Mark's bookshelf: all en-US Fri, 25 Apr 2025 18:11:39 -0700 60 Mark's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[The Unquiet Grave (Cormac Reilly #4)]]> 221118391 Every grave has a story ... The much-anticipated new novel in the Cormac Reilly series, from the no.1 bestselling author of The Ruin and What Happened to Nina.

For years the boglands of Northern Europe have given up bodies of the long-deceased. Bodies that are thousands of years old, uncannily preserved. Bodies with strange injuries that suggest ritual torture and human sacrifice.

When a corpse is found in a bog in Galway, Cormac Reilly assumes the find is historical. But closer examination reveals a more recent story. The dead man is Thaddeus Grey, a local secondary school principal who disappeared two years prior.

There's nothing in Grey's past that would explain why he was murdered, or why his body was mutilated in a ritual manner. At first, progress on the case is frustratingly slow and Cormac struggles to keep his mind on the job. His ex-girlfriend, Emma Sweeney, is in trouble, and she's reached out to him for help - Emma's new husband has gone missing in Paris, and the French police are refusing to open an investigation into his disappearance.

Cormac is sure that he has found Grey's killer, and is within hours of an arrest, when another mutilated body is discovered on the other side of the country. Two days later, a third body is found. Press attention is intense. Is there a serial killer at work in Ireland? Has Cormac been on the wrong trail? And if so, can he find the murderer before they strike again?]]> 336 Dervla McTiernan 1460718070 Mark 0 to-read 4.34 The Unquiet Grave (Cormac Reilly #4)
author: Dervla McTiernan
name: Mark
average rating: 4.34
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Torrent (Detective Kate Miles, #1)]]> 58849985 A loving husband lost to devastating summer floods. A teenage girl injured during a robbery. Two seemingly unconnected cases that will push a detective to the brink.

An atmospheric, compelling new voice in Australian crime fiction.


In Northern New South Wales, heavily pregnant and a week away from maternity leave, Detective Sergeant Kate Miles is exhausted and counting down the days. But a violent hold-up at a local fast-food restaurant with unsettling connections to her own past, means that her final days will be anything but straightforward.

When a second case is dumped on her lap, the closed case of man drowned in recent summer floods, what begins as a simple informal review quickly grows into something more complicated. Kate can either write the report that's expected of her or investigate the case the way she wants to.

As secrets and betrayals pile up, and the needs of her own family intervene, how far is Kate prepared to push to discover the truth?]]> 333 Dinuka McKenzie 1460760190 Mark 0 currently-reading 3.84 2022 The Torrent (Detective Kate Miles, #1)
author: Dinuka McKenzie
name: Mark
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/13
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> The Bluff 220281020 From the bestselling author of How to Kill a Client comes a page-turning rural thriller of loyalties and lies, murder and greed.

People like Dash didn't die. He was only what? Mid-thirties? Well off. Adored. By some anyway. World at his feet. Well, Myddle at his feet, which was his world.

Ruth Dawson has taken a break from big city law to fill in for a few months for an old mate in Myddle. How hard can it be? she thinks. Turns out, very hard.

So when Ruth hears the front door of her office open, she's expecting a weird demand, or a question she doesn't know the answer to ... but it's Bea Baulderstone's mum, worried that she hasn't seen her seventeen-year-old daughter for five days, and Constable Gazza Parker is refusing to report the girl missing. Easily fixed, thinks Ruth, and heads off down Myddle's main street to charm Gazza into action.

But Victoria Baulderstone was Gazza doesn't care. That is until Dash Rogers is found at his farm gate, dead from a gunshot wound, and suddenly the town is very interested in Bea's whereabouts.

And it's not just Bea who can't be found. Dash's wife Evie is AWOL too.

Then Troy, Evie's protégé and Bea's only friend, also smoke-bombs.

An unputdownable thriller of deception and greed, The Bluff reveals an enmeshed web of family and community loyalties, set in the lush rural hinterland of east coast Australia.]]> Joanna Jenkins 1761505629 Mark 0 to-read 4.12 The Bluff
author: Joanna Jenkins
name: Mark
average rating: 4.12
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/28
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]]> The Ledge 213209601 It all began in 1999 when sixteen-year-old Aaron ran away from home, dragging his friends into an unforeseeable chain of events that no one escaped from unscathed ...

In The Ledge, past and present run breathlessly, tensely parallel, leading to a cliff-hanger nobody will see coming. This is a mind-bending new novel from the master of the unexpected.]]> 268 Christian White 1923135058 Mark 0 currently-reading 4.16 2024 The Ledge
author: Christian White
name: Mark
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/28
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Seven (Ivan Lucic & Nell Buchanan, #3)]]> 179944839
Yuwonderie's seven founding families have lorded it over their district for a century, growing ever more rich and powerful.

But now—in startling circumstances—one of their own is found dead in a ditch and homicide detectives Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan are sent to investigate.

Could the murder be connected to the execution of the victim's friend thirty years ago—another member of The Seven—or even the long-forgotten story of a servant girl on the brink of the Great War?

What are the secrets The Seven are so desperate to keep hidden?

With the killer still on the loose, and events spiralling out of control, the closer Ivan and Nell get to discovering the truth, the more dangerous their investigation becomes. Can they crack the case before more people die?

The Seven is a compelling thriller filled with intrigue, emotional depth and an evocative sense of place—where nothing is ever quite what it seems. Chris Hammer, the acclaimed and bestselling author of the international bestsellers Scrublands, Treasure & Dirt and The Tilt can take his place among the world's finest crime writers.]]> 512 Chris Hammer 1761067427 Mark 0 currently-reading 4.10 2023 The Seven (Ivan Lucic & Nell Buchanan, #3)
author: Chris Hammer
name: Mark
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/28
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter?]]> 179312410 532 Nicci French 006329835X Mark 4 Told over several time periods, it's a clever book that won't disappoint.
]]> 3.79 2024 Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter?
author: Nicci French
name: Mark
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/25
date added: 2025/03/22
shelves:
review:
This story had me hooked early, with a sense of intrigue and mystery building layer after layer as the story developed. Part family saga, part thriller and part crime procedural, the three formulas unite successfully into an engaging story. Charlotte Salter disappears on the day of her husband's 50th birthday party. Her children don't know why. Then a neighbour is found dead. Are the events connected and if so, how?
Told over several time periods, it's a clever book that won't disappoint.

]]> <![CDATA[Break No Bones (Temperance Brennan, #9)]]> 1139812
Summoned to South Carolina to fill in for a negligent colleague, Tempe is stuck teaching a lackluster archaeology field school in the ruins of a Native American burial ground on the Charleston shore. But when Tempe stumbles upon a fresh skeleton among the ancient bones, her old friend Emma Rousseau, the local coroner, persuades her to stay on and help with the investigation. When Emma reveals a disturbing secret, it becomes more important than ever for Tempe to help her friend close the case.

The body count begins to climb. An unidentified man is found hanging from a tree deep in the woods. Another corpse shows up in a barrel. There are mysterious nicks on bones in several bodies, and signs of strangulation. Tempe follows the trail to a free street clinic with a belligerent staff, a suspicious doctor, and a donor who is a charismatic televangelist. Clues abound in the most unlikely places as Tempe uses her unique knowledge and skills to build her case, even as the local sheriff remains dubious and her own life is threatened.

Tempe’s love life is also complicated. Ryan, her current flame, has come down to visit her from Montreal, and Pete, her former husband, is investigating the disappearance of a local woman—and he and Tempe are staying in the same borrowed beach house. Ryan and Pete compete for her attentions, and Tempe finds herself more distracted by her feelings for both men than she expected.

Break No Bones is a smart, taut thriller featuring the kind of high-stakes crime that makes the headlines every week. Reichs, the inspiration for the hit Fox TV show Bones , is writing at the top of her form, and Tempe has never been more compelling.]]> 10 Kathy Reichs 0743552628 Mark 0 currently-reading 3.50 2006 Break No Bones (Temperance Brennan, #9)
author: Kathy Reichs
name: Mark
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> Murder on Lake Garda 229944823 Brought to you by Penguin.

One happy couple.

Two divided families.

A wedding party to die for.

On the private island of Castle Fiore - surrounded by the glittering waters of Lake Garda - the illustrious Heywood family gathers begrudgingly for their son Laurence's wedding to Italian influencer Eva Bianchi.

But as the ceremony begins, a blood-curdling scream brings the proceedings to a devastating halt.

With the wedding guests trapped as they await the police, old secrets come to light and family rivalries threaten to bubble over.

Everyone is desperate to know...

Who is the killer?

And can they be found before they strike again?]]> Tom Hindle Mark 0 currently-reading 4.00 2024 Murder on Lake Garda
author: Tom Hindle
name: Mark
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 56 Days 57432619
56 DAYS AGO
Ciara and Oliver meet in a supermarket queue in Dublin the same week Covid-19 reaches Irish shores.

35 DAYS AGO
When lockdown threatens to keep them apart, Oliver suggests that Ciara move in with him. She sees a unique opportunity for a new relationship to flourish without the pressure of scrutiny of family and friends. He sees it as an opportunity to hide who - and what - he really is.

TODAY
Detectives arrive at Oliver's apartment to discover a decomposing body inside.

Will they be able to determine what really happened, or has lockdown provided someone with the opportunity to commit the perfect crime?]]> 428 Catherine Ryan Howard 1838951636 Mark 0 currently-reading 3.89 2021 56 Days
author: Catherine Ryan Howard
name: Mark
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> Orpheus Nine 220569213 An unputdownable supernatural thriller about a mysterious global event, set in an Australian rural town.

It began in every town and city at the same time, in every dark and twisted corner of our world. One third of the earth's citizens were asleep at the time. Their awakening was marked by horror and confusion. Just about everyone else had their routine interrupted as they witnessed the event with eyes wide open. They prayed it was a dream.

In the small, sleepy town of Gattan, population 7448, it happened at eleven o'clock on a Saturday morning. At the local soccer field, only one boy, aged ten years and one week, remained standing as the brothers, sisters and parents of his teammates realised the horror they were witnessing. Their screams split the sky.

One hundred and thirty million died that first day.

Every day since, on the morning of a child's ninth birthday, it happens again. No one knows why. The ongoing horror becomes known as Orpheus Nine and bereft parents cruelly labelled Orpheans. Global leaders have no answers as chaos takes hold. Conspiracy theories and violence spread as scientists wrestle with the ongoing toll and anxious citizens and militant Orpheans try to take matters into their own hands.

In Gattan, the chasm between life before and after grows wider for three old friends, now parents. They struggle with waves of grief at the loss of one child, guilt at one child's survival and anger as another child edges closer to their birthday. No matter the cost, each of the friends attempt to fight the unfathomable in their own way. But the reality is, the clock keeps ticking, the world order is crumbling and the gods are watching ...

From the bestselling author of Mammoth comes a propulsive and spine-chilling thriller that prompts the is this the end of days or the start of something new?

'Mysterious, comedic, terrifying and unexpectedly moving' ELIZABETH GILBERT

'Chris Flynn is the fifth horseman of the apocalypse. He'll decimate us with his words and we'll thank him for it.' SIANG LU

'Compelling . . . A darkly funny, thought-provoking read, Orpheus Nine will appeal to fans of Rumaan Alam's Leave the World Behind.' BOOKS+PUBLISHING

'A fast-paced and compelling novel, written with Flynn's characteristic dark humour, and great generosity of heart as well' THE GUARDIAN ]]> 227 Chris Flynn 073365228X Mark 0 to-read 3.64 Orpheus Nine
author: Chris Flynn
name: Mark
average rating: 3.64
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/15
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[The Great Hippopotamus Hotel (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, #25)]]> 220390800 Precious Ramotswe takes on an interesting but sensitive case and learns valuable lessons along the way in this next installment of the beloved No. 1 Ladies� Detective Agency series.Mma Ramotswe has a deft hand in delicate cases, and never allows an act of injustice to pass unanswered. So, when it comes to her attention that a matter involving dubious motives has arisen, and that it will require the utmost discretion to resolve, she has no choice but to lend her skills in the arts of detection and reconciliation. She is, after all, head of Botswana’s premier detective agency, but that doesn’t mean she can’t use the help of Mma Makutsi and Mma Potokwane. Meanwhile, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni has found himself in complicated circumstances of his own, requiring not a little of Mma Ramotswe’s time and expertise.In the end, as each of these predicaments comes untangled, Mma Ramotswe draws on her goodwill and generosity to bring important truths to of friendship, honesty, and love.]]> 240 Alexander McCall Smith 0349145962 Mark 5 If you've never experienced these terrific books, then it's not too late to start - and soon, like me, you'll be up to the 25th book.]]> 4.10 2024 The Great Hippopotamus Hotel (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, #25)
author: Alexander McCall Smith
name: Mark
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/24
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves:
review:
Need I saw more .... the books in the Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency Series are a joy. Each one is like catching up with cosy friends for the latest instalment and gossip from their lives. I laugh out loud and feel all kinds of emotions from these books, but above all, they leave me feeling really good and content.
If you've never experienced these terrific books, then it's not too late to start - and soon, like me, you'll be up to the 25th book.
]]> The Way It Is Now 58406710 The Way It Is Now tells the story of a burnt-out cop named Charlie Deravin.

Charlie is living in his family’s holiday house, on forced leave since he made a mess of things at work.

Things have never been easy for Charlie. Twenty years earlier his mother went missing in the area, believed murdered. His father has always been the main suspect, though her body was never found.

Until now: the foundations are being dug for a new house on a vacant block. The skeletal remains of a child and an adult are found—and Charlie’s past comes crashing in on him.

The Way It Is Now is the enthralling new novel by Garry Disher, one of Australia’s most loved and celebrated crime writers.]]> 384 Garry Disher 1922458163 Mark 4 Disher has the ability to create memorable, interesting and engaging characters and then draw in the setting as a major character in its own right.
In this story, a couple of bodies bring back a whole lot of trauma from the past for the main character, not the least being the disappearance of his mother 20 years prior, with his father the main suspect.
A highly recommended book from a highly recommended author.]]> 3.77 2021 The Way It Is Now
author: Garry Disher
name: Mark
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/09
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves:
review:
Garry Disher never disappoints. His Paul Hirschhausen series set in the mid north of South Australia is a favourite, so I was attracted to this standalone story set in a small coastal community about an hour to west of Melbourne.
Disher has the ability to create memorable, interesting and engaging characters and then draw in the setting as a major character in its own right.
In this story, a couple of bodies bring back a whole lot of trauma from the past for the main character, not the least being the disappearance of his mother 20 years prior, with his father the main suspect.
A highly recommended book from a highly recommended author.
]]> <![CDATA[The Last Days of Kira Mullan (Maud O'Connor, #2)]]> 214325839
Nancy North is ready to put her life back together. After suffering a psychotic break that ruined friendships, stalled her fledgling restaurant, and forced her to move out of her comfortable flat, she’ll do anything to get back to normal. She and her partner Felix—who has been a saint through her recent troubles—move into a new flat for a fresh start.

