August 2020

The Truth Hurts by Andrew Boe

Reviewed by Ian Lipke Andrew Boe’s new book is both a record and a reminiscence of a series of cases in which he has been involved over past decades. He alerts his readers to shortfalls in the Australian legal systems, using case studies to make his points. His name is familiar to Australians who follow

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Under Pressure by Robert Pobi

Reviewed by Ian Lipke Robert Pobi’s Under Pressure, his second in the Lucas Page series, like his City of Windows, is a well-presented book with a richly endowed cover, this one depicting a city skyline devastated by a black cloud suggesting a catastrophe of mammoth proportions. (A cruel observation would be that the black cloud

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Written in Blood by Chris Carter

Reviewed by Ian Lipke Those who like fast-paced American crime novels will like this book. Those who can hail a police detective and praise him for making lightning decisions that are invariably correct will love this novel. Those who can understand humanity by basing judgments on theories of psychology will be right at home here,

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The Storm Before the Calm by George Friedman

Reviewed by Ian Lipke It is not often that a non-fiction book makes me excited but George Friedman has succeeded in doing just that. I rarely concur with the blurb that publishers insert in the covers of books but statements like ‘an illuminating, provocative new book by the master geopolitical forecaster’ strikes a chord with

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Reasonable Doubt by Dr Xanthé Mallett

Reviewed by Norrie Sanders The content of this book is summed up on the cover “Lost lives, justice delayed, criminals walking free: exposing Australia’s most wrongful convictions”.  Author, criminologist and TV presenter, Dr Xanthé Mallett, has once again tapped into the rich vein of Australian true crime to provide disturbing examples of innocent people sent

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When She Was Good by Michael Robotham

Reviewed by Gerard Healy An engaging crime thriller from Michael Robotham featuring his clinical psychologist Cyrus Haven and a teenage survivor Evie. These two become emmeshed in a complex web of deceit, blackmail and murder involving some powerful figures with very guilty consciences. It is set mainly in northern England in 2020, but without any

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The Half Sister by Sandie Jones

Reviewed by Wendy Lipke The Half Sister is the third novel by freelance journalist, Sandie Jones, who has contributed to the Sunday Times, Daily Mail, Woman’s Weekly and Hello magazine, amongst others. Discovering that her debut novel, The Other Woman, was a New York Times Bestseller in 2018, which sold in fourteen other languages, I looked forward to reading her 2020

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Bush School by Peter O’Brien

Reviewed by Rod McLary Nearly all of us were once students at primary school; and we all were taught by teachers – some good, some not so good and a few excellent ones who took us beyond the basic syllabus.  It is these latter teachers we tend to remember.  This is a neat segue to

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The Mystery of Charles Dickens by A.N. Wilson

Reviewed by Rod McLary Charles Dickens was one of the most loved authors of the Victorian era.  He created some of the best-known and best-loved characters in English literature and is regarded by some as the greatest author of the Victorian era.  Books by Dickens – such as Great Expectations, David Copperfield and A Christmas

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