Australia Women Writers Challenge 2014

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Post Script: Deadly Obsession – Karen M Davis

“Never doubt the gut instinct.” (p193)

Deadly Obsession

Deadly Obsession

Karen M Davis

Simon & Schuster

A CBS Company

ISBN: 9781922052551

 

 

Description:

A young nurse’s body is found at Clovelly Beach in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. Apart from a puncture wound in her neck, she is in perfect condition. But she’s also clutching a rose in her hands – and there’s an empty packet of prescription drugs in her pocket.

 

Investigating the scene, Detective Lexie Rogers and her partner Brad Sommers know something is not right. It appears to be a staged suicide. And as they begin to dig deeper, Lexie discovers the case is too close to home.

 

The dead girl was a work colleague of Lexie’s ex-husband, who is now a paramedic – and she was also a friend of the woman who broke up Lexie’s marriage. Struggling as she is with her breakup with Josh Harrison, who pushed her away after the suicide of his sister, and the numbing flashbacks of the violent attacks she’s suffered in the past, Lexie throws herself into the case. When she’s handed the lead on the investigation, Lexie sets out to solve the murder and prove she’s up to the job.

 

My View:

 This is the second book in the Lexie Rogers series and I really enjoyed the pace, the narrative arcs, the characters and the resolution. Karen M Davis fantastic Australian crime fiction writer who has a very solid base of knowledge to call on when writing her novels; she had a twenty year career in the New South Wales police department – her personal operational experience, the language and dialogue between the cops in her fictional works shine through her fictional works.

 

To say I enjoyed this book is a bit of an understatement and I can’t wait to read the next book in this series.

 

 

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Post Script: Already Dead – Jaye Ford

Already Dead

Jaye Ford

Random House Australia Pty Ltd  

Bantam Australia

ISBN: 9781742756851

 

 

Description:

Already Dead is another heart-stopping ride of sheer suspense from the author of the bestselling Beyond Fear. Miranda shrank away from him, arm pressed to the driver’s door. ‘What’s your name? ”I’m already dead. That’s my name now. That’s what they called me. I’m Already Dead.’ Journalist Miranda Jack is finally attempting to move on from the death of her husband by relocating up the coast with her young daughter, Zoe. Then a single event changes everything. On a Monday afternoon as she waits at traffic lights, a stranger jumps into her car and points a gun at her chest. Forced to drive at high speed up the motorway, Miranda listens to the frantic, paranoid rants of Brendan Walsh, a man who claims he’s being chased and that they’re both now running for their lives. Two hours later her ordeal is over in the most shocking fashion. Miranda is safe but she can’t simply walk away – not without knowing the truth about that terrifying drive. As a journalist Miranda has always asked questions. But this time the questions are dangerous – and the answers might get her killed . .

My View:

I love the protagonist in this narrative, Jaye Ford writes her protagonists with such restorative qualities; female, intelligent, courageous, warm, generous and with a terrier chasing a ball attitude – they never give up! Ford’s protagonists are real women and this is something to celebrate in the realms of crime fiction.

 

This is a sparkling, fast paced, informative read with contemporary issues that keeps you turning pages and reading well into the early hours of the morning. I was fully immersed in this narrative, in the lives of the characters, in their grief and in the mystery. I did not guess the outcome, I was fully engaged with this book until the very last words. This is a brilliant pulse raising story that will ensure you lock you doors each time you get in your car. When I read a novel of such outstanding quality such as this, the outside world ceases to exist to me until I have digested every single word. Brilliant work! I can’t wait for the next book from this great Australian crime writer.

 

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Post Script: Lyrebird Hill – Anna Romer

Forbidden love, family secrets, murder, mystery… these themes and more  are present and repeated in the dual time frames – brilliant.

Lyrebird Hill

Anna Romer

Simon & Schuster (Australia)

Simon & Schuster Australia

ISBN: 9781922052421

 

Description:

From the bestselling author of Thornwood House

When all that you know comes crashing down, do you run? Or face the truth?

Ruby Cardel has the semblance of a normal life – a loving boyfriend, a fulfilling career – but in one terrible moment, her life unravels. The discovery that the death of her sister, Jamie, was not an accident makes her question all she’s known about herself and her past.

Travelling back home to Lyrebird Hill, Ruby begins to remember the year that has been forever blocked in her memory . . . Snatches of her childhood with beautiful Jamie, and Ruby’s only friendship with the boy from the next property, a troubled foster kid.

