Book Review: After the Flood by Dave Warner

After the Flood

by

Dave Warner 

 

Publisher: Fremantle Press

 

Publication date: 2nd August 2022

 

Series: Dan Clement #3

Genre: Crime Fiction

 

Pages: 264 

 

RRP: $32.99AUD

 

Format read: Paperback 

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

My review of After the Flood

 

In After the Flood Dave Warner explores the concept of past trauma shaping a person's outlook which could lead to psychopathic thoughts and deadly actions.

After the Flood delves into the urge for vengeance or revenge and the misguided belief that someone must pay for the losses suffered.

 

DI Dan Clement, troubled by his own past mistakes, is after a juicy case to get his mind off his ex-wife. The protesters at the abattoirs and the Health Clinic break-in by an anti-vaxxer aren't keeping him that busy but these cases are put on the backburner when a seemingly ritualistic murder is discovered on a remote cattle station. Is this a drug deal gone wrong or is a psychopath on the loose?

 

I really enjoyed this intriguing police procedural set in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. The writing is laid back, a superb example of Aussie noir.

It was fascinating to read along as Clement and his team piece together what seem like inconsequential pieces of information to solve the puzzle and how one piece of information connects with another as the team kept digging away with the little clues that they had.

 

The story starts at a steady pace as information is gathered and the case seem to be going nowhere. Then the pace accelerates as we are taken on an adrenaline fuelled ride to the end.

 

After the Flood is superbly plotted crime fiction with an authentic Aussie flavour. It reads well as a stand alone.

 

My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

 

About the author

 

Photo credit: Goodreads

Dave Warner is an author, musician and screenwriter. After the Flood is his eleventh novel, with previous novels winning the Western Australian Premier's Book Award for Fiction, and the Ned Kelly Award for best Australian crime fiction. After the Flood is the third in the Dan Clement series set in Broome in Australia's North-West. Dave first came to national prominence in 1978 with his gold album Mug's Game and his band Dave Warner's from the Suburbs. In 2017 he released his tenth album, When. He has been named a Western Australian State Living Treasure and has been inducted into the WAMi Rock'n'Roll of Renown.

 

Book Review: Snowy Mountains Cattleman by Alissa Callen

 Snowy Mountains Cattleman

by

Alissa Callen

 

Is love the greatest risk of all?

 

Publisher: Harlequin Australia

 

Imprint: Mira

 

Publication date: 2nd February 2022

 

Series: A Bundilla Novel #2

 

Genre: Contemporary / Rural Romance

 

Pages: 334

 

RRP: $29.99AUD

 

Format read: Paperback

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

My review of Snowy Mountains Cattleman

 

It was so good to be back in Bundilla catching up on the lives of some familiar characters!

 

Rowan has returned from the UK and is scheduled to work on the restoration of the old Russell mansion, Crookwell Park.

 

Grace has a busy interior design business in Sydney and arrives in Bundilla to oversee the restoration of Crookwell Park. Her mother had always loved the old building and this was something she could do to remember both parents now they had passed away.

 

I just love a tentative romance story! Both Grace and Rowan have trauma they need to work through. Rowan, a broken relationship and Grace, the death of her parents. And they both know Grace is only there for the summer.

Alissa Callen has delivered again in Snowy Mountains Cattleman! We get to see Bundilla's beautiful sense of community and kinship and the gorgeous snowy mountains region in all its glory through a summer season. There are characters we have grown to love popping in and out of the story and a new character to love in Grace, who slowly opens up to the residents of Bundilla and calls them friends. Who could resist befriending Clancy, the flower farmer from Snowy Mountains Daughter.

Bundy, the town's resident kelpie is back in another starring role as companion, matchmaker and social media sensation and he adopts Grace as soon as she arrives in town.

Alissa Callen gives her readers an old mansion with long held secrets, country life, mysteries, suspense and romance all packed together in a heart-warming story of recovery.

Snowy Mountains Cattleman gets all the stars!!!! Alissa Callen's writing is consistently entertaining.

