Review: THE FLAMES OF LILLY PILLY CREEK

• 
  This edition on Kindle (Amazon)
  
• #4 of the Lilly Pilly Creek Ghost Mysteries
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DJYNJYRH
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Abbie Allen Publishing (October 11, 2024)
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 222 pages  

Synopsis  (Amazon)

As the scorching heat of January grips Lilly Pilly Creek, danger ignites in more ways than one.

In the fourth book of the Lilly Pilly Creek Ghost Mystery series, amateur sleuth Jones and her ghost sister Autumn are faced with their most perilous investigation yet. An arsonist is terrorising the town, and with the fires inching closer to the heart of Lilly Pilly Creek, tensions rise—and so do suspicions. When one of their friends becomes a prime suspect, Jones and Autumn must race against time to uncover the truth before the flames consume everything.

As the town faces the threat of destruction, Jones also faces a personal challenge—meeting Hugo's friends for the first time, one who appears a likely firebug. Will their relationship withstand the heat of the investigation or tear them apart?

Join Jones and Autumn as they navigate mystery, danger, and the complexities of friendship and love in this thrilling new chapter of the Lilly Pilly Creek Ghost Mysteries.

My Take

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, the 4th in the series. I thought It must be something to do with the fact that Adelaide is currently in drought, and fire warnings keep popping up on my phone.  I thought the author conveyed very well the breathless anticipation of bushfires, as well as the worry we feel when the cause is arson. I have rated the book a little more highly, so impressed was I by the way the story was put together.

If you are looking for an easy to digest series of cozy crime fiction then you could try this but, as always read them in order.

My Rating: 4.5 

I've also read

4.4, THE GHOST OF LILLY PILLY CREEK =#1

4.3, THE BRIDE OF LILLY PILLY CREEK - #2

4.4, THE LIGHTS OF LILLY PILLY CREEK - #3

Review: THE FROZEN PEOPLE, Elly Griffiths

• 
   The edition read on Kindle as an e-book (Amazon)
  
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CW1N9SVD
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Quercus (February 13, 2025)
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 354 pages 

Synopsis (Amazon)

Ali Dawson and her cold case team investigate crimes so old, they're frozen - or so their inside joke goes. Most people don't know that they travel back in time to complete their research.

The latest assignment sees Ali venture back farther than they have dared before: to 1850s London in order to clear the name of Cain Templeton, the eccentric great-grandfather of MP Isaac Templeton. Rumour has it that Cain was part of a sinister group called The Collectors; to become a member, you had to kill a woman...

Fearing for her safety in the middle of a freezing Victorian winter, Ali finds herself stuck in time, unable to make her way back to her life, her beloved colleagues, and her son, Finn, who suddenly finds himself in legal trouble in the present day.

Could the two cases be connected?

Get ready for an original, transportive and characterful new crime novel from no. 1 bestselling author Elly Griffiths. Perfect for those missing the Dr Ruth Galloway series and for any crime and historical fiction fans.

My Take

An absolutely mesmerising story mixing cold cases and time travel. 

Ali Dawson is part of a British police cold case team that is investigating past crimes by going back in time to when they actually happened. This is a secret project involving only a few people and normally the hops in time involve only the immediate past. But this time it is at the request of a British politician who specifically requests Ali go back well over 150 years to attempt to find out the truth about a relative of his.

It is one of those stories that you keep reading because you really want to know what happens.

And the author refers to it as the beginning of a series, so, if that is the case, this will be essential reading.

