Review: THE COUPLES RETREAT, Mercedes Mercier

• 
  this edition published by Penguin Random House Australia 2026
• ISBN 978-1-76135-669-8
  
• 329 pages 

Synopis (publisher)

Six friends. Three Nights. One deadly secret - a twisty, compulsive destination thriller where no one is as perfect as they seem.

There’s nothing more dangerous than someone who remembers who you used to be.

At a secluded beachfront mansion on Kangaroo Island, three wealthy couples gather for a weekend of partying and luxury indulgence. But beneath the glitter and excess, deep rivalries and explosive secrets fester between the old friends.

When they wake to a shocking murder scene, they are gripped first by fear, then by suspicion. With ferry services suspended due to a storm, the survivors and the killer remain trapped on the island together.

Thrust into the biggest case of her fledgling career, rookie police officer Emily Quinn quickly discovers that the locals are mistrustful of outsiders. When her dangerous ex-boyfriend tracks her down, Quinn’s past and present collide in spectacular fashion, threatening not only her new life, but the investigation of the most gruesome crime in the island’s history.

Set in one of Australia’s most beautiful locations, The Couples Retreat is a twisty, compulsive thriller that proves privilege cannot protect you from everything, and no one is as perfect as they seem. 

My Take

Set on an island off the South Coast of South Australia where I live. I have visited several times over the decade and can envisage the fictional location of this thriller. 

Emily Quinn is new to the island, taking a position as a probationary constable in the main town Kingscote to escape her manipulative and controlling boyfriend. She is later horrified to find that he has followed her there.

Quinn notices the group of 6 people who came across to the island on the ferry with her: opinionated, flamboyant, and wealthy. She reports to the police station on arrival and is put to work almost immediately by the morose Senior Sergeant Skinner.

Before long she and Skinner visit the holiday home where these new arrivals have made their mark with loud noise and a complaint from a neighbour.

The whole world changes when some of the residents of the holiday house are murdered.

Well structured and engrossing. 

My rating: 4.5

I've also read

4.6, BLACK LIES

4.6, WHITE NOISE  

Review: THE MODEL MURDER, Amanda Hampson

• 
  this edition published by Penguin Books 2026
  
• ISBN 978-1-76135-034-4
• 324 pages  

Synopsis (publisher)

Never underestimate a tea lady.

Sydney, 1968. When a popular local man is murdered, police are quick to pin the blame on his glamorous model fiancée, who has since disappeared. But Hazel suspects a criminal cover-up and rallies the tea ladies to investigate; a quest that brings danger right to her door.

Meanwhile, Merl’s long-buried family secret threatens to unravel her carefully constructed life. When she stumbles on evidence that her detective son-in-law is corrupt, she’s forced to swallow her pride and reunite with the other tea ladies, enlisting their help to expose him.

Betty becomes immersed in a local theatre group where there is more drama offstage than on it, further complicated by her infatuation with the enigmatic leading man.
Irene aspires to a new career as a debt collector but her first case has more frustrations and obstacles than she bargained for, even with the help of a new weapon. 

My Take

Although a cozy, I found the plot had too many strands, and I seemed constantly to be getting the main characters muddled up.

My rating: 4.3 

I've also read

4.4, THE TEA LADIES

4.4, THE CRYPTIC CLUE 

Review: MAD MABEL, Sally Hepworth

• 
  This edition read on Libby, through my local library
  
• Published by St. Martin's Publishing Group, released 21 April 2026 

Synopsis (Overdrive)

From New York Times bestselling author Sally Hepworth comes a twisty tale of justice, redemption, and one irrepressible woman who's not done breaking the rules just yet.

Meet Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick: eighty-one years old, gloriously grumpy, fiercely independent, and never without a hot cup of tea—or a cutting remark. She minds her own business in her quiet Melbourne suburb, until a neighbor turns up dead and the whispers start flying.

Because Elsie hasn't always been Elsie. Once upon a headline, she was Mad Mabel Waller—Australia's youngest convicted murderer. But was she really mad, or just misunderstood? Either way, she's kept her secret buried for decades.

Enter seven-year-old Persephone, a relentless little chatterbox who has just moved in across the road (armed with stickers, questions, and no sense of personal boundaries); Joan, who appears to have it in for Elsie; and a healthy dose of public interest—the cops are sniffing around, and the media is circling like seagulls at a picnic.

So Mabel does what she's always done best—she takes matters into her own hands.

Is she a cantankerous old lady with a shady past? A cold-blooded killer with arthritis? Or just someone who's finally ready to tell her side of the story?

Sharp, surprising, and wickedly funny, this is the unforgettable story of a woman who's spent a lifetime being underestimated—and is about to prove everyone wrong. Again.

