Reviews

Reviewed by Ian Lipke “Sometimes it takes letting someone else in to discover who you really are.” That line from the author is the key to the wonderful story that unfolds within the covers of this book. It’s a simple enough yarn. A boy in his universe focused on his own problems. A girl in

Reviewed by Rod McLary For aficionados of James Lee Burke’s writing – and I will disclose straightaway that I am one –  the title of his latest book is prescient.  The name Detective Dave Robicheaux of the Sheriff’s Department in New Iberia, Louisiana is well-known and needs no further introduction. The first book in the

Reviewed by Rod McLary Jack Heath is the bestselling author of about twenty books for young adults and children.  His books have been short-listed for many awards.  However, with his new novel Hangman, he has made a giant leap into another genre – dark and perverse crime novels. In Timothy Blake – the young protagonist

Reviewed by Angela Marie “Take care…the value of a secret depends upon whom you’re trying to keep it from. You may think it’s worth a lot. I may think it’s worthless. Someone always has to pay.” In Michael Robotham’s latest cliffhanger, the key title word, “secrets”, conjures an immediacy of need to know. Is the

Reviewed by Antonella Townsend Elle Croft’s debut novel, The Guilty Wife, is (cliché alert) a page-turner with a mind-bending plot.   No time to stop for coffee, solving the mystery of who killed Calum Bradley becomes paramount.  Easy to dismiss the obvious ‘red herring’, really it could only be …  but then it wasn’t.   Then maybe

Reviewed by E.B. Heath Roger Rogerson once described as: a talented and capable detective, a natural leader and communicator, good father, helpful neighbour, mesmerizingly charming, and an all round good bloke.  Duncan McNab’s latest book, Roger Rogerson, presents Rogerson as an ego driven, corrupt and greedy detective, a murderer – an all round evil man.

Reviewed by Rod McLary The sub-title of this book immediately provides two clues to its subject.  The year is the last year of World War I and ‘daring men’ suggests courage and risk-taking.  This book offers a radical reappraisal of the Australian infantrymen and challenges the ‘historical neglect’ they have experienced since the great War

Reviewed by Amy Welsh The title of Jean-François Mallet’s wonderful new cookbook, Simplissime Light – The Easiest Cookbook in the World, does not lie; it is perhaps the clearest, most user-friendly, cookbook currently available. The graphic layout of Simplissime Light makes every aspect of the contents abundantly clear at a glance.  Each recipe is clearly

Reviewed by Dr Kathleen Huxley Anne de Courcy is a best-selling writer, journalist and book reviewer who has received critical acclaim for her works depicting the rich social history of past eras. Her well-received, serialised for TV, biographies discuss the impact of prevailing financial and social conditions, contemporary attitudes and moral codes on her subjects’

Reviewed by Clare Brook In his latest novel, Whipbird, Robert Drewe has created a satirical portrait of Australia through the lives and circumstances of the Cleary Clan.  The Clearys are gathered at Hugh Cleary’s vineyard outside Ballarat, to celebrate the 160th anniversary of Conor Cleary’s arrival, from Ireland, to the shores of Australia in 1854.

Reviewed by Ian Lipke Nice one, Sarah Holland. A fantasy novel aimed at younger teenagers with enough deadly intent, magic, and romance to suit both girls and boys. The story is open-ended, allowing for at least one more volume. Minnesota born and bred, Sara Holland grew up in a small town where reading was a

Reviewed by Ian Lipke Jim Weatherall has taken possibly the most arid word in use on the planet and written a book that is scientifically precise, rich in history and cultural endeavour, and at all times, engaging. That word is nothing. Take all your molecules, atoms, electrons, quarks and gluons – such old hat science