Nancy is taking her pills, seeing her therapist, and avoiding unnecessary stress. She’s doing absolutely everything right, but something is still very, very wrong. On the first day in the new flat, she hears them again; the mysterious voices that triggered her first episode. It could just be the unfamiliar sounds of water in the pipes, or the screaming baby across the hall, but deep down she knows something more sinister is going on. Her fears are confirmed when the young woman in the downstairs flat, Kira, is found dead. Felix, her neighbors, and even the police insist it’s a tragic suicide, but the pieces aren’t adding up for Nancy. Can she trust her own instincts, or is it all in her head?

Meanwhile, Detective Inspector Maud O’Connor has misgivings about her colleagues� investigation of Kira’s death. The boys club at the top seems intent on closing the case as quickly as possible, especially since the only person who thinks it could be anything other than suicide is known to be unreliable. But Maud knows what it’s like to be dismissed as an overemotional woman and isn’t so quick to discount Nancy’s claims. As tensions reach an explosive breaking point, the line between fact and delusion becomes dangerously blurred, but Maud will stop at nothing to ensure that the truth comes to light.]]> 464 Nicci French 0063298376 Mark 0 to-read 3.87 2024 The Last Days of Kira Mullan (Maud O'Connor, #2)
author: Nicci French
name: Mark
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Shadow House 57693342 Extraordinarily tense and deliciously mysterious, Anna Downes's The Shadow House follows one woman's desperate journey to protect her children at any cost, in a remote place where not everything is as it seems.

A HOUSE WITH DEADLY SECRETS.

A MOTHER WHO'LL RISK EVERYTHING TO BRING THEM TO LIGHT.

Alex, a single mother-of-two, is determined to make a fresh start for her and her children. In an effort to escape her troubled past, she seeks refuge in a rural community. Pine Ridge is idyllic; the surrounding forests are beautiful and the locals welcoming. Mostly.

But Alex finds that she may have disturbed barely hidden secrets in her new home. As a chain of bizarre events is set off, events eerily familiar to those who have lived there for years, Alex realizes that she and her family might be in greater danger than ever before. And that the only way to protect them all is to confront the shadows lurking in Pine Ridge.]]> 320 Anna Downes 1250264847 Mark 0 currently-reading 3.52 2022 The Shadow House
author: Anna Downes
name: Mark
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/21
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> The Stranger in the Lifeboat 56922594
Albom has written of heaven in the celebrated number one bestsellers "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" and "The First Phone Call from Heaven". Now, for the first time in his fiction, he ponders what we would do if, after crying out for divine help, God actually appeared before us? A fast-paced, compelling novel that makes you ponder your deepest beliefs, "The Stranger in the Lifeboat suggests that answers to our prayers may be found where we least expect them."]]> 271 Mitch Albom 006288834X Mark 0 currently-reading 4.05 2021 The Stranger in the Lifeboat
author: Mitch Albom
name: Mark
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/18
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Broken Bay (Detective Sergeant Mark Ariti, #3)]]> 122931326
Detective Sergeant Mark Ariti has taken a few days� holiday in Broken Bay at precisely the wrong time. The small fishing town on South Australia’s Limestone Coast is now the scene of a terrible tragedy.

Renowned cave diver Mya Rennik has drowned while exploring a sinkhole on the land of wealthy farmer Frank Doyle. As the press descends, Mark’s boss orders him to stay put and assist the police operation.

But when they retrieve Mya's body, a whole new mystery is opened up, around the disappearance of a young local woman twenty years before . . .

Suddenly Mark is diving deep into the town’s history - and in particular the simmering rivalry between its two most prominent families, the Doyles and Sinclairs.

Then a murder takes place at the Sinclairs� old home � and Mark is left wondering which is more Broken Bay’s hidden subterranean world or the secretive town above it . . .

'A tour de force.' A ustralian Women's Weekly on Cutters End

'Astonishingly assured crime novel. A pitch perfect outback noir.' Weekend Australian on Cutters End

'Hickey nicely layers the intrigue as we follow the always likeable Ariti, who once again discovers just how secretive and bizarre life in the rural hinterland can be.' Sydney Morning Herald on Stone Town

Cutters End was the winner of the BAD Danger Prize 2022 and was shortlisted for the Ned Kelly Award for Best First Fiction 2022.]]> 384 Margaret Hickey 1760146269 Mark 0 currently-reading 4.05 2023 Broken Bay (Detective Sergeant Mark Ariti, #3)
author: Margaret Hickey
name: Mark
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/27
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Cross Bones (Temperance Brennan, #8)]]> 421217
They are “the disappeared,� twenty-three massacre victims buried in a well in the Guatemalan village of Chupan Ya two decades ago. Leading a team of experts on a meticulous, heartbreaking dig, Tempe Brennan pieces together the violence of the past. But a fresh wave of terror begins when the horrific sounds of a fatal attack on two colleagues come in on a blood-chilling satellite call. Teaming up with Special Crimes Investigator Bartolome Galiano and Montreal detective Andrew Ryan, Tempe quickly becomes enmeshed in the cases of four privileged young women who have vanished from Guatemala City—and finds herself caught in deadly territory where power, money, greed, and science converge.]]> 0 Kathy Reichs 0743569776 Mark 0 currently-reading 3.56 2005 Cross Bones (Temperance Brennan, #8)
author: Kathy Reichs
name: Mark
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2005
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/27
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> The Midnight Library 52578297
When Nora Seed finds herself in the Midnight Library, she has a chance to make things right. Up until now, her life has been full of misery and regret. She feels she has let everyone down, including herself. But things are about to change.

The books in the Midnight Library enable Nora to live as if she had done things differently. With the help of an old friend, she can now undo every one of her regrets as she tries to work out her perfect life. But things aren't always what she imagined they'd be, and soon her choices place the library and herself in extreme danger.

Before time runs out, she must answer the ultimate question: what is the best way to live?]]> 288 Matt Haig 0525559477 Mark 0 currently-reading 3.96 2020 The Midnight Library
author: Matt Haig
name: Mark
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/15
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> Crooked Seeds 191746392 A woman in post-apartheid South Africa confronts her family's troubling past in this taut and daring novel about national trauma and collective guilt--from the Booker Prize-longlisted author of An Island.

Cape Town, 2028. The land cracks from a years-long drought, the nearby mountains threaten to burn, and the queue for the water trucks grows ever longer.

In her crumbling corner of a public housing complex, Deidre van Deventer receives a call from the South African police. Her family home, recently reclaimed by the government, has become the scene of a criminal investigation. The remains of several bodies have just been unearthed from her land, after decades underground. Detectives pepper Deidre with Was your brother a member of a pro-apartheid group in the 1990s? Is it true that he was building bombs as part of a terrorist plot?

Deidre doesn't know the answers to the detectives' questions. All she knows is that she was denied - repeatedly - the life she felt she deserved. Overshadowed by her brother, then left behind by her daughter after she emigrated, Deidre must watch over her aging mother and make do with government help and the fading generosity of her neighbors while the landscape around her grows more and more combustible. As alarming evidence from the investigation continues to surface, and detectives pressure her to share what she knows of her family's disturbing past, Deidre must finally face her own shattered memories so that something better might emerge for her and her country.

In exquisitely spare prose, Karen Jennings weaves a singularly powerful novel about post-apartheid South Africa. It is an unforgettable, propulsive story of fractured families, collective guilt, the ways we become trapped in prisons of our own making, and how we can begin to break free.]]> 240 Karen Jennings 0593597125 Mark 0 currently-reading 3.56 2024 Crooked Seeds
author: Karen Jennings
name: Mark
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/12
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> Ripper (PI Lane Holland, #2) 152260379
That three innocent people died. That the last stop on the Rainier Ripper's trail of death seventeen years ago was her innocuous little teashop.

She knows that the consequences of catching the Ripper still haunt her police officer husband and their marriage to this day and that some of her neighbours are desperate - desperate enough to welcome a dark tourism company keen to cash in on Rainier's reputation as the murder town.

When the tour operator is killed by a Ripper copycat on Gemma's doorstep, the unease that has lurked quietly in the original killer's wake turns to foreboding, and she's drawn into the investigation. Unbeknownst to her, so is a prisoner named Lane Holland.

Gemma knows her town. She knows her people. Doesn't she?]]> 346 Shelley Burr 0733647863 Mark 0 to-read 3.72 2023 Ripper (PI Lane Holland, #2)
author: Shelley Burr
name: Mark
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Never List 16158525
For years, best friends Sarah and Jennifer kept what they called the “Never List�: a list of actions to be avoided, for safety’s sake, at all costs. But one night, against their best instincts, they accept a cab ride with grave, everlasting consequences. For the next three years, they are held captive with two other girls in a dungeon-like cellar by a connoisseur of sadism.

Ten years later, at thirty-one, Sarah is still struggling to resume a normal life, living as a virtual recluse under a new name, unable to come to grips with the fact that Jennifer didn’t make it out of that cellar. Now, her abductor is up for parole and Sarah can no longer ignore the twisted letters he sends from jail.

Finally, Sarah decides to confront her phobias and the other survivors—who hold their own deep grudges against her. When she goes on a cross-country chase that takes her into the perverse world of BDSM, secret cults, and the arcane study of torture, she begins unraveling a mystery more horrifying than even she could have imagined.

A shocking, blazingly fast read, Koethi Zan’s debut is a must for fans of Karin Slaughter, Laura Lippman, and S.J. Watson.]]> 303 Koethi Zan 0670026514 Mark 3 Just one of those books that didn't grip me. Interesting idea, but somehow it just didn't fulfil the promise of the cover summary.]]> 3.62 2013 The Never List
author: Koethi Zan
name: Mark
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/30
date added: 2025/01/02
shelves:
review:
This was nothing special and in some parts somewhat boring, however I found sufficient intrigue in the plot to push on. The twist at the end was worth waiting for, but there was a lot of effort needed to get there.
Just one of those books that didn't grip me. Interesting idea, but somehow it just didn't fulfil the promise of the cover summary.
]]> I Will Ruin You 198123559 In the latest novel from New York Times bestselling author Linwood Barclay, a teacher’s act of heroism inadvertently makes him the target of a dangerous blackmailer who will stop at nothing to get what he wants.

How would you react in a life-or-death situation?

It’s a question everyone asks themselves, but few have to face in real life. English teacher Richard Boyle certainly never thought he would find himself talking down a former student intent on harming others, but when Mark LeDrew shows up at Richard’s school with a bomb strapped to his chest, Richard immediately jumps into action. Thanks to some quick thinking, he averts a major tragedy and is hailed as a hero, but not all the attention focused on him is positive.

Richard’s brief moment in the spotlight puts him in the sights of a deranged blackmailer with a score to settle. The situation rapidly spirals out of control, drawing Richard into a fraught web of salacious accusations and deadly secrets. As he tries to uncover the truth he discovers that there’s something deeply wrong in the town—something that ties together Mark, the blackmailer, and a gang of ruthless drug dealers, and Richard has landed smack in the middle of it. He’s desperate to find a way out, but everyone in his life seems to be hiding something, and trusting the wrong person could cost him everything he loves.

What price will he pay for one good deed?]]> 341 Linwood Barclay 0063276313 Mark 0 to-read 3.83 2024 I Will Ruin You
author: Linwood Barclay
name: Mark
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/21
shelves: to-read
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]]> Storm Child (Cyrus Haven, #4) 209523725 An alternative cover edition for this ISBN 9781668030998 can be found here

The mystery of Evie Cormac’s background has followed her into adulthood. As a child, she was discovered hiding in a secret room where a man had been tortured to death. Many of her captors and abusers escaped justice, unseen but not forgotten. Now, on a hot summer’s day, the past drags Evie back as she watches the bodies of seventeen migrants wash up on a Lincolnshire beach.

There is only one survivor, a teenage boy, who tells police their small boat was deliberately rammed and sunk. Psychologist Cyrus Haven is recruited by the police to investigate the murders—but recognizes immediately that Evie has some link to the tragedy. By solving this crime, he could finally unlock the secrets of her past. But what dark forces will he set loose? And who will pay the price?]]> 336 Michael Robotham 1668030993 Mark 5 4.12 2024 Storm Child (Cyrus Haven, #4)
author: Michael Robotham
name: Mark
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/20
date added: 2024/12/20
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]]> Cemetery Road 40604810
Bienville, Mississippi, is no longer the city Marshall remembers. His family's 150-year-old newspaper is failing, and Jet Talal, the love of his youth, has married into the family of Max Matheson, one of a dozen powerful patriarchs who rule the town through the exclusive Bienville Poker Club. The city's only hope of economic salvation is a new, billion-dollar Chinese paper mill. But on the verge of the deal's consummation, two deaths rock Bienville to its core.

Joining forces with his former lover, Marshall begins digging for the truth. But he and Jet soon discover that the soil of Mississippi is a minefield where explosive secrets can be far more destructive than injustice.]]> 590 Greg Iles 0062824619 Mark 5 4.02 2019 Cemetery Road
author: Greg Iles
name: Mark
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/20
date added: 2024/12/20
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]]> <![CDATA[Wild Card (Detective Zoe Mayer #2)]]> 63050833
Detective Sergeant Zoe Mayer is on the case, alongside her trusty service dog, Harry. Although Zoe is determined to track down the murderer, she finds herself stonewalled at every turn—by Freddie’s family, his associates and even the local police. But then a second body is discovered, and soon all bets are off�

Wild Card is a gripping mystery about gang warfare and small-town corruption, featuring a crime-fighting duo like no other.]]> 307 Simon Rowell 1922458724 Mark 5 4.00 2023 Wild Card (Detective Zoe Mayer #2)
author: Simon Rowell
name: Mark
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/20
date added: 2024/12/20
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]]> <![CDATA[Bare Bones (Temperance Brennan, #6)]]> 128752 A newborn's charred remains turn up in a woodstove. A small plane crashes in a North Carolina cornfield on a sunny afternoon. Both pilot and passenger are burned beyond recognition. And what is the mysterious black substance covering the bodies? Most puzzling of all are the bones discovered at a remote farm outside Charlotte. The remains seem to be of animal origin, but Tempe is shocked when she gets them to her lab.
With help from a special detective friend, Tempe must investigate a poignant and terrifying case that comes at the worst possible moment. Daughter Katy has a new boyfriend who Tempe fears may have something to hide. And important personal decisions face Tempe. Is it time for emotional commitment? Will she have the chance to find out?
Everything must wait on the bones. Why are the X rays and DNA so perplexing? Who is trying to keep Tempe from the answers? Someone is following her and Katy. That someone must be stopped before it's too late.]]> 416 Kathy Reichs 074345300X Mark 4 3.98 2003 Bare Bones (Temperance Brennan, #6)
author: Kathy Reichs
name: Mark
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2003
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/20
date added: 2024/12/20
shelves:
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]]> Hostage 56628286 Or the one that matters most...

The atmosphere on board the inaugural non-stop flight from London to Sydney is electric. Numerous celebrities are rumoured to be among the passengers in business class and journalists will be waiting on the ground to greet the plane.

Mina is one of a hand-picked team of flight attendants chosen for the landmark journey. She's trying to focus on the task in hand, and not worry about her troubled five-year-old daughter back at home with her husband. Or the cataclysmic problems in her marriage.

But the plane has barely taken off when Mina receives a chilling note from an anonymous passenger, someone intent on ensuring the plane never reaches its destination. Someone who needs Mina's assistance and who knows exactly how to make her comply.

