BIOGRAPHY

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GENERAL FICTION

Dirt poor islanders by Winnie Dunn

Winnie Dunn’s debut novel is unlike anything you’ve ever read, because it is unlike anything that has been published in Australia before. That said, it’s a universally relatable tale of the painful process of coming to an understanding of self. Dunn is the general manager of the renowned western Sydney-based Sweatshop Literacy Movement, and she’s also a writer of Tongan descent. Dirt Poor Islanders is the first Tongan-Australian novel, and it arrives this month already having received many accolades ahead of its release. They will not be the last. Meadow is half-Tongan and half-White, and growing up in Mt Druitt in Sydney. The seeming simplicity of that fractional description belies the complexity of her unfolding sense of identity, and doesn’t always feel like a match for the life she is living surrounded by and being raised within her extended Tongan family. Despite the loss of her mother when she was very young, Meadow is not without maternal supports and influences, but even in the midst of her loving family, as she tries to refine her sense of who she is and what is important to her, the way ahead still sometimes appears unclear. Dirt Poor Islanders is an immersive, moving story of a complex and richly drawn family. Dunn’s characters launch into the corporeal from the first page, and embed themselves in the heart well before the end. Meadow is a captivating narrator, and her journey through many of life’s earlier rites of passage will leave a lasting impression. Meadow’s family is as compelling as she is and the importance of shared stories is frequently underscored in their interactions. Dunn lends a deep texture to the dynamics between them with her deftly woven insights into Tongan culture. The language in this novel is a point of particular interest and enjoyment, both for Dunn’s skilful writing and for her expert, atmospheric deployment of Tongan vocabulary throughout. Readings Magazine, March 2024.

The peak by Sam Guthrie

If you were to approach me in the shop and ask how I’d describe this book in three words, I’d say: unputdownable, propulsive, and explosive. After I’d recovered from the shock opening, the subsequent few hours I spent reading The Peak simply flew by. This is my kinda book, and it’s definitely one for all the politics wonks and nerds out there whose Sundays begin with a panel discussion on the national broadcaster. You know who you are. Very likely you’ve got a subscription to the Quarterly Essay, you rewatch Paul Abbott’s State of Play (2003), anything Armando Iannucci has done, and you reckon that the O.G. Francis Urquhart (in the BBC’s House of Cards) was the best. At least, that’s what’s on my bingo card. From the attention to detail and the level of research, it is clear Guthrie worked long and hard on crafting, and then fine-tuning, this plot. Set across a 24-hour period, this is an astonishing and thoroughly accomplished debut. Political intrigue, contemporary geopolitics, and a national security threat all bubble away over the course of The Peak while Charlie Westcott grapples with the incredible events of the morning. Who, or rather, what had his best friend and colleague Sebastian Adler become? And what the hell is happening to the country? Why is the power out in Sydney and Melbourne? We’ve all had a shocker of a workday at some point, but this one takes the cake. As with John le Carré and Frederick Forsyth, whose careers in intelligence made excellent foundations for their thriller writing, so does Sam Guthrie’s experience as a political insider in the diplomatic corps. From the attention to detail and the level of research, it is clear Guthrie worked long and hard on crafting, and then fine-tuning, this plot. Set across a 24-hour period, this is an astonishing and thoroughly accomplished debut. Bring on the next book, please!!! Readings Magazine, Jun 2025.

Don’t let him in by Lisa Jewell

A dangerous con man meets his match in this nasty thriller from bestseller Jewell (Breaking the Dark). For the past 30 years, Nick Radcliffe has assumed an array of identities to seduce, marry, and occasionally murder women of independent means across London. Now in his mid-50s, Nick has sunk his hooks into the recently widowed Nina Swann, who’s inherited a successful restaurant chain. The only problem? Nina’s daughter, Ash, doesn’t trust Nick as far as she can throw him. Nick tries to dial up the charm in hopes that, by swindling Nina, he can secure a fortune for the one woman he truly loves: his current wife, Martha. Ash, however, is prepared to bring Nick’s long con toppling down—even if it means finding his old victims herself. Jewell effortlessly toggles back and forth in time, illuminating the awful scope of Nick’s deceptions while setting up a wicked and satisfying cat and mouse game between him and Ash. Readers who like their psychological suspense on the dark side will be delighted with the results. Publishers Weekly, June 2025.

