Australian fiction – Sandy's Book a Day Blog

Watching what I’m reading . . .

Happy Sunday afternoon! We’ve had a very busy day with having Luke to stay. We came home from Hamilton yesterday after hockey. Luke got player of the day which he was very excited about. We stuck around afterwards for a while and helped with the fundraising efforts which pays for their uniforms and fees to the hockey grounds. It was nice to meet and chat with some of Luke’s friends’ parents too. Luke and I stayed up a little later than usual and watched Dr Doolittle. I think I enjoyed it more than he did.🤣🤣This morning he and I walked down to the local high school (not far) and played tennis on the courts and then Luke practiced his ball handling skills with his hockey stick while I hit the tennis ball against the wall. This afternoon we have been picking mandarins for Luke to sell for Lego money.

He has also written his first book review (see my earlier post – Kelpie Chaos) which has been added onto mine.

I haven’t had much time to read since we left for hockey yesterday morning. I was so tired last night, my eyes closed the moment my head hit the pillow and Luke was up and about super-early this morning so there was no lying in bed with my books!

So, what am I currently reading? . . . A New Dawn at Owl’s Lodge by Jessica Redland is my current ARC read. I have read a few books by this author now and they never fail to enchant me.

Could one chance meeting change your life forever?

Zara is at a crossroads in life. While she adores her job as a producer’s assistant working on hit TV shows, travelling around the country means she doesn’t truly feel that she has a home. With a fractured relationship with her family and unrequited love weighing heavily on her heart, she is torn about what her next step in life should be…

Snowy is hiding from the world. He’s devoted his life to home schooling his young son and caring for sick owls at his home, Owl’s Lodge, deep in the Yorkshire Wolds countryside. While he’s passionate about both, it’s a lonely existence and he’s starting to question his decisions. But how do you step back into a world you’ve pushed away for years…?

When Zara brings an injured owl to Owl’s Lodge, its frosty, reclusive owner is far from welcoming. Despite hostilities, there’s a connection that neither could ever have prepared themselves for. As they discover a shared passion, a new friendship blossoms, but both Zara and Snowy are used to shutting people out.

Can they both find the courage to open up and the strength to move on from their pasts? And what could this mean for their future happiness?

My current backlist book is from my 2019 ARC backlog – All That’s Bright and Gone by Eliza Nellums. It is told from the POV of a six year old girl.

I know my brother is dead. But sometimes Mama gets confused.

Six-year-old Aoife knows better than to talk to people no one else can see, like her best friend Teddy who her mother says is invisible. He’s not, but Mama says it’s rude anyways. So when Mama starts talking to Aoife’s older brother Theo, Aoife is surprised. And when she stops the car in the middle of an intersection, crying and screaming, Aoife gets a bad feeling–because even if they don’t talk about it, everyone knows Theo died a long time ago. He was murdered.

Eventually, Aoife is taken home by her Uncle Donny who says he’ll stay with her until Mama comes home from the hospital, but Aoife doesn’t buy it. The only way to bring Mama home is to find out what really happened to Theo. Even with Teddy by her side, there’s a lot about the grown-up world that Aoife doesn’t understand, but if Aoife doesn’t help her family, who will?

And my read for pleasure is The Shelley Bay Ladies Swimming Society by Sophie Green. I read my first book by this author a few weeks back and loved it so picked this up when I was in the library during the week.

It’s 1982 in Australia. THE MAN FROM SNOWY RIVER is a box office hit and Paul Hogan is on the TV. In a seaside suburb, housewife Theresa takes up swimming. She wants to get fit; she also wants a few precious minutes to herself. So at sunrise each day she strikes out past the waves. From the same beach, the widowed Marie swims. With her husband gone, bathing is the one constant in her new life. After finding herself in a desperate situation, 25-year-old Leanne only has herself to rely on. She became a nurse to help others, even as she resists help herself. Elaine has recently moved from England. Far from home and without her adult sons, her closest friend is a gin bottle. In the waters of Shelly Bay, these four women find each other. They will survive bluebottle stings and heartbreak; they will laugh so hard they swallow water, and they will plunge their tears into the ocean’s salt. They will find solace and companionship and learn that love takes many forms. Most of all, they will cherish their friendship, each and every day.

I have six books to read for review this week – The Art of Murder by Fiona Walker is the first.

Welcome to the beautiful English village of Inkbury. Tucked deep in the North Wessex Downs, its only claim to fame is the picturesque riverside that once appeared in a Richard Curtis movie. That is, until the murder…

Former stand-up comic Juno Mulligan has been suffering a serious sense-of-humour failure. Not only has she lost the love of her life, but she’s having to relocate to the (admittedly idyllic) village of Inkbury to watch out for her elderly mother, who she’s genuinely worried might be marrying a wife-killer.

She hopes that her old friend, disgraced-journalist-turned-novelist Phoebe Fredericks can help her crack the case of whether her mother’s perma-tanned, iceberg-smiled, three-times-a-widower fiancé is hiding a murderous past.

But before they have a chance, the local art dealer washes up distinctly dead in the village’s famous river. His lover is in the frame, but Juno and Phoebe suspect that there is a deeper secret… One that relates to Phoebe’s own past and Juno’s present.

Will the unofficial Village Detective Agency solve the mystery before the killer strikes again? In sleepy Inkbury, as they soon discover, living one’s best midlife can be murder.

The Sisters of Blue Mountain Beach by Kalan Chapman Lloyd, a new-to-me author.

The Sisters of Blue Mountain Beach is a gripping tale revolving around the lives of three remarkable women who suddenly go missing in the devastating aftermath of a ferocious hurricane on Florida’s renowned 30A.

Arden, the youngest, finds herself at a crossroads in her life, grappling with difficult decisions and a sense of longing for something more. Cilla, newly retired and ready to start anew, has recently received a devastating diagnosis of cancer, causing her to confront her mortality and the urgency to live each day to its fullest. Mary Fran, the oldest, is mourning the loss of her beloved husband and the secrets he left behind, wondering if there is more life for her in a world that feels tilted on its axis.

