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Outback, Patricia WolfYou have to give it to the publishing gods, once they find a location or concept that appeals to readers, they stick with it like sweaty thighs to a vinyl car seat. Outback Noir is something that's been ticking away in Australia for quite a while now, with settings from the red, dry dirtland centre of Australia from Western Australia to Queensland, South Australia to the Northern Territory. OUTBACK by Patricia Wolf is set in hot, dry remote small-town Queensland in the fictional location of Caloodie (the author spent many years living in Mount Isa and there are things that might ring ... Read Review |
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The Year of the Locust, Terry HayesI was so looking forward to THE YEAR OF THE LOCUST, and yet, somehow, it's arrival in my ebook queue came as a hell of a surprise. So, needless to say, everything else got swept aside and I settled in for what I hoped would be some days of engaging espionage thriller reading. Which I got, and then some more, and then a whole lot of different stuff, and then a bit more of what was expected. What I'm trying to say in such a hamfisted way is there were bits of THE YEAR OF THE LOCUST that grabbed and did not let go, and then there were bits that simply did not work, and then ... Read Review |
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The Man Who Died Twice / The Bullet that Missed, Richard OsmanThe last thing anybody needs is a fully blown review of anything to do with Richard Osman's wildly popular The Thursday Murder Club series, of which THE MAN WHO DIED TWICE is number 2 and THE BULLET THAT MISSED is number 3. These books deserve all the success they have achieved, but as I've been listening to the series on Audible (and have the 4th queued up at the moment), I thought a quick reminder to myself if nothing else about why a reader who likes the darker side of fiction would find these such great, fun listening. Mostly it's because of the character studies. The ... Read Review |
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A Man With One of Those Faces, Caimh McDonnellOne of those series that I plucked from a long list on Audible when looking for something new and fun to listen to. Sometimes the universe is very good to you. A MAN WITH ONE OF THOSE FACES was such good fun with madcap action and activities, really engaging characters, and a mystery plot that lent itself well to listening. The narrator of this was also perfect, with an engaging accent and an excellent deployment of varied voices to always give you an idea about who is who in a busy, but not overcrowded cast listing. The series revolves around Paul Mulchrone ... Read Review |
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Australian Code Breakers: Our top-secret war with the Kaiser's Reich, James PhelpsI listened to this audio book (borrowed from the library) sometime ago. Definitely fell into the "why didn't I know about this before' category. As per the blurb:
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Notorious, Olivia HayfieldPart of a series of novels placing real life historical events in a modern setting, NOTORIOUS deals with one of England's past mysteries - the Princes in the Tower, and the enigma that was Richard III. The modern setting revolves around a world famous arty family, the Snows. Belle is a singer, her husband Teddy an acclaimed actor. Their 5 children live their lives in the shadow of their parents, but eldest daughter Emma has dreams of her own. She wants to be a writer, she wants a cat and she wants to forget her first love interest. The story revolves around the ... Read Review |
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If That's What It Takes, Les AllenLess a review, more a few comments on Les Allen's IF THAT'S WHAT IT TAKES, published in June 2022. Set in 1982, New Zealand, the story revolves around an unlicensed private investigator who, whilst living under a false identity, forms an unlikely alliance with a small town laywer to fight dirty tricks and nefarious goings on in courtrooms and, slightly unexpectedly, rugby fields. Luckily PI Sean McBride's past experience has equipped him with a fine abilty to play dirty, if that's what it takes. This story is very much in the spinning a yarn category of ... Read Review |
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Everyone On This Train is a Suspect, Benjamin StevensonI'm not going to pretend that I didn't wonder if the dreaded "second book syndrome" would appear with Benjamin Stevenson's EVERYONE ON THIS TRAIN IS A SUSPECT. This second novel in the series (not his body of work overall), features Ernest Cunningham, of EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY HAS KILLED SOMEONE fame, a book, which to be frank never really felt like it was going to leave the possibility of a follow up in its wake. Shortage of people after the accelerated body count being part of the problem, the other being the enclosed space cleverness which felt like it would be a more ... Read Review |
