Review: The Cross Thieves by Alan Fyfe

The Cross Thieves is a sharply observed literary fiction set in a small town on the outskirts of Mandurah, Western Australia. 

Alan Fyfe highlights the plight of the homeless, food insecurity and the difficulties faced by the impoverished in our digital world.

The Cross Thieves is set over one night where brothers Gark and Pell, two teenage boys who have found themselves homeless after a series of unfortunate events, go on a quest for revenge after the murder of a friend. The brothers' hunger and desperation is vividly described.

Fyfe keenly depicts the boys' passion for what is right. In a spontaneous act of revenge, and not really thinking through the consequences, they steal a cross with their nemesis' name engraved on it, a member of the town's biggest criminal family.

The Cross Thieves, although set over one night, has backstory told through letters from their mother to her sister and conversations between characters. The author often breaks the fourth wall and speaks to the reader directly.

Fyfe adds plenty of dark humour as the boys race through the night, cross in tow, coming across other characters in their covert operation. I loved that the boys spent the whole night running and fearful, not knowing what to do next only to end up right back where they started. This really appealed to my sense of humour.

There is a side story about a religious zealot, Pastor Joshua Chord, who twists religious texts to suit his own agenda. His involvement in the boys' mother and aunt's lives is told through letters between the two women. Crossing paths with the boys on this fateful night will have dire consequences for the pastor.

The Cross Thieves is the second book in a trilogy and I can honestly say I didn't feel like I had missed anything by not reading the first book. There is plenty of backstory interspersed throughout to let the reader know what preceded. I'm not generally good with literary fiction but I found The Cross Thieves grew on me more after I finished the book. I kept thinking about the characters and how true to life they felt.

Fyfe portrays Gark and Pell's circumstances with compassion and highlights the fierce bond the brothers have.

The Cross Thieves is coarse, violent and darkly funny with real characters, straight from struggle street.

My rating 4 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Publisher: Transit Lounge

Publication date: 1st March 2026

Genre: Literary Fiction

Pages: 208

RRP: AU$32.99

Source: Courtesy of the publisher via Quikmark Media

#thecrossthieves #alanfyfe #literaryfiction #bookssetinwesternaustralia #australianauthor #ausbookbloggers #aussieaugust26

Review: Rebel Spirits by Paula J. Beavan

Rebel Spirits is such an immersive read. I immediately liked the main character Ellen and felt empathy for her circumstances. I have read, and loved, Paula J. Beavan's Among the Grey Gums and Rebel Spirits did not disappoint.

Set in the NSW Hunter River area in the 1860's, Ellen Maguire is left to manage the family Inn and look after her recalcitrant father and wayward brother after her mother's death.

I love Beavan's female leads. They are strong, stubborn and feisty but also fiercely loyal to their family. Ellen has a big heart and we see this time and again as she saves an injured Jack Bell from perishing in the bush, takes in two orphaned children and repeatedly forgives her brother for his wild adventures.

Whilst we follow Ellen's predicament trying to keep the Inn afloat and her growing attraction to newcomer to town, Jack Bell, we are also plunged into a light mystery as Jack tries to find his runaway niece.

Even though Rebel Spirits has plenty of depth it is an easy read and Beavan's two main characters are extremely likable. The story flows well and there is always something happening to keep the reader invested.

I loved the inclusion of Ellen's pet llama Simon which added some humour to the story. Beavan also introduces the concept of herbal medicine and tinctures made especially for women. Which I believe were very common during this period in Australia. The inclusion of an Illegal still and fighting matches added suspense.

Rebel Spirits is an all round feel-good historical fiction story with a feisty female lead and a kind and compassionate male lead.

My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Publisher: Self Published

Publication date: 27th May 2026

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 350

Price: AU$7.99 (in the Kindle store)

Source: eCopy from author

#rebelspirits #historicalfiction #australianauthor #paulajbeavan #ausbookbloggers #booksreleasedin2026 #bookssetinaustralia

Review: The Windmill in the Silver Gums by Leonie Kelsall

I was so excited to read The Windmill in the Silver Gums I have loved the Settler's Bridge series and it was great to be back with so many familiar characters. It was like visiting old friends.