As they navigate their individual struggles, they find solace in each other’s company, sharing memories, heated arguments, and countless meals together amidst the serene backdrop of Blue Mountain Beach. The emerald waters of the Gulf of Mexico serve as a poignant reminder of the beauty and fragility of life.

As the search for the missing women intensifies, the bonds between Arden, Cilla, and Mary Fran become stronger than ever. With each passing day, they find hope, in and with each other. But as secrets are uncovered and hidden truths emerge, the sisters’ lives are forever altered.

In the Midnight Rain by Barbara O’Neill

Biographer Ellie Connor is in Gideon, Texas, to research blues singer Mabel Beauvais who, on the verge of fame, mysteriously disappeared more than forty years ago. Gideon holds another mystery for Ellie. It’s the truth about her parents—a restless mother who died young and a father she never knew. They are an unsettled piece of Ellie’s own past. Somewhere in this town is the answer to both of her quests.

No one is more accommodating than charismatic Laurence “Blue” Reynard, a local with deep roots in Gideon. Sexy and charming, he’s also getting under Ellie’s skin like a smooth jazz rhythm. Yet beneath his seductive facade is a soul damaged by loss. Tragic, wanting, and beautiful. So wrong for a woman just passing through town. If only his passion and vulnerability weren’t so irresistible.

As Ellie pieces together Mabel’s puzzling life and that of her father, Blue takes the surprising journey with her. What then for Ellie? Follow her instincts and say goodbye, or follow her heart?

Still Waters by Matt Goldman, an author I read for the first time last year.

If you’re reading this email, I am dead. I know this will sound strange, but someone has been trying to kill me.

Liv and Gabe Ahlstrom are estranged siblings who haven’t seen each other in years, but that’s about to change when they receive a rare call from their older brother’s wife. “Mack is dead,” she says. “He died of a seizure.” Five minutes after they hang up, Liv and Gabe each receive a scheduled email from their dead brother, claiming that he was murdered.

The siblings return to their family run resort in the Northwoods of Minnesota to investigate Mack’s claims, but Leech Lake has more in store for them than either could imagine. Drawn into a tangled web of lies and betrayal that spans decades, they put their lives on the line to unravel the truth about their brother, their parents, themselves, and the small town in which they grew up. After all, no one can keep a secret in a small town, but someone in Leech Lake is willing to kill for the truth to stay buried.

The Charmed Friends of Trove Isle by new-to-me author Annie Rains.

Ten years after she left her hometown of Trove Isle, NC, Melody Palmer is back to receive an unexpected inheritance—her great aunt’s thrift store, Hidden Treasures. There, in a glass case beneath the register, Melody spies the long-lost charm bracelet she shared with her high school friends, Liz and Bri, and her younger sister, Alyssa. After a devastating prom night accident, it disappeared, and the girls’ friendship evaporated with it. Slipping the bracelet on her arm for safekeeping, Melody soon finds herself crossing paths with her former friends once more.

While Melody fled, Liz has stayed in Trove Isle, helping with her parents’ business instead of pursuing her photography goals. Guilt still weighs on her after that fateful night when they lost Alyssa. For Bri, the consequences were even more stark. After spiraling into self-destruction, Bri served four years in a women’s state prison and is about to be released—but can Trove Isle ever feel like home again?

Yet despite everything that’s changed, the promise that the bracelet once held—of adventures, achievements, love, and lifelong friendship—hasn’t quite faded. And together, they might yet find a way to reconcile their pasts and futures, one charm at a time . . .

and, finally, The Blood Promise by another new-to-me author, Liz Mistry. (more birds on the cover! – I feel haunted.)

A deadly gift

Imogen Clark wakes up on her 16th birthday to find her parents dead at the breakfast table, along with a message from their killer.

A twist of fate

Detectives Jazzy Solanki and Annie McQueen join the investigation, but the more they discover, the more Jazzy suspects that the killing is a twisted message for her. Jazzy shares the same birthday as Imogen, and believes that this is more than a coincidence.

A race to catch a killer

When Jazzy discovers the connection between the killer and the stalker who has been following her for years, she is forced to confront the dark past she was desperate to keep hidden. She must stop at nothing to solve the case, before she becomes the next victim…

Once again, I doubt very much that I will get all these read but, as usual, I will do my very best.

I have received this email twice from Amazon in the past week: <i>An initial warning has been sent to you. Because of your repeated violation of our Community Guidelines we’ve removed your ability to participate in Community features. </i>

They have provided an email address to contact them re their decision, so twice I have emailed them asking for clarification on:

Precisely what guideline/s I have violated; and
When I might be permitted to commence posting my reviews again.

No reply to date and they have actually REMOVED all my reviews. Has this happened to anyone else? Any tips on how to deal with it?

We have quite a social week coming up with two friends having BIG milestone birthdays and throwing parties to celebrate. So next weekend might be a bit lean on reading too!

Happy reading!💕📚

Kelpie Chaos by Deb Fitzpatrick

EXCERPT: Zoom puts his nose on the gravel and has a big long sniff.
‘What is it, Zoom, what can you smell?’
He moves away in a zig-zag, pulling on the lead, nose to the ground, stopping occasionally to focus on interesting smell-spots.
‘It’s a bit like metal-detecting, isn’t it mate?’ says Dad. ‘Except you don’t find precious metals, you find precious . . .’
‘Pongs?’ I try.
‘I think that’s a fair guess,’ Dad grins. ‘Precious pongs,’ he repeats, then laughs out loud.

ABOUT ‘KELPIE CHAOS’: A kelpie puppy is about to be sent to the pound and Eli knows he has to do something. After adopting the flame-chested kelpie, now named Zoom, the family falls in love, but they soon learn there’s a lot involved in raising a dog. Especially a working dog, who is hard wired to round up pretty much everything … even socks. When Zoom goes missing on a family bushwalk, the family sets out on a frantic search. With each passing moment, anxiety mounts, but they refuse to give up hope. As night falls, their strength is tested, both physically and emotionally. Will they be able to find Zoom? What mischief could a dog get up to in the bush?