My Take:

Another exceptional story from Sally Hepworth. 

Mabel has always wondered why it has been so difficult to acquire friends, why her father seems to dislike her so much, and what she has done to deserve the nickname of "Mad Mabel". 

Looking back, Mabel has seemed to be followed around by death, and to be honest, she has been Australia's youngest convicted killer - of two people, not just one. But there have been at least two other deaths at her door, and now there appears to be a fifth. But, hang on, Mabel knows she at least she hasn't been responsible for the recent death of her elderly neighbour. This account reveals how the other four were linked to her.

It makes you think about how often unkindness was her lot.  A story written with touches of humour and empathy. And if it hadn't been for Mabel's bosom buddy Daphne, and her latest "friend" Persephone....

My rating: 4.7

I've also read

4.5, THE MOTHER IN LAW

4.7, THE YOUNGER WIFE 

4.7, THE SOULMATE

4.8, DARLING GIRLS

4.7, THE YOUNGER WIFE 

4.7, THE GOOD SISTER

Review: WHITE NOISE, Mercedes Mercier

• 
   This edition read as an e-book on my Kindle (AmazonAU)
  
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09MZRBGGS
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins, Publication date ‏ : ‎ 1 June 2022
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 353 pages
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1460714652 

Synopsis (AmazonAU) 

Someone knows your secrets. Someone knows your shame. And they won't stay buried for long.

A searing, dark and dangerous thriller from an exciting new voice

When prison psychologist Dr Laura Fleming is assigned charismatic inmate Justin Jones to assess for parole, alarm bells ring. Working with some of the state's most damaged criminals, she knows Jones is too dangerous to release, but he's got everyone fooled . . . She needs proof.

Laura knows all about damage. Her own painful mistakes have destroyed her marriage and she's been refused access to her daughter. Step by agonising step, she's rebuilding her life and her relationships, but it's a hard road. What does she have to do to prove she can be trusted?

Laura's not taking any chances with Jones, and as she races to find evidence before his parole hearing, she digs deep into his life - and is shocked by what she finds.

But as she edges closer to the truth, Laura falls victim to a series of increasingly personal attacks, and secrets from her past threaten to unhinge everything she holds dear - her job, her family . . . even her sanity.

Sometimes redemption is out of reach. But revenge will do just fine.

My Take

 Prison psychologist Dr Laura Fleming is meant to be doing the final sign off on the release on inmate Justin Jones but to her mind he is too anxious to be released by a particular date. Laura cannot be sure that he will not re-offend but she can't put her finger on the exact reason. She is going against the recommendation of the colleague from whom she has received the case, as well as against her boss.

But she is sure there is something... 

An interesting look inside how the prison parole system works, as well as being a satisfyingly complex story.  

My rating: 4.6

I've also read

4.6, BLACK LIES 

Review: THE MOTHER, Jane Caro

• 
  This edition read as an e-book on my Kindle
  
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09MQ3PN1W
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Allen & Unwin, Australia, Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 1, 2022
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 365 pages  

Synopsis (Amazon)

From the Walkley Award winning journalist, social commentator and author comes a gripping domestic thriller with a moral dilemma at its core.

'A timely, tense and important story that takes you to the heart of a toxic relationship, fighting to get free.' Michael Robotham

Just like the garden, the fuse box, the bills, bin night and blown light bulbs, this was just something else she'd now have to take care of herself.

Recently widowed, Miriam Duffy is a respectable North Shore real estate agent and devoted mother and grandmother. She was thrilled when her younger daughter Ally married her true love, but as time goes by Miriam wonders whether all is well with Ally, as she moves to the country and gradually withdraws, finding excuses every time Miriam offers to visit. Their relationship has always had its ups and downs, and Miriam tries to give her daughter the distance she so clearly wants. But is all as it seems?

When the truth of her daughter's situation is revealed, Miriam watches in disbelief as Ally and her children find themselves increasingly vulnerable and cut off from the world. As the situation escalates and the law proves incapable of protecting them, Miriam is faced with an unthinkable decision. But she will do anything for the people she loves most in the world. Wouldn't you? 

My Take

An absolutely engrossing book. You begin to suspect halfway through where it is heading, and then whammo! 

Two issues stuck out for me. First of all the changes to her life that Miriam has to face when her husband suddenly dies, too young. And then the domestic violence that Ally faces.

Highly recommended.  Make sure you read the author's notes at the end.