Address unknown by Taylor Kressmann

First published in 1938 in Story magazine as a wake-up call warning Americans of the true nature of the Nazi menace, this punchy epistolary tale enacts a stunning drama of friendship, betrayal and vengeance. In 1932, San Francisco art-gallery owner Max Eisenstein, a Jew who grew up in pre-Nazi Germany, bids farewell to his longtime friend and business partner Martin Schulse, who returns with his family to Munich, where he becomes a Nazi. Through their letters to one another, which quickly move from warmth to a chilling disregard, we watch as the once-liberal Martin, seduced by grandiose visions of German destiny and by the rantings of “our Glorious Leader,” vents an anti-Semitism that he tortuously rationalizes. Max, alarmed by reports of anti-Jewish persecution in Germany, asks Martin to look after his actress sister, Griselle, who is performing in Berlin. When she is murdered by Nazi storm troopers after being refused refuge at the Schulse house, Max takes revenge through a clever epistolary ploy that provides a satisfying surprise ending. Nearly 60 years after its initial publication, Kressman’s story serves not only as a reminder of Nazi horrors but as a cautionary tale in light of current racial, ethnic and nationalist intolerance. Publishers Weekly, March 2025.

The river is waiting by Wally Lamb

Bestseller Lamb (We Are Water) chronicles a family tragedy and its aftermath in this heart-wrenching story of redemption. Childcare duties fall to Corby Ledbetter, a young father with a hidden addiction to booze and Ativan, after he’s laid off from his advertising job. Though his teacher wife, Emily, is patient and loving, Corby has lost momentum in his job search, finding it easier to zone out with a pill and some shots of Captain Morgan. He’s a devoted dad to two-year-old twins Maisie and Niko, but he’s clearly impaired when he causes an accident that results in Niko’s death. The bulk of the novel comprises Corby’s experiences and soul searching over a three-year prison sentence, during which he struggles with the loss of his freedom and the cruelty of two sadistic guards who punish him for defending a disturbed young inmate. He also forms friendships in the library and with his cellmate, Manny; reflects on his upbringing by an abusive father and hippie mother; and fears how Emily and Maisie will react to his release. Though the narrative is a bit baggy, Lamb lays bare the vagaries of his protagonist’s life in accessible prose and concludes on a bittersweet note. This will please the author’s fans. Publishers Weekly, June 2025.

Melaleuca by Angie Faye Martin

Set in the year 2000, Melaleuca follows Renee Taylor, an Aboriginal detective based in Brisbane who returns to her remote hometown of Goorungah, Queensland, to care for her ailing mother. What she expects to be a short stay changes when the body of an unidentified woman is found near a creek – brutally murdered. As Renee investigates, she uncovers the town’s dark undercurrents: a culture of silence, corruption and fear. Her search for answers reveals disturbing links to the 1965 disappearance of two Aboriginal girls, Caroline and Bessie. The narrative shifts between 1965 and 2000, offering poignant insight into both the missing girls’ lives. The 1965 storyline, set before the Referendum that granted First Nations people basic rights, paints a chilling picture of systemic racism and segregation, with Aboriginal families confined to camps on the town’s outskirts. Renee’s investigation is hampered by intergenerational trauma, racism and an inept police sergeant. Yet, her intelligence carries her through, making her a compelling protagonist. I really enjoyed this novel. Though Goorungah is a fictional town, it serves as a paradigm for Martin, illustrating how it’s possible to live harmoniously within a community. Her ability to weave suspense with sharp social commentary and nuanced character development places her firmly within the ranks of exceptional Australian crime writers. For her debut novel, Martin delivers a compelling, finely crafted story that is both a gripping page-turner and a powerful exploration of Aboriginal life – past and present. Good Reading Magazine, June 2025.

Highway 13 by Fiona McFarlane

I grew up in Canberra, only a few hours drive from Belanglo State Forest and Berrima. I might be too young to remember the backpacker murders as they were reported, or the conviction of Ivan Milat, but I’ve encountered the tale countless times, in many different ways, often unintentionally. Like most Australians, it exists somewhere in the back of my mind, strange and unwanted, yet somehow ubiquitous.This kind of mythos is exactly what Fiona McFarlane zeroes in on in Highway 13. Anyone reading the book will be able to tell where she drew her inspiration, but need not anticipate gory rehashings or victim exploitation. Instead, McFarlane presents the reader with visions of the mass scale of the reverberations of such horror and tragedy, surveying the stories of a number of people who have in some way been affected by ‘Paul Biga’ and his crimes. In this way, the book operates more like a collection of short stories with a shared thematic spine than a traditional novel, earning a distinct stylistic character of its own. Some characters are tenuously connected, others more strongly, but all are individually powerful. Under McFarlane’s apt curation, they lend themselves to a bigger picture, allowing her to examine situations from a number of angles without ever infringing on their complexity. As a book, Highway 13 is disturbing, entrancing, heartfelt and – even though this phrasing is a total cliche – deeply human. Through its chartered course between the 1950s and 2028 and Australia and abroad, it powerfully examines the stories we tell and the reasons we have for telling them, revealing some home truths along the way. It has lingered with me long after I finished reading it, and I expect that it will stay in my mind for a very, very long time. Definitely recommend. Readings Magazine, July 2024.