1915 - Rose is eager to escape the small town she lives in. When she meets the handsome Kurt Jaensch she is impatient for marriage and to move to the grand home of the Jaensch family. She is not interested in farming, there will be workhands for that. However, the war changes everything.

Present day - After Indi's father is involved in a farming accident, Indi finds herself working the farm on her own. Finances are tight but she is determined not to lose the family farm that has been handed down through the generations.

In The Windmill in the Silver Gums Leonie Kelsall highlights the hardships of working on the land for a living. Readers living in farming communities will resonate with her characters' circumstances whilst city dwellers will feel empathy and possibly obtain a clearer understanding of the plight of farmers as they are at the mercy of the weather, shortage of funds and life-altering farming accidents.

I loved how characters from previous books pop in and out of the narrative. It gives that added level of connection whilst also leaving the book able to be read as a stand alone.

The dual timeline gives the reader a feel for how farms are more than just a livelihood as they are handed down from generation to generation. The farm is in their very being.

Leonie Kelsall has ventured more into the farming side of rural life in The Windmill in the Silver Gums than her previous novels which were more community focused.

Even though the story held my interest right from the start I would have liked a bit more romance between Indi and Blake. However, they got there in the end.

My rating 4 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Publication date: 30th June 2026

Genre: Rural Fiction / Romance

RRP: AU$34.99 (trade paperback)

Pages: 368

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

Other books by Leonie Kelsall

THE FARM AT PEPPERTREE CROSSING

THE WATTLE SEED INN 

THE BLUE GUM CAMP

THE WILLOW TREE WHARF

THE RIVER GUM COTTAGE 

THE HOMESTEAD IN THE EUCALYPTS

THE WINGS ABOVE THE MALEE

THE PATH THROUGH THE COOJONG TREES

THE IRONBARK PROMISE

#thewindmillinthesilvergums #leoniekelsall #australianauthor #settlersbridgeseries

#ruralromance #ruralfiction #ausbookbloggers

Review: Murder at the Highland Games by Dee MacDonald

Murder at the Highland Games is book 4 in the Ally McKinley Mystery series by Dee MacDonald.

It is not necessary to read the series in order as there is ample backstory to keep new readers up to date and each murder/ mystery is solved by the end of the book.

The town is abuzz as the local highland games begin and competitors have come from far and wide. Amateur sleuth Ally McKinley is thrust into the thick of it again when the top competitor, who also happens to be one of her guests, is murdered. There are plenty of suspects and some of them are men from her own little village.

I've really enjoyed this light, murder mystery series so far. It's always fun to revisit the small country town and the close-knit community who reside there. The stories are just as much about the community as they are about the murders.

Dee MacDonald has hit on a winning formula and doesn't stray far with each new book. The books are easy reads, with likeable local characters and the odd twist thrown in, making them perfect reads for a quiet weekend in.

My rating 4 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication date: 16th April 2026

Series: Ally McKinley Mystery #4

Genre: Cosy Crime

Pages: 252

Source: Courtesy of the publisher via Netgalley

Other books in the series:

Murder in the Scottish Highland

Murder at the Loch 

A Very Bookish Murder

Follow along on the book tour below

#murderatthehighlandgames #deemacdonald #bookouture #cosymystery #scottishmurdermystery

Review: The Maskeys by Stuart Everly-Wilson

 This story needs to be on the screen!!

The Maskeys is an outrageously entertaining story of an outlaw family. The ferals of a small country town and family of the local drug lord. 

Set in the fictitious town of Naples which, I think, could be in the Northern Rivers hinterland. The story doesn't specifically state its location.

Naples is a town on the verge of collapse, gripped by drugs and feuding neighbours. A town where everyone is on drugs, trying to get off drugs or growing drugs, or selling drugs. George Maskey is the town's drug lord. He controls the sellers and his grower, Rodney, an orphan, who attends the marijuana crop growing in the hills. Rodney has learnt to survive on his own and never loses sight of his dream for a better future.