Then Ruby uncovers a cache of ancient letters from a long-lost relative, Brenna Magavin, written from her cell in a Tasmanian gaol where she is imprisoned for murder. As she reads, Ruby discovers that her family line is littered with tragedy and violence.

Slowly, the gaps in Ruby’s memory come to her. And as she pieces together the shards of truth, what she finally discovers will shock her to the core – about what happened to Jamie that fateful day, and how she died.

A thrilling tale about family secrets and trusting yourself.

 

My View:

Ms Romer writes with a beautiful, sweet and seductive voice. This narrative is a multi-faceted story of love, revenge, family secrets and murder that offers the reader two parallel stories that are slowly revealed in alternating chapters. The writing is lush and the settings leap out from the page in three dimensional glory. You can hear the bush come alive, you can see the vibrant colours of the flora and fauna, you will smell the smoke of the camp fires and you too will wonder if you are catching glimpses of movement, shadows moving in the corner of your mind’s eye…this is mesmerising, evocative reading.

Along with ability of being able to create wonderful settings, Ms Romer has gifted the reader two powerful female protagonists, Brenna, who lived in the late 1800’s and Ruby who lives in today’s modern world. You will grow to love these characters and many others including The Wolf (did I mention Ms Romer weaves a thread of fairy tales into her stories – in this one we catch glimpses of Beauty and the Beast or rather a Wolf in this reincarnation of the tale). There is so much to enjoy in this book it begs reading a second time to absorb more of the atmosphere and subtle details.

This is a wonderful mesmerising read on par with her earlier debut novel Thornwood House – another stunning mystery that will engage all your senses with its rich and sumptuous prose.

 

PS

I loved that we just happened to be staying in the area that this book is sited – what a remarkable coincidence.

 

 

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Post Script: Billabong Bend – Jennifer Scoullar

Jennifer, If I was an artist I would be able to paint landscapes based on your words they are so visual!

 Billabong Bend

Jennifer Scoullar

Penguin Books Australia

Michael Joseph

ISBN: 9781921901935

 

 

Description:

For Nina Moore, the rare marshland flanking the beautiful Bunyip River is the most precious place on earth. Her dream is to buy Billabong Bend and protect it forever, but she’s not the only one with designs on the land. When her childhood sweetheart Ric returns home, old feelings are rekindled, and Nina dares to dream of a future for both of them on the river. But a tragic death divides loyalties and threatens to tear apart their fledgling romance.

 

This star-crossed rural romance sets Nina, a floodplains grazier, and Ric, a traditional cotton farmer, on a heart-rending collision course, amid the beauty of northern NSW.

 

My View:

 This is the first book I have read that is written by Jennifer Scoullar and I can understand why her books are so popular; Jennifer’s love of the Australian bush and wildlife is obvious, her passion for conservation is contagious and her narrative flows easily and with characters that are empathetic and likeable.

 

I was intrigued by the voice of Freeman and his stories of the river – told so beautifully and meaningfully, I could listen to more.  I learned more about Australian flora and fauna then I did in high school biology and absorbed it so much more easily than sitting in a classroom. Jennifer Scoullar has found a wonderful way to share her passions with the wider community in such an absorbing story that holds life lessons for all to learn.  A relaxed and easy read, poetic and visual – beautifully written, the landscape vivid and alive.

 

This star-crossed rural romance sets Nina, a floodplains grazier, and Ric, a traditional cotton farmer, on a heart-rending collision course, amid the beauty of northern NSW.

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Post Script: Through The Cracks – Honey Brown

Through the Cracks, Honey Brown

Honey Brown

Through The Cracks

Penguin Books Australia

Michael Joseph

ISBN: 9781921901546

 

Description:

Four-year-old Nathan Fisher disappears from the bank of a rocky creek. Did he drown or was he taken? The search for the missing boy grips the nation.

A decade later, young teen Adam Vander has grown tall enough, strong enough, to escape his abusive father. Emerging from behind the locked door of their rambling suburban home, Adam steps into a world he knows little of.

In the days that follow, with the charismatic and streetwise Billy as his guide, Adam begins to experience all that he’s missed out on. And he begins to understand that he has survived something extraordinary.

As the bond between the boys grows, questions begin to surface. Who is Adam really? Why was he kept so hidden? Was it just luck that Billy found him, or an unsettling kind of fate?

Unearthing the shocking truth of Adam’s identity will change the lives of many and put at risk a cast of flawed, desperate people. It’s a treacherous climb from the darkness. For one boy to make it, the other might have to fall through the cracks.