The Good Father by Liam McIlvanney

It is a seemingly ordinary August day that fractures the lives of Gordon and Sarah Rutherford: late summer on the west coast of Scotland; their seven-year-old Rory enjoying the beach outside the family home with their dog Bonnie. Then Bonnie comes home alone. Gordon and Sarah wander the beach. No sign of Rory. The police are called. Questions. More extensive searches. More questions. Hours pass. Days. Months. Award-winning novelist Liam McIlvanney, a professor at the University of Otago, may be a self-confessed ‘slow motion crime writer’ who doesn’t produce a book a year of many peers, but The Good Father demonstrates once more why his tales are always well worth the wait. A seemingly ordinary day, something Rory had often done, playing near the house with their dog. A safe and honest community in their small town, he’d always returned home. Until he didn’t. Guilt. Fear. Whispers and gossip. How do your neighbours see you now; how do you see yourselves? McIlvanney takes parental fears and delivers gut-punch storytelling; he is a great writer alongside being a great storyteller. The sentences sing, as Gordon and Sarah’s happy lives are eroded away day by day. It’s the hope that kills. What could be worse than your child disappearing? The Good Father is a quietly terrifying tale that upturns expectations without pyrotechnics, and from an author who’s already collected major writing awards in both hemispheres, may somehow be his best work yet. Good Reading Magazine, June 2025.

The forsaken by Matt Rogers

It really heartens me, as Readings’ consignment buyer, to come across an author who’s scored a publishing deal after years of seriously hard graft writing and self-publishing their books. One of the last Australian thriller writers to do this was Matthew Reilly – you know, of Ice Station fame. There is much to do as a self-published author: not only do you have to write the material, but there’s also all the logistical stuff that comes after, such as printing, marketing and distributing your book. All this with no guarantee that you’ll recoup what you have outlaid. Matt Rogers is a great example of someone who has done the research to find his audience and write for them. The book sales and readership from his Dante Jacoby series as an independent writer–publisher is a testament to that. To get a publishing deal is a terrific achievement. The Forsaken is written with the same no-nonsense, direct style as his previous books. The action, which takes place over an almost 48-hour window, is gritty and relentless. I grew up on action series like 24, and I love plots that are condensed to blocks of time. At its heart, this book is a corruption-busting revenge thriller. We follow the bitter ex-CIA strongman/assassin Logan Booth, a meat-popsicle version of the proverbial brick dunny, as he attempts to get to the bottom of why his best mate Jorge Romero is dead. What did Romero know that led to his assassination? While Logan is the titular ‘forsaken’, so too is Alice, who cuts a tragic figure grappling with her own demons. Set largely overnight in the noisy environs of New York City, The Forsaken is a fast-paced, highly atmospheric book. Did I mention that it was action-packed?! I would be lying if I said I hadn’t already cast this movie in my head. Read this if you love Terry Hayes; read it if you love John Wick, 24, and the Bourne series. Readings Magazine, June 2025.

Kill your darlings by Peter Swanson

A backward-chronology thriller tells the story of a marriage in order to tell the story of a woman’s plan to murder her husband. The novel begins in 2023 with the words, “The first attempt at killing her husband was the night of the dinner party.” The aspiring murderer is Wendy Graves, once a promising poet. What’s making Wendy murderous? Well, she and her English professor husband, Thom, who teaches at a state university in Massachusetts, were hosting a dinner for his colleagues when he divulged to everyone present that he was writing a murder mystery. This was news to Wendy, who slipped into Thom’s office mid-party to look on his laptop, where she found a worrisome Word document: “Thom was writing some version of their own story, a story they had agreed was never to be shared with anyone.” What, exactly, is their story? The novel toggles between Wendy’s and Thom’s points of view as the saga of their marriage unfolds in reverse; the plot hits on key events going all the way back to 1982, when Wendy and Thom met as teenagers. Although Swanson takes his time setting up and playing out pivotal scenes, his book is flab-free; a naturalistic-seeming detail in one chapter ends up having a significance that’s brought to light in a later (which is to say chronologically earlier) chapter. That the novel is both a meditation on comeuppance and a steely nail-biter jibes with Thom’s regularly reported tastes in books and movies: Over the years, his loyalties seem to be evenly split between the literary and the spine-tingling. If Swanson can be said to be pinching from one of Thom’s favorite film noirs, it’s with total awareness and to sublime effect. A heady, allusive, tweedy-seedy slow burn. Kirkus Reviews, May 2025.