My rating: 4.9

I've also read  4.8, LYREBIRD 

Review: LYREBIRD, Jane Caro

• 
  this edition a paperback published 2025 by Allen & Unwin Australia
  
• 360 pages
• ISBN 978-1-76147-153-7 

Synopsis (publisher)

Lyrebirds are brilliant mimics, so if they mimic a woman screaming in terror and begging for her life, they have witnessed a crime. But how does a young, hung over PHD student and a wet behind the ears new detective, convince anyone that a native bird can be a reliable witness to a murder, especially when there is no body and no missing person?

And what happens when they turn out to be right?
A sound froze her blood. A woman. A woman screaming in pure terror. Screaming and sobbing—begging—out here, in this desolate place.

Twenty years ago, ornithology student Jessica Weston panicked when she heard a woman screaming for her life in the remote Barrington Tops. Her relief, when she discovers that it is a lyrebird making the sounds, is profound. She is thrilled to have caught his display on video. Then she remembers—lyrebirds are mimics. Whatever the wild creature has heard must have really happened, and happened nearby.

Jessica takes her video to the police. Despite support from newly minted detective, Megan Blaxland, with no missing person reported and no body, her evidence is ridiculed and dismissed.

Twenty years later, a body is unearthed, just where Jessica said it would be.

Horrified they let the case go cold, Jessica, now an associate professor, and Megan, recently retired but brought back to head up the investigation, reunite and join forces. They are determined to find the killer, whatever it takes. What they don't realise is that they are not just putting their lives in danger, but also the lives of those close to them . . . 

My Take

This is my first novel by Jane Caro and I can tell already it won't be my last. I read this one in one day which is unusual for me.

The starting point is arresting: a lyrebird imitating the cries of a murder victim. No body found at the time. And then twenty years on, a body is found at that location. And the realisation that what the lyrebird imitated really happened.

The plot becomes much more complex than we might have predicted: the original cop is called out of retirement to take on the case, the person who first recorded the lyrebird's mimicry is involved, and their personal lives are explored. 

A satisfying read.

My rating: 4.8 

About the author

Jane Caro AM is a Walkley award-winning Australian columnist, author, novelist, feminist, public education activist and social commentator. She was awarded the B&T Women in Media Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023. Once upon a time, she was a multi-award-winning advertising copywriter and an academic. These days, she is a full-time writer, novelist, speaker, MC and TV, radio and media pundit. She has published thirteen books, including the bestselling novel The Mother. Lyrebird is her second novel for adults. 

Review: HIGHWAY 13, Fiona McFarlane

• 
  This edition read as an e-book on Kindle (Amazon)
  
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CYZKF3C1
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Allen & Unwin, July 30, 2024
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1761189234 
• WINNER - 2025 Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Fiction
• WINNER - 2025 Story Prize
• SHORTLISTED - 2025 Australian Book Industry Award for Literary Fiction Book of the Year
• SHORTLISTED - 2025 Ned Kelly Award for Best Crime Fiction

Synopsis (Amazon) 

In 1998, an apparently ordinary Australian man is arrested and charged with a series of brutal murders of backpackers along a highway. The news shocks the nation, bringing both horror and resolution to the victims' families, but its impact travels even further - into the past, as the murders rewrite personal histories, and into the future, as true crime podcasts and biopics tell the story of the crimes.

Highway 13 takes murder as its starting point, but it unfolds to encompass much more: through the investigation of the aftermath of this violence across time and place, from the killer's home town in country Australia to the tropical Far North, and to Texas and Rome, McFarlane presents an unforgettable, entrancing exploration of the way stories are told and spread, and at what cost. 
In overlapping stories, Highway 13 explores the reverberations of a serial killer's crimes in the lives of everyday people. A brilliant and illuminating account of loss and its extended echoes across an entire society.

My  Take

An intriguing collection of 12 overlapping stories all related in some way to the murder of backpackers along an Australian highway. The stories vary in methodology and style, nor are they presented sequentially, although we are given years to place them in, and at times the author makes the reader work hard to establish the connection to the original backpacker-murder scenario.

I don't think it would really matter what order you read the stories in, although perhaps I am mistaken there.  What is interesting to me is the way each story contributes to the reader's knowledge and understanding of how people were affected by the (fictional) backpacker murders.

Highly recommended. 

My rating: 4.9 

About the author

Fiona McFarlane’s first novel, The Night Guest, won several prizes including the Voss Literary Prize and a New South Wales Premier’s Award. It was also shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award, Miles Franklin Literary Award, and Los Angeles Times Book Prize for First Fiction, among others. She is also the author of a short-story collection, The High Places, which won the International Dylan Thomas Prize. Her stories have appeared in The New Yorker, Zoetrope: All-Story, and Best Australian Stories. Her second novel, The Sun Walks Down, will be published in Australia (October 2022), the United States (February 2023), and the UK (March 2023).