My  Rating: 4.8

I've also read

• 4.6, THE CROSSING PLACES - Ruth Galloway #1
  
• 4.6, THE JANUS STONE - Ruth Galloway #2
• 4.6, THE HOUSE AT SEA'S END - Ruth Galloway #3
• 4.5, A ROOM FULL OF BONES - Ruth Galloway #4
• 4.8, DYING FALL- audio book - Ruth Galloway #5
• 4.5, THE GHOST FIELDS, Elly Griffiths - audio book - Ruth Galloway #7
• 4.7, THE OUTCAST DEAD, Elly Griffiths - audio book - Ruth Galloway #6
• 4.7, THE WOMAN IN BLUE - Ruth Galloway #8
• 4.7, THE CHALK PIT - Ruth Galloway #9
• 4.6, THE STRANGER DIARIES - Harbinder Kaur #1
  
• 4.4, THE POSTSCRIPT MURDERS - Harbinder Kaur #2
  
• 4.7, THE LANTERN MEN - Ruth Galloway #12
• 5.0, THE STONE CIRCLE - Ruth Galloway #11 
• 4.8, THE DARK ANGEL - Ruth Galloway #10
• 4.7, THE NIGHT HAWKS - Ruth Galloway #13
  
• 5.0, THE LOCKED ROOM - Ruth Galloway #14
• 4.6, BLEEDING HEART YARD - Harbinder Kaur #3
• 5.0, THE LAST REMAINS - Ruth Galloway #15
• 4.8, THE ZIG ZAG GIRL - Brighton Mysteries #1
• 4.5, SMOKE AND MIRRORS - Brighton Mysteries #2
• 4.5, THE BLOOD CARD- Brighton Mysteries #3
  
• 4.4, THE VANISHING BOX - Brighton Mysteries #4 
• 4.6, NOW YOU SEE THEM- Brighton Mysteries #5
  
• 4.5, THE MIDNIGHT HOUR- Brighton Mysteries #6
• 4.6, THE GREAT DECEIVER -Brighton Mysteries #7 
• 4.4, THE LAST WORD - Harbinder Kaur #4

 

Review: THE WAY IT IS NOW, Garry Disher

• 
  This edition provided by my local library as an e-book on Libby
  
• Published by Text Publishing 2 August 2022
• ISBN 9781922458704
• 416pp  

Synopsis

Twenty years ago Charlie Deravin’s mother went missing near the family beach shack—believed murdered; body never found. His father has lived under a cloud of suspicion ever since.

Now Charlie’s back living in the shack in Menlo Beach, on disciplinary leave from his job with the police sex-crimes unit, and permanent leave from his marriage. After two decades worrying away at the mystery of his mother’s disappearance, he’s run out of leads.

Then the skeletal remains of two people are found in the excavation of a new building site—and the past comes crashing in on Charlie.

The Way It Is Now is the enthralling new novel from Garry Disher, one of Australia’s most loved and celebrated crime writers.

My Take

Set near on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula, in 2020, just as Covid 19 is making itself felt in Australia and on Australians travelling overseas.

Twenty years ago Charlie's mother had disappeared on the same day that Charlie, a police constable, had been in a search party looking for a young boy who had run away from a school camp. Neither of them had been found.  Now, Charlie, still in the police force, has been suspended from assaulting a senior officer. He has nothing to do but to take good look at his mother's disappearance. He thinks the investigation wasn't very thorough, more focussed on acquitting his father who had been a senior police officer at the time. Charlie's older brother believes their father was to blame and he and Charlie do not see each other much. His father has re-married and is now retired and he and his wife are off on an overseas cruise. Charlie decides to contact people from the community who were around 20 years ago, and he begins to find things that just don't add up.

 You will notice that I am re-reading this novel as I am talking about Garry Disher's contribution to Australia crime fiction with my U3A Award Winning Crime Fiction reading group.

This is a typical Disher stand-alone with sub-plots to keep the mind alert, and a range of interesting characters, including Charlie Deravin himself. The setting of a coastal surfing town is strong and gives the novel a substantial Australian flavour.