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HISTORICAL FICTION

Black silk and sympathy by Deborah Challinor

Deborah Challinor’s latest offering, Black Silk & Sympathy, sweeps readers away to the intriguing world of Victorian funeral customs in 1860s Sydney. In this expertly crafted novel, Challinor delivers a captivating tale of resilience, reinvention and determination. Seventeen-year-old Tatiana Caldwell embarks on a journey to Sydney after the unexpected demise of her parents. She begins an apprenticeship with Crowe Funeral Services, and eventually marries Titus Crowe, the owner. After his death, Tatiana inherits the business, becoming Sydney’s first female undertaker, and she then navigates the challenges of this male-dominated field. A thrilling twist arises when rival Elias Nuttall accuses her of poisoning Titus, leading Tatiana on a race to clear her name, unravelling a web of intrigue and culminating in a gripping courtroom showdown. The meticulous focus on historical accuracy and research distinguishes Black Silk & Sympathy as Challinor transports readers to Victorian-era Sydney, where death permeates the air and funeral processions and mortuary trains are commonplace. At its core, this novel is about the indomitable human spirit and the unquestionable strength of a young woman growing into herself and finding her place in the world. Tatiana’s journey from a shattered young girl to Sydney’s trailblazing undertaker is a testament to the power of pursuing one’s dreams—and the desire to survive. Black Silk & Sympathy will suit fans of Jackie French and Tea Cooper. Books and Publishing, February 2024.

When sleeping women wake by Emma Pei Yin

In her memorable debut novel, Yin expertly weaves together the stories of three Chinese women seeking to survive the Japanese occupation during WWII. The Tang family flees Shanghai for Hong Kong in 1938. Among them are Wei, his concubine, his wife Mingzhu, her maid and lifelong companion Biyu, and Mingzhu’s daughter, Qiang. Though Mingzhu lives in a wealthy household, Wei is prone to anger and physically abuses her. She finds solace in the love of books instilled in her by her scholarly father and in seeking stolen moments of happiness with her daughter’s British tutor, Henry Beaumont. When the Japanese invade Hong Kong, Biyu and Qiang escape to the home of a family friend in the mountains and find work at a factory, while Mingzhu works as a personal secretary for a Japanese official. The three women each participate in resistance efforts: Qiang moves to a resistance camp and learns how to fight; Biyu puts hyacinth pollen in the clothing of Japanese soldiers, causing them to develop rashes and fall ill; and Mingzhu sends encrypted messages to the resistance. Yin expertly brings to life each character, highlighting their varied perspectives on how to survive the Japanese occupation and revealing their love for one another and hopes to reunite. This strikes a chord. Publisher’s Weekly, January 2025.

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MYSTERY

The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict

Five real-life luminaries from the Golden Age of detective fiction team up to solve a murder. Five months after nurse May Daniels disappeared during a day trip in October 1930 from a railway station near Boulogne-Sur-Mer, a farmer finds her bloody body strangled to death. The French police, unconcerned about the damage they’re doing to the victim and her family, announce on scant evidence that May—whose companion, nurse Celia McCarthy, last saw her entering a ladies’ room she never emerged from—was a drug addict who deserves few tears. By that point, the title quintet—Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie, Baroness Emma Orczy, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham—have already sprung into action. Their original motive for traveling to France, proving themselves the equals of G.K. Chesterton and the rest of their condescending male counterparts in the newly formed Detection Club, has morphed into a deep sense of connection to the dead nurse and “an urgent quest to do right.” Working mostly with the reticent, brainy Christie, Sayers, who serves as narrator, methodically retraces May’s last movements and works backward to figure out what she was doing before she and Celia embarked on their trip. Their most promising leads implicate Louis Williams, the son of Mathers Insurance founder Jimmy Williams, as May’s benefactor, beau, and killer. But no reader who’s spent time with any of these writers’ own books will believe that the actual solution will be as simple as that. A routine whodunit enlivened by the byplay among the author sleuths and their determination to stand up to the patriarchy. Kirkus Reviews, February 2025.

What the night brings by Mark Billingham

Someone seems to have declared a vendetta against London’s Metropolitan Police, and it’s up to DI Tom Thorne and his mates to find out who—that is, if he can actually trust his mates. The arrest of Nick Cresswell for murder is utterly routine until the sequel: Four officers from Wood Green who made the pinch acting on Thorne’s intelligence celebrate by sharing some doughnuts left in the back of their car with a cheery note—“Thanks for everything you do!”—and end up poisoned, three of them fatally. The stabbing of PC Adam Callaghan in Hendon Park moments after he’d turned off his bodycam to avoid showing the woman who’d lured him there makes it clear that there’s a larger pattern at work. More deaths will follow, presumably at the hands of LoveMyBro, the dark-web habitué who called PC Christopher Tully, one of the doughnut victims, and PC Craig Knowles, now imprisoned for rape, “two peas in a pod.” But who is LoveMyBro? Is he an antirapist vigilante or a rapist himself? And how can he possibly have learned everything he must know in order to strike so many targets without leaving a trace? Working once more with pathologist Phil Hendricks, his partner DI Nicola Tanner, and his old friend DI Dave Holland, who’s back at the Met after a few years away, Thorne fights colleagues and regulations to build a case against the man he’s convinced is behind the mayhem, only to see it collapse in a spectacularly depressing way. Even more disturbing is the growing likelihood that their quarry is either getting assistance from a highly placed police officer or is such an officer himself. The more attached you are to this standout franchise, the harder the final revelations will hit you. Kirkus Reviews, June 2025.