MY THOUGHTS: Kelpie Chaos is a well written story about the adoption of a Kelpie pup otherwise destined for an uncertain future in the pound. It will appeal to the 6 – 7 year-old age group of animal lovers.

There are obvious pitfalls in trying to raise a working dog in town – they do love to run and bark and round things up including, it seems, lawnmowers and socks!

Kelpie Chaos is written with a touch of humor and loads of good advice – from raising puppies to safety in the bush.

I enjoyed Kelpie Chaos and am passing it on to my 7-year-old bookworm grandson for his opinion.
I gave it ⭐⭐⭐⭐

LUKE’S REVIEW: I really liked that they got Zoom . I didn’t like when he ran off because they were worried about Zoom. I think all age groups will enjoy this book. I gave it ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Overall rating = ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

#KelpieChaos @FremantlePress

THE AUTHOR: Deb Fitzpatric is the author of ten books and loves using stories from real life in her writing. She regularly teaches creative writing to people of all ages. In her early writing days, Deb did all manner of jobs to fund her writing including making bad coffee, cleaning houses, supervising university exams and, most pleasantly, helping kids across the road safely as a crosswalk attendant, or ‘lollipop lady’. She lived for several years in the cloudforest of Costa Rica and still pretends to speak some Spanish. Deb loves bushwalking and shares her life with a lovely family and their kelpie.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Fremantle Press for providing a copy of Kelpie Chaos by Deb Fitzpatrick for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Never Be the Same by Luke Williams

EXCERPT: . . . this morning something was very different.
They all seemed to be drawn to something down the street. Wait staff had joined customers to see what had pulled them from their tables to let their food go cold, some almost on tiptoes, necks outstretched as though it might enhance their view. Their faces were an even mix of worry and curiosity.
It didn’t take too long to discover the focus of attention. Blue and red police car lights flickered in the distance. They were probably a couple of hundred metres away.
Somewhere near my work.

ABOUT ‘NEVER BE THE SAME’: As Tom Rosemore heads to work, a jolting update shatters his world with the news that his boss has been found dead at the office. This grim revelation arrives amid Tom’s own struggles, compounding a tragedy that has fractured his family, leaving his teenage daughter to spiral into a depression, and his wife to waste away through a crippling exercise addiction. Amid the turmoil, Tom’s world darkens further as he becomes the prime suspect in his boss’s murder. Confronted by mounting evidence he cannot explain, including incriminating CCTV footage, he faces a tough battle convincing detectives of his innocence. Yet, beneath the surface lies the unsettling realisation that someone has tried to frame him. As accusations loom large, a greater horror unfolds with the sudden disappearance of his daughter on the very day he is questioned by police. Determined to find her in a race against time and the law, Tom is forced to take matters into his own hands. With police closing in, secrets begin to unravel, woven into the mystery of his boss’s murder.

MY THOUGHTS: I’m going to be brutally honest here – when I started this book I really didn’t like it. The first few chapters are lumpy, awkward. I doubted I would finish – I have this thing of reading at least one third of the book before abandoning it – but pushed on. By the time I got to the third, I was hooked. It was like the author had suddenly found his writing mojo, realised he was enjoying himself, and it just flowed.

Ther are two main threads to this novel – the murder of Tom’s boss George and the disappearance of Tom and Lisa’s daughter Rachel. Added to these main threads, there are several other minor threads waving about which are eventually woven into the main story.

Never Be the Same is a cracker of a thriller. I’m not going to say any more about the plot because I don’t want to drop any spoilers. Don’t expect any great depth to the characters – this is an action thriller – but I found it really didn’t matter. I was swept along, wondering what on earth was going on, who had murdered George and what had happened to Rachel.

The various threads are all tied up at the end and I finished the book (in less than 24 hours) with not one question unanswered.

So if you are looking for a good action thriller, grab a copy of Never Be the Same, push through those initial lumpy chapters and settle in for the ride.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

#NeverBetheSame #LukeWilliams #PinchpointPress

THE AUTHOR: For Luke, the writing bug didn’t sink its teeth in until late into his twenties. For the wrong side of a decade, he slowly and quietly worked on his first novel, sharing his endeavour with only his wife and a trusted friend. Now with the cat out of the bag, Luke openly crafts thrillers where everyday people face heart-pounding situations, blending family dynamics into gripping plots.

He grew up surrounded by the laid-back charm of the Mornington Peninsula, but these days you’ll find him somewhere in Melbourne’s equally relaxed Bayside suburbs. At home, he’s outnumbered by his wife and two energetic daughters.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to author Luke Williams for providing a digital copy of Never Be the Same for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

What’s new on my bedside table? . . .

Happy hump day! It’s a stormy day here in New Zealand. Heavy rain but thankfully not particularly cold. I have been to Book Club at the library today and we had some very spirited discussions! I have come home with a bag of books to read – one library, the others borrowed from other group members. The librarian also talked to us about an app called Beanstack which a lot of libraries are using for inter-library reading challenges. I have been logging my reading on it for almost 3 weeks now and participating in the Master of Minutes challenge and the Bingo Genre Challenge. I’ll update you on my progress later in the post. But first, lets see what new books have arrived on my bedside table in the past week

I’ll deal with the library book first – On Call, a memoir from the life of a surgeon, daughter and mother by Ineke Meredith.

The world of surgery is strange, messy and intense. From a man presenting with fishhooks in his stomach to being punched in the face by a patient, it’s all in a mad day’s work for a female general surgeon. Even wit emergency operations in the wee hours and constantly being mistaken for a nurse, there are still moments of laughter and tenderness amid the chaos.

When Ineke’s parents in Samoa fall ill, she becomes torn between her roles as a surgeon, a daughter and a single working mother, leading her to ask: are the sacrifices of a life in scrubs worth it?

