Reviewed by Ian Lipke Given Tony Park’s interest in the animals and people of Africa, one could be pardoned for believing that this will be a story that is centred on lions. After all, they do live in a pride. The comment on the cover, “A lioness will kill to protect her own”, reinforces the
Reviewed by Richard Tutin What sets this book by international cricketer Dan Christian apart from the many cricketing books that are currently available? Surely the sport, like many other codes, has been well covered while every retiring cricketer seems to produce a memoir or autobiography soon after the conclusion of their playing career. The main
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve A writer’s debut novel is always an interesting, even exciting, prospect. Jason Rekulak’s Hidden Pictures has been well received, praised by the very successful Stephen King. Besides this intriguing title, it has a recovering drug addict, Mallory, nanny to a charming, bright four-year-old boy, Teddy. The background is luxury suburban, not
Reviewed by E. B. Heath Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley was the subject of a bidding war between publishers both in America and Europe. This is unusual, particularly for a debut novel, and for one written by a seventeen-year-old. Leila Mottley is also a poet of some note, awarded the 2018 Oakland Youth Poet Laureate. With
Reviewed by E. B. Heath Apparently, human brains are drowning in an ocean of distraction; our focus is being commandeered by modern technology. For this reason, Johann Hari completely unhitched himself from the rigging of his digital life and sailed off to Provincetown, Cape Cod, to live as a pre-cyber-age man. His goal was to
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve Children’s books are responsible for some of the best writing available today. Such is their quality that many which were published decades ago (Harry the Dirty Dog is just one example) are still very much loved today. One that is bound to join the group is the recently published August &
Reviewed by Gail McDonald Sheila Hancock is one of Britain’s most highly regarded and popular actors. Sheila received a Damehood for services to drama and charity in 2021; and only following the death of her husband John Thaw in 2002 took up writing. A memoir of their marriage The Two of Us was a number
Reviewed by Richard Tutin It is said that there are two certainties in life – death and taxes. While we are able to navigate to a certain extent the mysteries of the Tax Office, we are less knowledgeable about death. As a society we fear death even though it is part of how life is
Reviewed by Rod McLary Many older readers would readily recall the 1970s and 1980s in Queensland. Corruption seemed to be everywhere despite university students – and others – marching and protesting. Who can forget the sight of a police officer striking a young protester on the head during a street march in Brisbane? Who can
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve The Murder Rule, which follows Dervla McTiernan’s previous three crime novels, is likely to enthrall her many fans. This novel is different however from The Ruin, The Scholar and The Good Turn in that it is set in Virginia, U.S.A. and winds its way convincingly through a background of American law.
Reviewed by Antonella Townsend The Registrar reads like a report from the trenches of an unremitting war. Thinly disguised as a novel, Dr. Neela Janakiramanan has written about her experiences as a trainee surgeon. Dr Neela Janakiramanan is a reconstructive plastic surgeon with expertise in hand and wrist surgery. She has worked extensively in both
Reviewed by Ian Lipke Victoria Aveyard was born and raised in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts but moved to Los Angeles to earn a BFA in screenwriting at the University of Southern California. She writes both books and sheet music. Aveyard’s Blade Breaker shows that she has the breadth of vision to imagine and produce a hefty
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke Therese Anne Fowler is a contemporary American author, best known for her novels about strong women from history whose stories either have been mistold or are largely untold. She took advantage of the shutdowns during the pandemic to try her hand at something different; and tells the reader at the beginning
Reviewed by Ian Lipke Blake Crouch is not only a novelist but a screenwriter as well. His books reveal a distinctively visual effect. He raises the question: what would be the effect on the human body if man were capable of accessing the next stage in human evolution? In the book under discussion, he proposes
Reviewed by Ian Lipke Readers can always rely on a fast-paced, intelligently-written and interesting thriller when Michael Robotham posts a new book. Following on When She Was Good and When You Are Mine comes his latest publication Lying Beside You, a thriller involving the kidnapping of young women. The advertising on the covers does its