Stuart Everly-Wilson has drawn a very real town with real people, maybe not people I'd want to associate with but very real all the same. We get to meet the framework of the Maskey family and their neighbour, service station owner, Gayle Reynolds. There is an ongoing feud between the two as Gayle thinks the Maskeys have something to do with her son's disappearance.

Stuart Everly-Wilson has included an eclectic array of characters that I'm sure were plucked off the streets of a real Australian country town. These people are the low-lifes of society, addicts and dealers, no-hopers, but I came to care about them, interested to know what would happen to them.

The Maskeys is brilliant bush noir as the story slowly unravels a tangled web of deceit, lies and mistrust is revealed. This is a family saga of epic proportions told through present day and flashbacks. Stuart Everly-Wilson's reveals are subtle but jaw-dropping, it's easy to miss them and at times I picked up on the meaning later in the book with a sudden exclamation of understanding (that's the oh my gosh everyone could hear).

The Maskeys is politically incorrect, coarse and outrageously funny. This is one book not to be missed.

My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Content: death by drugs

               coarse language

               

              

Publisher: Transit Lounge Publishing

Publication date: 1st October 2025

Genre: Crime / Noir

Pages: 320

RRP: $34.99AU (trade paperback)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher via Quikmark Media

Review: Softly Calls the Devil by Chris Blake

 In Softly Calls the Devil Detective Senior Sergeant Chris Blake writes what he knows and it comes across as authentic, gripping and menacing.

Softly Calls the Devil is set in a small town on New Zealand's wild West Coast. Matt Buchanan is back in uniform and enjoying the small town atmosphere. When retired policeman Gus asks Matt to look into a case from the 70's he wasn't prepared for what he would find.

When a murder and a suicide rock the whole town Matt is suddenly thrust back into CIB mode.

Softly Calls the Devil is a brilliant piece of noir crime; dark and intense with a side of New Zealand humour thrown in. I wasn't prepared for how dark this story became nor how realistic the plot is. Once you start reading there is no turning back. Softly Calls the Devil is compelling and fast paced with a few twists to keep your attention.

Blake keeps the prose spare which enables the story to progress at a fast pace.

Softly Calls the Devil is gritty and dark; not for the squeamish.

My only small problem with this novel was the occasional colloquial New Zealand language caused me to sometimes have no idea what was  going on.

It made me realise how Americans must feel reading Australian books. 😄

My rating 4.5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

Content: Torture

               ritualistic killing

Publisher: Echo Publishing

Publication date: 4th November 2025

Genre: Crime / Thriller

Pages: 352 

RRP: $34.99AU (trade paperback)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

Review: What the Bones Know by Kirstyn McDermott

The descriptive country setting of the prologue, a farmer rescuing his bull from a flooded creek, did not prepare me for what was to come. What the Bones Know is a searing, gothic tale of past ghosts, family and long held secrets.

Set on the cusp of COVID lockdowns, Jude has returned home over concerns of her mother's declining cognitive health. Her return to the farm coincides with the discovery of a child's bones.

Plagued by nightmares that feel frighteningly real, Jude feels like she is on the brink of a breakdown.

McDermott pulls the reader ever deeper into the mystery with a foreboding air hanging over the story. The dark gothic/supernatural element gives an eerie feeling.

Jude is dealing with an ex-partner, an aging parent, the remoteness of country life and the COVID lockdown and its tribulations, all causing stress and anxiety.

Told in the present and also through breath-holding, suspense filled flashbacks. I was plunged into Jude's nightmare and the cliff-hanger chapter endings kept the pages turning.

Evocatively written with a beautifully described country setting What the Bones Know had me engaged from start to finish.

What the Bones Know is a haunting exploration of suppressed memory and family obligation.

My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Publisher: Harlequin Australia

Publication date: 1st March 2026

Genre: Mystery / Gothic

Pages: 307

RRP: $32.99AU

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

Review: The Sunbaker by P. A. Thomas

From the author of The Beacon comes another thrilling beachside murder mystery, bursting with local colour and humour. 

The Sunbaker is another page-turning success from Australian author P. A. Thomas.