McFarlane grew up in Sydney, Australia and now lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she teaches at the University of California, Berkeley. Her website

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

• 
  This edition an e-book from Amazon
  
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0C7CMDG59
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Abbie Allen Publishing (August 26, 2023)
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 214 pages
• Book #2 in the Lilly Pilly Creek series  

Synopsis (Amazon)

The second instalment in The Lilly Pilly Creek Ghost Mystery series finds sisters Jones and Autumn embroiled in yet another local mystery. Jones has been assisting Iris, a bride-to-be, in creating a memory box for her wedding. But at the final dress fitting disaster strikes. Iris collapses, leaving everyone shocked.

Invisible to all but Jones, Autumn decides to use her ghostly skills to aid in unravelling the mystery surrounding Iris's sudden collapse. Together, they delve into the secrets of Lilly Pilly Creek, determined to uncover the truth.

Jones and Autumn follow the clues that lead to trouble brewing between two rival farming families. With her friends Wren and Atlas, and her spectral sister, by her side, Jones races against time to uncover the truth and bring the culprits to justice.

As they investigate, Jones must also navigate her feelings for Hugo, the bartender next door, as well as the constant fear that her ghostly sister Autumn could at any moment be lost to her forever.

Join them on this captivating journey of courage, love, and unbreakable bonds that will leave you breathless until the very last page.

My Take

There was just enough in this story to keep me interested.  It includes references to a little known tourist attractions of the Adelaide Hills, "ghost" mushrooms. 

I still have my reservations about Jones' ghostly sister Autumn, but I will continue with the series.

My rating: 4.3 

I've also read

4.4, THE GHOST OF LILLY PILLY CREEK =#1

Review: SEVEN SISTERS, Katherine Kovacic

• 
   this edition published by Harper Collins Publishers 2023
  
• ISBN 978-1-4607-6188-5
• 310 pages

Synopsis (publisher)

SHORTLISTED FOR BEST CRIME FICTION IN THE 2023 NED KELLY AWARDS

Men get away with murder all the time. Now it's our turn ...

Naomi started grief counselling prepared to run for cover as soon as her therapist, Mia, pulled out a crystal or tried to align her chakras.

When Mia suggests that she join a support group, Naomi is sceptical: how could she begin to describe what it felt like to lose her sister, Jo? How could she possibly share her loss and rage to a room full of people? How could she express her helplessness that Jo's killer walks free on a suspended sentence?

And how could she share her deepest desire to see Jo's killer dead by her hand?

In the group sessions, Naomi finds that her experiences and her anger are shared between the other members: Gabrielle, Brooke, Katy, Olivia and Amy. Under the enigmatic leadership of Mia, a plan begins to take shape.

I'll kill yours if you kill mine ...

My Take

Based on a scenario developed by Patricia Highsmith and Alfred Hitchcock in Strangers On a Train. 

The setting is New South Wales.

This plot will have you watching to see how the threads develop. You'll think about how Mia has put this therapy group together, and assessing what its success depends on. For each of the 6 women in this group, as well as Mia the therapist, have something in common - grief they haven't been able to get over. 

Each of the characters is well drawn. Are there any weak links? Will they all be able to carry through their part?

Once you've finished reading, there are some reading questions provided on the final pages.

My rating: 4.6

I've also read

4.5, THE PORTRAIT OF MOLLY DEAN - #1
4.6, PAINTING IN THE SHADOWS - #2 
4.5, THE SHIFTING LANDSCAPE - #3 

Review: THE CRYPTIC CLUE, Amanda Hampson

• 
   this edition published 2024 by Penguin
• #2 in The Tea Ladies series
  
• ISBN 978-1-76136-102-1
• 323 pages

Synopsis (publisher)

Look who’s back in hot water! The delightful and witty second novel in The Tea Ladies mystery series. Ideal for fans of Richard Osman and Bonnie Garmus.

In ZigZag Lane, in the heart of Sydney’s rag-trade district, tea ladies Hazel, Betty and Irene find themselves in hot water. Having already solved a murder, kidnapping and arson case, and outwitting an arch criminal, they have proved themselves a useful resource and earned the respect of a local police officer. Now he needs their help to solve a plot that threatens security.

As if that’s not enough, Irene gets a coded message directing her to the spoils of a bank robbery, which sends the tea ladies on a treasure hunt with an unexpected outcome.

There’s also trouble brewing within the walls of Empire Fashionwear, where an interloper threatens not just Hazel’s job but the very role of tea lady. It’s up to Hazel to convince her friends to abandon their trolleys and take action to save their livelihoods – before it’s too late. 