Death at the White Hart by Chris Chibnall

It is easy to recognise the screenwriting chops (Broadchurch, Torchwood) of author Chris Chibnall. This gripping debut is a crime writing masterclass of misdirection and theatre, with the ensemble of characters in the picturesque Dorset village of Fleetcombe, straight out of a Saturday evening crime show. The first chapter of Death at the White Hart opens with the gruesome discovery of the near-naked body of a man tied to a chair in the middle of a road, unsettlingly staged with a stag’s antlers on his head. Be prepared. The pace has been set and it rarely lets up. Ambitious Detective Nicola Bridge has recently returned to the seaside village of her childhood, hoping to make a fresh start. Clever, resourceful and determined, she understands how closely the villagers hold their secrets. Together with her disarmingly attractive younger partner, DC Harry Ward, they peel back the layers of village life and when the victim is revealed as Jim Tiernan, the larger-than-life landlord of one of the village’s two pubs, it becomes clear that nearly everyone in Fleetcombe has something to hide.Chibnall’s storytelling is seamless, blending police procedural with rich character work and a creeping sense of unease. The small-town setting is beautifully drawn, brimming with secrets and tensions that keep you guessing, and the plot is full of twists that will have you second-guessing your theories right until the very end. Fans of Broadchurch will devour this. It’s tense, clever, and completely addictive. Unsurprisingly, Death at the White Hart has already been optioned for television, so get your hands on it for a cracking read it before it hits the screen. Good Reading, May 2025.

The Teacher by Freida McFadden

At the start of the superb latest from McFadden (The Coworker), frumpy math teacher Eve Bennett is preparing for a new year at Caseham High School with her handsome husband and fellow teacher, Nate. Eve is dismayed to learn that Addie Severson, a student who allegedly had an affair with math teacher Art Tuttle (who’s since resigned) last year, has been assigned to one of her classes. While Addie insists nothing inappropriate happened with Tuttle, her classmates bully her about the rumors, and the school’s staff remain split on whether to believe her. As the school year progresses, Addie finds refuge from the constant scrutiny in Nate’s class, developing a bond with him over their mutual love of poetry. One night, after hosting a dinner party, Eve catches Addie lurking in the bushes near her and Nate’s home. Nate’s passive response to the discovery irks Eve and leads her to suspect his relationship with Addie might be edging into illicit territory. As Eve investigates, McFadden rolls out a series of jaw-dropping twists that recast the power dynamic between her central trio over and over again. The frequent rug-pulling will thrill readers who’ve initially pinned the story as run-of-the-mill domestic suspense. This rivets. Publisher’s Weekly, November 2023.

An ill wind by Margaret Hickey

Margaret Hickey is a rising and consistent talent in the Australian bush noir genre, and her latest offering is a ripper – a clever and engaging police procedural that looks at murder in a small country town, grappling with an extremely topical issue. Geordie Pritchard, local son of a wealthy family and ardent environmentalist, has built a massive wind farm on the outskirts of the small Victorian town where generations of his family have lived. Some locals are for it; it brings income to farmers after all; others are completely against it for ruining the landscape, impacting arable land, and other more far-fetched reasons. One morning, a body is discovered hanging from one of the turbine’s huge white blades – it is Geordie. Detective Sergeants Belinda Burney and Will Lovell are a married couple (Belinda is heavily pregnant). They know Geordie and are shocked by what appears to be a dramatic suicide. But Geordie’s widow, Lucinda, insists her husband was murdered – and she has the death threats to prove it. As they investigate Geordie’s business and personal dealings within the town, including his substantial philanthropy, they find that things are not what they seem. When another death occurs, the investigations step up a notch. And on top of this, there has been a series of petty thefts of food and small items at the local school. The question is how are they related. This is a very clever murder mystery, brimming with interesting characters, but the wind turbines steal the show. Addressing the impact they have had on the town, their value to a community and to Australia, while we work to address climate change, they are a constant presence. This is a fabulous novel. Good Reading Magazine, June 2025.