I really enjoyed The Beacon and was looking forward to being back on the NSW North Coast with The Sunbaker. The Beacon is set in Byron Bay and The Sunbaker is set in the nearby town of Brunswick Heads. 

Journalist Jack Harris is back again and has been asked by a friend, forensic pathologist Nicola Fox, to help investigate the case of a dead body found lying on a sunlounge at her holiday house.

If you have read The Beacon you will know that Jack Harris is a journalist and runs the local newspaper. If you haven't read book one Thomas includes plenty of backstory on his main characters.

Inspector Begley is counting down the days until his retirement and an unidentified dead body turning up is an inconvenience he could do without. He calls in Jack to help dig up some information and assist with the investigation - strictly off the record.

I loved the eclectic mix of support characters that beautifully reflected the colourful range of residents of the Byron region. Plus the wonderful portrayal of Inspector Begley. He was tetchy, sweary and grumpy, with a dry personality dripping with sarcasm pitted against Harris who was light-hearted and a bit of a comedian.

Ricky is back to lend his hand at a bit of break-and-enter and get Jack out of a few scrapes.

P. A. Thomas is a medical specialist and around all the light-hearted fun he includes serious medical conditions and the ethical issues related to them.

Medical conditions, dark humour, murder and laugh-out-loud moments (mainly at Jack's expense) effortlessly come together to make The Sunbaker a compelling mystery read with plenty of twists to keep the reader engaged.

My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Publisher: Echo Publishing

Publication date: 1st July 2025

Series: Jack Harris #2

Genre: Crime / Mystery

Pages: 384

RRP: AU$32.99 (trade paperback)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

Review: Blue Skies by Fleur McDonald

I first discovered Fleur McDonald's books nine years ago when I read and reviewed Indigo Storm in 2016 (before I started this blog). I was immediately taken with Fleur's character of Detective Dave Burrows (as were hundreds of other readers).

I couldn't wait for each book to come out. I've recently been making my way through Fleur's backlist. Click on the title to read my review of her debut novel Red Dust.

Fleur McDonald is a farmer at heart and she writes what she knows which comes across on the page as real and authentic.

Blue Skies is narrated through a dual timeline.

In 2001 - Amanda is trying to work with her father to save the family farm Kyleena. Just out of Ag College with a degree in Agribusiness she is full of new ideas and eager to implement them. Her father is old school and they often lock horns.

In 1934 - Michael Greenfield arrives from England to start a new life in Australia, acquiring land and building Kyleena from the ground up.

Blue Skies is rich in drama. Both timelines involve heartache and miscommunication making Blue Skies a riveting read. There is plenty of mystery and strange happenings that kept me immersed in the story and eagerly turning pages.

I enjoyed the historical timeline involving the Greenfield family history, the mystery surrounding Michael Greenfield and the building of Kyleena.

The modern day timeline features women in farming and how alone and vulnerable Amanda felt at times.

Fleur includes themes of family skeletons, revenge, gas-lighting and sabotage all wrapped around a compelling mystery.

I enjoyed Blue Skies and can also see how far Fleur McDonald's writing has come over the years.

My rating 3.5 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐½

Note: Dave Burrows is not in this novel

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Publication date: 1st January 2010

Genre: Fiction / Small Town Fiction 

Pages: 328

Source: Own Copy

Review: The Berlin Agent by Stephen Ronson

The Berlin Agent is book #2 in Stephen Ronson's John Cook series. 

John is working his farm but has also been assigned as a special agent, simply told he will be contacted  when needed.

The Berlin Agent is set in John's hometown of Uckfield in Sussex. The townsfolk are preparing for, what they see as, an imminent German invasion.

Ronson's writing is visually descriptive and his almost poetic prose bring the story to life on the page.

The small country town is riddled with war propaganda, air raids, enemy infiltrations, Nazi sympathisers and covert operations.

The War Ag Dept is reviewing farm outputs and has complete control over every aspect of food production, taking over farms that don't comply.

John is a wonderful protagonist. He cares for the people of his village and feels he needs to help everyone. Protecting his small village whilst also working for his country against the Germans.

