Reviewed by Rod McLary Return Ticket is the third book in a ‘loose trilogy’ entitled One Boy’s Journey to Man and tells the final part of the story of Jack Muir. The earlier books Boy on a Wire and To the Highlands respectively relate Jack’s experiences at an exclusive private boys’ school in Perth, and
Reviewed by Rod McLary Pandora English – the protagonist of this novel – is a living human being. The word ‘living’ is used advisedly as the area of New York in which Pandora lives is populated by the living, the dead and the undead. She lives in Spektor – an area of Manhattan where the
The Australian Publishers Association presents the longlist for the 2020 Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIAs). The longlist introduces the titles, publishers and authors in the running for the 2020 ABIAs. Two of the lists appear below. For all the lists, please go to abiawards.com.au/news A number of these books have been reviewed by our reviewers.
Reviewed by Ian Lipke So much like a re-make of Twelve Angry Men in literary form and so very, very different, Graham Moore’s thriller, with its devious, unexpected ending is likely to stand amongst the classics of suspenseful writing. Moore has published two other works, but neither of them has the impact that The Holdout
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke Some people believe that it is important for children to have pets as they get the opportunity to experience death and learn about the grieving process and that this will prepare them for the experience of losing a family member. Others believe that the grieving process is somehow innate in us
Reviewed by E. B. Heath Those societies, which cannot combine reverence to their symbols with freedom of revision, must ultimately decay either from anarchy, or from the slow atrophy of a life stifled by useless shadows. Alfred North Whitehead. Every human society has a cultural framework that advocates a value system along with a code
Reviewed by Rod McLary A father is stabbed to death in his bedroom by one of his two daughters – both of whom are in the house at the time, both have blood on them, both have their fingerprints on the weapon, and both call 9-1-1 and accuse the other of the crime. Who is
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve Another detective series has now spawned a third volume featuring the trials and triumphs of its hero, Cormac Reilly, a sergeant, now in his early forties working in Galway, Ireland. The reading public, especially female, seems to have an unflagging attraction for thrillers, mysteries and police procedurals. When they have an
Reviewed by Gerard Healy Peter May’s crime thriller kept me engaged to the final scene on the rugged Rock of Gibraltar. Most of the story is set, however, in nearby southern Spain where expat villain Jack Cleland is living under the radar. After a fatal shooting, he comes to the attention of the local police
Reviewed by E.B. Heath The title of this book belies the depth of intriguing knowledge therein. Mind, brain, sex and hysteria! My brain leapt towards Freud, without any bidding from my mind, and that is the last location I want either to visit. How the Brain Lost its Mind: Sex, Hysteria and the Riddle of
Reviewed by Ian Lipke The author of this collection of tales has the pedigree of a raconteur and performer who has lived the life of the outback Australian. He has built a solid reputation as an authentic writer of tales of that part of the country, and has earned high regard as ‘a portrait painter
Reviewed by Antonella Townsend A glum week, followed by a rainy weekend, is surely the best time for a lighthearted read. Serendipitously, Germaine Johnson, a senior mathematician recently fired from Wallace Insurance, turned up. She was on her way to an interview for a new job, carrying an enormous umbrella and wearing a disposable hooded
Reviewed by Patricia Simms Reeve Reality, lacking glamour, is made stark with fine descriptions of heat, dust and struggling poverty. Wry humour softens the often-brutal honesty. Altogether this makes Bitter Wash Road an excellent example of Garry Disher’s writing. It was with alacrity that I began to read. Having recently read and enjoyed the ironically
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke For devotees of Fleur McDonald, the novel, Without a Doubt, may cause a slight confusion as the key character, detective Dave Burrows, has featured in many of her other books and in this one, things readers have previously learned about Dave, don’t seem to fit. The author explains this by clarifying
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve This title, in itself, arrests the attention of the reader who is interested in the human brain, the most complex and unexplored area of the body, if not the planet. The book is a thriller of a very different nature, and, in under 300 pages, gives a glimpse of the advances