All the Reviews

Second novels are tricky beasts loaded with expectations, particularly when they come on the heels of recent stellar debuts.  Australian author Christian White has written another confidently executed work of family drama and generational intrigue that will take up a just a few hours of your life, likely spent dedicated to polishing The Wife and The Widow off in one go. 

Deciding to surprise her husband as he disembarks from a London flight, Kate is alarmed when her husband does not appear with all the other passengers.  He is not answering calls, his employer has no clue ... Read review

Australians who grew up during the era in which Riptides is set may recognize a heck of a lot of their own experiences; the long road trips on rubbish roads, the relentless heat, Bali (even as it was back then), perhaps even turning on the TV at Christmas time to news of the devastation wrought upon Darwin by Cyclone Tracy.

Having managed to guilt her pleasure seeking brother Charlie back from Bali to visit their widowed father at his farm, Abby should have been a bit leery of giving the wheel over to someone who had just come off an international flight.  The drive out ... Read review

What more effective tool of terror is there than your own high school reunion looming on the horizon to make you take a long hard look at how far you’ve come – or not?  Who We Were drags the past of a group of thirty somethings back into the present as the prospect of being again in the same room with school friends largely forgotten stirs up anew old resentments from over twenty years ago.

Gifting herself with the excruciating task of organizing her high school reunion, Katy begins to corral her graduating class into updating their year book biographies. Every leaver ... Read review

His and Hers, and whoever that other person is.  Television presenter Anna Andrews, DCI Jack Harper and an unknown observer all contribute to this twisted tale of murder and treachery that has its origins in past cruelty inflicted by English school girls.  The very thought of it.

Anna Andrews has the breath knocked out of her when she is unexpectedly booted from her position as the weekday presenter of the local television news. To be fair, Anna was only the warming the seat of the previous presenter who had experienced back to back pregnancies, but after two years, Anna ... Read review

The third novel in the Dan Calder series, the title FROZEN SUMMER is the nickname Calder's girlfriend has given to a cold case that he's slightly obsessed with - and not just because he's the only suspect....

Following on from THE AGENCY and THE SECOND GRAVE, this series is one that you'd likely to be best to have read from the start. Calder's background is quite complicated, as is the story of his relationship with girlfriend Tara, and his moving between New Zealand and his native England. The author of this series, Ian Austin, does have a background in UK and NZ law ... Read review

The fourth of the Witches sub-set of Discworld, Magrat Garlick is getting married to the King of Lancre. Provided Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg can stop the return of those nasty, conniving elves from the magical realm of Fairie.

There are laugh out loud moments in this one that were just fabulous, crop circles, problems with wedding dresses, and what exactly happens on your wedding night (a book was thoughtfully acquired by the King on that particular subject), and the Lancre All-Comers Morris Team got drunk on a fairy mound and have got troubles enough of their own ... Read review

Combining a coming of age story, with paranormal aspects, this YA novella sensitively incorporates the subjects of disability and same sex attraction.

The main character, Myra, is a circus kid, who once old enough, had joined her parent's aerial act. Then she fell, injuring herself badly, so she now lives with constant pain, and the differences that the disability in a circus environment have created in her life. Now working on other performers costumes, Myra has become an acute observer of the circus life, she spends her life shaking the sequins from her hair and clothes ... Read review

The Wych Elm is one of those releases that I’ve had circling in my library pile for ages and keep meaning to come back to. All the opinions I’ve heard in the year and a half or more since its release have been positive and fresh off the back of viewing (and reviewing) a Tana French TV adaptation, and in this time of catching up on all of the things, so here we are.

Toby has always led a charmed life.  Always able to sweet talk his way out of a bad situation or flash the offended a winning smile, it comes to a shock to the young Londoner that he actually isn’t invincible. ... Read review

If there's one thing that DARK CITY reminds the reader of - it's that it doesn't matter what is happening around us, there are always the good, the bad and the downright opportunistic members of the human race.

There's always been stories of the strength and determination of the British people during the Blitz and the Second World War in general - their stoicism, the way that they pulled together and survived the dreadful bombardments throw at them in the course of the war. But I don't remember that much concentration on the lesser elements of society. The murderers that ... Read review