 

My View:

This was a very hard read- the subject matter is very very distressing yet somehow captivating at the same time, it is so well written. This narrative will eat away at your very core, demanding you pay attention to those you value and love, demanding you pay more attention to those who are vulnerable in your community. This novel shouts – pay attention, open your eyes, question and engage; life around you is your business and you do have a social responsibility that extends further than your garden fence.

Is it a coincidence that the subject of this novel, abuse of children, is currently making headlines, is newsworthy – though already   the media seems to be moving on to other things…This subject requires our undivided attention. It requires our compassion and the children involved our full support and love.

This extremely well written and engaging novel will not be for everyone. Bravo Honey Brown for being brave enough to tackle such a disquieting subject and presenting it such an engaging way that it will get the attention it deserves. This novel is a well-crafted, complex and powerful snap shot of the ugly side of modern society. This novel kept me awake long after I finished reading it- it was disturbing and sad and yet still managed to garner some hope for the future.

This is my first read of a Honey Brown novel – it will not be my last.

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Post Script: Tracking North – Kerry McGinnis

Full of surprises, wonderful insight, humour, a poignant country side, a flowing memorable narrative and rich likeable characters, this novel has it all!

Tracking North

In a place this remote, anything can happen…

Kerry McGinnis

Penguin Books Australia

Michael Joseph

ISBN: 9781921901478

 

Description:

‘Vividly transports you to the Gulf Country . . . settle in for a really enjoyable read.’ Susan Duncan, bestselling author of Salvation Creek

 

Kelly Roberts finds refuge in the rugged and remote cattle country of northern Australia, but when tragedy strikes she is forced to find a new life for herself and her children outside of Rainsford Station.

 

She retreats to the family’s only asset – a freehold block of land owned jointly by her eccentric father-in-law, Quinn. In the valley at Evergreen Springs, Quinn hopes the fractured family might all come together to start over again.

 

Life in Queensland’s far north is wildly unpredictable, with daily challenges and the wet season, in all its wild majesty, to survive. But when twelve-year-old Rob makes the gruesome discovery of a dead body in the valley, real peril comes far too close to home.

 

Tracking North is a beautiful family story about life in the stunning Gulf Country, one of the world’s most unique and fascinating places.

 

 

My View:

 

I was both surprised and delighted by this novel – the settings are superb; McGinnis writes with a  rich colourful palette bringing to life the rugged rural lifestyle of cattle country in Australia’s north, portraying the hardships, the isolation, the Wet Season and the stamina and strength of  the women living and working in these remote regions. The women in this novel are the true heroes; supporting their families, educating their children (with the aid of the School of the Air), living in isolated communities, working on the station and dealing with the change that is modern farming. Tracking North is a fitting tribute to all women who have worked/work now in the bush/on the farm.

 

But Tracking North is more than just a story with beautiful settings and heroic women; it is a narrative that is written with passion and love, the words flow, unable to be constrained by the mere page, blossoming with wit, humour and such wonderful insight about love, life, family relationships and growing up.  I have never come across a contemporary work of fiction that has had me itching to turn the page, reading till early hours of the morning…such is the power of this narrative; engaging and mesmerising.

 

McGinnis has a great command of language and is able to make her characters and their conversations step of the page onto the stage.

I particularly enjoyed the old canny grandfather, Quinn; full of quiet wisdom, with a wonderful sense of humour and with the powerful motivation of seeking redemption, he transforms this narrative into more than a rural romance.

 

This novel is a delight to read. And I just loved the cover art!

 

 

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Post Script: SNOOP – Eleni Konstantine

SNOOP

SNOOP

Eleni Konstantine

MusaPublishing

ISBN: 9781619376366

Description:

Bob’s rule of investigating: Never take the paranormal at face value.

Daisy Luck is a SNOOP – Sanctioned Nationalized Officer Of the Paranormal. Her latest case involving a vampire and a gremlin has her private eye senses in a spin. Throw in yummy Detective Maroney and her life couldn’t get more complicated – or could it?

My View:

This novella was a delightful introduction to the paranormal/fantasy world of Daisy Luck P.I. This read is engaging and light and instantly lifted my spirits (no pun intended). A perfect pick me up for the weary, jaded reader and a great introduction to the author’s skill set – her wonderful imagination, entertaining words, characters that are quirky and likeable, and a paranormal narrative with a hint of romance – a great combination. I look forward to reading more by this Australian writer in the near future.