The Berlin Agent had more of a political lean than The Last Line which was more of a murder mystery with the war as a backdrop. Although there were a few mysteries at play which kept me engaged with the story.

The Berlin Agent is a work of fiction, however Stephen Ronson states that many aspects of the book are based on fact and I found the whole concept of the plot very believable.

The Berlin Agent is suspense filled, fast-paced and rich in political intrigue.

Highly recommended for any readers who enjoy books on WWII.

My rating 4 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Publication date: 7th November 2024

Series: John Cook #2

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 345

Source: Courtesy of the publisher via Netgalley

My review of THE LAST LINE

#theberlinagent #stephenronson #netgalley #WWII #bookreview #johncookseries #historicalfiction 

Review: A Very Bookish Murder by Dee MacDonald

A Very Bookish Murder is book three in Dee MacDonald's Ally McKinley series.

Ally is the owner of a B&B in the tiny Highland village of Locharran. Ally is also an amateur sleuth. 

A Very Bookish Murder is another fun cosy mystery read from Dee MacDonald. Ally is such a likeable character and she loves to do a bit of investigating. There is plenty of opportunity for her to show her skills when not one but two people are murder whilst on a writing retreat.

Lots of name calling and shouts of plagiarism amongst the group of authors generated plenty of suspects and kept the plot moving along at a steady pace.

There is enough backstory dispersed throughout for those who are new to the series and also provides a refresher for return readers.

Some of my favourite side characters make an appearance in the story as this series is not only about the murders it is also about the little town of Locharran and its eccentric residents. Occasionally the murder investigation takes a backseat to the everyday life of the town.

If you love Midsomer Murders you will enjoy the Ally McKinley series.

A Very Bookish Murder is a fun, light cosy mystery, perfect for reading over a quiet weekend.

My rating 4 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication date: 19th September 2025

Series: Ally McKinley #3

Genre: Cosy Crime / Mystery

Pages: 273

Source: Courtesy of the publisher via Netgalley

Follow along on the book tour below:

#averybookishmurder #cosymystery #deemacdonald #allymckinley #bookouture #blogtour #newrelease 

Book Review: The Bridge to Always by Lynda Marron

I loved this book so much!! But then I do love real, flawed characters that make big messy mistakes in their lives.

 

The Bridge to Always is told in multiple points of view. We get to hear from everyone, even nine-year-old Emer. 

 

After the death of her mother Maeve moves to a small town in Cork hoping to rekindle a romance with Tim, the father of her nine-year-old daughter Emer.

 

Tim is now married but is tempted by the vivacious Maeve. He goes to see her and is shocked to find out he has a daughter.

 

Maeve is a totally unlikeable character and at times I felt like screaming at her. She is the most frustrating character I've read for a while. Maeve loves her daughter fiercely but the child is sorely neglected in her quest to win Tim back. She is very delusional and has an unrealistic dream of life.

Agnes and Malachi, who live on properties nearby, try to help Maeve as they can see she is struggling, however she is rude and dismissive of them.

 

I feel that Lynda Marron has taken a gamble creating a main character who is self-centred, morally challenged and unlikeable. Although, for me, it paid off. 

 

The story moves back and forward from now, with Maeve living in Drohid, Cork to ten years ago when she first met Tim. 

 

As with her previous novel Last Chance in Paris Marron writes about people's lives crossing and how a brief moment in time, a brief encounter, can change your life forever.

 

In The Bridge to Always I was quickly drawn into the immersive tale of the citizens of Drohid, where even the most well meaning of people still, on occasion, looked out for themselves first. 

 

I would recommend this affecting and moving novel to readers who enjoy stories on love, identity and finding yourself.

 

My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

Publisher: Echo Publishing

Publication date: 29th April 2025

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Pages: 340

RRP: AU$32.99 (trade paperback)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

 

 

Book Review: The Bittersweet Bakery Cafe by Catherine Greer

The Bittersweet Bakery Cafe is an easy read. Engaging and fun! This is a story of resilience and starting over and I love that with romance books you are always guaranteed a happy ending. 