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The Wiregrass, Adrian HylandIn Adrian Hyland’s latest crime novel, Jesse Redpath is back, stationed in a new town during a time of stormy weather. Review at: Newtown Review of BooksRead Review |
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Exit .45, Ben SandersWhen Marshall Grade agrees to meet his former NYPD colleague Ray Vialoux, he does not expect Ray to end up dead on the floor of a New York restaurant. Full Review at: Newtown Review of BooksRead Review |
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Suburban True Crime, Emily WebbThe collection of cases covered by Emily Webb's SUBURBAN TRUE CRIME go back to the 1940's, through to more recent times, covering a wide range of different murders and disappearances that have occurred in Australian suburban locations. In the author acknowledgement at the front of the book she provides some context for this collection:
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The Drowning, Bryan BrownMy review of Bryan Brown's first full length crime novel - The Drowning has been posted at Newtown Review of Books: https://newtownreviewofbooks.com.au/bryan-brown-the-drowning-reviewed-by... "Actor and Australian icon Bryan Brown brings his laconic style to his first full-length crime novel."Read Review |
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Offline, Anne HoltI'm behind with this series, and heartily confused about the order in which to read them. But this fortuitous find in a neglected stack of purchased books, is blurbed as the "long-awaited sequel to 1222". Which I did really enjoy. It's also listed as the 9th Hanne Wilhelmsen novel, but I do remember at the time that I read 1222 (the 8th) it was the only one in translation I could get. Or something. OFFLINE is an interesting undertaking for a number of reasons. Written after the 2011 terrorist attacks in Norway, the car bomb in Oslo, then the shooting of 69, mostly young ... Read Review |
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Paper Cage, Tom BaragwanathA finalist in the Ngaio Awards for Best First Crime Novel, Paper Cage is the story of a divided community and a string of missing children. Full Review at Newtown Review of BooksRead Review |
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Curses and Cousins, Helen Vivienne FletcherThe second in this YA / Kids series from New Zealand writer, Helen Vivienne Fletcher, CURSES AND COUSINS follows on pretty closely from the earlier book, FAMILIARS AND FOES. Closely enough that it would probably be a good idea for kids to read both books in order, just so they have a feel for Adeline, Coco and Hemi. Listing the characters in that order is on purpose - Adeline and Coco were a closely knit unit before Hemi and Adeline became partners in the first novel, expectant parents in this one. Coco, an assistance dog, has been with Adeline and through a lot of stuff ... Read Review |
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Flawed Hero, Chris MastersA full, reasonably dispassionate scrutiny of the defamation trial bought by Ben Roberts-Smith as a result of the investigations that Chris Masters and fellow journalist Nick McKenzie did into rumours of war crimes committed by BRS. Needless to say, the case was sensational, and followed closely by many Australian's, but fair to say not as closely as those involved in what would be a complex undertaking. From the outside it often seemed like BRS had scored an own goal on many occasions, but on the inside it was not so clear, clouded as well by the potential outcome for the participants ... Read Review |
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The Doctor's Wife, Fiona SussmanFiona Sussman’s fifth novel pieces together a suspicious death, a fatal illness and erratic behaviour within a group of lifelong friends. Full review at: Newtown Review of BooksRead Review |
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The Promise, Damon GalgutAs one participant in yesterday's discussion put it - the story of a crumbling family, in a crumbling society, The Promise tells the tale, in particular, of three siblings, Anton, Astrid and Amor, their parents and extended family, against the backdrop of the ending of apartheid in South Africa. From a white farming family, the three sibling's story is told in a series of deaths and the ramifications of each of those on them, and a long-standing promise to the black maid and lifelong companion of them all - Salome. Starting with the death of their mother, and her deathbed ... Read Review |
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Qanon and On, Van BadhamTo be short and precise, I found this book absolutely fascinating. Insightful, informative, and clear eyed. Mandatory reading for anyone trying to work out what the hell is going on in this world.Read Review |
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Remember Me, Charity NormanA dementia diagnosis reveals clues to a decades-old mystery in this new novel from the author of The Secrets of Strangers – Charity Norman’s third to be shortlisted for NZ’s Ngaio Marsh Awards. Full Review at: Newtown Review of BooksRead Review |