This is an extraordinary memoir from inside the operating room about the heart it takes to survive.

Now for my NetGalley ARC shelves: 5 new titles this week, which is better than the seven last week, BUT it has still pushed my total of books on my ARC shelf a few points higher. 😖

I selected Queen Macbeth by Val McDermid for two reasons. Firstly, I love Val McDermid’s writing, and secondly it fills the criteria of a retelling of one of Shakespeare’s plays for the World Book Day challenge on one of my Goodreads groups.

A thousand years ago in an ancient Scottish landscape, a woman is on the run with her three companions – a healer, a weaver, and a seer. The men hunting her will kill her – because she is the only one who stands between them and their violent ambition. She is no lady: she is the first queen of Scotland, married to a king called Macbeth. As the net closes in, what unfurls is a tale of passion, forced marriage, bloody massacre, and the harsh realities of medieval Scotland. At the heart of it is one strong, charismatic woman, who survived loss and jeopardy to outwit the endless plotting of a string of ruthless and power-hungry men. Her struggle won her a country. But now it could cost her life.

Thank you to my Goodreads friend CarolG for putting me onto The Fells by Cath Staincliffe. This is a new-to-me author.

A missing woman. A cold case. A dark secret, buried deep beneath the Yorkshire Dales.

Summer 1997. Vicky Mott slips out the door of her remote stone cottage, and into the pale dawn light. She won’t wake her friends. Not after the night they just had.

She scrawls a note, her hand trembling with excitement. Gone to see the sun rise. V xxx

That’s the last anyone ever hears from vibrant twenty-year-old Vicky.

Everyone warned her. Of the predator stalking the lush green fells. Convicted killer Terence Bielby. He strangled three hikers before he got to Vicky. Now he has her blood on his hands, too.

It’s only a matter of time until the evidence surfaces . . .

2019. A human skeleton is discovered in a dark and treacherous cave beneath the Dales. The final resting place of Vicky Mott?

Detectives Leo Donovan and Shan Young think they’ve found the key to this decades-old mystery. But every answer they unearth only leads to more questions.

All Donovan’s instincts tell him that, this time, Bielby’s innocent.

But if the Fellside Strangler didn’t do it, then who?

I discovered Australian author Janet Gover earlier this year and just loved her writing! Her new book, Wedding Bells by the Creek (a Coorah Creek novel) is due for publication in July.

Are there some things that can’t be forgiven?

Helen Walsh has never stopped searching for the daughter who ran away from home when she was just fifteen. Now Tia has found her. Helen longs for her daughter’s forgiveness. Will a Coorah Creek wedding help heal their rift?

Ed Collins has walked Helen’s path, and he knows that she needs more than her daughter’s forgiveness. Ed feels compelled to help her, as he is increasingly drawn to her kind and loving heart.

Then Ed’s wife Stephanie returns to the tiny outback town – thirteen years after she deserted Ed and their young son, Scott. Steph was his first and only love, and now Ed is being asked to forgive.

But how do you forgive what you will never forget?

Maddie Please is an author who never fails to please me. Her latest book, Old Girls on Deck is another July release.

It’s never too late to sail a new course…

When retired Jill Parker wins an all-expenses paid mediterranean cruise for two she is thrilled! At 63 life in retirement has got a little bit bland for Jill and this might be just the holiday she and husband Eddy need to get the sparks back in their marriage.

But when Eddy admits he would much prefer to build his patio and look through the latest DIY magazine, Jill is left with only one other option – her sister Diana.

Diana has become rather reclusive since her husband, Caspar died, but perhaps this is the push she needs to bring some excitement back into her life, too?

Could this trip be just what both sisters need to reconnect and chart a new path for their futures?

Excited to be exploring new horizons and catching up, the sisters soon discover that not everything is smooth sailing on board. And as they enjoy cocktails together at sundown, they discover that they are both actually a little all at sea…

I’ll be reading Silent Ritual by Andrew James Greig thanks to Ceecee, another Goodreads friend. He is also a new-to-me author.

An ear-shattering scream pierces the quiet Glasgow street as a mother stands frozen in her doorway, groceries strewn at her feet. Her son holds a bloodied knife while his father lies dead before him.

As Logan Martin begins his prison sentence for the brutal murder of his father, the eighteen-year-old’s aunt hires private investigator Teàrlach Paterson. She believes Logan is innocent and wants Teàrlach to uncover the truth.

Teàrlach’s visit to the Martin family home yields two disturbing discoveries: a pentagram etched under the carpet in Logan’s sister’s bedroom, and a link to the sinister deaths of their elderly neighbours—a journal with the same ominous symbol lies in the couple’s home.

While ritualistic murders plague the city, bodies placed precisely on an occult pentagram, bound in intricate knots, Teàrlach and his team unearth the sinister inspiration behind the killings in a mysterious ancient map.

Then, two young women are reported missing, and Teàrlach fears the worst. He’s inching closer to a killer who is weaving a complex web of murder rooted in Glasgow’s pagan past. But can Teàrlach stop the twisted soul from carrying out another cruel ritual? This time, one of his own is about to be in grave danger.

With my doing a fair bit of reading for pleasure in the past week, and a wee requesting spree, I have increased the number of titles on my NetGalley shelf from 515 to 519. I need to stop reading my friends’ reviews!🤣🤣 My feedback ration is somehow still at 72%, and I have 15 pending requests, down from 23.

I am a little ahead of schedule for my Aussie Readers May challenge having completed 6/10 reads I signed up for, and I have started the seventh book.

I am right on target to complete my Aussie Readers Autumn Challenge with 11/13 titles read and a little over two weeks to go.

Since I joined Beanstack 22 days ago, I have logged 6227 minutes reading and read 29 books. Our library has set a target of 2,000,000 minutes for the year. I have completed 7/24 genre challenges on my bingo card.