 

Just when Audrey thinks she's in line for that big promotion at work she is blindsided and replaced by a younger woman. Devastated and angry, she goes home to find that her husband has been having an affair and asks her to move out of the marital home.

 

After losing her job, her husband and her home, Audrey flees to Whitehaven Bay, a place that holds happy memories of holidays with her mother.

 

The whole life imploding and fleeing to a quiet, small town is a well worn trope but I always love these stories of women being resilient and courageous in the face of adversity.

If you read enough contemporary romance you will come across this popular trope. I've read similar books before and always loved them. The Bittersweet Bakery Cafe is no exception - different people - different towns - and it's the differences that add a level of uniqueness to each story - same but different - and totally enjoyable. 

 

The Bittersweet Bakery Cafe is a bittersweet story of starting over (see what I did there). 😉 What starts as a short holiday for Audrey soon becomes the catalyst of a long held dream. Audrey loves to bake and has always dreamed of running her own bakery.

 

The Bittersweet Bakery Cafe has a wonderful cast of eclectic characters that make up the small coastal town of Whitehaven Bay. I loved them all, especially Buddy, the octogenarian who liked to swim naked, Billie the rebellious, non-binary teen, Chez, entrepreneur, party planner and Zen master and I can't forget the Coffin Cheaters bikie gang. There is a heartfelt age-gap friendship between Buddy, Audrey and Billie.

 

The Bittersweet Bakery Cafe is chock-full of laugh-out-loud moments with plenty of drama and setbacks through themes of ageism, alcohol abuse and domestic abuse, as Audrey rebuilds her life with sugar, flour, butter and love. Fabulous feel-good fiction and a must read for contemporary romance readers. 

 

And if Audrey's recipes make your mouth water they are all there in the back of the book just waiting for you to try them. 

 

My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

 

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Publication date: 4th March 2025

Genre: Contemporary Fiction / Romance

Pages: 384

RRP: AU$32.99 

Source: Uncorrected proof won 

 

 

 

Book Review: The Prospect by Fleur McDonald

I'm a great fan of Fleur McDonald's writing and I've read many of her books. She's an auto-buy author for me.

This being said, I was a little disappointed with The Prospect. I feel the editing let it down.

 

The Prospect is the first book in a new series featuring Journalist Zara Ellison and her partner, police officer Jack Higgins. This couple have appeared in previous novels but there is no need to have read them as The Prospect is a whole new start in Kalgoorlie for Zara and Jack.

Whilst I found the information on gold mines, prospectors and gold stealing all extremely interesting I felt The Prospect lacked the danger and suspense of McDonald's previous novels. 

 

I really enjoyed the character of Ted, the old prospector, but I found Jack very wishy-washy and I've never warmed to Zara even when she was featured in previous novels. Jack and Zara's relationship didn't feel solid.

 

Despite my grievances, and there are a few, McDonald's writing is always beautifully descriptive and she brings out the true essence of the Australian outback.

The Prospect ends on a massive cliff-hanger and yes, I will be buying the next book. 

 

I will end on a few things that interrupted my reading pleasure.

 * page 38 'Well, I came out here when I was twenty-one and I was born in 1975.' Zara did a quick calculation. 'You bought this land in 1986? (the year of birth should be 1965)

 

* page 150 'What's Austrac?' Jack asked. Surely a detective would know what Austrac is and what it does! Then on page 151 'He had certainly heard about the regulator.'  

* page 219 'Forearmed was forewarned and knowledge bore no weight.' I know this is meant to be a twist on an old saying but it still makes no sense to me.

 

* page 238 '.. and I want to rule out what consistencies there are.'  I would think you would rule out inconsistencies and check on consistencies. (I may be wrong).

 

My rating 3 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐

 

Publisher: Harper Collins

Publication date: 2nd April 2025

Genre: Crime

Pages: 368

Source: Own copy

 

Other books I've read by Fleur McDonald

Broad River Station

Deception Creek 

Into the Night

Out in Nowhere 

Red Dirt Country

Red Dust 

Rising Dust

The Shearer's Wife 

Shock Waves

Something to Hide 

Voices in the Dark 

Without a Doubt 

 

 

 

Book Review: The Night on the Darling River by Darry Fraser

 The Night on the Darling River is a wonderfully immersive historical fiction set in 1894 Australia, during the rising tensions of the shearers' strikes.