My rating 5 / 5   ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

About the author

 

When USA Today bestselling author Alissa Callen isn't writing, she plays traffic controller to four children, three dogs, two horses and one renegade cow who believes the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. After a childhood spent chasing sheep on the family farm, Alissa has always been drawn to remote areas and small towns, even when residing overseas. She is partial to autumn colours, snowy peaks and historic homesteads and will drive hours to see an open garden. Once a teacher and a counsellor, she remains interested in the life journeys that people take. She draws inspiration from the countryside around her, whether it be the brown snake at her back door or the resilience of bush communities in times of drought or flood. Her books are characteristically heartwarming, authentic and character driven. Alissa lives on a small slice of rural Australia in central western NSW.

 

 

 
 

Book Review: The Way it is Now by Garry Disher

 The Way it is Now

by

Garry Disher

 

Publisher: Text Publishing

 

Publication date: 2nd November 2021

 

Genre: Crime Fiction

 

Pages: 384

 

Format read: eBook

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher via Netgalley

 

My review of The Way it is Now

 

The Way it is Now is a stand alone mystery / thriller. The story opens in January 2000 with Charlie Deravin and 20 other probationary officers looking for a young boy who has gone missing from his school camp. Charlie's mother also mysteriously goes missing the same day. Neither is found and no-one is charged.

 

Twenty years later and on the cusp of the covid pandemic Charlie is back in his childhood home on the Victorian Mornington Peninsula. He has been suspended after attacking his superior officer. Now with his marriage in tatters and time on his hands Charlie becomes obsessed with  finding out what happened to his mother and spends his time interviewing people who lived in the area at the time.

Garry Disher effortlessly evokes the feel of a small town community where everyone knows each other and old secrets are buried deep. The timeline of the pre-covid pandemic is well portrayed when we were all so naive and it was just something happening somewhere else.

 

The mystery was well played out with plenty of twists. I had no clue as to what had happened to the victims.

Disher includes themes of jury tampering and victim blaming around a sex crime case.

 

Overall I enjoyed The Way it is Now although the ending wrapped up abruptly and I had the feeling it needed a few more pages. 

 

My rating 4 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

About the author

 

Photo: Goodreads

Garry Disher was born in 1949 and grew up on his parents' farm in South Australia.

He gained post graduate degrees from Adelaide and Melbourne Universities. In 1978 he was awarded a creative writing fellowship to Stanford University, where he wrote his first short story collection. He travelled widely overseas, before returning to Australia, where he taught creative writing, finally becoming a full time writer in 1988. He has written more than 40 titles, including general and crime fiction, children's books, textbooks, and books about the craft of writing.

 

 

 

Book Review: Bad Habits by Sarah Evans

 Bad Habits

by

Sarah Evans

 

Publisher: Clan Destine Press

 

Publication date: 1st September 2021

 

Genre: Crime / Humour

 

Series: D.I. Eve Rock #2

 

Pages: 264

 

RRP: $29.95AUD

 

Format read: paperback

 

Source: courtesy of the publisher

 

My review of Bad Habits

 

Grisly crime, romance and comedy all in one. And it works!

 

With D.I. Eve Rock Sarah Evans has created a likeable and complex character. She is sassy and full of spirit, very feminine but also likes the occasional cigar with her glass of wine.

Eve is currently on leave recovering from injuries sustained when her house and car were blown up and with no place to stay she is lodging at her mother Sister Immaculata's boarding school.

Eve can't stay away from the office for long, it's a good excuse to avoid Christmas lunch with her dysfunctional family, and she is soon back into the thick of it. New cases are mounting up; body parts found in a freezer, a major jewellery heist and an upmarket art gallery theft.

As the team start investigating the body count mounts and her mother, an ex sex-worker turned nun, has been acting very strangely. 

 

Bad Habits is a story rich in humour. Sarah Evans' writing is witty and entertaining. There is a lot going on and Eve is always in the midst of it. Eve Rock attracts trouble, it follows her around. This is the cause of lots of friendly ribbing between workmates, mostly at Eve's expense and she takes it all in her stride.