She didn’t see it coming by Shari Lapena

So many suspects, so little evidence in Lapena’s latest tale of domestic suspense. Busy mom Bryden Frost doesn’t see it coming after a morning fender bender involving a Tesla and its charming owner, Derek Gardner, sets her on a collision course with fate. Or does it? Just as in her other fast-moving, women-centric novels, including her breakout The Couple Next Door (2016), Lapena’s female protagonists appear to be living normal lives that some people might even envy—at least at first. When Bryden’s husband, Sam, returns home from work in Albany, New York, to find her missing but her purse and phone still in their apartment, a police investigation ensues. Did Bryden run away? Was she kidnapped? Or could she still be somewhere in the building? Sam is the prime suspect until police Det. Jayne Salter and her team hear from a source that Bryden was having an affair with Derek, something he denies. As Lapena builds her twisty plot, we soon see that these two men aren’t the only people who could be responsible for Bryden’s disappearance. Her sister, Lizzie, who has always been jealous of Bryden, has an addiction she’s hiding from the police, and Bryden’s best friend, Paige, carries a damaging secret as well. And what about the neighbor who was recently accused but not charged with kidnapping and raping a woman? Lapena excavates everyone’s secrets, exposing what’s really going on in the lives of Bryden’s family and friends. None of it is pretty. Lapena’s timely tale mixes the formidable dangers involved with online true-crime addiction with classic police work in a story that will make you wonder what secrets your family and friends are hiding and who, if anyone, you really know or can trust. Lapena’s talents shine in this irresistible novel about revenge, betrayal, and secrets. Kirkus Reviews, July 2025.

Broke road by Matthew Spencer

Over the border in New South Wales, the body of a woman is discovered in her home. While the local ambulance-chasing media and other ‘content creators’ have pegged the woman’s husband as the culprit, the police, headed up by homicide detective Rose Riley, are baffled. This is Matthew Spencer’s second Rose Riley book. I confess I didn’t read the first, but it’s not essential before diving into the second. Broke Road is thoroughly entertaining. This is more of a traditional police procedural, and there are lots of shifty and unsavoury characters you can love to hate. I was surprised by how the plot unfolds: at first slowly, but with a quickening pace as the momentum with the investigation shifts. This apparent single-murder case quickly morphs into a bigger, cross-border investigation with a greater sense of urgency. Rose is reunited with true-crime journalist Adam Bowman, who ‘embeds’ himself closer to Rose and the action. Australia is full of fabulous wine regions, and the Hunter Valley and its small townships west of Newcastle provide a picturesque setting for this book. Sweeping landscapes of vineyards are easily conjured in the imagination of readers. In the genre, there’s always an element to the landscape or setting that directly ties to the main character’s personality and history. In Broke Road, it’s Rose’s own family background and grandparents’ land, long since subsumed into the vast estates of a greedy local wine baron. With its twisty plot and satisfying end, this is a book to take on a weekend getaway to devour in front of the fire. Readings Magazine, June 2025.

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NON FICTION

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SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY

Letters to our robot son by Cadance Bell

Letters to Our Robot Son is the fiction debut of memoirist Cadance Bell (The All of It: A Bogan Rhapsody), a mercurial science fiction novel about a robot who awakens without memories and wanders into the world with nothing but an endless supply of optimism and curiosity to sustain him. Set in a post-human (but importantly, not post-apocalyptic) New South Wales, the story follows Arto, the primary character, as he explores his surroundings, searching for his history and purpose. While Arto is piecing together his story, readers – who possess more context than this robot – will also be seeking answers about what happened in the world. The novel begins in Arto’s first-person point-of-view, but a shocking event midway through shifts both the reader’s understanding of the world (and its future) and the narration itself. With arch commentary on corporate greed and humanity’s drive for hierarchy, Letters to Our Robot Son will likely appeal to literary fiction readers wanting to engage with science fiction conceits rather than keen science fiction fans, who might find the pacing slow and details sparse. Readers who enjoyed the delicate use of horror in Julia Armfield’s Our Wives Under the Sea or the speculative fiction elements of Laura Jean McKay’s The Animals in That Country would be ideal readers for this novel. Books and Publishing, March 2025.

The will of the many by James Islington

Maintaining suspense for almost 700 pages is a tall order, but Islington (the Licanius trilogy) makes it look easy in his staggering Hierarchy series launch, set in a world dominated by the Roman Empiresque Hierarchy. The Hierarchy maintains its power through an insidious scheme: those at the top draw energy, or Will, from those beneath them, who “voluntarily” cede some of their strength to benefit from the system. Against this backdrop, prison worker Vis, 17, must conceal that he’s really Diago, the prince of Suus, a kingdom vanquished by the Hierarchy when it executed Vis’s family. Vis gets an opportunity for revenge when he’s adopted by a powerful senator, Ulciscor Telimus, who wants him to join the Catenan Academy, where the next generation of Hierarchy leadership is trained. Ulciscor’s brother, Caeror, died there under suspicious circumstances, and Ulciscor hopes Vis can find the truth. But Vis’s options change after an encounter with violent rebels seeking to topple the Hierarchy. Islington’s worldbuilding is exceptionally detailed and thoughtful, making suspending disbelief effortless. Perfectly balancing character development and plot momentum, this will have fantasy fans clamoring for more. Publisher’s Weekly, February 2023.

Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me by Django Wexler

With some well-earned swagger and winks, Dark Lord Davi (first met in 2024’s How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying) breaks the time loop that had her endlessly failing to stop the Wilder horde from overrunning the Kingdom in Wexler’s rousing wrap-up to the series. Davi’s able to avert the expected final showdown by bringing the two sides together via a dance-off (“something that has been bringing people together and crossing boundaries since the days of Electric Boogaloo”), only to discover that her real enemy is one of the legendary Founders of the Kingdom, and that she has been caught in his trap for many, many more years than she thought. With the help of her disparate allies (including a “sexy orc lady,” Davi’s “himbo” ex-boyfriend and his new husband, and a devoted fox-woman), Davi launches a literal suicide mission to free herself and the Kingdom. Wexler raises the stakes by removing Davi’s “reset” option this time around: now deaths are permanent. The added emotional weight nicely balances out the snarky humor and barrage of pop-culture references. This is a worthy finale. Publishers Weekly, March 2025.

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TRAVEL

Learning from silence by Pico Iyer

Novelist and essayist Iyer (The Half Known Life) shares in this luminous account the lessons that more than 30 years of visiting a Benedectine monastery in California have taught him about silence. Convinced by a friend to visit the retreat in 1991, he describes it as less a place of solitude than a tightly woven “communal web” where silence is not a means of retreating into the self but shedding it to better live in the world. As a result of his visits, Iyer comes to see the ways in which the sacred shows up again and again in the mundane. For example, the tiny Tokyo apartment he shares with his girlfriend and her small children becomes a self-contained paradise (“Now I can see luxury is defined by all you don’t have to long for”), while the wildfires that regularly break out in the hills of California—and over the years claim his mother’s house and endanger the monastery itself—serve as a reminder that “the sacred is not a sanctuary… its power comes from the fact that it can’t begin to be controlled.” The author brilliantly illuminates philosophical insights about the nature of the self, the world, and how silence serves as a conduit between the two, often in elegant, evocative prose: at the monastery, “it’s as if a lens cap has come off and once the self is gone, the world can come flooding in, in all its wild immediacy.” This is stunning. Publishers Weekly, January 2025.

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New additions to eBooks at SMSA

eBooks & Audiobooks help

EBOOKS

The Christmas Tree Farm by Laurie Gilmore

Kira North has a serious case of buyer’s remorse. But what did she expect after purchasing a ramshackle Christmas tree farm sight unseen? Now, unless Kira wants to lose every penny she has already sunk into her new business venture, she needs to come up with a way to sell some Christmas trees, pronto. The problem is that grumpy, reclusive Kira has not exactly endeared herself to the residents of Dream Harbor. One person who doesn’t seem to be put off by Kira’s defensive front is Bennett Ellis, who stumbles across the farm one morning while walking his dogs. Can Kira now get past her own stubbornness about doing things completely on her own and accept some freely given help from the truly sweet and super-hot Bennett? With plenty of humor, a lot of heart, and a few blazing-hot love scenes, Gilmore returns to her delightfully quirky Dream Harbor series (The Pumpkin Spice Cafe, 2023; The Cinnamon Bun Book Store, 2024), cleverly a grumpy / sunshine holiday romance readers will not be able to resist unwrapping. Booklist, September 2024.

The Haunting of Mr and Mrs Stevenson by Belinda Lyons-Lee

Ghosts from the past awaken strange obsessions in Belinda Lyons-Lee’s second novel, The Haunting of Mr and Mrs Stevenson, a gothic retelling of the stranger-than-fiction history of Robert Louis Stevenson’s inspiration for his greatest works. The novel opens with a seance that uncovers a horrific memory from the past, forcing the Stevensons to reckon with the real and imagined things that haunt them. Told from Fanny Stevenson’s point of view, the revolver-carrying US divorcee recounts her experiences as a working writer and artist, her relationship with Robert Louis, and the terrible events that compelled him to write The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Fanny’s wry, no-nonsense voice is a highlight of the novel, which brings a fresh perspective as an outsider and acts as a strong counterpoint to the aristocratic cast of charming charlatans, would-be disapprovers and true believers in the many odd fascinations of the 1800s. The Haunting of Mr and Mrs Stevenson is a clever mix of well-researched history and ghost story that revels in sensational details of Victorian-era spiritualism and the darker history of Edinburgh. With its underlying sense of the macabre and the various hauntings threaded throughout, the book will appeal to fans of the Stevensons’ works and classic Gothic tales, such as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and to readers of women-centred historical fiction, including Pip Williams’ The Dictionary of Lost Words. Books+Publishing, May 2025.

