Reviewed by Rod McLary Midnight and Blue is the twenty-fifth book in the series featuring John Rebus – the detective from Police Scotland. Aficionados of the series will know the history of John Rebus from his early days as a detective through to his becoming Inspector Rebus; and his fall from grace when he was
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve This impassioned book by Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts, now the ACT’s Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People, alerts us to what needs to be done to correct/replace the failed system, the out-of-home care for Aboriginal children, that now results in additional trauma and heartache for those at its
Reviewed by Richard Tutin Not a day goes by when the topic of Artificial Intelligence (AI) comes up in either the media or conversation. Yet, as Marcus Smith explains in this book it is only one form of what can be called “Techno” – a shortening of the word technology. Technology has become a very
Reviewed by Rod McLary John Banville is one of the world’s finest living writers. He has won numerous awards including the Booker Prize and is believed to be a contender for the Nobel Prize for Literature. In 2006, he began writing crime novels under the non-de-plume of Benjamin Black and has written seven novels featuring
Reviewed by Rod McLary A common theme of Robbie Arnott’s two earlier novels – The Rain Heron and Limberlost – is the interrelation between humans and nature, their connectedness. This theme continues in Dusk where nature or the natural environment dominates the foreground of the novel to the extent that the humans seem to be
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke Many of the names given to Australian places and topography after colonisation were those of English people. Today many of these are being replaced by their Aboriginal name. So, what is the story behind the non-English name Kosciuszko given to Australia’s highest peak? Anthony Sharwood, a Walkley award-winning journalist, has now
Reviewed by Rod McLary Alex Miller is one of Australia’s finest writers. Among the many awards he has won, he is twice winner of the Miles Franklin Literary Award for The Ancestor Game and Journey to the Stone Country. And it is in The Ancestor Game where we first meet the protagonist of The Deal
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve It is a major joy in reading when a novelist creates a world that grips a reader and transports them to a different time and place. With Rapture, Emily Maguire’s 8th book, we are deposited in the ninth century in Mainz, in Germany. The opening scenes are of a small girl
Reviewed by Rod McLary The Valley is Chris Hammer’s seventh book and, like his previous six, it is firmly placed in the Australian landscape with an intricate plot and engaging characters. And also like the previous books, it is an immensely satisfying read. Detective Sergeant Ivan Lucic and Detective Senior Constable Nell Buchanan are assigned
Reviewed by Richard Tutin The word “myth” has two meanings. One is that it is a sacred story that tells the origin of something while the other is a story that isn’t quite true even though it may have been based on fact. In exploring Australian war myths, Mark Dapin seems to hover between both
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve Adjectives such as ‘charming’ are not usually attached to a thriller, but Belinda Alexandra’s latest novel can be classified as that. It is also entertaining as it embraces the Parisian art world around WW2, in a convincing and compelling way. Descriptions of the opulence of the art collector, the beauty of
Reviewed by Rod McLary Firmly anchored in the Aboriginal landscape – stolen from the First Nations people with much bloodshed – this collection of short stories by John Kinsella speaks of people living on the edges of the community. Primarily known as a poet, John Kinsella brings to his short stories that sense of landscape
Reviewed by Norrie Sanders Mt Townsend is Australia’s second highest mainland peak. It is an attractive mountain, with a rocky top that demands some scrambling, before revealing breathtaking views of the Snowy Mountains and Victorian Alps. But the mountain, much like the man it was named for, is little known despite its formidable attributes. Peter
Reviewed by Richard Tutin Cleopatra has evoked many images and thoughts through the centuries. While it is the name of ancient Egypt’s greatest queen we forget, as Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones points out, that it is also the name of seven of her ancestors whose presence and actions form a large part the history of the Ptolemaic
Reviewed by Norrie Sanders The Pilbara is not a place for the faint of heart. Home to Marble Bar’s Warmest welcome from Australia’s hottest town, it is a harsh and stunning land of rocky peaks, gorges and arid plains. To survive, let alone thrive, requires a special toughness and resilience. The first inhabitants of the