It's not all laughs, Bad Habits is a grisly tale of murder and butchery however the constant humour lightens an otherwise gruesome tale.

 

The multiple mysteries kept me turning the pages and the sweet romance between Eve and workmate D.I. Quinn Fox had me eager to see where it would go. Quinn is another likeable character, he seemed resigned to Eve's flightiness.

 

Bad Habits is the second book featuring D.I. Eve Rock and there is some backstory included making it read well as a standalone. It did leave me keen to read book 1, Operation Paradise.

 

A gruesomely good story for those that need lots of action in their books!

 

My rating 5 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

 

About the author

 

Sarah Evans, an English ex-pat journalist and former home-schooling mum, is the author of a lifestyle / recipe book Seasons and Seasonings in a Teapot, romance and crime novels, novellas, short stories and poetry.

She gives author talks and teaches memoir, creative writing, poetry and song-writing. She lives on a 20-acre hobby farm in rural Western Australia with her family and a menagerie of fur and feather and has added granny duties to her repertoire.

 

 

 

Book Review: The Bone Ranger by Louisa Bennett

The Bone Ranger

by

Louisa Bennett

 

Publisher: Clan Destine Press

Publication date: 18th November 2021

 

Series: Monty Dog Detective #2

 

Genre: Crime / Mystery

 

Pages: 314

 

RRP: $32.95AUD

 

Format read: Paperback 

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher 

 

My review of The Bone Ranger

 

The Bone Ranger is such a fun read; amusing, enjoyable and a little bit quirky.

 

Detective Rose Sidebottom is suffering from PTSD after a near death experience and is on sick leave. When a woman begs Rose to find her missing friend. Then when a girl is found murdered, Rose can't help but become involved even though her boss has warned her off the case.

 

Rose has a strong connection with her dog Monty, a golden retriever, who even seems to understand her when she talks to him. I loved the connection between Monty and Rose and how Monty could understand Rose and he found unique ways of trying to get her to understand him, even though she didn't get it some of the time.

 

The story is a dual narrative with Monty in 1st person which I found appropriate and Rose in 3rd person. I felt the change between perspectives flowed smoothly. I loved how Louisa Bennett got right into the mind and thoughts of a dog which were quite often amusing and gave me a few chuckles.

As Rose and Monty endeavour to uncover the identity of the murdered girl they come across a mysterious case of missing dogs. This detective duo are joined by a rat named Betty, Dante the magpie and a hyperactive squirrel. The animal community band together to help solve the mystery.

 

Even though the story is light and fun it is still a compelling crime read with captivating mysteries, tension, danger and suspense thrown in to give a read that is engrossing.

 

The Bone Ranger is the second book in the Monty Dog Detective series however reads well as a stand alone. 

 

My rating 4 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

 About the author

 

Photo credit Goodreads

Louisa studied Literature at the University of London and went on to learn Canine Linguistics from her Golden Retriever, Pickles, which is how she discovered what dogs really get up to when we're not around.

Truth be told, Pickles came up with the story for the Monty Dog Detective Mysteries, and Louisa just transcribed it. She's faster on the keyboard and less easily distracted by food and passing squirrels.

Louisa worked in magazine publishing before her eyes were opened to the world of woofers. She divides her time between London and Sydney, Australia, and runs courses on crime fiction and creative writing

 

Louisa Bennett also writes thrillers a L.A. Larkin 

 

 * I am saddened to add that Louisa's beloved dog Pickles passed away last week aged 12 years - RIP Pickles 💗

Book Review: The Reunion by Polly Phillips

 The Reunion

by

Polly Phillips

A chance to connect.... A chance to get revenge

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication date: 1st June 2022

 

Genre: Mystery / Thriller

 

Pages: 352

 

RRP: $29.99AUD

 

Format read: Paperback

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher via DMCPRMedia

 

My review

 

I love a great revenge story and The Reunion didn’t disappoint! This was a book I wanted to pick up every spare minute. I was pulled into the story right from the prologue.

