, and superb dialogue, my enjoyment of the writing and the tale was seriously undermined by the book itself, being one of those tighty-white amateurish productions which required its spine to be broken in several places and an arthritis-threatening effort to hold it open. One of the bigger arguments for not buying sight unseen.

[John Cooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm loving the Cato Kwong series - a light touch of Pink Panther humour, mixed with a good dollop of police corruption, some heinous gang crime and impossibly flawed, yet totally convincing, characters in the boom town settings of Perth and Freo. Carter, Wish-Wilson and Warner are all to be commended not only for setting many of their stories in sleepy ol P-Town, but for the clever social commentary within. History was never so much fun!

[Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good read in this series...Cato Kwong seems to be an ideal cop for the harshness of WA. This novel has a good complex plot with a few other storylines to keep the reader interested. AC writes very well and transports the reader to the setting of the book ...now for #3 !

[Diane Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of familiar places, roads, sites, scenes for those from Fremantle and surrounds. An interesting perspective on life, dwellings and interactions among those living there. And... lots of micro cliff hangers to keep you reading. I haven't read book one yet but I will when it comes across my path.

[Damian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic page turner.

Based in Perth. This book was hard to put down with a constant tension that never really let up. I now have a new favorite Author
Highly recommended

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[Tomiko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought never gonna finish. Pack with thrilled plots. Funny, vicious, very entertaining. Love Cato.

[Asiuol K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. All of the threads went well together without losing sight of the main theme.

[Lynda Shrubb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoying this series. carter does a great job of weaving storyline’s together. Keeps you guessing until the end.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great fast moving series, looking forward to the next one

[Teresa Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great action drama set in Fremantle Western Australia

[Vicki Klemm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun listening especially since we spent time in Fremantle, Australia, last year. I can picture the streets, restaurants, ocean, and neighborhoods. There is a lot going on in these Cato Kwong books.

[Russell Horton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twists and turns with pace. The story rarely slows down until the end. A good introduction (for me) to the series and writer.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carter's first novel featuring Cato (obvious connection for the nickname) Kwong, PRIME CUT, had him exiled to the Stock Squad in the back blocks of regional WA, doing penance. GETTING WARMER has him back in Perth, just as things weather-wise and crime-wise start to heat up. Starting out with the rather bizarre search for the body of a teenage girl, the supposed perpetrator of that crime being one from the nastier end of the psycho range, it's hard to see how anyone's going to get all that fussed when he shows up dead on the floor of the jail kitchens.

Except the two motorcycle club members who were seen on CCT cameras beating him to a pulp. Their mates aren't best pleased that they've been accused of murder when all it was supposed to be was a kicking. Nothing about sharpened toothbrushes in the eye.

Meanwhile Kwong nemesis from the earlier novel Lara Sumich has her own "issues" when she's on hand to discover a body in a nightclub toilet. Not 'fessing up that she knows the identity of the dead man long before it's worked out, not 'fessing up that she has quite a bit of history with the dead man makes her role in the investigation just a little fraught. Mind you, the whole team is under a lot more pressure once it turns out that dead Santo Rosetti is actually an undercover cop, very in with one side of the rapidly escalating turf wars between crime gangs.

It's got to be nearly impossible to not like Cato Kwong. Built into a narrative that's assured and tense, without ever tipping over into lunacy, Kwong is as entertaining and funny as the storylines could possibly allow. The sense of gallows humour, or the bizarre and the flat out weird isn't cartoonish at all, but it is definitely witty, and clever and very real to read.

There's good balance here between the personal and the investigation, and the physical invincibility of our hero and his fallibilities. He takes the punches, they hurt like hell and he gets on with it. He's real as a cop, real as a friend and real as a father struggling to hold onto a close connection with his young son, despite a separation. He's also not playing a lone hand in the books, with his working relationship with Sumich as tricky as it's always been, just as she's as tricky as she's always been.

It's not just bikies that are causing problems as well, there's also a young African hitman and his unexpected controller, and a yapping dog that really deserves a mention in the credits.

Carter's quite the master at juggling Kwong juggling his own varied and slightly crazy balls in air. As good a debut as PRIME CUT was, GETTING WARMER is an even better second book - something that often doesn't seem to be easy to nail. Here it's not just nailed, it's been counter-sunk, sanded, lacquered and laid out for everyone to admire.

http://www.austcrimefiction.org/revie...

[Bee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m fairly new to the crime genre, but I’m glad I was recommended Getting Warmer , the second crime novel by Fremantle author Alan Carter about Detective Senior Constable Philip ‘Cato’ Kwong.

There are multiple storylines that run throughout the entire novel, but the short, sharp chapters keep the pace moving so I didn’t feel overwhelmed by the different characters and the twists in each of their subplots. Carter also craftily finishes just about all of his chapters on a cliffhanger, so if you’re curious like me you won’t be able to resist reading ‘just one more chapter’.

With prosperity comes corruption, and Boomtown Perth has it in spades! Like a good police drama, there are double agents and double-crossing and Carter makes sure you never quite know the good guys from the bad. These are complex people with complex motives so despite the thrill I got from reading about their antics, it didn’t feel that far removed from reality, which is sometimes scary to think about.

I would recommend Getting Warmer to fans of the crime genre and of stories set in Perth and WA, and it would also make a great book club selection as there is just so much packed into this ‘fly by the seat of your pants’ crime novel.

Read my full review of Getting Warmer on my blog: http://bit.ly/1hhrT0M

[Balthazar Lawson · Rating 2 out of 5]

It took a while to work out where this book was heading and even then I wasn't too sure. There were multiple story lines and there inter meshing was a bit confusing. The writing style, of telling so much in hindsight, also added to the confusion. Instead of telling us what was happening, there was too much of telling what had happened.

This is a story of murder, crime gangs, bikies, bad cops, serial killers and distrust all set in the suburbs of Perth, Western Australia. It's a semi interesting read but did get a bit drawn out. The main characters are a mix of people that in real life wouldn't be the greatest of friends. Some of them got away with things they shouldn't have and are just a set up for future conflict in the next book in the series. They just don't get the punishment they deserve while the good people are experiencing one bad thing after another.

The first book in the series was far more enjoyable than this one but worth reading for continuity sake.

[Cate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a bad follow up to "Prime Cut". "Getting Warmer" cram packed, action packed, crime wave of a story. This time set in Fremantle where Cato has been reassigned. So we don't have that cast of magnificant odd-bods from the first novel but these coppers and crooks are near as good. Lara Sumich does return in this book and the focus of the story shifts ever so imperceptibly to her. This time there's a yapping dog, bikies, drug traffickers, a sociopathic murderer and an unsolved missing persons case all going on with a handful of bent cops and cops walking ever so close to the line thrown in for good measure. Trust is low and the heat is high over in the West. Alan Carter is a skilled and professional writer with clever use of charactor, understatement, wry humour and gory violence. A worthy addition to the canon of Australian crime fiction.

[Kathy Sales · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this second book in this series--even better than the first. Complex characters and plot, set in Australia, good storytelling . . .

The only problem, once again, was the formatting of the Kindle version. In the first book, there were wide spaces in between each line of dialogue or paragraph. It was the same amount of wide space as that you find in between changes of scene within a chapter. It was very confusing and really slowed down the reading pace. This second book has the opposite problem; with a few exceptions, there are no spaces between any lines, including when space is needed between changes of scene within a chapter. So when there's a change of scene beginning with dialogue, it's very confusing.

I will read the next book in the series because I've enjoyed the first two, but this formatting problem is irritating.