I am off to Dustin’s tomorrow. He is off on his annual boy’s weekend away with the mates he went through Tech with, so I am staying with Luke for the night, taking him to his hockey game Saturday morning then bringing him down to our place for the rest of the weekend. Dustin will pick him up Sunday night after he gets back. Luke and I are planning some serious brainstorming on the story we are writing – The Magic Island. I will do some work on it after aquarobics and grocery shopping this morning.

Sorry this post is late out. We had terrible weather yesterday and the internet kept cutting in and out, phone calls were dropping. I just couldn’t get the book covers to download. The weather is still stormy this morning, but my computer seems to be better behaved!

I had better get moving. I need to get ready for aquarobics and get on my way.

Happy reading! 💕📚

With Winter Comes Darkness by Robbi Neal

EXCERPT: Wednesday, 4 June 1975 – The Darkest Day

The Peugeot doesn’t stand a chance when the Mercedes livestock truck carrying 150 unhappy sheep ploughs into it on the back road to Creswick. It is the fourth day of June 1975, the fourth day of winter and darkness falls by 5.30. Pippa, who is just six years old and loves nothing more than her Ballerina Barbie (though Deluxe Curl Barbie comes a close second), has chosen to perch on the edge of the back seat, right in the middle so she has a better view out the front windscreen because she isn’t quite tall enough to see out the side windows. But her brother Max, who is seven, just won’t stop the rib-digging and the hair-pulling, and when she complains her dad, Liam, says, ‘Don’t tease your sister, Max,’ and Max just keeps going, so finally she turns to punch him. She clenches her fist hard and she swings her arm out and right at that moment, before her fist even has the chance to connect with Max’s cheek, the truck lands on them.

ABOUT ‘WITH WINTER COMES DARKNESS’: A terrible accident burns down a family’s life on the same day a murder is committed. From the ashes of these acts comes revelation, darkness, and the truth. Psychological suspense and profound family drama meet in this heartrending and original Australian novel.

1975, Ballarat Alice is happy in her world and in return for her happiness the world is good to her. She has everything she needs – a lovely house and children, and a devoted husband. Even though her journalism job doesn’t pay much, she doesn’t have to worry about the bills. All is well with her world until a terrible accident rips a child from her, a profound betrayal is uncovered, and things fall apart.

On the same day Alice’s world collapses, a man is found brutally murdered on respected teacher Ellery’s farm. Ellery can’t remember what happened but there is blood on his clothes, and he is arrested.

Neither Alice nor Ellery realise that their paths in life are about to intertwine and a desperate bargain is about to be made. A bargain that could save or destroy them in their quest to draw some light and fathom the darkness that surrounds them.

MY THOUGHTS: With Winter Comes Darkness is not a book to be rushed through. The writing is intricate, richly detailed, quietly powerful and almost poetic at times. There were instances I had to close the covers and walk away just to breathe, to get away from the anguish that oozes from the pages. At times I felt my heart was breaking for Max, who stops talking, and for Alice, whose whole world has imploded, and yes, even (maybe especially) for Ellery, awaiting trial for murder.

Lena, Alice’s mother, and Maggie, Liam’s mother, are wonderful supplementary characters; each of whom expresses their love in different ways and each of whom has hidden depths. Bruce would have to get the award for the world’s most supportive and understanding boss. I fell in, then out, of love with Claudia very rapidly, and the less said about Liam the better. Detective Rush is another character with hidden depths. Every character in this book is so well drawn that they could walk off the page and into real life.

This is a book filled with drama, tragedy and love; a mother’s love for her child (several times over); the tragedy of losing a child; the drama of a marriage going down the drain. And then there is Ellery. Enigmatic, mysterious Ellery on remand for murder, who fascinates Alice and gives her life focus. Ellery is the character who really stood out for me. Ellery and Max, each of whom is carrying a massive burden, a secret that is crippling them.

This is a subtly written story, one that will tear at your heartstrings. I defy anyone to read this without shedding a tear or two. It is beautiful and tragic. It is a classic in the making.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#WithWinterComesDarkness #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: She has lived in country Victoria, Australia, for most of her life. When Robbi isn’t writing, she is painting, or reading or hanging out with her family and friends, all of whom she adores. She loves procrasti-cooking, especially when thinking about the next chapter in her writing. She also loves cheese, any cheese, all cheese and lemon gin or dirty martinis, the blues, and more cheese.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harlequin Australia, HQ & MIRA, via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of With Winter Comes Darkness by Robbi Neal for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Red River Road written by Anna Downes and narrated by Maddy Withington

EXCERPT: ‘Hi everyone! I’m Phoebe and I’m a travel addict and van-lifer. I’m about to take me, myself and I off on the adventure of a lifetime – the big lap of Australia. Only two more sleeps to go. And before you ask, no I’m not scared. The first thing people say when I tell them I’m travelling alone is “Be careful”. Don’t even get me started on my parents’ response. But the world is full of magic, and solo travel offers way more rewards than risks. It’s just that the bad stories get told way more often than the good. . . .’

ABOUT ‘RED RIVER ROAD’: Katy Sweeney is determined to find her sister. A year earlier, just three weeks into a solo vanlife trip, free-spirited Phoebe vanished without a trace on Western Australia’s remote and achingly beautiful Coral Coast. With no witnesses, no leads, and no DNA evidence, the case has gone cold. But Katy refuses to give up.

Using Phoebe’s social media accounts as a map, Katy starts to retrace her steps, searching for the clues that the police have missed. Was Phoebe being followed? Who had she met along the way, and what danger did they pose? Was she as happy as her sun-bleached, lens-flared photos seem to suggest?

Then Katy’s path collides with that of Beth, a young woman on the run from her own dark past—and very recent present. And as Katy realizes that Beth might be her best and only chance of finding the truth, the two women form an uneasy alliance to venture forth into increasingly wild territory to find out what really happened to Phoebe in this breathtaking but maybe deadly place, and how her fate connects them all.