My Take

Sydney 1966. The building of the Sydney Opera House has begun and local feeling is running high about what many feel will be a white elephant. Pounds, shillings and pence are a thing of the past, and many are confused about the swap to decimal currency. 

Things are changing on the tea lady front too, A new fangled thing known as a Cafe Bar has appeared and is threatening their jobs.

While for me this was a bit of a slow read, I enjoyed the interplay between the main characters, the hint of romance in Hazel's life, and the historical setting with it's several themes.

My rating: 4.4

I've also read

4.4, THE TEA LADIES

Review: ONE OF US IS MISSING, B. M. Carroll

• 
  this edition borrowed from my local library
  
• first published by Affirm Press 2024
• ISBN 978-1-923022-12-6
• 362 pages

Synopsis (publisher)

There's no such thing as safety in numbers ...

Rachel and Rory Sullivan decide to celebrate making it through a difficult year by taking their teenagers, Emmet and Bridie, to their first stadium concert. By the end of the night, one of the four has vanished without a trace.

As the police investigation intensifies, suspicion is cast on the remaining family members. Everyone has been deceiving one another, but who is to blame for what went wrong? The passing of each hour amplifies their terror that life will never be the same again.

One of Us is Missing is a dark domestic thriller about the dangers lurking right in plain sight.  

My Take

Set in Sydney, this thriller makes you contemplate the risks you take when allowing your kids to attend a concert, or a similar public event, even when you are also there. The author has based the plot on personal experience. She depicts a "worst case" scenario with vivid possibilities.

She also shows us that there are often preliminary events that spark this sort of scenario, as well as consequences that last for years.

In this case the disappearance came out of left field, no-one could have predicted it, even though it was carefully planned.

There is an interesting set of reading group discussion questions in the final pages.

My rating: 4.6

I've also read

• 4.5, THE MISSING PIECES OF SOPHIE McCARTHY
• 4.5, WHO WE WERE 
• 4.6, YOU HAD IT COMING

Review: TIPPING POINT, Dinuka McKenzie

• 
   this edition available on Kindle (Amazon)
  
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CDDDGXZL
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins (February 1, 2024)
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 355 pages
• (Detective Kate Miles Book 3)

 Synopsis (Amazon)

A suicide. A shooting. And a reckoning, decades in the making. The must-read new Detective Kate Miles novel from 'a born storyteller' (Michael Robotham).

Weeks from Christmas in the sweltering heat of summer, Detective Kate Miles' estranged brother, Luke Grayling, returns home to Esserton to farewell a childhood friend - Ant Reed, dead by suicide. Within days of the funeral, another young man, Marcus Rowntree, is found shot dead in the back paddock of his property.

Almost twenty years ago, Luke, Ant and Marcus were best mates in high school and now two of the three friends are dead. A tragic coincidence? Or is there something more sinister connecting the three men?

When Luke is identified as a person of interest in Marcus's death, Kate once again finds herself in the middle of a media storm, sidelined from the case and battling accusations of conflict of interest. As press attention deepens, and uncomfortable truths about Luke's personal life and past events come to light, Kate is forced to contend between loyalty to the police force, and the bonds of friendship and blood.

My Take

Set in a fictional town in northern New South Wales, this is the third in the Kate Miles series, and shows Dinuka McKenzie again a writer to be watched. 

Closely plotted, tightly woven plot, with a number of themes. In the long run, the final solution came a bit out of left field. The novel explores family relationships, and mental health issues.

My rating: 4.5

I've also read

• 4.6, THE TORRENT - Kate Miles #1
• 4.7, TAKEN - Kate Miles #2
  

Review: YOU HAD IT COMING, B.M. Carroll

• 
  This edition made available by my local library as an e-book on Libby
  
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Viper; Main edition (13 May 2021)
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 432 pages
• SHORTLISTED FOR THE NED KELLY BEST CRIME FICTION AWARD
  

Synopsis (publisher)

WOULD YOU SAVE THE MAN
WHO DESTROYED YOUR LIFE?

When paramedic Megan Lowe is called to the scene of an attempted murder, all she can do is try to save the victim. But as the man is lifted onto a stretcher, she realises she knows him. She despises him. Why should she save his life when he destroyed hers?

Jess Foster is on her way home when she receives a text from Megan. Once best friends, the two women haven't been close for years, not since the night when they were just the teenage girls whom no-one believed; whose reputations were ruined. All Jess can think is, you had it coming.

Now Megan and Jess are at the centre of a murder investigation. But what secrets are they hiding? Can they trust one another? And who really is the victim?