My rating: 4.7

I've also read

4.7, WYATT

4.8, WHISPERING DEATH

4.7, BLOOD MOON

4.2, THE HEAT

4.5, SIGNAL LOSS

4.7, HER

4.9, UNDER THE COLD BRIGHT LIGHTS

4.7, KILL SHOT

5.0, BITTER WASH ROAD - Hirsch #1 - aka HELL TO PAY

5.0, PEACE- Hirsch #2

5.0, CONSOLATION - Hirsch #3

4.7, DAY'S END- Hirsch #4

4.8, THE WAY IT IS NOW

4.8, SANCTUARY

Review: THE NIGHT WE LOST HIM, Laura Dave

• 
  This edition an e-book on Kindle (Amazon)
  
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0C1RV95XK
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin (September 17, 2024)
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 346 pages

 Synopsis (Amazon)

Sometimes those we love hide the darkest secrets…

One beautiful Californian evening, a wealthy businessman falls to his death from his secluded cliff-top house onto the rocks below.

A tragic accident? Or murder?

Nora and her half-brother Sam suspect it may be the latter, and team up to uncover the truth of what really happened that night.

But their relationship has never been easy, and it is about to be tested to the limit as they start to question how well either of them really knew their elusive father.

Unravelling his mysterious past takes them back to a world they knew nothing about, to a tangled love affair and a web of relationships that other people would far rather stay buried...

Filled with passion, intrigue, lies, and dark, dark family secrets, The Night We Lost Him is a page turning mystery you won’t ever want to put down.

My Take

Nora doesn't really want to believe that her father Liam, usually so sure-footed, slipped to his death from outside his house. Nor does she want to believe it was suicide. So was he pushed? That is what her half-brother Sam believes. But his twin Tommy thinks they should leave it all alone.

Their attempt to unravel what happened is hampered by the fact that Liam's body was cremated, and also by the complexities of his multiple marriages and the fact that they don't know everything and that people don't give them straight answers when they ask questions.

The book is written in two time frames: the present and the immediate past, and then what happened when Liam was a young man. And then about half way through the book, you, the reader, realise that you know some things that Nora and Sam don't.

At the same time as they are unravelling the past both Nora and Sam are dealing with issues in their own lives, that add a poignancy to the story.

Recommended.

My Rating: 4.6

I've also read

4.6, THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME

Review: MURDER ON THE LINKS, Agatha Christie

• 
  This edition an e-book on Kindle
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DK9D7QTQ
  
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 267 pages
• #2 of 38 Poirot stories
• originally published 1923  

Synopsis (Amazon)

Agatha Christie's second published novel featuring her famous detective Hercule Poirot. It marks the beginning of Poirot's adventures in the world of literature. Step into the gripping world of 'The Murder on the Links' by Agatha Christie, where the tranquil beauty of the French countryside belies a sinister plot waiting to be unraveled. It is a timeless tale of intrigue, betrayal, and murder that will leave readers on the edge of their seats until the very end. Despite being written nearly a century ago, "The Murder on the Links" remains as fresh and captivating, making it a timeless classic that continues to entertain readers of all ages.

Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie's brilliant detective, returns to find his would-be employer murdered, too many suspects, and the detective directing the local police investigation ignoring his polished investigative technique. The two butt heads compete to solve the case until a second body is discovered, murdered in the same manner as the first.
Poirot's razor-sharp perception and in-depth knowledge of criminal history are required to connect both murders as he successfully works toward an unanticipated conclusion.

My Take

I have of course read this before at least a couple of times. I am re-reading it for discussion with my U3A Agatha Christie reading group.

This is only the 2nd in the Hercule Poirot series. At first the author challenges us to identify the narrator, who is of course Arthur Hastings.

The main action takes place in France. Hercule Poirot gets a letter from an English businessman living in France, but by the time he and Hastings get there, his potential employer is dead.

I'd like our discussion to include the following:

• the role assigned to Hastings as the romantic, and the foil to Poirot
• the reference to World War One with the murder weapon
• does Agatha Christie deliberately set out to confuse the reader (and Hastings) with the complexity of the plot? There seem to be a lot of red herrings. What hinders Poirot in his solving of the case?
• The contrast between Poirot's methods and those of Surete detective Giraud
• this is only the second Poirot novel, but it is implied that he and Hastings have worked a number of cases since "Styles". Inspector Japp has consulted Poirot more than once in the intervening period. Hastings gets impatient with what he sees as Poirot's lack of action.
• Is the title misleading? What does it refer to?
• What is the motive for the murder?
  