Lonely Mouth by Jacqueline Maley

Jacqueline Maley (The Truth About Her) returns with Lonely Mouth, a powerful exploration of family, trauma and identity. Half-sisters Matilda and Lara share a mother but have different fathers. Abandoned by their mother as children, their lives take dramatically different paths. Matilda, ten years older, works in a high-end Sydney restaurant, finds solace in books, and has an eating disorder. Meanwhile, Lara thrives as a model in Paris, leading a carefree life that Matilda can only envy. When Lara’s estranged father reappears seeking reconciliation, Matilda’s carefully constructed life – built as a buffer against her chaotic past – begins to unravel. Maley’s writing is exquisite – lyrical, detailed and deeply immersive. Her ability to capture the smallest moments and intricate character details makes the world feel vivid and authentic. The scenes at the restaurant where Matilda works are particularly captivating, rich with colourful chefs and servers that breathe life into the narrative. The novel’s realism can be confronting as the sparse chapter structure creates an immersive rhythm, drawing readers deep into Matilda’s life. Trigger warnings apply for themes of child molestation and eating disorders. Maley’s depiction of bulimia is raw and unflinching, powerfully conveying the mental struggle – a portrayal that may be difficult for some to read. Recommended for readers of Sally Rooney and Coco Mellors, Lonely Mouth explores one woman’s evolving relationship with her body as she navigates a chaotic world, striving for control and connection. Books+Publishing, March 2025.

Black River by Matthew Spencer

He’s been dubbed the Blue Moon Killer: someone who has been killing young women along Sydney’s Parramatta River whenever the moon is full. Sydney is on edge, and the cops, led by Rose Riley and Steve O’Neil, know they need to figure out the killer’s identity soon. When another young woman is found dead on the grounds of an exclusive private school, cleaned and wrapped in plastic like the others, O’Neil thinks there are too many discrepancies and it’s a copycat. Riley, however, thinks the murders are related, and that having the media onside will help. Enter journalist Adam Bowman, for whom the school holds many bitter memories. Adam knows only one thing: that running this story might just break him. An on-the-ground procedural that feels honest about the legwork without ever slowing down the pace, Black River charts a chilling murder investigation with a cast of characters ranging from forensic psychiatrists to new detectives. These people are flawed, skilled and determined, and their story transports the reader to the waters of the Parramatta River, leaving unease and mistrust in its wake. For those who love the idea of P M Newton’s savvy cops working alongside a Chris Hammer-style cunning journalist, all set in the glossy but sinister Sydney of Loraine Peck, this is your next gripping Australian crime read. Books+Publishing, April 2022.

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AUDIOBOOKS

No One Can Know by Kate Alice Marshall

Marshall’s propulsive mystery-cum-psychological drama (after What Lies in the Woods) plunges readers into the precarious world of expectant mother Emma Palmer, whose husband, Nathan, has just lost his job. Faced with eviction, the couple returns (at Nathan’s insistence) to Emma’s childhood home of Arden Hills, which she has not visited since the murder of her parents 14 years earlier. No one was ever arrested for the crime, but many locals—including a police detective—believe Emma was responsible. Following the deaths, Emma and her younger sisters, Juliette and Daphne, were separated, with the two younger girls going into foster care. Emma’s return stirs up old animosities, frightening memories, and a killer’s instincts. When another murder occurs shortly after Emma arrives, the sisters reunite to finally address what really happened to their parents, sharing long-buried secrets in the process. Marshall shrewdly interlaces past and present timelines, alternating perspectives between the three sisters to shed new light on old information. Even genre veterans will have trouble sussing out the culprit. Skillful misdirection and urgent plotting make this a winner. Publisher’s Weekly, October 2023.

Those Opulent Days by Jacquie Pham

Excellent casting of an audiobook is a necessity for a great listening experience, and this multilayered performance offers it in spades. Each narrator brings a distinctive voice and personality to the characters, providing variety and deeper meaning to the complex mystery as it unfolds. Duy, Phong, Minh, and Edmond start to follow a path that was foretold years before amid the lush, vivid decadence of 1920s Saigon: One of them will be murdered, and they’ll all be suspects. Notable performances by all–in particular, Quyen Ngo, David Lee Huynh, and Graham Halstead–pull the listener into a world that includes boarding school, opium, secrets, and murder. Each of the men, along with their mothers, servants, and lovers, has something to contribute.  AudioFile Magazine, 2025.

Sins of the Fathers by J. A. Jance

Alan Sklar returns to narrate the 24th book in Jance’s J.P. Beaumont series. His deep pitch and avuncular tone are perfect for Beau, the retired homicide detective, now private investigator, who is hired to find a woman who abandoned her newborn daughter. As the story says, “you can’t outrun your past,” and this proves true for Beau when his investigation turns into a personal quest, revealing surprising relationships. Sklar effectively differentiates some of the secondary male characters but is less successful with the female voices. The slow, deliberate pace of the narration is well matched to the writing. Fans of the series will stick with it to the end just to spend time with these well-developed characters. AudioFile Magazine, 2020.

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