Reviewed by Ian Lipke Having received a dying man’s confession directing him to a grave-site, Inspector Gavin Cain receives a phone call from his boss to tell him he has been reassigned. A helicopter arrives and Cain finds himself fronting the mayor of San Francisco who has received photographs of a woman he claims he

Reviewed by Jill Water and its ownership are the themes of Paolo Bacigalupi’s speculative fiction, The Water Knife.  Powerful interests are competing for the remaining water rights to be wrung out of the Colorado.  Phoenix needs water to stave off disaster.  Las Vegas wants to maintain its water security.  Thousands of drought, economic and hurricane

Reviewed by Sue Bond Our understanding of mental illness has improved since the early days of John Cade’s training and practice as a psychiatrist, when the institutions for the mentally ill were often crowded, ill kept, served poor food, and treated their patients as less than human beings. There were few effective treatments and some

Reviewed by Ian Lipke This is a hugely satisfying book that deals with real people in diverse cultures with fairness and honesty. It is the first book to be written by Nicole Sinclair and the first novel published by Margaret River Press. It is surprising that the book is as successful as it is. It

Reviewed by Ian Lipke “She’s alive, breathing, but only just. She’s on her side, hands cable tied behind her and a roll of electrical tape over her mouth,” – she has become caught up in the nightmare of Marlborough Man. And so the lives of those associated with Sergeant Nick Chester dice with danger as

  Reviewed by Mike Clarke Gideon Haigh’s Stroke of Genius could be called ‘the book that changed cricket books.’  One of the finest writers on cricket, Gideon Haigh presents Stroke of Genius, not merely a book about Victor Trumper, but rather a definitive history of cricket in Australia that teases out the ramifications of influence

Reviewed by Jill Art critic, novelist, painter and poet – the many facets of John Berger’s life and passions are revealed in Landscapes: John Berger on Art, a selection of his writings.  His lifelong passion for art underpins strong opinions.  He acknowledges the writers and others who influenced him, and entertains us with episodes from