My Take

I won't reveal just how Megan knew the attempted murder victim because that would spoil the plot for you. Certainly there is more to this plot than originally meets the eye. It raises issues that would affect anyone who is the victim of unwanted violence and also anyone who has lost a court case, or anyone who has been belittled in court.

The question also arises of how much Megan's situation was engineered. 

Very well written and compulsive reading.

My rating: 4.6

I've also read

• 4.5, THE MISSING PIECES OF SOPHIE McCARTHY
• 4.5, WHO WE WERE 
  

Review: THE DEATH OF DORA BLACK, Lainie Anderson

• 
  This edition available as an e-book on Amazon
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CX9LRBCB
  
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Hachette Australia (August 28, 2024)
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 321 pages
• Petticoat Police Mystery #1
  

Synopsis (Amazon) 

Summer, Adelaide, 1917. The impeccably dressed Miss Kate Cocks might look more like a schoolmistress than a policewoman, but don't let that fool you. She's a household name, wrangling wayward husbands into repentance, seeing through deceptive clairvoyants, and rescuing young women (whether they like it or not) with the help of a five-foot cane and her sassy junior constable, Ethel Bromley.

When shop assistant Dora Black is found dead on a city beach, Miss Cocks and Ethel are ordered to stay out of the investigation and leave it to the men. But when Dora's workmate goes missing soon after, the women suspect something sinister, and determine to take matters into their own hands. After all, who knows Adelaide better than the indomitable Miss Cocks?

*In 1915, Fanny Kate Boadicea Cocks became the first policewoman in the British Empire employed on the same salary as men. This novel is a rich exploration of that little-known chapter of Australian history.*

My Take

From all accounts Kate Cocks was a remarkable woman. This book, fictionalised history set in Adelaide mid way through World War 1, brings her to life and gives readers a chance to appreciate her achievements. If you live in Adelaide there are landmarks you will recognise, and some that have disappeared from our landscape.

The novel is essentially a police procedural, very readable, with credible scenarios. 

The real Kate Cocks.

My rating: 4.4

About the Author
In early 2024 I completed a PhD with the University of South Australia, exploring the life of South Australia's Kate Cocks. In 1915 she became the first policewoman in the British Empire employed on the same salary and with the same powers of arrest as men. Here's a piece I wrote about her legacy for The Conversation.  As part of my PhD I have also written a historical murder mystery inspired by Kate's extraordinary life and some of the cracking cases she solved. The Death of Dora Black will be released by Hachette Australia in August 2024.

see more

Review: IT TAKES A TOWN, Aoife Clifford

• 
  This edition made available as an e-book on Libby by my local library
  
• Published Ultimo Press 
• ISBN 9781761152733
• Pub Date: April 2024
• Extent: 352pp

Synopsis (publisher)

So many people had reason to hate her, but did anyone have reason to kill her?
 
Everyone dies famous in a country town, but glamorous Vanessa Walton was a shining star. A celebrity since a television commercial when she was a child, Vanessa is back on the front page for all the wrong reasons; after a terrible storm she has been found dead at the bottom of her stairs.
 
At first her death seems to be a simple accident, but anonymous letters are discovered that suggest otherwise – and when 16-year-old Jasmine Landridge claims it is murder, she suddenly disappears. As the police begin to investigate, secrets are exposed and friendships unravel.
 
What happens to a community when murders and abductions sit alongside petty workmates, teenage tribulations and longstanding friendships? It will take a town to solve this crime, but what will be broken in the effort to piece together the truth? 

My Take

The attendance at her funeral is huge for a small town and the word on everybody's lips is "murder". But the local police, in the first case for the new station head, and the local coroner, both pronounce that it was an accident. The woman who brought fame to the town was hated by many. But she was adored by many, and there are those who think the investigation into her death has not been thorough enough.

Secrets come to light, and relationships are tested. A wonderful array of believable characters. An excellent read.

My rating: 4.6

About the Author
Aoife Clifford is the author of All These Perfect Strangers, which was long-listed for both the Australian Industry General Fiction Book of the Year and the Voss Literary Prize, and Second Sight, a Publishers Weekly (starred review) and PW Pick for Book of the Week. Aoife’s short stories have been published in Australia, United Kingdom and the United States, winning premier prizes such as the Scarlet Stiletto and the S.D. Harvey Ned Kelly Award.

Review: APARTMENT 303, Kelli Hawkins

• 
  this edition made available on Libby as an e-book by my library system
  
• ISBN: 9781460763322
• ISBN-10: 1460763327
• Published: 8th March 2023
• Format: Paperback
• Number of Pages: 320
• Audience: General Adult
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Synopis (publisher)

Even a locked door can't keep you safe

Twenty-six-year-old Rory rarely leaves her apartment, though her little dog Buster keeps her company. Days are spent working for her aunt's PI business, and watching and imagining histories for the homeless men, the Dossers, across the road. At night she walks Buster on the roof, gazes at the stars and wonders.