 

Whilst most of the story is set in Echuca on the Murray River, it was the night Tess spent on the Darling River that changed her life forever.

 

Tess has finally summoned the courage to leave her abusive husband, stealing away in the dead of night, only to find herself hiding on the wrong boat. She is inadvertently caught up in the violence between union and non-union shearers and ends up wounded and stranded on the banks of the Darling River. Tess finds friendship in Ava, a young woman deserted by her husband.

Darry Fraser brings to life the tent cities on the banks of the Darling where women have the choice of following their husbands from town to town or staying put and praying they will return.

 

I was totally addicted to Tess's story and the action and danger never let up. Fraser has created some marvelous characters; strong women banding together, kind generous men and there are always those we want to see get their just deserts. 

I love Australian Historical Fiction and The Night on the Darling River did not disappoint. Darry Fraser has given her readers a story that is rich in danger with a light romance thread dispersed throughout. Fraser highlights the plight of women during this period of history and the devastating effects of flooding on the riverside towns and their residents.

 

I'm excited to read more of Darry's backlog!

 

My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Content: domestic violence

 

Publisher: Harlequin Australia

Publication date: 4th December 2024

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 416

RRP: AU$32.99 (paperback)

Source: courtesy of the publisher

 

Other books I've read by Darry Fraser:

The Milliner of Benigo

The Last Truehart 

 

Book Review: Murder at the Loch by Dee MacDonald

Murder at the Loch is book 2 in Dee MacDonald's Ally McKinley Mystery Series.

 

Murder at the Loch is another fun cosy mystery set in the Scottish Highlands. If you've read the first book, Murder in the Scottish Highlands, you will already know all the delightful residents of Locharran. However if you haven't, MacDonald includes plenty of backstory on everyone, so you will know exactly who is who.

Murder at the Loch involves two murders, seemingly unrelated, but when Ally finds herself on the suspect list she is determined to find out who did  the killings.

 

Murder at the Loch is an easy read. The story mainly focuses on the quirky characters, and I loved them all. Lots of red herrings had me guessing then back tracking as a few people had plausible motives to murder the women. 

The Ally McKinley Mystery series is an enjoyable series. Ally is a likeable protagonist as are all the supporting characters. I am eager for the next book.

 

My rating 4 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication date: 3rd March 2025 

Series: Ally McKinley Mystery #2

Genre: Cosy Crime 

Pages: 252

Source: Courtesy of the publisher via Netgalley

 

 

 

 

Book Review: Opal by Patricia Wolf

A DS WALKER THRILLER

 

Opal delves into the high-stakes dog eat dog world of opal mining. 

 

Mark is rumoured to have found a million dollar opal, soon after he is found dead, in bed with his ex business partner's wife. Both have been  brutally murdered.

Is this the work of a jealous husband or someone looking for the rumoured opal?

 When DS Walker arrives in the small outback town to pick up his cousin, Blair, he is immediately pulled into the investigation. Overnight the town becomes isolated by rising flood waters and there is no way out.

 

A town isolated by flood waters, relentless heat and a killer in their midst makes for compelling reading.

 

As DS Walker assists local police the suspect list rises and it appears many in the small town had a grudge against the murdered man. Throw in the mix disgruntled opal miners and a fugitive who doesn't want to be found and Wolf has created a tense and atmospheric read.

 

Each book in the series reads well as a standalone with the major murder investigation wrapped up by the end of the book. However there is also an ongoing story, throughout the three books, with an outlaw motorcycle gang involved in drug manufacture.

 

Even though Opal got a little bogged down at times this dark and gritty police procedural kept me invested until the final breath holding conclusion.

 

I highly recommend all three books to crime readers looking for a new series to delve into. 

 

My rating 4 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

Publisher:  Echo Publishing

Publication date: 1st October 2024

Series: DS Walker #3

Genre: Crime / Thriller

Pages: 320

RRP: AU$32.99 (trade paperback)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

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