It's twenty hours to landing.
A lot can happen in twenty hours...]]> 357 Clare Mackintosh 1728245524 Mark 4 3.83 2021 Hostage
author: Clare Mackintosh
name: Mark
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/20
date added: 2024/12/20
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]]> The Measure 58884736
"A story of love and hope as interweaving characters display: how all moments, big and small, can measure a life. If you want joy, love, romance, and hope—read with us." —Jenna Bush Hager
A luminous, spirit-lifting blockbuster that asks: would you choose to find out the length of your life?

Eight ordinary people. One extraordinary choice.

It seems like any other day. You wake up, drink a cup of coffee, and head out.

But today, when you open your front door, waiting for you is a small wooden box. The contents of this mysterious box tells you the exact number of years you will live.

From suburban doorsteps to desert tents, every person on every continent receives the same box. In an instant, the world is thrust into a collective frenzy. Where did these boxes come from? What do they mean? Is there truth to what they promise?

As society comes together and pulls apart, everyone faces the same shocking choice: Do they wish to know how long they’ll live? And, if so, what will they do with that knowledge?

The Measure charts the dawn of this new world through an unforgettable cast of characters whose decisions and fates interweave with one another: best friends whose dreams are forever entwined, pen pals finding refuge in the unknown, a couple who thought they didn’t have to rush, a doctor who cannot save himself, and a politician whose box becomes the powder keg that ultimately changes everything.

Enchanting and deeply uplifting, The Measure is an ambitious, invigorating story about family, friendship, hope, and destiny that encourages us to live life to the fullest.]]> 353 Nikki Erlick 0063204207 Mark 4 3.96 2022 The Measure
author: Nikki Erlick
name: Mark
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/20
date added: 2024/12/20
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]]> <![CDATA[The Greater Good (John Bailey #1)]]> 53458364
Battered war correspondent John Bailey is a man living on the edge. He’s haunted by nightmares of being kidnapped and tortured in Iraq and he’s drinking too much to drown the memories. As he battles to get his life back together, a story breaks that will force him back into the spotlight � and into the crosshairs of a deadly international player.

When a beautiful prostitute is found murdered in her luxury Sydney apartment, Bailey is ordered to cover the story by The Journal’s editor and his old friend, Gerald Summers, because he can’t trust anyone else.

One of the victim’s clients, a key advisor to the Defence Minister, is chief suspect in her murder and he’s on the run. When he contacts Bailey, claiming to have information that will bring down the government, the stakes become deadly. To complicate matters,the investigating police detective is the woman Bailey walked out on a decade ago.

When a ruthless CIA fixer turns up, followed by a murderous Chinese agent hot on his trail, Bailey realises he has stumbled onto the story of a lifetime � one that he may not live to tell.]]> 375 Tim Ayliffe 1925640930 Mark 4 3.89 2018 The Greater Good (John Bailey #1)
author: Tim Ayliffe
name: Mark
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/20
date added: 2024/12/20
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]]> <![CDATA[Grave Secrets (Temperance Brennan, #5)]]> 281350
And then four young girls go missing from Guatemala City.

When a skeleton is found at the back of a rundown hotel, only someone with Tempe's expertise can deduce the identity and cause of death.

But as she searches for answers, her path is blocked at every turn. It is clear that some people will stop at nothing to keep Guatemala's secrets buried.]]> 315 Kathy Reichs 0684859734 Mark 4 3.99 2002 Grave Secrets (Temperance Brennan, #5)
author: Kathy Reichs
name: Mark
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2002
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/20
date added: 2024/12/20
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Sweet Remnants of Summer (Isabel Dalhousie, #14)]]> 59448070 In a new novel from a beloved and bestselling author, our favorite moral philosopher is caught up in a delicate dispute between members of a prominent family as her husband, Jamie, is dragged into his own internecine rivalry.

Isabel Dalhousie accepts an invitation to serve on the advisory committee of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, but soon finds herself swept up in an all-too-familiar dilemma. David is the grandson of a Scottish clan chief and is supportive of Scottish nationalism. But his fervent beliefs are threatening family harmony, especially because his sister Catriona's socialist views put her at odds with her brother. When their mother, Laura, a fellow committee member, asks Isabel to intervene, she tries to demur. But always one for courteous resolutions to philosophical disagreements, Isabel can't help but intercede.

In the meantime, Jamie, having criticized Isabel for getting involved in the affairs of others, does precisely that himself. Jamie is helping to select a new cellist for his ensemble, but he suspects that the conductor may be focused on something other than his favored candidate's cello skills.

With so many factors complicating matters, Isabel and Jamie will have to muster all their tact and charm to ensure that comity is reached between all these fractious parties.]]> 240 Alexander McCall Smith 1039003982 Mark 4 3.79 2022 The Sweet Remnants of Summer (Isabel Dalhousie, #14)
author: Alexander McCall Smith
name: Mark
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/20
date added: 2024/12/20
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]]> <![CDATA[Standing in the Shadows (Inspector Banks, #28)]]> 61604777 The 28th twisting installment in the DCI Alan Banks mystery series that Stephen King calls "the best now on the market."

In November 1980, Nick Hartley returns home from a university lecture to find his house crawling with police. His ex-girlfriend, Alice Poole, has been found murdered, and her new boyfriend Mark Woodcroft is missing. Nick is the prime suspect. The case quickly goes cold, but Nick cannot let it go. He embarks on a career in investigative journalism, determined to find Alice's murderer--but his obsession leads him down a dangerous path.

Decades later, in November 2019, an archaeologist unearths a skeleton that turns out to be far more contemporary than the Roman remains she is seeking. Detective Superintendent Alan Banks and his team are called in to investigate, but there is little to be gleaned from the remains themselves. Left with few clues, Banks and his team must rely on their wits to hunt down a killer.

As the two cases unfurl, the investigations twist and turn to an explosive conclusion.]]> 368 Peter Robinson 0062994980 Mark 5 3.85 2023 Standing in the Shadows (Inspector Banks, #28)
author: Peter Robinson
name: Mark
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/20
date added: 2024/12/20
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]]> <![CDATA[The Unusual Abduction of Avery Conifer]]> 57812824
What would you do to protect a child?

Beth's daughter Cleo and Shirley's son Daniel used to be married. Now Cleo is in gaol for supposedly contravening a family violence order, and Daniel has full-time care of their four-year-old daughter, Avery.

When Shirley suspects that Daniel is harming Avery, she enlists Beth to abduct their own granddaughter, even though the two women can't stand each other. They are joined on the run across country Victoria by Winnie, Shirley's own 89-year-old tech-savvy mother, and Harthacnut, Beth's miniature schnauzer.

The abduction gives rise to crises both personal and social, as Shirley's large and interfering family - including her toxic son - struggle to come to terms with her actions, amid a whirl of police investigation and media excitement. This heartfelt, wise, witty and wholly original novel explores of the lengths we may go to for those we love, and the unintended damage folded into daily life.]]> 460 Ilsa Evans 1867214024 Mark 4 3.85 The Unusual Abduction of Avery Conifer
author: Ilsa Evans
name: Mark
average rating: 3.85
book published:
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Fatal Voyage (Temperance Brennan, #4)]]> 128759 448 Kathy Reichs 1416510567 Mark 4 4.05 2001 Fatal Voyage (Temperance Brennan, #4)
author: Kathy Reichs
name: Mark
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2001
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/20
date added: 2024/12/20
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]]> The Survivors 59614548 Benjamin sees the shape of his two brothers trying to kill each other. It's no worthy finale, but perhaps it's also no surprise. How else had they expected this to end?
Three brothers return to the family cottage by the lake where, more than two decades earlier, a catastrophe changed the course of their lives. Now, they are here to scatter their mother's ashes.
Benjamin, the middle son, drives the three of them down the old gravel road to the house, through a familiar landscape but also through time. Here they are as boys, tanned legs and hungry eyes, children left to themselves by remote parents; here they are as young men, estranged but bound together by the history that defines them, their lives spent competing for their father's favour and their mother's love in a household more like a minefield than a home.
In the intervening years, Benjamin has grown increasingly untethered from reality, frozen in place as life carries on around him. And between the three brothers hums a dangerous current. What really happened that summer day when everything was blown to pieces?
The Survivors is the tale of a family falling apart and a chronicle of a mind unravelling in the wake of a tragedy, both a coming-of-age novel and a reckoning with a deeply buried past. Written with singular elegance and the drive of a suspense novel, its ending will leave you marvelling at what the best fiction can achieve.]]> 272 Alex Schulman 0349726876 Mark 3 3.37 2020 The Survivors
author: Alex Schulman
name: Mark
average rating: 3.37
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/20
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]]> Khaki Town 51736869 Khaki Town, Judy Nunn's stunning new novel, is inspired by a wartime true story which the Government kept secret for over seventy years.

'It seems to have happened overnight,' Val thought as she pulled the beers. 'We've become a khaki town.'

It's March 1942. Singapore has fallen. Darwin has been bombed. Australia is on the brink of being invaded by the Imperial Japanese Forces. And Val Callahan, publican of The Brown's Hotel in Townsville, could not be happier as she contemplates the fortune she's making from lonely, thirsty soldiers.

Overnight the small Queensland city is transformed into the transport hub for 70,000 American and Australian soldiers destined for combat in the South Pacific. Barbed wire and gun emplacements cover the beaches. Historic buildings have been commandeered. And the dance halls are in full swing with jitterbug and jive.

The Australian troops, short on rations and equipment, begrudge the confident, well-fed 'Yanks' who have taken over their town (and women). And there's growing conflict, too, within the American ranks. Because black GIs are enjoying the absence of segregation and the white GIs do not like it.

Then one night a massive street fight leaves a black soldier lying dead in the street, and the situation explodes into violent confrontation.]]> Judy Nunn Mark 4 3.38 2019 Khaki Town
author: Judy Nunn
name: Mark
average rating: 3.38
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/20
date added: 2024/12/20
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]]> <![CDATA[Not Dark Yet (Inspector Banks, #27)]]> 53240821 “Robinson is an author with amazing empathy, a snare-trap ear for dialogue, and a clear eye for the telling detail.”—Michael Connelly

One of the world's greatest suspense writers returns with the 27th novel featuring the legendary detective Alan Banks in the mystery series Stephen King calls “the best now on the market.”�

When property developer Connor Clive Blaydon is found dead, Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks and his Yorkshire team dive into the investigation. As luck would have it, someone had installed a cache of spy-cams all around his luxurious home. The team hope that they’ll find answers—and the culprit—among the video recordings.

Instead of discovering Connor’s murderer, however, the grainy and blurred footage reveals another crime: a brutal rape. If they can discover the woman’s identity, it could lead to more than justice for the victim; it could change everything the police think they know about Connor and why anyone would want him dead.

Meanwhile, tensions are rising between Banks and his friend, Zelda. A super recognizer—able to recognize faces significantly better than most people—Zelda is determined to bring the men who abused her to justice. But stirring up the murky waters of the past will put her in far greater danger than ever before, and Banks worries that he won’t be able to stop her from plunging too deep before it’s too late.]]> 336 Peter Robinson 0062994956 Mark 5 3.78 2021 Not Dark Yet (Inspector Banks, #27)
author: Peter Robinson
name: Mark
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/20
date added: 2024/12/20
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]]> <![CDATA[Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, #2)]]> 128756 451 Kathy Reichs 0671011375 Mark 4 3.97 1999 Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, #2)
author: Kathy Reichs
name: Mark
average rating: 3.97
book published: 1999
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/20
date added: 2024/12/20
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]]> <![CDATA[Deadly Décisions (Temperance Brennan, #3)]]> 50364070 368 Kathy Reichs Mark 4 4.13 2000 Deadly Décisions (Temperance Brennan, #3)
author: Kathy Reichs
name: Mark
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2000
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/20
date added: 2024/12/20
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]]> <![CDATA[The Stellar Debut of Galactica MacFee (44 Scotland Street, #17)]]> 198579042
Angus Lordie is approached in the park by a shadowy, Deep Throat-like figure with government secrets to share, who mistakes him for a journalist. Now, Angus is privy to some controversial plans of the Scottish Parliament—but just what is he meant to do about it? Elsewhere, Big Lou's husband Bob hires a personal trainer who changes his entire outlook on life, much to Lou's dismay. At the schoolhouse, young Bertie Pollock's class has a new ringleader, Galactica MacFee, who quickly comes between Bertie and Olive. All this proves too much for Bertie to bear, and he flees to Glasgow with best friend Ranald Braveheart MacPherson in tow. And the indomitable Irene again finds herself in Edinburgh...and it looks like there might be romance in the air.

Meanwhile, Matthew, too, is keeping busy. He invests in a brand new Pictish Experience Centre, meant to allow residents to experience what life was like for Scotland's mysterious early people, the Picts. And they may have made a fantastic discovery—the earliest known work of Scottish literature! But what exactly do those mysterious Pictish runes say? As always, McCall Smith draws on his seemingly unlimited stores of goodwill and generosity in describing the goings-on of this beloved cast of characters.

8 hrs. 24 min.]]> 272 Alexander McCall Smith 0349146624 Mark 5 4.08 The Stellar Debut of Galactica MacFee (44 Scotland Street, #17)
author: Alexander McCall Smith
name: Mark
average rating: 4.08
book published:
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect (Ernest Cunningham, #2)]]> 209642581 'An outstanding and exceptional mystery from start to finish . . . everything fans would hope for.' JANE HARPER

When the Australian Mystery Writers� Society invited me to their crime-writing festival aboard the Ghan, the famous train between Darwin and Adelaide, I was hoping for some inspiration for my second book. Fiction, this time: I needed a break from real people killing each other. Obviously, that didn’t pan out.

The program is a who’s who of crime writing royalty:

the debut writer (me!)

the forensic science writer

the blockbuster writer

the legal thriller writer

the literary writer

the psychological suspense writer

But when one of us is murdered, the remaining authors quickly turn into five detectives. Together, we should know how to solve a crime.
Or commit one.

How can you find a killer when all the suspects know how to get away with murder?

'Sparkling with wit and witticisms about the world of writers and writing, Everyone On This Train Is A Suspect offers a tip of the hat to the great Agatha Christie novel while at the same time being a modern reinvention of it. Leave it to Stevenson to make high-jinx and murder deviously good fun.' NITA PROSE, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maid and The Mystery Guest
'Clever, satisfying, impossible to put down and gloriously inventive. It's fantastic. Books like this are why we love reading.' STUART TURTON
A wild and wonderful ride . . . I laughed out loud.' HAYLEY SCRIVENOR
'Crazily good crime fiction. Don't miss this train!' CANDICE FOX
Praise for EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY HAS KILLED SOMEONE:
'What an exceptionally fresh, smart, funny book - I've never read anything like this before.' Jane Harper
'As fresh and zingy as a salted lime. It's Knives Out meets Richard Osman. Or Dexter by way of Agatha Christie. Or Schitt's Creek with a body count.' A J Finn
'Readers won't want to put this story down . . . This is undoubtedly a future classic.' Big Issue Australia
'For something different, look no further than the very clever and entirely experimental Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone . . . One of the most anticipated books of the year.' Weekend Australian
'The best thing I've read in ages. I absolutely loved it. Whip-smart, twisted, funny, and constructed with the pinpoint precision of a bloodthirsty watchmaker.' Stuart MacBride
'I absolutely LOVED it. Engaging, entertaining and charming. I don't think I've ever read anything like it. It was such a fun read.' Marian Keyes
'Clever, unexpected, and not to be missed.' Karin Slaughter
'Elegantly sinuous, superbly plotted, and surprise-packed . . . One of the best damn things I've read this year.' WrittenbySime
'The most original novel you will read this year . . . a funny and clever novel that pays homage to the classic British murder mystery.' Canberra Weekly]]> 9 Benjamin Stevenson 1761340573 Mark 0 3.56 2023 Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect (Ernest Cunningham, #2)
author: Benjamin Stevenson
name: Mark
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/12/20
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]]> The Accident 198427542
Worlds converge and two women's lives are torn apart when a devastating accident uncovers a shocking web of lies. A gripping and thought-provoking new mystery from bestselling Australian author Fiona Lowe. Perfect for readers who enjoy Liane Moriarty and Sally Hepworth.