The night before New Year's Eve, one of the Dossers is murdered, an incident which brings the world - police, new neighbours, her dark past and new possibilities - crashing through Rory's front door.

She thought she was keeping her fears at bay. But has her sanctuary turned into her prison? Or is it safer for everyone if Rory stays locked away? 

My Take

This is one of those books that takes you into a world that most of us are not familiar with. Rory rarely leaves her apartment unless it is in the company of her aunt or the driver that her aunt employs. She has OCD and constantly battles her compulsive disorders. Those on the downstairs desk in the foyer of Rory's apartment building are careful to look after her, and her food and household supplies are delivered by a trusted family.

She has a good life, well taken care of, work she enjoys, and she even makes friends with a young girl in the building.

But then things change. One of the dossers who sleeps in the park opposite the apartment building is murdered, and one of the doormen decides to retire.  Rory watches the dossers through binoculars and she sees the shape of a man that she thinks she recognises. It is of course someone from her past that she doesn't want to see. That puts her world into a spin.

This is a book that just keeps you reading. We find out that Rory is being manipulated in ways that she doesn't realise. 

Well worth reading.  Perhaps worth looking for other books by this author.

My rating: 4.5

About the author:
Kelli Hawkins writes reports for a private investigator, as well as working on novels for adults and children. She lives in Newcastle with her two teenagers. Over the years she’s travelled whenever possible and worked all kinds of jobs. Kelli’s been a political journalist, a graphic designer, a mystery shopper – even a staple remover. When she’s not writing she’s planning a holiday – or dreaming of one. Or reading, of course.

Kelli Hawkins writes across genres and has five books published by HarperCollins Australia. Three are psychological adult thrillers. Other People’s Houses was published in 2021, followed by All She Wants in 2022. Her latest, Apartment 303, was released in March 2023.

Review: THE TRIVIA NIGHT. Ali Lowe

• 
  This edition, published 2022 Hodder & Stoughton
  
• supplied by my local library
• ISBN 978-1-529-34882-8
• 356 pages

Synopsis (publisher)

Question: How long does it take to tear someone's life apart?

Answer: Sometimes just one night.

From the outside the parents of the kindergarten class at Darley Heights primary school seem to have it all. Living in the wealthy Sydney suburbs, it's a community where everyone knows each other - and secrets don't stay secret for long.

The big date in the calendar is the school's annual fundraising trivia night, but when the evening gets raucously out of hand, talk turns to partner-swapping. Initially scandalised, it's not long before a group of parents make a reckless one-night-only pact.

But in the harsh light of day, those involved must face the fallout of their behaviour. As they begin to navigate the shady aftermath of their wild night, the truth threatens to rip their perfect lives apart - and revenge turns fatal.

THE TRIVIA NIGHT is a gripping, domestic page-turner full of shocking reveals, perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty and Sally Hepworth.

My Take

Here is a Trivia Night quite unlike any that you've ever attended.

Four couples sit at a table, and general knowledge questions take a back seat. What happens at this night will have a long tail of consequences that none of them could have foreseen at the beginning. Lives will be changed forever.

There is a twist at the end that I really didn't anticipate.

Question for the reader:
Who is the author of the Prologue and who is she writing to? (there are plenty of clues)

My rating: 4.5

I've also read

• 4.8, THE SCHOOL RUN
• 4.6, THE RUNNING CLUB
  

Review: BONE LANDS, Pip Fioretti

• 
  this edition published by Affirm Press 2024
  
• ISBN 978-1-922922-86-4
• 378 pages

Synopsis (publisher)

Isn't it your job to stop people being murdered?' 

1911, on a winter's night in arid New South Wales wool country, mounted trooper Augustus Hawkins discovers the bodies of three young people. They are scions of the richest family in the district, savagely murdered on a road that Hawkins should have been patrolling, had he not been busy bedding the local schoolteacher.

Detectives arrive from Sydney and the disgraced Hawkins, a traumatised veteran of the Boer War, comes under fierce scrutiny. With his honour and sanity at stake, he becomes hell-bent on finding the murderer. But as ever darker secrets are revealed about the people he thinks of as friends, Hawkins is forced to confront an uncomfortable question: who is paying the price for the new nation's prosperity?