Emily and husband Nick are gearing up for their university’s 15 year reunion. Now Emily has a perfect life; a doting husband and two gorgeous children but her past still haunts her. She has avoided her year’s cohort for 15 years and now she wants answers but mostly she wants revenge.

Polly Phillips slowly builds a mystery about Emily’s Uni days, alluding to something big happening, expertly teasing the story out keeping me glued to the pages.

 

The story is narrated by Emily in two timelines, with chapters headed in a countdown of hours leading up to the big reveal, interspersed with chapters set during Emily’s uni days with best friends Henry, Lyla and Will.

 

Phillips includes the toxic male culture in universities and how the privileged use family money to cover indiscretions.

You never really know the people closest to you is a major theme running through the novel.

 

I loved how Phillips included an older sister for Emily. Her sister, Helen, was her biggest supporter, always encouraging and concerned about Emily but never judging her. Emily’s sister, Helen, is my new hero.

 

The Reunion is a book you will want to pick up every spare minute. Tantalising, addictive and twisty; The Reunion should be on your must read list. 

 

My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

 

About the author

 

Photo credit: Polly Phillips

Originally from London, Polly and her family currently live in Perth, Western Australia. After graduating from Cambridge University, Polly worked as a journalist, first writing about  soap operas and then as a news and features writer at the Daily Express. Expat assignments followed after Polly got married, in Copenhagen and Dubai, as well as a previous stint in Perth.

 

Polly's first novel My Best Friend's Murder (based on a toxic Teenage friendship) won the Montegrappa Novel prize at the Emirates Literature Festival in 2019, and was published in Australia at the beginning of 2021. The Reunion is her second novel. In her spare time, Polly is a fanatical runner, eater and drinker with one long-suffering husband, one highly-challenging 8-year-old daughter and a basset hound that she's totally obsessed by.

 

Stay tuned for your chance to win a paperback copy of The Reunion. Details will be posted Friday 10th June.

Book Review: Dead Horse Gap by Lee Christine

 Dead Horse Gap

by

Lee Christine

 

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

 

Publication date: 1st February 2022 

 

Series: Alpine #3

Genre: Crime / Mystery

 

Pages: 279

 

RRP: $29.99AUD

 

Format read: Paperback

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

My review

 

There wasn't as much tension in this book as the previous two novels, Charlotte Pass and Crackenback.

However the story still held my attention as it had a compelling mystery at its centre.

 

I enjoyed following along with the police investigation as it changes from undercover drug surveillance to murder investigation. The mystery was well played out and I had no idea how it would eventually pan out.

 

The Snowy Mountains in New South Wales is an amazing setting; cold, secluded and a bit eerie. Lee Christine transports her readers into the snow, sleet and below zero temperatures. You may want to read this book snuggled up with a heater nearby.

 

Mitch Flowers is given the lead in this case, as Ryder prepares for his move to uniform country cop. Flowers takes over with confidence but he has a little secret of his own going on after dark. Nerida Sterling, another up-and-coming young detective, has an undercover role sniffing out some information on a suspected drug ring in the area. Lee Christine highlights the danger of undercover work and the pressure it places on a persons well-being.  

 

The addition of a long held feud between two families makes for another interesting plot line.

 

Dead Horse Gap was an easy read and highly entertaining. A compelling addition to the series. 

 

My rating 4 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

About the author

 

Photo: Goodreads

  In 2009, former corporate trainer Lee Christine decided to turn her writing hobby into a serious job.

 

Lee is the author of six romantic suspense novels. her first crime novel, Charlotte Pass, was published in 2020 and won the award for Favourite Romantic Suspense Novel in the 2020 Australian Romance Readers Awards. Her second crime novel, Crackenback, was published in2021 and Dead Horse Gap in 2022.

 

 

 

    

 

Book Review: The Gosling Girl by Jacqueline Roy

The Gosling Girl

by

Jacqueline Roy

 

Murderer? Monster? Child? Victim? 