Freya thought she could relax when Ryan's best mate Jamie got engaged to her best friend Hannah. Two couples, four friends - what could be better than that? But a day before the wedding Freya's torn between keeping the peace or blowing it up.

Hannah's perfect wedding is hours away and she's daydreaming of a honeymoon in Tahiti and starting the family she longs for when she hears the first-responder sirens. Is it a grass fire? Worse? And why aren't Ryan or Jamie answering their phones?

When a car veers off the road with devastating consequences, the small wheatbelt town of Garringarup is left reeling, but no one's world is more shattered than Hannah and Freya's. As disturbing details surrounding the accident emerge and questions pile up, ugly secrets rise to the surface.

Mystery, lies and scandal - it's soon obvious nothing is as it seems in this small town...

The gripping and thought-provoking new mystery from bestselling Australian author Fiona Lowe.]]> 480 Fiona Lowe 1867247003 Mark 0 3.77 2024 The Accident
author: Fiona Lowe
name: Mark
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/12/20
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]]> Kill Your Brother 59542149
Would you kill your brother to save yourself?

After months of searching, disgraced athlete Elise Glyk has finally found her missing brother, Callum. He's being held in a backyard prison by Stephanie Hartnell, a former sheep farmer with an axe to grind. But before she can free Callum or call for help, Elise is captured and locked up alongside him.

Stephanie Hartnell doesn't have room for two prisoners, and she has nothing against Elise. But she needs to make sure Elise can't go to the police. So she offers her a deal: kill Callum, and you're free to go.

Of course, Elise won't even consider the deal. No way. It's unthinkable. But she's running out of time to find another way out. And her brother may not have told her the whole truth ...

A twisted roller-coaster of action and suspense from the acclaimed bestselling author of Hangman.

'Pure twist from start to finish'
SARAH BAILEY

'twisted . . . fiendish . . . startling'
GABRIEL BERGMOSER

'Survivor on steroids'
GREG WOODLAND

'Utterly compelling. A complex sibling relationship twisting and turning on itself . . . shades of Stephen King. Yes, it's that good . . . A wickedly delicious feast of a thriller.'
SARAH THORNTON, author of Lapse]]> 352 Jack Heath 1761065394 Mark 0 4.03 2021 Kill Your Brother
author: Jack Heath
name: Mark
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at: 2024/12/20
date added: 2024/12/20
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]]> <![CDATA[The Long Game (Detective Zoe Mayer #1)]]> 57641312
Detective Sergeant Zoe Mayer is scarcely back from extended leave, and still wrestling with her demons, but she is assigned the case, alongside her new service dog, Harry, whose instincts help her in unexpected ways.

There’s an obvious suspect for the murder, and Zoe makes an arrest. But it’s all too neat, and none of Zoe’s colleagues believes her theory that the whole thing is a stitch-up.

Except now someone is trying to hunt Zoe down.

Superbly plotted, and vividly set in the beachside suburbs and hilly retreats around Melbourne, The Long Game is a mystery about a tough and clever investigator who won’t give up.]]> 288 Simon Rowell 192233071X Mark 0 3.94 2021 The Long Game (Detective Zoe Mayer #1)
author: Simon Rowell
name: Mark
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at: 2024/12/20
date added: 2024/12/20
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]]> <![CDATA[Bad Day at the Vulture Club (Baby Ganesh Agency Investigation, #5)]]> 42515928 In the gripping new Baby Ganesh Agency novel, Inspector Chopra and his elephant sidekick investigate the death of one of Mumbai's wealthiest citizens, a murder with ramifications for its poorest.

The Parsees are among the oldest, most secretive and most influential communities in the city: respected, envied and sometimes feared.

When prominent industrialist Cyrus Zorabian is murdered on holy ground, his body dumped inside a Tower of Silence - where the Parsee dead are consumed by vultures - the police dismiss it as a random killing. But his daughter is unconvinced.

Chopra, uneasy at entering this world of power and privilege, is soon plagued by doubts about the case.

But murder is murder. And in Mumbai, wealth and corruption go in hand in hand, inextricably linking the lives of both high and low...

]]> 389 Vaseem Khan Mark 0 4.16 2019 Bad Day at the Vulture Club (Baby Ganesh Agency Investigation, #5)
author: Vaseem Khan
name: Mark
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/12/20
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]]> The Watchful Wife 141339418 A story of unshakeable belief and unbending faith from the author of The Deceptions.

'The Watchful Wife is assured and engrossing. As our crisp, clear-eyed narrator with more than one cross to bear, Ellen guides us through a tangle of ethical and emotional quandaries that feel both timeless and immediate, keeping us on her side the whole way through.'Jacqueline Bublitz, author of Before You Knew My Name

'Leal's unusual perspective on the destructive force of an allegation gives this book real moral complexity…Nuanced, troubling and convincing.'Jock Serong, author of The Settlement

Raised by her severe parents in a punitive and authoritarian church, Ellen's narrow world is upended when she meets Gordon, a fellow teacher. Responding to his interest with curiosity and, before long, pleasure, Ellen is both transformed and beguiled by the connection, love and laughter he brings into her life.

Three years later, a knock on the door changes everything. Two police officers have come to accuse Gordon of a shocking crime. Abandoned and reviled by those around her, Ellen steadfastly refuses to believe Gordon has done anything wrong. In a world of swirling suspicion, however, she will have to fight to protect him.
But what will that cost her? And what will she discover about him along the way?

A propulsive and provocative novel about love, faith and courage from the bestselling author of The Teacher's Secret.

'Suzanne Leal's books always grab me from the very first sentence and The Watchful Wife is no exception. It is intriguing, engaging and deeply moving from beginning to end. I loved Ellen from the first moment I met her.' Jane Caro, author of The Mother

'Leal delivers an intriguing page-turner with emotional depth, nuance and moral The Watchful Wife is a truly gripping read from start to finish.' Mark Brandi, author of The Others

'The Watchful Wife is a tense Australian thriller that reminds sometimes you need an outsider to fight injustice.' Jack Beaumont, author of The Frenchman]]> 368 Suzanne Leal 1761187074 Mark 0 3.80 The Watchful Wife
author: Suzanne Leal
name: Mark
average rating: 3.80
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2024/12/20
date added: 2024/12/20
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]]> Dice 141339412
Four teenage boys invent a sex game based on rolling dice and doing what the numbers say.

They are charged with multiple sexual offences against three teenage girls.

Twelve random jurors are brought together in a trial to work out what actually happened.

Only they can say whether crimes have been committed and who should be punished.

How does the jury find?

Dice is a stunning courtroom drama told from the perspective of a diverse group of ordinary people - the jury. How will twelve women and men, aged from eighteen to seventy-two with hugely disparate backgrounds, beliefs and experience, decide whether consent was given or crimes were committed?

How can they possibly arrive at a unanimous verdict? How will justice be properly served?

In this dazzlingly accomplished and gripping debut novel, chapters are told through the point of view of each juror as the trial unfolds. The reader too becomes a jury member as the evidence is presented and information is withheld, fragmented and re-told by different witnesses. Each person must decide where the truth lies.

Will the verdict deliver justice, or just reflect the prejudices and differences in the jury?]]> 375 Claire Baylis 1761186957 Mark 0 3.83 2023 Dice
author: Claire Baylis
name: Mark
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at: 2024/12/20
date added: 2024/12/20
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Stone Town (Detective Sergeant Mark Ariti #2)]]> 60533565
With its gold rush history long in the past, Stone Town has definitely seen better days. And it’s now in the headlines for all the wrong reasons . . .

When three teenagers stumble upon a body in dense bushland one rainy Friday night, Senior Sergeant Mark Ariti’s hopes for a quiet posting in his old home town are shattered. The victim is Aidan Sleeth, a local property developer, whose controversial plans to buy up Stone Town land means few are surprised he ended up dead.

However his gruesome murder is overshadowed by the mystery consuming the entire nation: the disappearance of Detective Sergeant Natalie Whitsted.

Natalie had been investigating the celebrity wife of crime boss Tony ‘The Hook� Scopelliti when she vanished. What did she uncover? Has it cost her her life? And why are the two Homicide detectives, sent from the city to run the Sleeth case, so obsessed with Natalie’s fate?

But following a late-night call from his former boss, Mark is sure of one thing: he’s now in the middle of a deadly game . . .]]> 409 Margaret Hickey 0143777270 Mark 0 3.96 2022 Stone Town (Detective Sergeant Mark Ariti #2)
author: Margaret Hickey
name: Mark
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at: 2024/12/20
date added: 2024/12/20
shelves:
review:

]]> The Half Brother 123175136
Hannah and Stef have always been there for each other. Growing up in a loving family, they’re stunned to discover their mother adopted out a child before their parents met.

When Alex walks into their lives, the sisters are seduced by his charm, wealth and social status. But as they rush to make up for lost time, it soon becomes apparent their new brother’s agenda is more complicated and sinister than the sisters could have imagined.

A novel about loyalty, secrets and the insidious effects of narcissism and gaslighting, The Half Brother asks, do we ever really know those we love the most?]]> 344 Christine Keighery 1761151517 Mark 0 3.37 2023 The Half Brother
author: Christine Keighery
name: Mark
average rating: 3.37
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at: 2024/12/20
date added: 2024/12/20
shelves:
review:

]]> Day's End (Hirsch, #4) 61400894
Today he’s driving an international visitor around: Janne Van Sant, whose backpacker son went missing while the borders were closed. They’re checking out his last photo site, his last employer. A feeling that the stories don’t quite add up.

Then a call comes in: a roadside fire. Nothing much—a suitcase soaked in diesel and set alight. But two noteworthy facts emerge. Janne knows more than Hirsch about forensic evidence. And the body in the suitcase is not her son’s.]]> 400 Garry Disher 1922458821 Mark 0 3.99 2022 Day's End (Hirsch, #4)
author: Garry Disher
name: Mark
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at: 2024/12/20
date added: 2024/12/20
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Stoning (DS George Manolis, #1)]]> 58331243
A local schoolteacher is found taped to a tree and stoned to death. Suspicion instantly falls on the refugees at the new detention centre on Cobb's northern outskirts. Tensions are high, between whites and the local indigenous community, between immigrants and the townies.

Still mourning the recent death of his father, Detective Sergeant George Manolis returns to his childhood hometown to investigate. Within minutes of his arrival, it's clear that Cobb is not the same place he left. Once it thrived, but now it's a poor and derelict dusthole, with the local police chief it deserves. And as Manolis negotiates his new colleagues' antagonism, and the simmering anger of a community destroyed by alcohol and drugs, the ghosts of his past begin to flicker to life.

Vivid, pacy and almost dangerously atmospheric, The Stoning is the first in a new series of outback noir featuring DS Manolis, himself an outsider, and a good man in a world gone to hell.]]> 315 Peter Papathanasiou 1529416973 Mark 0 3.76 2021 The Stoning (DS George Manolis, #1)
author: Peter Papathanasiou
name: Mark
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at: 2024/12/20
date added: 2024/12/20
shelves:
review:

]]> Apples Never Fall 57008333
But now Joy Delaney has disappeared and her children are re-examining their parents' marriage and their family history with fresh, frightened eyes. Is her disappearance related to their mysterious house guest from last year? Or were things never as rosy as they seemed in the Delaney household?]]> 496 Liane Moriarty 1760785024 Mark 0 3.73 2021 Apples Never Fall
author: Liane Moriarty
name: Mark
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at: 2024/12/20
date added: 2024/12/20
shelves:
review:

]]> Panic 215964144
She posted a drunken rant that went horrifically viral. Now � jobless, friendless and broke � she’s forced to volunteer as a carer on an isolated rural property. She won’t be paid for looking after dementia sufferer Nell, but at least she’ll have a place to stay.

Bronte’s host is Nell’s daughter Veda, who runs spiritual rebirthing retreats. She also claims the rights of a sovereign citizen and rejects the authority of the state, refusing even to register her car. She has acquired a small but devoted following.

Are they harmless cranks, with their conspiracy theories and outrage at government overreach? Or dangerously paranoid domestic terrorists? And what is the dark secret that Nell, in her confusion, keeps harking back to?

Bronte, increasingly uneasy, would be getting far away from the whole place � if she had anywhere else to go.

Catherine Jinks� books for adults, young adults and children have been published in a dozen countries and have won numerous awards, including a Victorian Premier’s Literary Award and the CBCA Book of the Year Award (four times). She lives in the Blue Mountains.

‘[Jinks] crafts a taut, tense thriller of a narrative, expertly cranking up the suspense notch by notch.� Saturday Paper on Traced]]> 343 Catherine Jinks 1922791989 Mark 0 to-read 3.49 2025 Panic
author: Catherine Jinks
name: Mark
average rating: 3.49
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret (Ernest Cunningham, #3)]]> 206005312
My name’s Ernest Cunningham. I used to be a fan of reading Golden Age murder mysteries, until I found myself with a haphazard career getting stuck in the middle of real-life ones. I’d hoped, this Christmas, that any self-respecting murderer would kick their feet up and take it easy over the holidays. I was wrong.

So here I am, backstage at the show of world-famous magician Rylan Blaze, whose benefactor has just been murdered. My suspects are all professional tricksters: masters of the art of misdirection.

THE MAGICIAN

THE ASSISTANT

THE EXECUTIVE

THE HYPNOTIST

THE IDENTICAL TWIN

THE COUNSELLOR

THE TECH

My clues are even more abstract: A suspect covered in blood, without a memory of how it got there. A murder committed without setting foot inside the room where it happens. And an advent calendar. Because, you know, it’s Christmas.

If I can see through the illusions, I know I can solve it.

After all, a good murder is just like a magic trick, isn’t it?]]> 175 Benjamin Stevenson 0063412861 Mark 0 to-read 3.70 2024 Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret (Ernest Cunningham, #3)
author: Benjamin Stevenson
name: Mark
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> To the River 200825406 After You Were Gone.

The Kelly family has always been trouble. When a fire in a remote caravan community kills nine people, including 17-year-old Sabine Kelly's mother and sister, Sabine confesses to the murders. Shortly after, she escapes custody and disappears. Recently made redundant from marriage, motherhood and her career, journalist Rachel Weirdermann has long suspected Sabine made her way back to the river-now, twelve years after the 'Caravan Murders', she has the time and the tenacity to corner a fugitive and land the story of the year.