My Take

On the night that Australian towns celebrated the coronation of King George V with local balls and dances, 3 young people are murdered on a back road in New South Wales.The motive for the murders is obscure and the murderers are hard to trace. If Constable Hawkins had been doing his job, he might have prevented the murder, or at least that is what their father believes.

Detectives from Sydney are despatched to conduct the investigation but there is little to base an investigation on. Black trackers are sent out to follow some tracks from the murder site. Eventually the truth is revealed but it is a long investigation with truth the casualty in many ways.

Set over 100 years ago, the author does a good job of setting the scene, and helping us to understand how things worked in that time.

An interesting read.

My rating: 4.4

About the author:

Pip Fioretti lives in Sydney, and enjoys hiking, books, friends and family. Bone Lands is her first crime novel.

Review: THE GOOD SISTER, Sally Hepworth

•  this edition supplied by my local library

• first published by Pan MacMillan Australia 2020
• ISBN 978-1-76055-219-0
• 330 pages
  

 Synopsis (publisher)

Fern Castle works in her local library. She has dinner with her twin sister Rose three nights a week. And she avoids crowds, bright lights and loud noises as much as possible. Fern has a carefully structured life and disrupting her routine can be ... dangerous.

When Rose discovers that she cannot fall pregnant, Fern sees her chance to pay her sister back for everything Rose has done for her. Fern can have a baby for Rose. She just needs to find a father. Simple.

Fern's mission will shake the foundations of the life she has carefully built for herself and stir up dark secrets from the past, in this quirky, rich and shocking story of unexpected love.

WINNER OF THE DAVITT AWARD FOR ADULT FICTION 2021

My Take

Sally Hepworth has become one of those Australian authors that I look out for,  and in this case, an authors whose past titles I track down.

Fern and Rose are fraternal twins, that is, not identical, in reality very different. 

We begin the story with Rose's journal, recently begun, but beginning with a major event in their lives when they were 12 years old. So we see things in the journal from Rose's point of view. But then we begin to see things from Fern's point of view in chapters headed with her name. Rose appears to be the controller of their lives while Fern comes over as introverted and retiring.

As we put together the picture of their past, we also begin to see their mother, mainly from Rose's point of view, and are led to conclude that their childhood was an unhappy one. 

And then comes the question of a baby, which Rose desperately wants, and Fern thinks she has a solution.

An engrossing read.

My rating: 4.7 

I've also read

• 4.5, THE MOTHER IN LAW
• 4.7, THE YOUNGER WIFE 
• 4.7, THE SOULMATE
• 4.8, DARLING GIRLS
• 4.7, THE YOUNGER WIFE 

Review: THE SCHOOL RUN, Ali Lowe

• 
  this edition from Hodder Stoughton UK 2024
  
• ISBN 978-1-399-71781-6
• 389 pages

Synopsis (publisher)

How far would you go to protect your reputation?

For parents living in the beautiful coastal town of Pacific Pines, all their hopes and dreams are pinned on the outcome of the annual Gala Day hosted by St Ignatius Boys' School. To be accepted into the prestigious institution, their sons must battle it out, facing rigorous rounds of physical and mental tests. Their parents will stop at nothing to ensure their sons succeed.

But after one boy is struck down in a hit and run, the scandals, secrets and lies that entangle three mothers threaten to unravel their seemingly perfect lives . . .

How far will the women go to, not just to save their families - but also their reputations?

My Take

The Prologue tells us at the very beginning that someone has been hit by a car, but we don't know who the victim is nor who is driving the car, but we suspect that it has been deliberate. The result is that those questions remain with us as we read on. We learn about the selection process and meet some of the families and their boys who will be participating in Gala Day which starts the process. 

The action begins on a Saturday with Kaya Sterling and her son Ollie who have only recently arrived from Western Australia. Ollie is the son of Paul, a past captain of St Iggy's. It was Paul's dying wish that Ollie enrol at the school. 

We then meet Estella Monroe who lives next door, and has twin sons who will also be trying to enrol  in St. Iggy's. We don't meet the third mother Bec Lloyd, and her family, until Sunday. Her son Cooper will also be trying for selection.

The author then weaves a fascinating web of the relationships between these women and their families. Things are indeed not simple and we learn some very complex things, and we still don't know the answers to our questions.

In the last few chapters the story takes some very unexpected turns.

Highly recommended.

My rating: 4.8

About the author

Ali Lowe has been a journalist for 20 years. She has written for bridal magazines, parenting titles, websites and newspapers in London and then Australia, after she moved to Sydney fourteen years ago on a trip that was meant to last a year. She was Features Editor at OK! in London, where she memorably stalked celebrities in Elton John's garden at his annual White Tie and Tiara ball.

Ali lives on the northern beaches of Sydney with her husband and three young children