 

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

 

Publication date: 2nd February 2022

 

Genre: Crime

 

Pages: 400

 

RRP: $32.99AUD

 

Format read: paperback

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

My review

 

The Gosling Girl is disturbing, distressing, addictive......I read it in a day!

 

Michelle Cameron has spent the last 14 years in institutions after being convicted of murder at the age of ten.

 

Roy leaves the reader questioning Michelle's guilt or innocence and she is not quite sure herself what she has done wrong.

By not mentioning Michelle by name until well into the book we get an insight into what it is like to have your identity stripped from you.

The difficulties faced after being released and trying to live in a society you have never been part of are well conveyed.

 

It took me a little while to get into the story but once I did the pages flew and I couldn't put it down. Filled with flawed characters that are on the whole unlikable, however very real in their thoughts and actions. 

Throughout the book I found myself warming to Michelle as I followed her small triumphs and devastating losses. Each time she picked herself up and started again I wished for her to have the happy ending she dreamed of.

 

With themes of embedded racism, child abuse, police inadequacy and lynch mobs, this book will have you infuriated with the system.

 

My rating 4 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

 

 

 

Book Review & Giveaway: A Stone's Throw Away by Karly Lane

 A Stone's Throw Away

by

Karly Lane

Poignant, heart-warming and suspenseful....

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Publication date: 3rd May 2022

 

Genre: Rural Crime 

 

Pages: 368

 

RRP: $29.99AUD

 

Format read: Paperback

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

My review

 

Investigative Journalist Pip Davenport moves to her uncle's quiet, country property to overcome a case of writers block. She is writing a book on her last assignment which ended in a prominent politician going to prison.

 

When a cold-case in the area is reopened Pip can't help but be pulled into the mystery. The town is tight-lipped and Pip feels there is more to this case than first appears.

 

The introduction of two potential love interests for Pip adds a touch of romance to this tension filled crime novel. I must admit to having a sneaky look forward to see who Pip would connect with. 

Pip is a strong, determined character. She is suffering a severe case of PTSD but when her journalistic instincts kick in she is fearless and doesn't balk at ruffling a few feathers.

 

Karly Lane has delivered a wonderfully immersive novel with visually pleasing descriptions, a highly engaging plot, gripping suspense and compelling twists.

 

A Stone's Throw Away is a story of courage, resilience and a passion for the truth. 

 

My rating  5 / 5   ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

 

 

Click the cover image to read my reviews of Karly's book. 

   

GIVEAWAY:

 

Thanks to the generosity of Allen & Unwin I have one paperback copy to giveaway to one lucky reader. (Australian addresses only)

Entry is via the form below. Entries close at Midnight on Friday 21st may 2022.

 

This giveaway is now closed and the winner was announced HERE

Book Review: Who Sleuthed It? Edited by Lindy Cameron

 Who Sleuthed It?

edited by Lindy Cameron

 

Fingers and feelers and paws and wings,

Solving thrillers and chillers and secretive things!

 

Publisher: Clandestine Press

 

Publication date: 1st September 2021 

Genre: Crime Anthology

 

Pages: 340

 

RRP: $29.95 AUD

 

Format read: Paperback

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher 

 

My review

 

I do enjoy anthologies! I like that I can read a short story here and there and it's instant gratification.

 

Who Sleuthed It? is a collection of stories connected by the theme of animal sleuths. 

 

It did include a wide range of sub-genres within the crime genre and I am not a fan of paranormal however there were 19 stories in all so don't be put off by the fact some may be a genre you don't read. A short story may also be a good way to give something different a try.

 

All stories had a mystery at their core. I enjoyed more the stories where the animals retained their animal mannerisms, but could communicate with each other, over the stories where the animal characters took on human mannerisms.

Many of the stories included an element of humour which always appeals to me. Because the stories are so short it is quick to move on to the next one if one doesn't appeal.

Overall my rating averaged out to 4 stars over the 19 stories and there were plenty of 5 star reads in there.