MY THOUGHTS: Red River Road, brilliantly written by Anna Downes and superbly narrated by Maddy Withington, blew me away. Tense, twisty, atmospheric and addictive are just a few of the superlatives I could use to describe this. I held my breath so often during the narrative, it’s a wonder I didn’t black out!

When I started, my first thoughts were ‘FFS! Not another alcoholic, unreliable narrator!’ But I’m pleased to report that’s not how it panned out.

The narrative is related from three POV: Katy, Beth and a 15-year-old boy, Wyatt, whose mother is also missing. All three of these main characters come across as slightly flaky and unreliable at times. Not constantly, just at times. The tension starts pretty much straight away and never completely disappears. If Anna Downes aim is to stop women travelling on their own, she has definitely succeeded with me.

There are a lot of threads to this plot which are slowly woven together to present the full picture, which turned out to be something I had never envisaged. Not even remotely imagined. There is some pretty heavy subject matter, but very little of it graphically described, including sexual assault, mental health issues, and stalking – both physically and on social media. There are some excellent and diverting red herrings, and lots of lies and secrets.

There is a general air of creepiness – who to trust? Anyone? No one? That man with the soulful eyes, reading a book? Those two women? The person I’m travelling with? Damn, I felt unsafe just reading this and I am no shrinking violet. Much is made of local legends, myths and reports of missing women. Just how can someone and their van just disappear off the face of the earth? Well, it turns out it’s quite easy . . .

What sealed the five-star rating for me was that final line in the book. Superbly chilling!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#RedRiverRoad #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: ANNA DOWNES was born and raised in Sheffield, UK, but now lives just north of Sydney, Australia with her husband and two children. She worked as an actress before turning her attention to writing.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to W.F. Howes via NetGalley for providing an audio ARC of Red River Road written by Anna Downes and narrated by Maddy Withington for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Happy publishing day – The Radio Hour by Victoria Purman

EXCERPT: Martha knew her place. She was there to assist those who made the big, important decisions. She – and the new crop like April, May and June – were secretaries and would always be secretaries. It was only the most exceptional women – like Gwen Meredith and Joyce Wiggans and Kay Kinane and Therese Denny – who would climb the ranks. In all her years, Martha had worked for a succession of men, each younger than the last, most coming directly from Sydney University with a degree in something or other, usually English or Philosophy, and a relationship with radio that extended to listening to it in the homes they still lived in with their parents in a leafy part of Sydney with a view of the harbour.
Of course, they didn’t need typing skills or management credentials or any familiarity at all with a studio, a script or even a microphone. They were young men with promise and intelligence and, most importantly, the immense good fortune of knowing just the right person – a neighbour, an old school chum’s father, an old school chum – who would, at the appropriate time at the club or the Members’ Stand at the Sydney Cricket Ground, whisper something in the right ear just as the broadcaster was inducting a new intake of producers.

ABOUT ‘THE RADIO HOUR’: Martha Berry is fifty years old, a spinster, and one of an army of polite and invisible women in 1956 Sydney who go to work each day and get things done without fuss, fanfare or reward.

Working at the country’s national broadcaster, she’s seen highly praised talent come and go over the years but when she is sent to work as a secretary on a brand-new radio serial, created to follow in the footsteps of Australia’s longest running show, Blue Hills, she finds herself at the mercy of an egotistical and erratic young producer without a clue, a conservative broadcaster frightened by the word ‘pregnant’ and a motley cast of actors with ideas of their own about their roles in the show.

When Martha is forced to step in to rescue the serial from impending cancellation, she ends up secretly ghost-writing scripts for As The Sun Sets, creating mayhem with management, and coming up with storylines that resonate with the serial’s growing and loyal audience of women listeners.

But she can’t keep her secret forever and when she’s threatened with exposure, Martha has to decide if she wants to remain in the shadows, or to finally step into the spotlight.

MY THOUGHTS: I have many wonderful memories of childhood afternoons in front of the coal range listening to the radio with my nana. For some reason, one particular memory stands out and still makes me smile – listening to the final of an apple peeling contest being broadcast live from one of the big regional A & P (Agriculture & Pastoral) shows. The excitement was intense! The crowd was cheering and barracking for their favorites and commiserating loudly if someone broke their string of peel before they got to the end of the apple and was disqualified. The commentator was almost beside himself trying to keep up with all the action. There were no first names – it was Mrs Smith and Miss Brown and as I listened, I could imagine those house-worn hands deftly peeling the four Granny Smith apples each contestant had been provided, careful not to slip and ruin their chances.

The Radio Hour by Victoria Purman brought those memories back to me. And memories of sitting with Aunty Ella and Uncle Charlie late each afternoon listening to The Archers as Ella sipped her sherry and Charlie his stout. Good memories I have of people I loved long since passed on.

This is the second book I have read recently which introduces each chapter with a short precis or ‘teaser’ . . . Chapter One in which our heroine – spinster, secretary and loyal daughter Miss Martha Berry – discovers she’s about to embark on a new assignment. I love it!

I have never read anything by Victoria Purman before, but can she tell a story! The Radio Hour is filled with memorable characters, and not just our heroine. Martha’s mother and her neighbours who gather daily over a pot of tea and fresh baking to listen to and dissect that day’s installments of their favorite serials. The cast of As the Sun Sets; a mix of old thesps clinging to the last vestiges of their fame. and bright new talent but all of them quite aware of what Martha is doing and quietly supportive of her.

1956 – and women have very few rights. They can’t work in a government department after marriage. They are fair game for the lecherous old men on the staff whose exploits are generally greeted with ‘boys will be boys’, or ‘what did you do to make him do that?’ The ‘Old Boy’ network is alive and thriving, and it’s who you know not what you know that will secure you the best career.

A lot of the issues Victoria Purman tackled in The Radio Hour are still issues today – the disparity in pay between males and females and sexual harassment to name but two.

The Radio Hour is a compelling story of how women shored up the careers of men; of their strong friendships and family relationships and of the hardships and bias facing Australia’s new citizens.