Rachel's ambition lights the fuse leading to a brutal chain of events, and the web Sabine weaves will force Rachel to question everything she believes. Vikki Wakefield's compelling story is about class, corruption, love, loyalty, and the vindication of truth and justice. And a brave dog called Blue.]]> 368 Vikki Wakefield 1922790591 Mark 0 to-read 4.07 2024 To the River
author: Vikki Wakefield
name: Mark
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Valley (Ivan Lucic & Nell Buchanan, #4)]]> 213113836 The latest stunning thriller from the bestselling author of Scrublands and The Seven.

Nell Buchanan and Ivan Lucic are back � as Nell is thrown into her most emotionally fraught investigation yet.

A controversial entrepreneur is murdered in a remote mountain valley, but this is no ordinary case. Ivan and Nell are soon contending with cowboy lawyers, conmen, bullion thieves and grave robbers.

But it's when Nell discovers the victim is a close blood relative, that the past begins to take on a looming significance.

What did take place in The Valley all those years ago? What was Nell's mother doing there, and what was her connection to troubled young police officer Simmons Burnside? And why do the police hierarchy insist Ivan and Nell stay with the case despite an obvious conflict of interest?

The Valley features a page-turning plot, intriguing characters, and an evocative sense of place—where nothing is ever quite what it seems. Chris Hammer, the acclaimed and bestselling author of the international bestsellers Scrublands, Treasure & Dirt, The Tilt and The Seven, presents another immersive and emotionally-rewarding thriller.

Praise for Chris

'Hammer has confirmed and underlined his reputation as numbering among the very best novelists in detective fiction.' Sydney Morning Herald

'Chris Hammer at the height of his powers � absolutely not to be missed!' Hayley Scrivenor, author of Dirt Town on The Tilt

'A darkly simmering mystery, gorgeously told � Utterly brilliant.' Dervla McTiernan, author of The Ruin and What Happened to Nina?

'It would be unfair to say Chris Hammer is at the top of the crime writing game. Chris Hammer IS the game. Full Tilt may be a better title, given the speed with which readers will devour Chris Hammer's exceptional novel.' Benjamin Stevenson, author of Everyone On This Train is a Suspect

'Like everything Chris Hammer writes, The Tilt is a rich, complex thriller, packed with detail and intrigue. There's a reason why this guy is on my auto-read list!' Christian White, author of The Nowhere Child

'Chris Hammer is a great writer � a leader in Australian noir.' Michael Connelly

'If you haven't read Hammer before, this is the perfect time to experience one of the best writers Australia has to offer. Rife with intrigue, murder, and small-town secrets, Treasure and Dirt is a spectacular thriller that delivers some unforgettable characters with twists and turns you won't see coming. Hammer has raised the bar for Australian crime, and this is a must-read.' Better Reading

'Chris Hammer has excelled himself with Trust…a thriller strong on character development, social insights, ethical issues and dramatic action.' Weekend Australian

'The best Australian crime novel since Peter Temple's The Broken Shore.]]> 370 Chris Hammer 1761189980 Mark 0 to-read 4.11 2024 The Valley (Ivan Lucic & Nell Buchanan, #4)
author: Chris Hammer
name: Mark
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/08
shelves: to-read
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]]> Gabriel's Moon 215198466 In his most exhilarating novel yet, Britain’s greatest storyteller transports you from the vibrant streets of sixties London to the sun-soaked cobbles of Cadiz and the frosty squares of Warsaw, as an accidental spy is drawn into the shadows of espionage and obsession.

Gabriel Dax is a young man haunted by the memories of a every night, when sleep finally comes, he dreams about his childhood home in flames. His days are spent on the move as an acclaimed travel writer, capturing the changing landscapes in the grip of the Cold War. When he’s offered the chance to interview a political figure, his ambition leads him unwittingly into a web of duplicities and betrayals.

As Gabriel’s reluctant initiation takes hold, he is drawn deeper into the shadows. Falling under the spell of Faith Green, an enigmatic and ruthless MI6 handler, he becomes ‘her spy�, unable to resist her demands. But amid the peril, paranoia and passion consuming Gabriel’s new covert life, it will be the revelations closer to home that change the rest of his story.]]> 272 William Boyd 0802164870 Mark 0 to-read 3.87 2024 Gabriel's Moon
author: William Boyd
name: Mark
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/08
shelves: to-read
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]]> First Wife's Shadow 204169194 The Family Remains, on Two Dead Wives

An exhilarating psychological crime thriller that will have you racing to the finish!

HIS FIRST WIFE DIED. NOW THERE'S A VACANCY�

When Emma meets Matthew, a kind, handsome widower, he seems to be just what she needs.

Yet as their relationship moves fast, Emma’s friends worry she might be exploited. She’s a rich woman after all.

Emma doesn’t care Matthew has no money. But as the memory of his perfect first wife hangs over them, Emma does have one tiny doubt.

If Matthew’s wife hadn’t died, he wouldn’t be with her. And Emma wonders if she’s second best. Can she ever fill the dead woman’s shoes?

As jealousy and suspicion blossom between Emma and Matthew, events take a darker, dangerous turn.

Suddenly Emma doesn’t know who she can trust. Her friends? Her husband? Or even herself�?]]> 368 Adele Parks 0778368130 Mark 0 to-read 3.88 2024 First Wife's Shadow
author: Adele Parks
name: Mark
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Conditions of Unconditional Love (Isabel Dalhousie, #15)]]> 199927031
“McCall Smith’s assessments of fellow humans are piercing and profound . . . [His] depictions of Edinburgh are vivid and seamless.� � San Francisco Chronicle

Isabel Dalhousie, everyone's favorite moral philosopher, is once again called on to help navigate a decidedly delicate dispute with all of the insight and compassion she has become known for. What makes Isabel's investigations so unique is her uncanny ability to view all sides of a situation with coolness and reserve � and she will tap deep into her stores of both in order to help see this one through. Meanwhile, Isabel and her husband Jamie will together be dealing with tricky personal issues of their own. Philosophical observations and humorous asides abound in this fifteenth installment of the beloved series.]]> 256 Alexander McCall Smith 0593701720 Mark 0 to-read 3.87 The Conditions of Unconditional Love (Isabel Dalhousie, #15)
author: Alexander McCall Smith
name: Mark
average rating: 3.87
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/26
shelves: to-read
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]]> The Dilemma 49219357 A woman's birthday party takes a dark turn in a poignant, heart-stopping new novel from the reigning queen of suspense, NYT and USA Today bestselling author of Behind Closed Doors.

Livia is finally having the birthday party she always dreamed of. When she and her husband Adam fell pregnant as teenagers, she was disowned by her parents. Their marriage has had its ups and downs, but now, twenty years on, they are blissfully happy now with their two grown-up children, Josh and Marnie. And tonight, Adam is throwing Livia the party of a lifetime, to make up for the fairytale wedding they could never have.

Marnie has been studying abroad and can’t make it to the party. Livia can’t help but be slightly grateful for this, as she’s recently uncovered a secret about their daughter which, if revealed, will shake the foundation of their family to its core. For just one night, Livia wants everything to be perfect.

Adam, meanwhile, has set up another surprise for his wife: Marnie will be secretly flying back for the family celebration. But soon it emerges that Adam is faced with a dilemma of his own, and he too may have to keep a terrible secret. After all, if you could give the person you love the most in the world a few more hours of happiness, you would . . . wouldn’t you? As the day of the party dawns, one thing is clear: Marnie’s arrival could shatter everything.]]> 304 B.A. Paris 1250151384 Mark 4 Both Livia and Adam have life-changing information they must share with the other, but because the party was much anticipated and its execution so joyous, neither wants to share it until the event is over, because they both want the other to enjoy the moment.
Should they tell, or shouldn't they. For one, the information is enraging, for the other, the information is catastrophic.
The book tells their interactions in the lead up, during and after the party and just how hard it is to know whether it is better to tell, or better to hang on.
I found it well written and engaging. Whilst I knew both pieces of information, I was motivated to find out how it will be received - and for one, hoping it may not be true.
A lively, recommended read for anyone who enjoys a good social thriller.]]> 3.68 2019 The Dilemma
author: B.A. Paris
name: Mark
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2020/09/06
date added: 2024/09/28
shelves:
review:
The Dilemma is an engaging story that takes place over the 24 hours of the much anticipated 40th birthday party of Livia, wife of Adam and mother of two young adult children.
Both Livia and Adam have life-changing information they must share with the other, but because the party was much anticipated and its execution so joyous, neither wants to share it until the event is over, because they both want the other to enjoy the moment.
Should they tell, or shouldn't they. For one, the information is enraging, for the other, the information is catastrophic.
The book tells their interactions in the lead up, during and after the party and just how hard it is to know whether it is better to tell, or better to hang on.
I found it well written and engaging. Whilst I knew both pieces of information, I was motivated to find out how it will be received - and for one, hoping it may not be true.
A lively, recommended read for anyone who enjoys a good social thriller.
]]> Truly Madly Guilty 27831371 The electrifying new novel from the international bestselling author, Liane Moriarty

Despite their differences, Erika and Clementine have been best friends since they were children. So when Erika needs help, Clementine should be the obvious person to turn to. Or so you'd think.

For Clementine, as a mother of a two desperately trying to practise for the audition of a lifetime, the last thing she needs is Erika asking for something, again.

But the barbecue should be the perfect way to forget their problems for a while. Especially when their hosts, Vid and Tiffany, are only too happy to distract them.

Which is how it all spirals out of control...

]]> 517 Liane Moriarty 1250069815 Mark 3 owned-as-ebook
Merged review:

This book was a little underwhelming and far too long. The story and characters were interesting enough to keep me entertained, but it was tedious and repetitive and really didn't go anywhere. What I expected to be decent twists and surprises were pretty flat. The premise of a suburban barbecue between three families where something goes terribly wrong was intriguing, but it took so long to develop and then went round in circles. It seemed to repeat the same things about the characters, the event and their terribly self-absorbed lives and feelings of guilt. The longer it went the more tedious it became and the climax (if you could call it that) was dull.]]> 3.59 2016 Truly Madly Guilty
author: Liane Moriarty
name: Mark
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2017/05/07
date added: 2024/09/28
shelves: owned-as-ebook
review:
This book was a little underwhelming and far too long. The story and characters were interesting enough to keep me entertained, but it was tedious and repetitive and really didn't go anywhere. What I expected to be decent twists and surprises were pretty flat. The premise of a suburban barbecue between three families where something goes terribly wrong was intriguing, but it took so long to develop and then went round in circles. It seemed to repeat the same things about the characters, the event and their terribly self-absorbed lives and feelings of guilt. The longer it went the more tedious it became and the climax (if you could call it that) was dull.

Merged review:

This book was a little underwhelming and far too long. The story and characters were interesting enough to keep me entertained, but it was tedious and repetitive and really didn't go anywhere. What I expected to be decent twists and surprises were pretty flat. The premise of a suburban barbecue between three families where something goes terribly wrong was intriguing, but it took so long to develop and then went round in circles. It seemed to repeat the same things about the characters, the event and their terribly self-absorbed lives and feelings of guilt. The longer it went the more tedious it became and the climax (if you could call it that) was dull.
]]> The One Who Got Away 27504565 Loren Wynne-Estes appears to have it she's the girl from the wrong side of the tracks who's landed a handsome husband, a stunning home, a fleet of shiny cars and two beautiful daughters ... Then one day a fellow parent taps Loren on the shoulder outside the grand school gate, hands her a note ... and suddenly everything's at stake. Loren's Facebook-perfect marriage is spectacularly exposed -- revealing an underbelly of lies and betrayal. What is uncovered will scandalise a small town, destroy lives and leave a family divided. But who is to be believed and who is to blame? Will the right person be brought to justice or is there one who got away? 'The One Who Got Away is the new Gone Girl and then some ... The twists and turns are masterful and the way she channels the voices of her characters is a dream to read. I can't recommend this book highly enough. Bring on the movie' Mia Freedman]]> 336 Caroline Overington 1460703650 Mark 3 I've enjoyed Caroline Overington's novels, as I do her columns in The Australian. Although the author is Australian, this novel is set in California and New York.]]> 3.49 2016 The One Who Got Away
author: Caroline Overington
name: Mark
average rating: 3.49
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2020/04/20
date added: 2024/09/28
shelves:
review:
This was an easy and entertaining book that starts with a woman disappearing from a second honeymoon cruise and then backtracks the dysfunctional marriage that led to her disappearance. I didn't think it was a terribly original story - woman from the wrong side of the tracks meets and marries a man with money, status and lots of secrets - but it moved at a good pace and had a few surprises; even though I found it easy to pick how it would end fairly early in the book.
I've enjoyed Caroline Overington's novels, as I do her columns in The Australian. Although the author is Australian, this novel is set in California and New York.
]]> The Trap 30189617 For 11 years, the bestselling author Linda Conrads has mystified fans by never setting foot outside her home. Haunted by the unsolved murder of her younger sister--who she discovered in a pool of blood--and the face of the man she saw fleeing the scene, Linda's hermit existence helps her cope with debilitating anxiety. But the sanctity of her oasis is shattered when she sees her sister's murderer on television. Hobbled by years of isolation, Linda resolves to use the plot of her next novel to lay an irresistible trap for the man. As the plan is set in motion and the past comes rushing back, Linda's memories--and her very sanity--are called into question. Is this man a heartless killer or merely a helpless victim?]]> 353 Melanie Raabe 1455592919 Mark 4 A marvellous premise that didn't disappoint. Highly recommended.
]]> 3.48 2015 The Trap
author: Melanie Raabe
name: Mark
average rating: 3.48
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2016/08/02
date added: 2024/09/26
shelves:
review:
This is a very different style of psychological thriller that was gripping and surprising. A reclusive author recognises on television the man she witnessed murdering her sister. The man is a famous journalist, so she resorts to setting her own "trap" to force him to confess. The trap is a novel she writes about the murder, which she sends pre-release to the journalist to invite a one on one interview in her home. The interview sets the scene for a fascinating tussle and a stunning climax.
A marvellous premise that didn't disappoint. Highly recommended.

]]> The Fine Color of Rust 22393153
Loretta Boskovic never dreamed she would end up a single mother with two kids in a dusty Australian country town. She never imagined she’d have to campaign to save the local primary school. She certainly had no idea her best friend would turn out to be the crusty old junk man. All in all, she’s starting to wonder if she took a wrong turn somewhere. If only she could drop the kids at the orphanage and start over . . . But now, thanks to her protest letters, the education minister is coming to Gunapan, and she has to convince him to change his mind about the school closure. And as if facing down the government isn’t enough, it soon becomes clear that the school isn’t the only local spot in trouble. In the drought-stricken bushland on the outskirts of town, a luxury resort development is about to siphon off a newly discovered springwater supply. No one seems to know anything, no one seems to care.