 

Who Sleuthed It? is a fun collection of stories that will appeal to animal lovers and crime readers alike. I also discovered a few new authors that I am now keen to seek out their full length novels. 

 

My rating 4 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

About the authors

 

List of contributing authors. There may be a few names here you already know.

Louisa Bennet - Australian

Lindy Cameron - Australian

Kat Clay - Australian

Livia Day - Australian

Jack Fennell - Irish

David Greagg - Australian

Kerry Greenwood - Australian

Narrelle M. Harris - Australian

Craig Hilton - Australian

Meg Keneally - Australian

C.J. McGumbleberry - American

Chuck McKenzie - Australian

Atlin Merrick - American

Dr. L.J.M. Owen - Australian

GV Pearce - British

Vikki Petraitis - Australian

Fin J Ross - Australian

Tor Roxburgh - Australian

Elizabeth Ann Scarborough - American 

 

Book Review & Giveaway: Murder Most Fancy by Kellie McCourt

Murder Most Fancy

by

Kellie McCourt 

 

She really didn't mean to become a detective....

 

Publisher: Harlequin Australia

 

Imprint: HQ Fiction

 

Publication date: 5th January 2022 

Series: Indigo #2

 

Genre: Mystery

 

Pages: 464

 

RRP: $29.99 AUD

 

Format read: Uncorrected Advanced Copy

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

My review

 

Socialite turned unwilling sleuth Indigo-Daisy-Violet-Amber Hasluck-Royce-Jones-Bomberg is back again in this madcap murder mystery.

In Murder Most Fancy Indigo literally falls over a body in her grandmother's garden. The man by all appearances looks to be homeless and Grandmother's neighbour, Dame Elizabeth Holly, asks Indigo and her personal assistant Esmerelda to unearth the man's identity so she can give him a decent burial. As the pair use their unconventional means of investigation the mystery thickens, and could someone be trying to kill them?

 

I haven't read the first book in this series, Heiress on Fire and I didn't feel like I had missed anything, so I would say this reads well as a standalone.

Murder Most Fancy is a fun read filled with humour and wry wit. A diverse cast of characters combine to deliver a story that's not all about high society and name dropping. Indigo is well portrayed as the overindulgent rich girl. However, she is perfectly offset with her sidekick Esmerelda, who is laid-back and unassuming. 

I found it hard to get a hold on Esmerelda's character. She was a whole bunch of contradictions. She quite often had no idea what was going on around her but she was street wise, tech savvy and intelligent. I think Kellie McCourt has done a wonderful job of writing such a complex character and I am sure she will be the favourite of many readers.

 

I loved the way each character had a partnering character with an opposite personality; Indigo and Esmerelda, also the two grandmothers, with Indigo's grandmother firm and no nonsense whilst Dame Elizabeth was softer and manipulated with kindness, showing opposites can get along and make lasting friendships.

At times I found the story was a bit too wordy however this could be easily overlooked when the wordiness was so funny.

Murder Most Fancy is an addictive murder mystery filled with a diverse cast of likeable characters and shenanigans that will have you laughing out loud.

My rating 4 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

About the author

Credit: Harper Collins

 Kellie McCourt has worked as a national and international television anchor, scriptwriter, producer and reporter. Kellie is also an experienced print journalist and magazine editor.

She has a double BA in Journalism and Creative Writing from Curtin University, studied journalism in SE Asia and completed a postgrad scholarship program at UNSW. Alas, her mother is still waiting for her to 'get a real job', like a lawyer. Or an accountant.

Kellie had a misspent youth as a wayward socialite, and loves shoes, friends, reading, shoes and baked goods.

Kellie is passionate about creating entertaining, gender empowering stories. She lives in Sydney with her two amazing young daughters, and two poodles. 

 

Giveaway

 

I have two copies of Murder Most Fancy to give away to two lucky readers.

Entry is open to Australian addresses only and close at midnight on 19th February 2022.

Entry via the form below. 

 

This giveaway is now closed and the winners were announced HERE