I admired Martha’s strength, although she initially seemed anything but strong. She took common problems that weren’t to be discussed in polite society and cleverly wove them into the fabric of the radio drama she was (secretly) scripting and thrilled hundreds of thousands of women.

I will be seeking out the back titles of this author. definitely a strong recommendation from me!

The Radio Hour by Victoria Purman is scheduled for publication 1st May 2024.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.4

#TheRadioHour #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: Victoria Purman is a regular guest at writers festivals, a mentor and workshop presenter across Australia, and has judged the fiction category for the 2018 Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature and the 2022 ASA/HQ Commercial Fiction Prize for an unpublished manuscript.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harlequin Australia, HQ & MIRA via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of The Radio Hour by Victoria Purman for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

What’s new on my bedside table . . . ?

I didn’t think I was going to have much to talk about today as when I went to bed last night there was only one new ARC title on my shelf. I got up this morning to find two more, and then a courier just dropped off a parcel of three new titles from Fremantle Press! I have book bounty! I am planning on going to Fremantle on our Western Australia trip later in the year and meeting all these lovely people who send me books. 💕

So, I’ll start with the new titles from Fremantle Press: two children’s titles that I thought Luke would enjoy and a historical murder mystery by a new-to-me author. Death Holds the Key by Alexander Thorpe features a tag-team of sleuths – a mysterious friar and a good-humoured novice detective who readily admits he’s clueless.

When loathed landholder Fred O’ Donnell is found dead in a locked room with a bullet in his chest, rookie Detective Hartley must seek help from a mysterious wanderer to solve the case. And it’ s one where everyone, including his family, has a motive and a secret to keep. Featuring the mendicant monk from Thorpe’ s previous novel, Death Leaves the Station, readers will be drawn into the world of small-town Western Australia in the late 1920s, delighting in the characters as they navigate the strained sensibilities and dark secrets of the past.

The first of the two children’s books is Kelpie Chaos by Deb Fitzpatrick.

A kelpie puppy is about to be sent to the pound and Eli knows he has to do something. After adopting the flame-chested kelpie, now named Zoom, the family falls in love, but they soon learn there’s a lot involved in raising a dog. Especially a working dog, who is hard wired to round up pretty much everything … even socks. When Zoom goes missing on a family bushwalk, the family sets out on a frantic search. With each passing moment, anxiety mounts, but they refuse to give up hope. As night falls, their strength is tested, both physically and emotionally. Will they be able to find Zoom? What mischief could a dog get up to in the bush?

The second is a historical mystery, The Dragon’s Treasure by Mark Greenwood, known as The History Hunter.

On a summer morning in 1931, four children on a remote beach make a remarkable discovery. But this is only one of many astonishing finds in the same area: silver coins, hidden chests, mysterious stones, strange objects and an unidentified skeleton. Why is it all there? Where has it come from? Can the truth be found? Join the History Hunter to unravel the marvellous mystery in The Dragon’s Treasure

Next, my three NetGalley ARCs: Wallaby Lane by Maya Linnell, a new to me Australian author.

From interviewing local flower growers to receiving blue ribbons for her show baking, Lauren Bickford’s genuine love for her hometown is almost as strong as her ambition to become a radio presenter. But is it enough to outweigh the series of on-air stuff-ups that have plagued her career?

No stranger to this small winegrowing region in South Australia’s Limestone Coast, Jack Crossley is the new cop in town. He’s traded his city beat for a slower pace, and as a former local, knows only too well that mischief can lurk around every quiet corner.

For Jack and Lauren, the course of true love is not running smoothly. Can he restore order in the town before the neighbourhood watch vigilantes take justice into their own hands? Or are Jack’s biggest worries much closer to home? Can Lauren’s reporting remain impartial as her attraction to Jack grows? Or will her family’s advice lead her completely astray?

The House at Angel’s Beach by Phillipa Nefri Clark, another new-to-me Australian author.

Ivy Ross left Rivers End ten years ago, vowing never to return. Her heart broken, her trust gone, the father she adored behind bars. But when her sister Jody begs Ivy to return to finalise their inheritance, the majestic Fairview House, she is drawn home. And when she finds a collection of heartfelt letters hidden in her father’s library, everything she thought she knew is called into question.

The anonymous letters reveal a heartbreaking love story that force Ivy to rethink the terrible night that tore her family apart. And when Ivy meets Leo, the man whose life was also devastated by her father’s crime, she realises that it’s time to uncover the truth. But that’s not the only secret waiting for them in Fairview. Can facing up to her shocking family history lead Ivy to a future she could never have imagined…?

And finally, Eddie Winston is Looking for Love by Marianne Cronin of The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot fame. I loved that book!

Eddie Winston is ninety years old. He has lived and he has loved, but he has never been kissed.

A true gentleman and incurable romantic, Eddie spends his days volunteering at a charity shop, where he sorts through the donations of the living and the dead, preserving letters and tokens of love along the way. It is here that he meets Bella, a troubled young woman who, aged twenty-four, has just lost the love of her life.

When Bella learns that Eddie is yet to have his first kiss, she resolves to help him finally find love, sparking an adventure that will take them to unexpected places and, they hope, bring Eddie to the moment he has waited for all his life.

I still have 23 title requests pending, and my shelf remains static at 515 unread titles. My feedback ratio also remains static at 72%.

I finished my Aussie Readers April Challenge with 4 days to spare – my best result ever. The May challenge, which I have also signed up for, starts today.

I have completed 8/13 challenges for the Aussie Readers Autumn challenge, so am one book behind where I should be.

I also took part in the Goodreads All About Books April readathon, contributing 973 pages over three days reading towards the group total (still to be tallied).

I will also be taking part in the Aussie Readers Group read for April, Weekends With the Sunshine Gardening Society by Sophie Green is the chosen title, and also a title I have picked for my May challenge which features this author. And I have been to Noosa, where this book is set.