With a dream lover on a Harley unlikely to appear to save the day, Loretta needs to stir the citizens of Gunapan to action. She may be short of money, influence, and a fully functioning car, but she has good friends. Together they can organize chocolate drives, supermarket sausage sizzles, a tour of the local slaughterhouse—whatever it takes to hold on to the scrap of world that is home. Warm, moving, and funny, The Fine Color of Rust is “a story about love: where we look for it, what we do with it, and how it shows up in the most unexpected packages� (Big Issue, Australia).]]> 306 Paddy O'Reilly 1451678177 Mark 4 I really liked it and hope the author has a few more books about Loretta Boskovic and Gunapan in her.]]> 3.54 2012 The Fine Color of Rust
author: Paddy O'Reilly
name: Mark
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2019/05/02
date added: 2024/09/24
shelves:
review:
This is a quirky (perhaps even quaint) story set in small town rural Australia that creates and presents warm, funny and colourful characters dealing with "not so fictional" problems and events. At it's heart is a story of motherhood, friendship and community that touches the unique Australian sense of warmth and humour.
I really liked it and hope the author has a few more books about Loretta Boskovic and Gunapan in her.
]]> <![CDATA[The Accusation: from Australia's queen of domestic noir]]> 45032788
Local drama teacher Suzannah Wells, once a minor celebrity, is new to town. Suddenly she's in the spotlight again, accused of being the monster who drugged and bound a teenager in her basement. As stories about her past emerge, even those closest to her begin to doubt her innocence.

And Ellie? The media can't get enough of her. She's a girl-power icon, a social-media star. But is she telling the truth?

A powerful exploration of the fragility of trust and the loss of innocence, from the author of The Golden Child and The Mistake.

PRAISE

'James brilliantly takes this historical true crime and updates it to the internet age' Cameron Woodhead, Sydney Morning Herald

'This satisfying novel perfectly captures our current world, saturated by social media, obsessed by beautiful victims and easily identified villains, and quick to judge and condemn ... This is a gripping novel with plenty of twists, underpinned by acute observations about society.' Good Reading magazine

'The Accusation will grip you from page one ... Intelligent, suspenseful, and masterfully paced, with a killer twist in the tail, The Accusation is domestic noir at its best, perfect for fans of Adele Parks, Caroline Overington and Liane Moriarty' Better Reading

'The Accusation is Australian crime writing at its best, showcasing the great talent of Australian women writers out there today. It deserves all the hype! A brilliant book, very highly recommended.' But Books are Better blog

'The way the book was structured really gave it an inventive feel ... Highly recommended' Katrina Ferguson and Kathryn Ryan, Radio New Zealand

PRAISE FOR THE GOLDEN CHILD

'The novel is cleverly constructed, the characters are extremely well-drawn, the use of social media as a plot device is very sophisticated, and the resolution is a genuine surprise' Judges' report, Ned Kelly Crime Awards, 2017

'This is domestic noir at its most intelligent and sharp' Sydney Morning Herald

'It takes 48 hours to pulse through Wendy James' rollercoaster 21st century story about parenting' Australian Women's Weekly

'an engaging and intimate read that will appeal to fans of Liane Moriarty and Jodi Picoult, with nods to Lionel Shriver and Christos Tsiolkas' The Slap . . . 4 Stars' Books & Publishing

'This book is utterly brilliant' Nicola Moriarty']]> 295 Wendy James 1460707230 Mark 4 The Accusation is a cracker of a story that starts with a missing girl being discovered in a farm shelter and then relating an extraordinary tale of her abduction and captivity that "frames" other people. The author has created an intricate cast of interesting and believable characters in a plausible plot that is complex and engaging. I had an early disappointment when I thought I'd guessed the outcome, but I had no idea what was to unfold. As in The Mistake, I liked how the author drip feeds information about the characters to build to a complex finale.
High recommended. I've just added The Golden Child to my list, so will look forward to visiting this author again in the near future.]]> 4.16 2019 The Accusation: from Australia's queen of domestic noir
author: Wendy James
name: Mark
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2020/04/14
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves:
review:
Having immensely enjoyed "The Mistake" by the same Australian author, my high expectations of this one were not disappointed.
The Accusation is a cracker of a story that starts with a missing girl being discovered in a farm shelter and then relating an extraordinary tale of her abduction and captivity that "frames" other people. The author has created an intricate cast of interesting and believable characters in a plausible plot that is complex and engaging. I had an early disappointment when I thought I'd guessed the outcome, but I had no idea what was to unfold. As in The Mistake, I liked how the author drip feeds information about the characters to build to a complex finale.
High recommended. I've just added The Golden Child to my list, so will look forward to visiting this author again in the near future.
]]> Go Set a Watchman 24851602 From Harper Lee comes a landmark new novel set two decades after her beloved Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece, To Kill a Mockingbird.

Maycomb, Alabama. Twenty-six-year-old Jean Louise Finch � ‘Scout� � returns home from New York City to visit her ageing father, Atticus. Set against the backdrop of the civil rights tensions and political turmoil that were transforming the South, Jean Louise’s homecoming turns bittersweet when she learns disturbing truths about her close-knit family, the town and the people dearest to her. Memories from her childhood flood back, and her values and assumptions are thrown into doubt. Featuring many of the iconic characters from To Kill a Mockingbird, Go Set a Watchman perfectly captures a young woman, and a world, in painful yet necessary transition out of the illusions of the past � a journey that can be guided only by one’s own conscience.

Written in the mid-1950s, Go Set a Watchman imparts a fuller, richer understanding and appreciation of Harper Lee. Here is an unforgettable novel of wisdom, humanity, passion, humour and effortless precision � a profoundly affecting work of art that is both wonderfully evocative of another era and relevant to our own times. It not only confirms the enduring brilliance of To Kill a Mockingbird, but also serves as its essential companion, adding depth, context and new meaning to a classic.]]> 288 Harper Lee 1473535409 Mark 3 owned-as-ebook 3.55 2015 Go Set a Watchman
author: Harper Lee
name: Mark
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2015/09/17
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves: owned-as-ebook
review:
I bought this book soon after it's release and eagerly anticipated the opportunity to read it. It's a good story of a young woman returning to her home town and seeing through older, more worldly and experienced eyes, the people, the values and the lifestyle that was important to her childhood. It may share characters with To Kill a Mockingbird, but it packs nothing of the impact and social statements within that story. If anything it is a sad and mildly satirical tale of small town values and a big town girl viewpoint. It's set later than the original book and in a time when the deep south was grappling with the conflict of old time values and civil rights and equality. I felt it was far too defensive of the old way of living, as if the south was being dragged out of a romantic era and recognising all people as equals was "just not the southern way". A good story, with some revealing moments for some of the characters, but far from the extraordinary that I'd be expecting. Anyone who has read and loved To Kill a Mockingbird has to read it and make up their own mind about it.
]]> <![CDATA[The Diggers Rest Hotel (Charlie Berlin, #1)]]> 19747976 336 Geoffrey McGeachin 1742530680 Mark 4 owned-as-ebook 4.16 2010 The Diggers Rest Hotel (Charlie Berlin, #1)
author: Geoffrey McGeachin
name: Mark
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2015/08/27
date added: 2024/09/16
shelves: owned-as-ebook
review:
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's a good, old-fashioned historical crime mystery with a strong Australian flavour. The style of writing seems quite simple at first, with many Australian colloquialisms and cliches thrown in, but after a while this becomes one of the more pleasurable aspects. The characters were brilliant, with a touch of post-war innocence tinged with colour and drama. The setting in rural Victoria is expertly brought to life, to the point where the vision I created of the scenes in my mind were incredibly vivid. The principal character, Charlie Berlin, is terrific and I look forward to reading more books in the series. Recommended as a light and entertaining, but very good quality, read.
]]> The Diamond Eye 58490567 The New York Times bestselling author of The Rose Code returns with an unforgettable World War II tale of a quiet bookworm who becomes history's deadliest female sniper. Based on a true story.

In 1937 in the snowbound city of Kyiv, wry and bookish history student Mila Pavlichenko organizes her life around her library job and her young son--but Hitler's invasion of Ukraine and Russia sends her on a different path. Given a rifle and sent to join the fight, Mila must forge herself from studious girl to deadly sniper--a lethal hunter of Nazis known as Lady Death. When news of her three hundredth kill makes her a national heroine, Mila finds herself torn from the bloody battlefields of the eastern front and sent to America on a goodwill tour.

Still reeling from war wounds and devastated by loss, Mila finds herself isolated and lonely in the glittering world of Washington, DC--until an unexpected friendship with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and an even more unexpected connection with a silent fellow sniper offer the possibility of happiness. But when an old enemy from Mila's past joins forces with a deadly new foe lurking in the shadows, Lady Death finds herself battling her own demons and enemy bullets in the deadliest duel of her life.

Based on a true story, The Diamond Eye is a haunting novel of heroism born of desperation, of a mother who became a soldier, of a woman who found her place in the world and changed the course of history forever.]]> 435 Kate Quinn 0062943510 Mark 0 to-read 4.26 2022 The Diamond Eye
author: Kate Quinn
name: Mark
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Here One Moment 208516656 If you knew your future, would you try to fight fate?

Aside from a delay, there will be no problems. The flight will be smooth, it will land safely. Everyone who gets on the plane will get off. But almost all of them will be forever changed.

Because on this ordinary, short, domestic flight, something extraordinary happens. People learn how and when they are going to die. For some, their death is far in the future—age 103!—and they laugh. But for six passengers, their predicted deaths are not far away at all.

How do they know this? There were ostensibly more interesting people on the flight (the bride and groom, the jittery, possibly famous woman, the giant Hemsworth-esque guy who looks like an off-duty superhero, the frazzled, gorgeous flight attendant) but none would become as famous as “The Death Lady.�

Not a single passenger or crew member will later recall noticing her board the plane. She wasn’t exceptionally old or young, rude or polite. She wasn’t drunk or nervous or pregnant. Her appearance and demeanor were unremarkable. But what she did on that flight was truly remarkable.

A few months later, one passenger dies exactly as she predicted. Then two more passengers die, again, as she said they would. Soon no one is thinking this is simply an entertaining story at a cocktail party.

If you were told you only had a certain amount of time left to live, would you do things differently? Would you try to dodge your destiny?

Liane Moriarty’s Here One Moment is a brilliantly constructed tale that looks at free will and destiny, grief and love, and the endless struggle to maintain certainty and control in an uncertain world. A modern-day Jane Austen who humorously skewers social mores while spinning a web of mystery, Moriarty asks profound questions in her newest I-can’t-wait-to-find-out-what-happens novel.]]> 512 Liane Moriarty 0593798600 Mark 0 to-read 3.98 2024 Here One Moment
author: Liane Moriarty
name: Mark
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/31
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Creeper 205169429 Victim ... or killer?

For the last decade, the small mountain town of Edenville in Victoria’s high country has been haunted by the horrific murders of five hikers up on Jagged Ridge.

Also found dead near the scene was Bill ‘Creeper� Durant, a bushland loner, expert deer-hunter, and a man with a known reputation for stalking campers . . .

murder-suicide. Case closed.

But as the ten-year anniversary of the massacre draws near, Detective Constable Sally White � the only officer at Edenville’s modest police station � finds herself drawn into the dark world of the notorious Durant family.

Lex Durant, in particular, has started to publicly protest his brother's innocence and accuse the police of persecution.

As Sally combs the investigation to prove him wrong, it becomes all too clear that each murdered hiker had skeletons in their closet - and possible enemies in their past . . .]]> 343 Margaret Hickey 1761342045 Mark 0 to-read 4.04 2024 The Creeper
author: Margaret Hickey
name: Mark
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Home Truths 207600058 Livia Denby is on trial for attempted murder. The jury have reached a verdict.

Two years earlier, Livia was a probation officer in Yorkshire, her husband Scott a teacher. Their children, Heidi and Noah, round out a happy family until the day Scott's brother dies.

Grief and guilt leave Scott seeking answers, a search which takes him into the world of conspiracy theories. As his grip on reality slides, he makes a decision which will put the family on a collision course with tragedy.

Livia's family has been torn apart, and now her son's life is hanging in the balance. Just how far will she go to save the ones she loves?]]> 368 Charity Norman 183895953X Mark 0 to-read 4.15 Home Truths
author: Charity Norman
name: Mark
average rating: 4.15
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 17 Years Later 149116142 Is the truth sometimes best left buried?

A crime masterpiece by bestselling author J. P. Pomare

The violent slaughter of the wealthy Primrose family while they slept shocked the nation of New Zealand and scarred the small idyllic rural town of Cambridge forever.

All of the evidence pointed to their young live-in chef, Bill Ruatara, who was swiftly charged with murder and brought to justice. The brutal crime is now infamous, and Bill a figure of contempt who deserves to rot in jail for life.

Seventeen years later, prison psychologist TK Phillips is fighting for an appeal. He is convinced Bill did not receive a fair trial. When celebrity true-crime podcaster Sloane Abbott takes a sudden interest, it's not long before she uncovers new evidence that could set fire to the prosecution's case.

As TK and Sloane dig deeper into the past, they become tangled in a complex web of danger and deceit. With Bill's innocence far from assured and their own lives at stake, will they risk everything to unearth the truth, or leave it buried for good?]]> 404 J.P. Pomare 0733649653 Mark 0 to-read 4.32 2024 17 Years Later
author: J.P. Pomare
name: Mark
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Hairdresser’s Son 213181544 Multi–award-winning Dutch author Gerbrand Bakker’s phenomenal new novel about grief and the unavoidable power of family ties.

Simon never knew his father, Cornelis. When his wife told him she was pregnant, Cornelis packed his bags, and a day later he was dead. Or everyone assumed he was dead; after all, he was on the passenger list of the KLM plane that crashed in Tenerife in 1977.

Simon is a hairdresser, just like his father and grandfather before him, but he is not passionate about cutting and shaving. ‘Closed� appears on his shop’s front door more often than ‘open�, because every customer is a person, and people suck the energy from him. But there is one client he regularly interacts the writer. The writer is looking for a subject for his next book, and becomes captivated by the story of Simon’s father.

As Simon probes the mystery of what happened to his father, a deeply humane and beautifully observed portrait of loneliness emerges in another captivating novel from one of Europe’s greatest storytellers.]]> 257 Gerbrand Bakker 1761385690 Mark 0 to-read 3.29 The Hairdresser’s Son
author: Gerbrand Bakker
name: Mark
average rating: 3.29
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife]]> 204158999 For readers of Remarkably Bright Creatures and A Man Called Ove, a warm, life-affirming debut about a zany case of mistaken identity that allows a lonely old man one last chance to be part of a family.

‘Would you mind terribly, old boy, if I borrowed the rest of your life? I promise I’ll take excellent care of it.'

Frederick Fife was born with an extra helping of kindness in his heart. If he borrowed your car, he’d return it washed with a full tank of gas. The problem is there’s nobody left in Fred’s life to borrow from. At eighty-two, he’s desperately lonely, broke, and on the brink of homelessness. But Fred’s luck changes when, in a bizarre case of mistaken identity, he takes the place of grumpy Bernard Greer at the local nursing home. Now he has warm meals in his belly and a roof over his head—as long as his poker face is in better shape than his prostate and that his look-alike never turns up.

Denise Simms is stuck breathing the same disappointing air again and again. A middle-aged mom and caregiver at Bernard's facility, her crumbling marriage and daughter's health concerns are suffocating her joy for life. Wounded by her two-faced husband, she vows never to let a man deceive her again.

As Fred walks in Bernard’s shoes, he leaves a trail of kindness behind him, fueling Denise's suspicions about his true identity. When unexpected truths are revealed, Fred and Denise rediscover their sense of purpose and learn how to return a broken life to mint condition.

