All the Reviews

Sweet Jimmy, Bryan Brown

Bryan Brown is an actor synonymous in these parts with that sort of dry, pared back, quintessentially Aussie bloke character, much like the ones he's played in THE CHANT OF JIMMIE BLACKSMITH and for those of die-hard local crime fiction fans, the much missed Cliff Hardy in THE EMPTY BEACH. It comes as no surprise then that he's had a bit of a dabble in crime fiction, and the book is a series of short stories steeped in humour, violence, pathos and inner-city Australian sensibility.

Primarily set in suburban Sydney, there are seven short stories in this book, and they vary ... Read Review

Day's End, Garry Disher

The thing about a book by Garry Disher is that I know it's going to be good. But every single time I find myself marvelling at just how good.

Disher is a master at the art of the space - be it in the narrative, the place or the thing. He evokes a sense of place better than any other Australian crime author I can think of, and he does it without the need for massive amounts of description or detail. The characters in his books don't just inhabit their place, environment and job, they are them. It's seamless, and it's so clever it's worthy of all the accolades. ... Read Review

To The Sea, Nikki Crutchley

Iluka, perched above the Pacific Ocean, is a beautiful, isolated, place, home to Ana and her family. Her grandfather's sanctuary, somewhere more complicated for her mother and Ana. It is, however, a place where creativity abounds, and Ana's aunt runs an artists' retreat there, her grandfather is a furniture maker and her uncle tends the land. Ana and her mother Anahita seems less settled, less in tune, perhaps not helped by living in the main house with the grandfather, a difficult man to say the least.

TO THE SEA is a shifting timeline novel, with two main narrators - ... Read Review

The Quiet People, Paul Cleave

Back when I first discovered Paul Cleave's books and the Theodore Tate series in particular, I did wonder if he really liked frightening the living daylights out of his readers. I'm not talking horror or anything here, but the creepy, persistent sense of terror that invades those books has been responsible for some lost sleep hours and locked doors in these parts. Lately though I'm starting to realise it's his characters he's trying to exact some sort of revenge on. In the beginning of THE QUIET PEOPLE you could be forgiven for wondering what Cameron and Lisa Murdoch did to deserve ... Read Review

Deadly Intent, Laraine Stephens

The second in the Reggie da Costa Mystery series from local author Laraine Stephens, DEADLY INTENT is set in Melbourne, in October 1923.

In this outing, heavy rains have battered Melbourne, and local crime reporter Reggie da Costa finds himself at the centre of a story when he discovers that a trunk, hidden away in what became a flooded basement, contains the decomposing remains of a wealthy widower. Cornelius Stout has been missing for two years, and it doesn't take long for da Costa, and his sidekick in this outing - teacher Dotty Wright - to uncover other missing ... Read Review

The Final Call, Jen Shieff

A sequel to THE GENTLEMEN'S CLUB and THE VANISHING ACT, THE FINAL CALL is set in 1979 (10 or so years after THE VANISHING ACT) located in Remuera New Zealand, where Rita Saunders is the boss at The Gentlemen's Club, a high class brothel. Rita's more than a madam to her girls though, and the brothel is more than just a house of prostitution, Rita's girls are comfortable, protected as much as she possibly can and as safe as they can be in a country where prostitution was illegal up until the early 2000's.

Switching the concentration a little in this book, Carmel O'Sullivan ... Read Review

Missing, Presumed Dead, Mark Tedeschi QC

Mark Tedeschi AM QC was, until 2019, the Senior Crown Prosecutor, and the head of Chambers of the Crown Prosecutors for New South Wales. He's now a private barrister, but in 35 years with Crown Prosecution he has prosecuted many high-profile trials in Australia, some of which have involved the worst of the worst murderers and offenders this country has ever seen.

MISSING, PRESUMED DEAD is the story of the disappearance of two women in particular - 74 year old Dorothy Davis and 39 year old Kerry Whelan, both of whom had the great misfortune to come into contact with one of ... Read Review

Tall Tales and Wee Stories, Billy Connolly

I'm a massive fan of anything Billy Connolly does, says, narrates or writes. Having seen him perform live, he writes very much as he talks, and his musings, wanderings, and sometimes dragging things to a conclusion are all reflected in this whimsical collection of odds and ends, many of which those who have followed him for many years will already know.

But as he says, he's been asked many times to write down some of his best known tales from his stand-up days and always resisted until now as the stories had a life of their own. Having now retired from live stand-up it sort ... Read Review

A Runner's Guide to Rakiura, Jessica Howland Kany

Started this book with absolutely no idea what I was going to get, got through the first quarter with no idea what was going on, ended the whole thing thoroughly enjoying every word of it.

Maudie is the central character of this novel, a millenial New Yorker who, on assigment to cover Aotearoa New Zealand's southern-most running trails, takes herself to Rakiura Stewart Island. She's erratic, impulsive, and very American when she first arrives in the eccentric, self-sufficient, laid back community that captures her heart and energy. Despite a sense of constant "otherness" ... Read Review