Mystery

  • THE LIST by Mick Herron, Review: Compelling reading

    The List, Book 2.5 in Mick Herron’s Jackson Lamb / Slough House Thrillers.    The List Synopsis: Dieter Hess, an aged spy, is dead, and John Bachelor, his MI5 handler, is in deep, deep trouble. Death has revealed that the deceased…

  • SEVEN DEAD by J Jefferson Farjeon, Book Review

    Seven Dead is an atmospheric crime novel by J Jefferson Farjeon first published in 1939, and now republished as part of the British Library Crime Classic Series. Seven Dead Book Synopsis With an Introduction by Martin Edwards Ted Lyte, amateur thief, has…

  • SEARCHING FOR AUDRINA and EARTHBOUND JOHN, Short Stories

    Reviews of two short stories, Kathryn White’s Searching for Audrina and Samantha Edmond’s Earthbound John. Searching for Audrina Synopsis:  Adam knows what it means to lose everything. When he was seventeen he lost his home, and his family, in one clean…

  • A REPLACEMENT LIFE by Boris Fishman, Book Review

    In Boris Fishman’s debut novel A Replacement Life, a failing young Russian American journalist’s life is unexpectedly transformed when he forges Holocaust restitution claims for his rogue grandfather and his friends. A Replacement Life Synopsis: Young Russian immigrant Slava Gelman wants to…

  • FUTURE’S ORPHANS by A K Alliss, Book Review

    Future’s Orphans is the second title in AK Alliss’ cyberpunk series Ouroboros Cycle. Future’s Orphans Synopsis: In an uncertain future, the truth can get you killed. Cassidy Nolan is a drug addicted journalist, disgraced after releasing one of the most iconic…

  • TWO STEPS FORWARD by Graeme Simsion & Anne Buist, Book Review

    Graeme Simsion & Anne Buist’s Two Steps Forward is a novel about renewal—physical, psychological and spiritual. It’s about the challenge of walking a long distance and of working out where you are going. And it’s about what you decide to…

  • THE UNITY GAME by Leonora Meriel, Book Review

    The Unity Game Synopsis  WHAT IF THE EARTH YOU KNEW WAS JUST THE BEGINNING? A New York banker is descending into madness. A being from an advanced civilization is racing to stay alive. A dead man must unlock the secrets of…

  • SOON by Lois Murphy, Review: An utterly gripping debut

    Lois Murphy’s Soon won the 2017 Aurealis Award for Best Horror Novel. Read on for our full review. Soon Book Synopsis An almost deserted town in the middle of nowhere, Nebulah’s days of mining and farming prosperity – if they ever truly…

  • CROSSTALK by Connie Willis, Review: Easily digestible escapism

    Crosstalk, Connie Willis’ latest romantic comedy. Crosstalk Synopsis: Briddey is about to get exactly what she thinks she wants . . . Briddey is a high-powered exec in the mobile phone industry, overseeing new products from concept (‘anything to beat…

  • Atlantic Black by A S Patric, Review: Impressive

    Atlantic Black is the latest novel from Miles Franklin award-winning author of Black Rock White City, A S Patric. Read my review. Atlantic Black Synopsis In this haunting new novel, Katerina Klova and her mother are crossing the Atlantic by ocean…

  • LOOK FOR HER by Emily Winslow, Review: Deviously plotted

    Look for Her is the fourth title in Emily Winslow‘s Cambridge-set novels of psychological suspense starring detectives Morris Keene and Chloe Frohmann. Look for Her Synopsis: The memory of Annalise Wood has haunted the town of Lilling near Cambridge for decades. She…

  • SOURDOUGH by Robin Sloan, Book Review

    New novel from the author of Mr Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore Robin Sloan, about a life-changing loaf of bread. Sourdough Synopsis Lois Clary, a software engineer at a San Francisco robotics company, codes all day and collapses at night. When her favourite sandwich shop…

  • THE GENIUS PLAGUE by David Walton, Book Review

    THE CONTAGION IS IN YOUR MIND. In this science fiction thriller, brothers are pitted against each other as a pandemic threatens to destabilize world governments by exerting a subtle mind control over survivors. The Genius Plague Synopsis Neil Johns has just started…

  • BETRAYAL AT IGA by Susan Spann, Book Review

    The fifth Hiro Hattori Novel in Susan Spann’s Shinobi Mystery Series. Betrayal at Iga Synopsis : Autumn, 1565: After fleeing Kyoto, master ninja Hiro Hattori and Portuguese Jesuit Father Mateo take refuge with Hiro’s ninja clan in the mountains of Iga province….