Bittersweet and remarkably perceptive, The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife is a hilarious, feel-good, clever novel about grief, forgiveness, redemption, and finding family.]]> 336 Anna Johnston 0063397293 Mark 0 to-read 4.28 2024 The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife
author: Anna Johnston
name: Mark
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Shining Like the Sun 205085917
As the young people flee, the old people die, the drugs arrive in Selwyn, Wilf has to decide what's important. Shining Like the Sun is about the value of promises, of words and actions that might save a failing community. In the process, Wilf learns there's no such thing as retirement.]]> 313 Stephen Orr Mark 0 to-read 3.76 2024 Shining Like the Sun
author: Stephen Orr
name: Mark
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/06/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Every Last Suspect 203536923 Who killed Harriet?

Complicated, driven, loving; manipulative, irresistible, monstrous � whether you love her or hate her, Harriet is impossible to say no to. But someone has finally snapped and as Harriet lies dying, she is determined to figure out who has killed her.

Was it her devoted husband? Or was it her best friend and sometimes lover?

Or Karen, a fellow school mum and seemingly the woman who has it all � until the night Harriet persuaded her into playing Two Truths and a Lie?

Teenage bullies, complicated friendships, and games (both on and off the playground) combine with envy, obsession and revenge to create a twisty tale of drama and suspense that you won’t be able to put down.]]> 365 Nicola Moriarty 1405952008 Mark 0 to-read 3.81 2024 Every Last Suspect
author: Nicola Moriarty
name: Mark
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/06/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Perfect Passion Company (The Perfect Passion Company, #1-3)]]> 193782069
As the new manager of The Perfect Passion Company at No. 24 Mouse Lane in New Town, Katie Donald has made it her mission to provide help to the lovelorn citizens of Edinburgh. With the help of her amiable and handsome office neighbor William Kidd, she finds herself making matches for the lonely hearts of Edinburgh who want a more personal touch. In this tale, Katie helps an airline pilot figure out what it is he really wants in a partner by sending him to cooking school. Another customer, a hotelier with a particularly overbearing mother, arrives looking for a bit of freedom � and space. Along the way, Katie learns that the work of the Perfect Passion Company may be a little broader in its scope than she had originally thought. With the tenderness and lightness of touch that only McCall Smith is capable of, this novel offers a glimpse inside the psychology of matchmaking, the search for love and companionship, and the mysterious spark of attraction that can, at times, catch hold of us all.

Contains two previously published Vintage eShorts: COOK FOR ME and A LABOURER IN THE VINEYARD OF LOVE. The third story, THE GIRL FROM MELBOURNE, is published here for the first time.]]> 400 Alexander McCall Smith 0593688325 Mark 0 to-read 3.76 The Perfect Passion Company (The Perfect Passion Company, #1-3)
author: Alexander McCall Smith
name: Mark
average rating: 3.76
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> For Everything a Time 203371595 For everything there is an appointed time, even a time for every affair under the heavens.

After thirteen years it’s time for Mac to return home to face a past he’s been running from. A past his best friend Dave has been unable to escape.

It was 1990, their final year of school and with an INXS soundtrack, life was moving on. Bus stops, homework and football were giving way to pay slips and beer, to first cars and first loves.

Until one night changed it all.

As the story of that evening unravels, so too do the binds that cross generations of family. The pride of fathers. The love of mothers and a sister. The love of a mate; the prejudices that run deep. Testing them, and the strong social ties that small towns have, Mac searches for honesty and for the precious words never said, while Dave fights for his story to be heard.

Before it’s too late, can these once-close friends and their town still divided by tragedy find a time for peace? ]]> 296 Mark McAvaney 1761152769 Mark 0 to-read 4.01 For Everything a Time
author: Mark McAvaney
name: Mark
average rating: 4.01
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Table for Two 195474144 From the bestselling author of The Lincoln Highway, A Gentleman in Moscow, and Rules of Civility, a richly detailed and sharply drawn collection of stories set in New York and Los Angeles. The millions of readers of Amor Towles are in for a treat as he shares some of his shorter six stories set in New York City and a novella in Los Angeles. The New York stories, most of which are set around the turn of the millennium, take up everything from the death-defying acrobatics of the male ego, to the fateful consequences of brief encounters, and the delicate mechanics of compromise which operate at the heart of modern marriages. In Towles’s novel, Rules of Civility, the indomitable Evelyn Ross leaves New York City in September, 1938, with the intention of returning home to Indiana. But as her train pulls into Chicago, where her parents are waiting, she instead extends her ticket to Los Angeles. Told from seven points of view, “Eve in Hollywood� describes how Eve crafts a new future for herself—and others—in the midst of Hollywood’s golden age. Throughout the stories, two characters often find themselves sitting across a table for two where the direction of their futures may hinge upon what they say to each other next. Written with his signature wit, humor, and sophistication, Table for Two is another glittering addition to Towles’s canon of stylish and transporting historical fiction.]]> 451 Amor Towles 0593296370 Mark 0 to-read 4.15 2024 Table for Two
author: Amor Towles
name: Mark
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Goyhood 199696608
When Mayer (néeMarty) Belkin fled small town Georgia for Brooklyn nearly thirty years ago, he thought he'd left his wasted youth behind. Now he's a Talmud scholar married into one of the greatest rabbinical families in the world - a dirt poor country boy reinvented in the image of God.

But his mother's untimely death brings a shocking Mayer and his ne'er-do-well twin brother David aren't, in fact, Jewish. Traumatized and spiritually bereft, Mayer's only recourse is to convert to Judaism. But the earliest date he can get is a week from now. What are two estranged brothers to do in the interim?

So begins the Belkins' Rumspringa through America's Deep South with Mom's ashes in tow, plus two an insightful Instagram influencer named Charlayne Valentine and Popeye, a one-eyed dog. As the crew gets tangled up in a series of increasingly surreal adventures, Mayer grapples with a God who betrayed him and an emotionally withdrawn wife in Brooklyn who has yet to learn her husband is a counterfeit Jew.
]]> 288 Reuven Fenton 1771683686 Mark 0 to-read 3.82 2024 Goyhood
author: Reuven Fenton
name: Mark
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> One of Us is Missing 209562317 Rachel and Rory Sullivan decide to celebrate making it through a difficult year by taking their teenagers, Emmet and Bridie, to their first ever 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.]]> 406 B.M. Carroll 1923046691 Mark 0 to-read 3.94 One of Us is Missing
author: B.M. Carroll
name: Mark
average rating: 3.94
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Miller Women 199558073
Nicola has never told the truth about what happened with Abby's father. But now as the search for Cara continues, Nicola, her mother Joyce and her daughter Abby all risk their secrets coming to light.

A stunning, captivating and yet unnerving exploration of how the sins of the fathers - or in this case, the mothers - can echo down the generations.

Praise for Kelli Hawkins'

'A perfect, simmering slow burn that gets your heart pounding ... I couldn't put it down!' Better Reading

'A twisting, simmering mystery.' Readings

'A clever premise and a troubled narrator set this page-turner up beautifully. I really enjoyed the ride.' Sara Foster

'Taut, smart and immensely satisfying. I was addicted from the first page to the last.' Nicola Moriarty]]> 0 Kelli Hawkins 1460715780 Mark 0 to-read 3.86 The Miller Women
author: Kelli Hawkins
name: Mark
average rating: 3.86
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Only Suspect 61991782 THE NEW CAUTIONARY TALE OF OBSESSION, LOVE, JEALOUSY AND DECEPTION FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF OUR HOUSE AND THE OTHER PASSENGER

Wrong time. Wrong place. Wrong man.

Alex lives a comfortable life with his wife Beth in the leafy suburb of Silver Vale. Fine, so he’s not the most sociable guy on the street, he prefers to keep himself to himself, but he’s a good husband and an easy-going neighbour.

That’s until Beth announces the creation of a nature trail on a local site that’s been disused for decades and suddenly Alex is a changed man. Now he’s always watching. Questioning. Struggling to hide his dread . . .

As the landscapers get to work, a secret threatens to surface from years ago, back in Alex’s twenties when he got entangled with a seductive young woman called Marina, who threw both their lives into turmoil.

And who sparked a police hunt for a murder suspect that was never quite what it seemed. It still isn’t.

No one else could have done it. Could they?
]]> 432 Louise Candlish 1398509728 Mark 4 No point recounting the plot - there are plenty of reviews that do that. Just take it as a great thriller and enjoy all the twists, turns and ambiguity.


]]> 3.87 2023 The Only Suspect
author: Louise Candlish
name: Mark
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/29
date added: 2024/04/27
shelves:
review:
Here's a cracker of a psychological thriller that'll take you on a wild ride of belief and disbelief, where nothing is at it seems (or is it). I really enjoyed this story from start to finish, mostly because there was no predictability in it and until the climax was revealed, I really had no idea where it might end up.
No point recounting the plot - there are plenty of reviews that do that. Just take it as a great thriller and enjoy all the twists, turns and ambiguity.



]]> <![CDATA[From a Far and Lovely Country (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, #24)]]> 81069462
“An escape from life’s woes as well as a suggestion for how to make the whole deal more palatable—fragility, fruit cake, and all.� —The Boston Globe

This latest installment of the beloved No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series finds Botswana's premier detective agency as busy as ever, with no shortage of sensitve situations requiring Mma Ramotswe's keen eye and discerning input. Through it all, Mma Ramotswe will demonstrate that there are solutions to all manner of difficulties, there to be discovered as long as one is led by kindness, grace, and logic, and can rely on the wise counsel of close friends and loved ones. Sometimes, she reminds us, the best solutions to life's problems can be found with a bit of good humor, generosity of spirit, and a steaming cup of red bush tea.]]> 240 Alexander McCall Smith 0593317009 Mark 5 The writing style and language of these books remains exquisite and I think is a major reason why I enjoy them so much.
One day I would like to visit Botswana and look for all those wonderful characters and places so vividly created in these stories.
]]> 4.20 2023 From a Far and Lovely Country (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, #24)
author: Alexander McCall Smith
name: Mark
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/08
date added: 2024/04/26
shelves:
review:
A new instalment of the stories of the Number One Ladies Detective Agency is something I relish. It's like a visit with lovely friends and a time to catch up, renew acquaintances, hear news and have a little gossip. Warm, cozy, funny, touching and ultimately very satisfying.
The writing style and language of these books remains exquisite and I think is a major reason why I enjoy them so much.
One day I would like to visit Botswana and look for all those wonderful characters and places so vividly created in these stories.

]]> A Slow Fire Burning 56213354
Look what you started.]]> 307 Paula Hawkins 073521123X Mark 3 It wasn't a bad book though, just one that I didn't enjoy reading that much.
]]> 3.45 2021 A Slow Fire Burning
author: Paula Hawkins
name: Mark
average rating: 3.45
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2024/03/01
date added: 2024/04/26
shelves:
review:
I was a little underwhelmed by this book. I found the plot convoluted and the characters unappealing and each time I returned to the book it took me a while to catch up and remember the events of the plot. So rather than a relaxed and exciting read, I found it a bit frustrating. Having lapped up the excitement of "The Girl on the Train" perhaps my expectations were set too high for this one.
It wasn't a bad book though, just one that I didn't enjoy reading that much.

]]> <![CDATA[Déjà Dead (Temperance Brennan, #1)]]> 231604 532 Kathy Reichs Mark 3 3.89 1997 Déjà Dead (Temperance Brennan, #1)
author: Kathy Reichs
name: Mark
average rating: 3.89
book published: 1997
rating: 3
read at: 2024/03/02
date added: 2024/04/26
shelves:
review:
I was looking for a new series to read and the Temperance Brennan series was top of mind, not just because of the "Bones" television series, but because my daughter (now a lawyer) read the books voraciously when she was at school. I wasn't disappointed, although it took me a while to warm to the characters and understand the cross-jurisdictional plot (in Canada and US). I enjoy series where principal characters develop over time and various supporting cast come and go. I also enjoy crime procedurals that involve a broader range of characters than just police, so a forensic anthropologist as the principal character is something quite different. I think this series will satisfy me and I'm sure that I will find future volumes more compelling.
]]> It Takes a Town 200199369
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?

]]> 352 Aoife Clifford 1761152742 Mark 0 to-read 3.56 2024 It Takes a Town
author: Aoife Clifford
name: Mark
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Sanctuary 201296096
Grace is a thief- a good one. She was taught by experts and she's been practising since she was a kid. She specialises in small, high-value items-stamps, watches-and she knows her Jaeger-LeCoultres from her Patek Philippes. But it's a solitary life, always watchful, always moving. It's not the life she wants.

Lying low after a run-in with an old associate, Grace walks into Erin Mandel's rural antiques shop and sees a chance for something different. A normal job. A place to call home.

But someone is looking for Erin. And someone's looking for Grace, too. And they are both, in their own ways, very dangerous men.]]> 384 Garry Disher 1922790621 Mark 0 to-read 3.78 Sanctuary
author: Garry Disher
name: Mark
average rating: 3.78
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> What I Would Do to You 197711454 A near-future Australia.

The death penalty is back. But if the victim’s family wants the perpetrator to die, they have to do it themselves. Twenty-four hours alone in a room with the condemned. No cameras. No microphones. Just whatever punishment they decide befits the crime.

Ten-year-old Lucy was murdered.

Through counselling sessions with their court-appointed psychologist, we learn the stories of her family Lucy’s two mothers � Stella and Matisse � her much older brother and her bookish teenage sister, who is too young to participate in the execution, but who has plans of her own . . .

Secrets and grief threaten to break the family.

As the execution date nears, already-struggling Stella remains adamant that she must carry out the punishment. But it becomes clear that if she steps into that room, the family may lose her too.

What would you do?]]> 323 Georgia Harper 1761342134 Mark 0 to-read 3.85 What I Would Do to You
author: Georgia Harper
name: Mark
average rating: 3.85
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Windsor Knot (Her Majesty the Queen Investigates #1)]]> 58341875
When the police begin to suspect her loyal servants, Her Majesty knows they're looking in the wrong place.

For the Queen has been living an extraordinary double life since her coronation. Away from the public eye, she has a brilliant knack for solving crimes.

With her household's happiness on the line, her secret must not get out. Can the Queen and her trusted secretary Rozie catch the killer, without getting caught themselves?]]> 330 S.J. Bennett 1838774319 Mark 0 to-read 3.45 2020 The Windsor Knot (Her Majesty the Queen Investigates #1)
author: S.J. Bennett
name: Mark
average rating: 3.45
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> What Happened to Nina? 171793386
From the #1 internationally bestselling author of The Murder Rule comes an emotional novel of suspense about two families at war.

Nina and Simon are the perfect couple. Young, fun and deeply in love. Until they leave for a weekend at his family’s cabin in Vermont, and only Simon comes home.

WHAT HAPPENED TO NINA?

Nobody knows. Simon’s explanation about what happened in their last hours together doesn’t add up. Nina’s parents push the police for answers, and Simon’s parents rush to protect him. They hire expensive lawyers and a PR firm that quickly ramps up a vicious, nothing-is-off-limits media campaign.

HOW FAR WILL HIS FAMILY GO TO KEEP HIM SAFE?