My rating: 4.4

I also reviewed it at 

4.4, THE MURDER ON THE LINKS  

4.5, THE MURDER ON THE LINKS,- audio book

 

My Agatha Christie novels

Review: THE LIGHTS OF LILLY PILLY CREEK, Abbie L. Martin

• 
   this edition an e-book on Amazon
  
•  ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CGMQGMBV
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Abbie Allen Publishing (13 December 2023)
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
• #3 in the Lilly Pilly Ghost Mystery series
• author web site  
  

Synopsis ( Amazon)

Get ready for a festive dose of mystery and merriment in the charming Australian town of Lilly Pilly Creek.

In the third instalment of the Lilly Pilly Creek Ghost Mystery series, amateur sleuth Jones and her spectral sister Autumn are back at it again. With the Lilly Pilly Creek Christmas Lights Competition making a comeback after thirty years, the town is buzzing with excitement. But the festivities take a dark turn.

A shocking discovery awaits Jones and Autumn when the gardener, who has been landscaping at The Memory Bank, is found dead. Jones, Autumn, and her friends Wren, Atlas, and the dashing Hugo find themselves once again destined to unravel the mysteries surrounding the untimely death

Amidst the drama, Jones and Autumn grapple with their own emotions as they delve into the journals left behind by their Grandmother, discovering a personal mystery they must resolve.

Join Jones and Autumn in this heartwarming and suspenseful holiday story, where the tapestry of friendship, love, and a hint of the supernatural intertwines for a Christmas in Lilly Pilly Creek which is destined to be unforgettable. 

My Take:

Another very readable (if not very credible story). I am enjoying the Adelaide Hills setting, the cozy plots, and the character development. Even if ghosts are not your thing, you may enjoy the mysteries and the hints of romance.

My rating: 4.4

I've also read

4.4, THE GHOST OF LILLY PILLY CREEK =#1

4.3, THE BRIDE OF LILLY PILLY CREEK - #2

Review: THE WOLF TREE, Laura McCluskey

• 
  This edition read as an e-book on Kindle (Amazon)
  
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CXK1WL9Y
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins (February 28, 2025)
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 336 pages  

Synopsis (Amazon)

A gripping and atmospheric debut crime thriller set on an isolated Scottish island ... where outsiders are not welcome.

'There's always someone whispering about something.'

On a small island off the coast of Scotland, an isolated community is grieving. Eighteen-year-old Alan Ferguson was found at the foot of the lighthouse - an apparent suicide.

DIs Georgina Lennox and Richard Stewart are sent to investigate. A raging storm keeps them trapped on the island for five days. And the locals don't take kindly to mainlanders.

As George and Richie question the island's inhabitants, they discover a village filled with superstition and shrouded in secrets.

But someone wants those secrets to stay buried. At any cost.

My Take

DIs Georgina Lennox and Richard Stewart have 4 years of working together, but recently George was severely hurt at the hands of a druggie. After months of recuperation the question is whether George is ready to resume work. 

It looks as if this case will be a fairly soft one, probably over in a day or two, but they have 5 days on the remote island to carry out their investigation. The victim has already been buried and not everyone is willing to talk to the police. There are layers of secrecy and years of tradition. There are some residents who obviously resent the presence of mainlanders.

And towards the end, a resolution you will not see coming.

This is an excellent novel for a debut title, an Australian author no less. Well worth reading. An author to watch.

My rating: 4.8

About the author:

Laura McCluskey is a Melbourne-based writer, editor and actor. She created the production company Sibylline Films and co-founded Three Fates Theatre Company. The Wolf Tree is her first novel.