Reviewed by Rod McLary There is something about rural noir which immediately engages the hearts and minds of Australian readers. Whether it is the immersion in the landscape, the laconic dialogue of the characters, or the familiarity of those characters, the novels in this genre – think Jane Harper, Chris Hammer, Jack Heath and others
Reviewed by Ian Lipke This is vintage Nora Roberts – with the odd strength and certainly weakness thrown in. It is a novel about an injured cop who fights to bring down a pair of twisted killers. Natural Resources police officer, Sloan Cooper, and her partner had just taken down three men preying on hikers
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve The sequel to the first novel written by this husband and wife team Dead Girl Gone is, by all accounts, as charming and humorous as readers previously enjoyed. Written in brief, alternating chapters, Eloise and Garth, own and run Sherlock Tomes in a small New Zealand town, Havelock North. Over time,
Reviewed by Ian Lipke Sara Foster is beginning to establish herself as an author who contributes a little bit extra to her stories. Her latest book, When She Was Gone, is an excellent example of a story that appears straight forward but, as each event or piece of knowledge is revealed so too are complications
Reviewed by Rod McLary Home invasions would be a terrifying experience for the homeowners and their families. As well as the personal and property violence, there are the after-effects – the emotional damage wrought by the invasion and the invaders. The author of this novel – Abigail Dean – has disclosed a long-held fear of
Reviewed by Ian Lipke David Baldacci has tried his hand at historical fiction in his latest book Strangers in Time. While the meaning of the title eludes me, and the classification of the book not being given as Young Adult, these lose any importance in a cracking story of fourteen-year-old Charlie Matters and fifteen-year-old Holly
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke Unlike many novels, the title of this book is immediately linked to the story it tells. I was fascinated to discover that the journey of this story forms a circle. It begins with a university student’s experience watching a lyrebird and continues twenty years later with the same woman, now a
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve Blanche D’Alpuget has been praised for her non-fiction works, particularly her biographies. With The Bunny Club, she has ventured into the popular genre of the murder mystery. This novel is spiced by the making of celebrity, wealth, beauty and a quest for erotic sex; its cardinal ingredients. Evelyn Sinclair is the
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve To say Little Red Death is a murder mystery with a difference is an understatement. It twists and winds through a clever plot that is intricate and unpredictable with surprises emerging right through to the very last pages. Detective Lyla Rondell is efficient and dedicated to discovering the truth and of
Reviewed by Ian Hamilton A remote island is obviously a place of isolation and the vulnerability that such isolation can induce. Laura McCluskey sets her novel on the island of Eilean Eader, located in the harsh Atlantic Ocean west of mainland Scotland. It is portrayed as a cold and forbidding place where the inhabitants focus
Reviewed by Rod McLary The genre of crime fiction is a very broad church – from the genteel novels of Agatha Christie to the elegant prose of P D James to Ian Rankin’s gritty streets of Edinburgh, let alone the Australian crime novels imbedded in the Australian landscape. But here is a new crime novel
Reviewed by Ian Hamilton The body count by the end of this murder mystery is very modest: one dead man (although there are three fatalities if you count Horace the prize-winning bull and Frank the corgi). We are placed in a small rural town with the delightful name of Myddle. It is located on the
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve Janice Hallett’s latest thriller has to almost be read without pause, as it grabs the reader’s interest and unrolls a plot that weaves and twists until the end. For the bulk of the book, no actual crime emerges to solve; however the dynamic between characters has an edgy ominous tone. Ben
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve The cosily indulgent title suggests an account of how family and others might deal with doing the best for an exceptionally intelligent child. This is not remotely like the plot of this surprising novel. A thriller, a psychological delving into the possible impact of motherhood and a scary supernatural experience all
Reviewed by Rod McLary Natalie Conyer first came to my attention when her book – her second book – Shadow City was published in Australia in 2024. I reviewed it in these pages and said: The author has crafted a taut and tense novel which engages the reader from the beginning and doesn’t ease up