Reviewed by Rod McLary Sex trafficking – or human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation – is a scourge across the world. Estimates of the number of persons subjected to forced sexual exploitation suggest around five million victims may be involved. It is within this dark and abusive world that Shadow City is set.
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve The sweltering days of Summer will lose their impact while reading The Chilling. The graphic descriptions of Antarctic conditions which threaten the very survival of a group of scientists and academics were so striking that I had to seize a woolly jacket while reading it! Riley James has captured the cruel
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke Ann Cleeves OBE is a British mystery crime writer. She wrote the Vera Stanhope, Jimmy Perez, and Matthew Venn series, all three of which have been adapted into TV shows. In 2006, she won the Duncan Lawrie Dagger for her novel Raven Black, the first novel in the Jimmy Perez series.
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve Liane Moriarty’s books are undeniably popular. Over 20,000,000 copies have sold worldwide. She has been crowned the modern Jane Austen in her ability to capture modern urban life in all its variety, lacing this with her perceptive wit. Her writing is not ‘chick lit.’ escaping into a stereotypical world. Plots are
Reviewed by Richard Tutin Across Australia many private schools have an elite squad of sporting students called the First XV. This group is made up of the most promising players of Rugby Union and who, it is thought, will go on to achieve greater things in the sport. It is from this nursery that many
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke According to the promotional material provided, this book is the first comprehensive biography of the godfather of Australian bushranging – Frank Gardiner – leader of the Lachlan gang and mastermind of the largest gold heist in Australian history. The author, Ian W. Shaw, has published over a dozen books. He believes
Reviewed by Gail McDonald This book, The Brightest Christmas Star, is the first book by Laura Motherway and what a great story for families with children living in warmer climates during Christmas – a story that they will be able to relate to. The children will be able to see themselves on the beach, in
Reviewed by Gail McDonald Every single minute of every single day a child somewhere loses a tooth which is collected by the tooth fairy or tooth fairies – because there is more than just one. The book explains what is a tooth fairy. And what they eat and a very important question – what do
The Foundation for Australian Literary Studies (FALS) at James Cook University has announced the shortlist for the $50,000 Margaret and Colin Roderick Literary Award. The eight titles shortlisted for the 2024 award, chosen from 235 entries, are: Lola in the Mirror (Trent Dalton, Fourth Estate) Life As We Knew It: The extraordinary story of Australia’s pandemic (Aisha
The Australian Crime Writers Association has announced the 2024 Ned Kelly Awards shortlists. The shortlisted works in two of the categories are: Best crime fiction Killer Traitor Spy (Tim Ayliffe, S&S) Ripper (Shelley Burr, Hachette) Dark Corners (Megan Goldin, Michael Joseph) The Seven (Chris Hammer, A&U) The Tea Ladies (Amanda Hampson, Penguin) Darling Girls (Sally Hepworth, Macmillan) Dark Mode (Ashley Kalagian Blunt,
Creative Australia has announced the titles shortlisted for the 2024 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards. The shortlisted titles in the Fiction category are: Anam (André Dao, Hamish Hamilton) Restless Dolly Maunder (Kate Grenville, Text) Edenglassie (Melissa Lucashenko, UQP) The Carnal Fugues (Catherine McNamara, Puncher & Wattmann) Stone Yard Devotional (Charlotte Wood, A&U) The Prime Minister’s Literary Awards acknowledge the contribution of
Reviewed by Gail McDonald This is an interesting story about Plum who is a panda trying to find something that she is good at, just like her brothers. She tried tree climbing and, oh no, she fell out of the tree. She tried painting but ended up getting paint all over herself. And then one
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve Lisa Kenway’s debut thriller is a worthy addition to the genre. She is an anaesthetist so has studied the brain, consciousness and memory as part of her qualification. Her depth of knowledge in this area gives a vivid authenticity to the behaviour of the chief character in her novel. Dr. Clare
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke This novel by Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding is set in the Hamptons in the United States. This setting is important as it describes the changing face and expectations of people now flocking to this area especially for the holiday season. Though enjoying the benefits these new people bring, the locals
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve Archeologists have unearthed ancient bone flutes, their exact age impossible to determine. Drums made with wood and skin, too, would have been played for millennia but their materials could not endure as have the primitive bone flutes. This is evidence that music in its many forms has been a part of