By: Jillian Cantor ISBN:978-0-7553-7929-3 Simon and Schuster (2021) “Half Life” is an interesting twist on a historical novel, and although I didn’t find it compelling, I’m not sorry I read it. It’s well written, the historical material is engaging, and Cantor has taken a unique approach. This is the story of Marie Curie’s life. It’s … Continue reading Half Life
Month: June 2021
Dial A For Aunties
By: Jesse Sutanto ISBN: 978-0-00-844585-0 HQ Fiction (2021) “Dial A For Aunties” is genuinely funny, warm, and full of heart. It’s the story of an extended family, of a girl caught between traditional culture and modern life, and of romance – oh yes, and of a murder. Meddy is less than happy when her mother … Continue reading Dial A For Aunties
The Good Wife of Bath
By: Karen Brooks ISBN: 9781489277466 HQ Fiction (2021) “The Good Wife of Bath” is a fascinating historical novel, mixing fiction with fact to seamlessly tell a good story. Eleanor is married to her first husband when she’s only twelve; he’s in his 60s. This is the first of five marriages of various durations and various … Continue reading The Good Wife of Bath
The Thief
By: Allison Butler ISBN: 978-1-8672-2238-5 Mira (2021) “The Thief” is a historical romance. There’s not much to the novel except the romance, but it’s sufficiently engaging and charming that a lot of readers will enjoy it. Laird Lachlan Elliott has seen what happens when you love someone more than they love you, and he doesn’t … Continue reading The Thief
Digging Up Dirt
By: Pamela Hart ISBN: 9781867201878 HQ Fiction (2021) “Digging Up Dirt” is the first crime novel from Pamela Hart, an excellent writer with considerable experience in other genres. It’s well written, very enjoyable, and distinctively Australian. Poppy McGowan is a researcher for ABC TV, in the kid’s division. Despite not being particularly well paid, she’s … Continue reading Digging Up Dirt
Ember and Ash
By: Pamela Freeman ISBN: 978-0-7336-2422-3 Orbit (2011) Ember and Ash is a standalone novel set in the same world as the Castings trilogy. This novel is set about twenty years after the events of the trilogy; some characters who appeared in the earlier novels play a small part here, but you would be able to … Continue reading Ember and Ash
Full Circle
By: Pamela Freeman Castings Trilogy, Book 3 ISBN: 978-031603562 Orbit (2009) As the title suggests, this novel is the climax of the Castings trilogy, which began with Blood Ties and continued in Deep Water. Although I found Blood Ties enjoyable, it wasn’t until Deep Water that Freeman really engaged me – but she left … Continue reading Full Circle
Falling
By: T J Newman ISBN: 978-1-3985-0725-8 Simon and Schuster (2021) “Falling” is an outstanding thriller, and I suspect it will prove to be one of the standout reads of 2021. An incredibly simple, but terrifying, premise and strong characterisations made for a novel to be read in a sitting. When Captain Bill Holloway takes command … Continue reading Falling
The Jigsaw Man
By Nadine Matheson ISBN: 987-0-00-845866-9 HQ Fiction (2021) “The Jigsaw Man” is a good solid police thriller. With an intriguing plot and strong characters, most readers will be engaged from the first page to the last. DI Anjelica Henley is newly returned to field work after time off, and then time behind a desk, following … Continue reading The Jigsaw Man
Other Dreams, Other Lives 