Reviewing Books for SMSA
We would like to invite all SMSA members to submit book reviews for inclusion on our website. Book reviews are a great way to let…
Book Reviews
Quick Reviews by Members
These are the short and concise reviews left by members when they return books to the library. They provide quick feedback on their reading experience….
Last one out by Jane Harper
Last One Out is Jane Harper’s sixth Australian crime novel, once more set outside the city in common with all of her earlier works. But…
The Fellowship of the Ring by J R R Tolkien
The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though…
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
I tend to avoid books (and movies for that matter) that others gush about. I think, ‘it can’t be that good!’ Well, The Correspondent has…
Ironwood by Michael Connelly
Ironwood is the forty-second crime novel written by Michael Connelly, and he has certainly not lost his touch. It is the second in the Catalina…
Series review: Ruth Galloway Mysteries by Elly Griffiths
A favourite and popular series read, and recommended by, a number of SMSA Mystery and Crime Reading Group members, I finally commenced with Book 1…
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
This has been on my ‘to read’ list for over ten years. I have loved several other Ann Patchett novels so had high expectations for…
The Widow of Walcha by Emma Partridge
It’s a cliche, but truth is stranger than fiction. As I read this account of the true story of the murder of Mathew Dunbar in…
The House of Now and Then by Jo Dixon
This debut crime thriller is set in country Tasmania, where author Jo Dixon lives on a rural property. The plot revolves around the lives of…
Taken by Dinuka McKenzie
Dinuka McKenzie is one of a growing group of young Australian crime novelists who have emerged in the past few years. She has written two…
The Graduate by Rebecca Lim
Although Rebecca Lim is an established author, The Graduate, published in 2026, is her first crime novel. It is a fast-paced, contemporary thriller with a…