Soon, facts are lost in a swirl of accusation and counter-accusation. Everyone chooses a side, and the story goes viral, fueled by armchair investigators and wild conspiracy theories and illustrated with pretty pictures taken from Nina’s social media accounts. Journalists descend on their small Vermont town, followed by a few obsessive "fans."

HOW FAR WILL HER FAMILY GO TO GET TO THE TRUTH?

Nina’s family is under siege, but they never lose sight of the only thing that really matters—finding their daughter. Out-gunned by Simon’s wealthy, powerful family, Nina’s parents recognize that if playing by the rules won’t get them anywhere, it’s time to break them.]]> 328 Dervla McTiernan Mark 0 to-read 4.05 2024 What Happened to Nina?
author: Dervla McTiernan
name: Mark
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Fury 123206645 A masterfully paced thriller about a reclusive ex–movie star and her famous friends whose spontaneous trip to a private Greek island is upended by a murder � from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Patient.

This is a tale of murder.

Or maybe that’s not quite true. At its heart, it’s a love story, isn’t it?

Lana Farrar is a reclusive ex–movie star and one of the most famous women in the world. Every year, she invites her closest friends to escape the English weather and spend Easter on her idyllic private Greek island.

I tell you this because you may think you know this story. You probably read about it at the time � it caused a real stir in the tabloids, if you remember. It had all the necessary ingredients for a press a celebrity; a private island cut off by the wind…and a murder.

We found ourselves trapped there overnight. Our old friendships concealed hatred and a desire for revenge. What followed was a game of cat and mouse � a battle of wits, full of twists and turns, building to an unforgettable climax. The night ended in violence and death, as one of us was found murdered.

But who am I?

My name is Elliot Chase, and I’m going to tell you a story unlike any you’ve ever heard.]]> 298 Alex Michaelides 125075898X Mark 0 to-read 3.34 2024 The Fury
author: Alex Michaelides
name: Mark
average rating: 3.34
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> No Trace (Gabe Ahern #2) 123200116
‘Did you have to kill them all?�

It’s the question Gabe Ahern has been running from since he bust open a major criminal operation � and left a dozen men dead. He knows that one day the ‘bad guys� will come for revenge.

A skilled dog-trapper, Gabe has one leave no sign, leave no trace. And for the last year he’s been successfully hiding out on a friend’s remote cattle property in the Pilbara.

But when Goldmont Station opens its gates to a bunch of city folk eager for an authentic outback experience, Gabe can feel eyes on his back. Are all these visitors really tourists?

In the space of 24 hours, the station’s helicopter falls from the sky . . . the phones and internet go down . . . and one of the guests turns up dead . . .

With major flooding suddenly cutting off all exit roads, Gabe fears he’s as trapped as the dogs he hunts. And that his bloody past has finally caught up with him.

PRAISE FOR WILD DOGS
'Tough, fast and hard � my kind of book.' Lee Child

'Will leave you breathless. Wild Dogs is a wild ride, with some thought-provoking themes, unexpected twists, all set against a haunting landscape.� Weekend Australian

‘This hard-bitten action novel reads like an Aussie western ... the book’s setting is atmospheric, and its action sequences surge with adrenaline and suspense as a deadly game of cat and mouse unfolds.� Sydney Morning Herald

'High octane, full throttle.� H e rald Sun]]> 352 Michael Trant 1760146196 Mark 5 Another reviewer described the book as a "locked room mystery" and I agree that's what made it so engaging and entertaining. An isolated station, an interesting cast of residents and visitors, a series of unfortunate events and the threat of the past all collide to create a cracker of a story that hooked me from start to finish.
I enjoy the way in which the author uses the location in remote Western Australia as a menacing and threatening character in its own right.

The author's note (at the end of the book) about the main character are worth reading. I'm grateful he listened to his publisher and changed his original plan to make his first book, Wild Dogs, a stand alone. May there be many more. ]]> 4.18 2023 No Trace (Gabe Ahern #2)
author: Michael Trant
name: Mark
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/01/20
date added: 2024/01/22
shelves:
review:
I liked the first book in this series and gave it three stars. In my review I said there was too much going on and too many characters. This second books in the series seems to have progressed immensely and not only was it easier to follow, but it gave enough information about what happened in the first book to make me understand the context for this one. I enjoyed it so much that I'm awarding it a rare 5 stars, my first for 2024.
Another reviewer described the book as a "locked room mystery" and I agree that's what made it so engaging and entertaining. An isolated station, an interesting cast of residents and visitors, a series of unfortunate events and the threat of the past all collide to create a cracker of a story that hooked me from start to finish.
I enjoy the way in which the author uses the location in remote Western Australia as a menacing and threatening character in its own right.

The author's note (at the end of the book) about the main character are worth reading. I'm grateful he listened to his publisher and changed his original plan to make his first book, Wild Dogs, a stand alone. May there be many more.
]]> Showtime! 58357888 From the cotton mills of England to the magnificent theatres of Melbourne - a scintillating journey through the golden age of Australian showbusiness.GOLD RUSH ENTERTAINERS‘So, Will, are you going to come with me and my team of merry performers to the sunny climes of Australia, where the crowds are already queuing and the streets are paved with gold?’In the second half of the 19th century, Melbourne is a veritable boom town, as hopefuls from every corner of the globe flock to the gold fields of Victoria. And where people crave gold, they also crave entertainment.RIVALS OF THE STAGEEnter stage brothers Will and Max Worthing and their wives Mabel and Gertie. The family arrives from England in the 1880s with little else but the masterful talents that will see them rise from simple travelling performers to sophisticated entrepreneurs. Enter stage their rivals, Carlo and Rube. Childhood friends since meeting in a London orphanage, the two men have literally fought their way to the top and are now producers of the bawdy but hugely popular ‘Big Show Bonanza�. The fight for supremacy begins.STRUGGLE BEYOND THE SPOTLIGHTWaiting in the Comedy, tragedy, passion and betrayal; economic depression, the Black Death and the horrors of World War One…]]> 564 Judy Nunn 1761042556 Mark 4 She is such a terrific story teller and I learn so much about history and events in the way she dramatises the life and times that represent the title of her novels.
This one, about the development of travelling entertainment shows and vaudeville in Australia, is a cracker. With seemingly real characters wrapped around actual events in history, you could call it a vaudeville show in print!
I chose to listen to the audiobook, which was exquisitely narrated by John Derham and the author. I think this just enhanced my experience of the story.
I'm planning to catch up on her novels this year and I'll be surprised if I don't enjoy them all.
]]> 3.79 Showtime!
author: Judy Nunn
name: Mark
average rating: 3.79
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/14
date added: 2024/01/22
shelves:
review:
It's been a long time since I've read a Judy Nunn novel - and I don't know why.
She is such a terrific story teller and I learn so much about history and events in the way she dramatises the life and times that represent the title of her novels.
This one, about the development of travelling entertainment shows and vaudeville in Australia, is a cracker. With seemingly real characters wrapped around actual events in history, you could call it a vaudeville show in print!
I chose to listen to the audiobook, which was exquisitely narrated by John Derham and the author. I think this just enhanced my experience of the story.
I'm planning to catch up on her novels this year and I'll be surprised if I don't enjoy them all.

]]> <![CDATA[The Ink Black Heart (Cormoran Strike, #6)]]> 61447942 1248 Robert Galbraith 0751584185 Mark 3 to-read
- At over 1000 pages, it was far too long;
- I couldn't relate to the subject of the principal case. With no interest in online gaming, it bored me and half of it went over my head;
- Copious pages reproducing web chats and tweets were difficult and annoying to read. (I found myself skipping them in the second half, because I always knew the main things would be mentioned in the following chapter;
- The sexual tension between Strike and Robyn has gone on for too long and is getting tedious and repetitive. It's about time they either got together, or they don't.

But there were some redeeming features. The character of Strike and his hapless life is still a good one and I enjoyed his "situations", especially the subplot involving his ex wife Charlotte.
I'm not turned off anticipating reading the next one, but I just may approach it with a little more caution.

]]> 4.14 2022 The Ink Black Heart (Cormoran Strike, #6)
author: Robert Galbraith
name: Mark
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/01/22
shelves: to-read
review:
Having read and highly rated all of the Cormoran Strike novels to date, I anticipated the same response to this one ..... but I'm afraid this wasn't the case. Here's why:

- At over 1000 pages, it was far too long;
- I couldn't relate to the subject of the principal case. With no interest in online gaming, it bored me and half of it went over my head;
- Copious pages reproducing web chats and tweets were difficult and annoying to read. (I found myself skipping them in the second half, because I always knew the main things would be mentioned in the following chapter;
- The sexual tension between Strike and Robyn has gone on for too long and is getting tedious and repetitive. It's about time they either got together, or they don't.

But there were some redeeming features. The character of Strike and his hapless life is still a good one and I enjoyed his "situations", especially the subplot involving his ex wife Charlotte.
I'm not turned off anticipating reading the next one, but I just may approach it with a little more caution.


]]> <![CDATA[The Ink Black Heart (Cormoran Strike, #6)]]> 60144955
When frantic, disheveled Edie Ledwell appears in the office begging to speak to her, private detective Robin Ellacott doesn’t know quite what to make of the situation. The co-creator of a popular cartoon, The Ink Black Heart, Edie is being persecuted by a mysterious online figure who goes by the pseudonym of Anomie. Edie is desperate to uncover Anomie’s true identity.

Robin decides that the agency can’t help with this—and thinks nothing more of it until a few days later, when she reads the shocking news that Edie has been tasered and then murdered in Highgate Cemetery, the location of The Ink Black Heart.

Robin and her business partner, Cormoran Strike, become drawn into the quest to uncover Anomie’s true identity. But with a complex web of online aliases, business interests and family conflicts to navigate, Strike and Robin find themselves embroiled in a case that stretches their powers of deduction to the limits � and which threatens them in new and horrifying ways . . .]]> 1391 Robert Galbraith 0316473537 Mark 3 4.07 2022 The Ink Black Heart (Cormoran Strike, #6)
author: Robert Galbraith
name: Mark
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2024/01/10
date added: 2024/01/22
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Harlem Shuffle (Ray Carney, #1)]]> 54626223 From the two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Underground Railroad and The Nickel Boys, a gloriously entertaining novel of heists, shakedowns, and rip-offs set in Harlem in the 1960s.

“Ray Carney was only slightly bent when it came to being crooked…� To his customers and neighbors on 125th street, Carney is an upstanding salesman of reasonably priced furniture, making a decent life for himself and his family. He and his wife Elizabeth are expecting their second child, and if her parents on Striver’s Row don’t approve of him or their cramped apartment across from the subway tracks, it’s still home.

Few people know he descends from a line of uptown hoods and crooks, and that his façade of normalcy has more than a few cracks in it. Cracks that are getting bigger all the time.

Cash is tight, especially with all those installment-plan sofas, so if his cousin Freddie occasionally drops off the odd ring or necklace, Ray doesn’t ask where it comes from. He knows a discreet jeweler downtown who doesn’t ask questions, either.

Then Freddie falls in with a crew who plan to rob the Hotel Theresa—the “Waldorf of Harlem”—and volunteers Ray’s services as the fence. The heist doesn’t go as planned; they rarely do. Now Ray has a new clientele, one made up of shady cops, vicious local gangsters, two-bit pornographers, and other assorted Harlem lowlifes.

Thus begins the internal tussle between Ray the striver and Ray the crook. As Ray navigates this double life, he begins to see who actually pulls the strings in Harlem. Can Ray avoid getting killed, save his cousin, and grab his share of the big score, all while maintaining his reputation as the go-to source for all your quality home furniture needs?

Harlem Shuffle’s ingenious story plays out in a beautifully recreated New York City of the early 1960s. It’s a family saga masquerading as a crime novel, a hilarious morality play, a social novel about race and power, and ultimately a love letter to Harlem.

But mostly, it’s a joy to read, another dazzling novel from the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning Colson Whitehead.]]> 318 Colson Whitehead 0385545134 Mark 3 3.67 2021 Harlem Shuffle (Ray Carney, #1)
author: Colson Whitehead
name: Mark
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2024/01/19
date added: 2024/01/22
shelves:
review:
I've enjoyed other novels by Whitehead, but I just couldn't get into this one. Perhaps it was just a bit too specific about things and places in which I have no interest, nor need to have an interest. This shouldn't detract from the quality of the book though. As a "love song" to Harlem, I'm sure it was terrific, but I just couldn't relate.
]]> The Search Party 176451530
Max and Annie Kingsley have left the London rat race with their twelve-year-old son to set up a glamping site in the wilds of Cornwall. Eager for a dry run ahead of their opening, they invite three old university friends and their families for a long-needed reunion. But the festivities soon go awry as tensions arise between the children (and subsequently their parents), explosive secrets come to light, and a sudden storm moves in, cutting them off from help as one in the group disappears.

Moving between the police investigation, a hospital room, and the catastrophic weekend, The Search Party is a propulsive and twisty destination thriller about the tenuous bonds of friendship and the lengths parents will go to protect their children—perfect for fans of Ruth Ware and Lucy Foley.]]> 338 Hannah Richell 1668036061 Mark 0 to-read 3.64 2024 The Search Party
author: Hannah Richell
name: Mark
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Roadmap of Loss 202484357
Clearing out his mother's house, a bereft, rapidly deteriorating Mark is shocked to discover a collection of letters written to her by Dylan - some of which postdate his supposed death. Discussing life and love, fears and dreams, set against the backdrop of his bohemian travels across the United States, Dylan's letters become beacons for Mark, who sees in them a final chance to achieve closure, as well as his own redemption. With a burning suspicion that Dylan may still be out there, Mark decides to retrace the journey taken by his estranged father twenty years earlier.

Moving through the country with only a beat-up car as company and the letters of a stranger for guidance, Mark is faced with the enormity and polarity of late nineties America. Bouncing from one city and bizarre situation to the next, he encounters a tapestry of people along the way - many of them eccentric, some malign, some nurturing, others as lost as he is. Alone in a foreign land, the search for peace soon becomes a battle with loneliness, addiction and nihilism as Mark begins to see in himself reflections of the father he grew up resenting.

Raw and uncompromising, The Roadmap of Loss explores human fallibility and vulnerability, the courage of letting go of the past, and the power of forgiveness.]]> 315 Liam Murphy 1760688304 Mark 0 to-read 3.63 The Roadmap of Loss
author: Liam Murphy
name: Mark
average rating: 3.63
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Deadly Game: The stunning thriller from the screen legend Michael Caine]]> 124949103
And all his unorthodox skills will be needed as an extraordinary situation unfolds on his a metal box of radioactive material is found at a dump in Stepney, East London, but before the police can arrive it is stolen in a violent raid.

With security agencies across the world on red alert, it's Harry and his unconventional team from the Met who must hit the streets in search of a lead. They soon have two wildly different suspects, aristocratic art dealer Julian Smythe in London and oligarch Vladimir Voldrev in Barbados. But the pressure is on. How much time does Harry have, and how many more players will join the action, before the missing uranium is lighting up the sky?

Deadly Game is a compelling, fast-paced novel of international intrigue and twisting suspense from a legendary actor and British icon, who now proves himself to be a first-rate thriller writer.]]> 320 Michael Caine 1399702505 Mark 0 to-read 3.35 Deadly Game: The stunning thriller from the screen legend Michael Caine
author: Michael Caine
name: Mark
average rating: 3.35
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>