Noosa Heads, 1987: Newly-divorced Cynthia has returned to her hometown from Los Angeles to reconnect with her 19-year-old daughter, who is pregnant and determined not listen to her mother’s advice. Cynthia’s former best friend Lorraine has been stuck mowing lawns as part of a business she shares with her husband – his dream, not hers. When Cynthia convinces Lorraine to join the local Sunshine Gardening Society, they meet young widow Elizabeth , and rootless, heartbroken Kathy .

The four women soon discover the society is much more than an opportunity to chat about flowers. Rather, it offers them the chance to lend a helping hand to people whose lives need a bit of care and attention right along with their gardens.

Between pulling up weeds and planting sweet wattle, strelitzias and bromeliads, the women learn from each other that some roots go deep, and others, shallow; that seeds can lie dormant for a long time before they spring to life, and that careful tending is the key to lives and friendships that reach their full potential.

And in the Beanstack (app available online in your app store and is linked to your local library) Reading Challenge, I have logged 2335 minutes over the past 9 days and completed seven titles. I have completed 3/16 items on my reading bingo challenge.

Are any of these titles on your radar?

Are you participating in any challenges?

Whatever you are doing, have fun and happy reading. 💕📚

Watching what I’m reading . . .

Happy Sunday afternoon! It has been a beautiful day here in y corner of New Zealand, but now the wind is getting up and the temperature is dropping.

As you may have noticed, I’ve been running a bit behind with my posts the past couple of days. My brother-in-law who had a severe stroke in November and who has been in care at the local rest home since, has passed away. We have family staying on and off until after the funeral on Wednesday. So my erratic posts will continue for a few days yet.

I am currently listening to Red River Road, written by Anna Downes and narrated by Maddy Withington, who is a new-to-me and excellent narrator.

Katy Sweeney is determined to find her sister. A year earlier, just three weeks into a solo vanlife trip, free-spirited Phoebe vanished without a trace on Western Australia’s remote and achingly beautiful Coral Coast. With no witnesses, no leads, and no DNA evidence, the case has gone cold. But Katy refuses to give up.

I am reading The Flower Sisters by Michelle Collins Anderson and this is certainly keeping my attention.

At birth, Violet and Rose Flowers were identical, save for a tiny bluish-purple mark gracing Violet’s slender neck. By nineteen, their temperaments distinguish them, as different as the flowers their mother named them for—Violet, wild and outgoing, and Rose, solitary and reserved. Still, they are each other’s world. Then, on a sweltering, terrible August night in 1928, an explosion rocks Lamb’s Dance Hall in Possum Flats, Missouri, engulfing it in flames, leaving one twin among the dozens dead, and her sister’s life forever changed.

Fifty years later, Daisy Flowers is dumped on her grandmother Rose’s doorstep for the summer. A bright, inquisitive fifteen-year-old, Daisy bargains her way into an internship at the local newspaper—where she learns of the mysterious long-ago tragedy and its connection to her family. Rose, now the local funeral home director, grows increasingly alarmed as her impulsive granddaughter delves into Possum Flats’ history, determined to uncover the horrors and heroes of the fiery blast.

For a small town, Possum Flats holds a multitude of big secrets, some guarded by the living, some kept by the dead. And through Rose, Daisy, Dash—a preacher who found his calling that fateful night—and others, those ghosts gradually come into the light, forcing a reckoning at last.

I am also reading What Happened to Charlotte Salter by Nicci French

On the day of Alec Salter’s fiftieth birthday party, just before Christmas 1990, his wife Charlotte vanishes. Most of the small English village of Glensted is at the party for hours before anyone realizes Charlotte is missing. While Alec brushes off her disappearance, their four children—especially fifteen-year-old Etty—grow increasingly anxious as the cold winter hours become days and she doesn’t return. When Charlotte’s coat is found by the river, they fear the worst. Then the body of the Salters’ neighbor, Duncan Ackerley, is found floating in the river by his son Morgan and Etty. The police investigate and conclude that Duncan and Charlotte were having an affair before he killed her and committed suicide. Thirty years later, Morgan Ackerley, a successful documentarian, has returned to Glensted with his older brother Greg to make podcast based on their shared tragedy with the Salters. Alec, stricken with dementia, is entering an elder care facility while Etty helps put his affairs in order. But as the Ackerleys ask to interview the Salters, the entire town gets caught up in the unresolved cases. Allegations are made, secrets are revealed, and a suspicious fire leads to a murder. With the podcast making national news, London sends Detective Inspector Maud O’Connor to Glensted to take over the investigation. Resented by her mostly male colleagues, she has no tolerance for either their sexism or their incompetence. And she will stop at nothing to uncover the truth as a new and terrifying picture of what really happened to Charlotte Salter and Duncan Ackerley emerges.

This week I hope to read, but probably won’t – Never be the Same by Luke Williams, an author ARC.

As Tom Rosemore heads to work, a jolting update shatters his world with the news that his boss has been found dead at the office. This grim revelation arrives amid Tom’s own struggles, compounding a tragedy that has fractured his family, leaving his teenage daughter to spiral into a depression, and his wife to waste away through a crippling exercise addiction. Amid the turmoil, Tom’s world darkens further as he becomes the prime suspect in his boss’s murder. Confronted by mounting evidence he cannot explain, including incriminating CCTV footage, he faces a tough battle convincing detectives of his innocence. Yet, beneath the surface lies the unsettling realisation that someone has tried to frame him. As accusations loom large, a greater horror unfolds with the sudden disappearance of his daughter on the very day he is questioned by police. Determined to find her in a race against time and the law, Tom is forced to take matters into his own hands. With police closing in, secrets begin to unravel, woven into the mystery of his boss’s murder.

With Winter Comes Darkness by Robbi Neal

A terrible accident burns down a family’s life on the same day a murder is committed. From the ashes of these acts comes revelation, darkness, and the truth. Psychological suspense and profound family drama meet in this heartrending and original Australian novel.

Secrets of Riverside by Mandy Magro

Can love conquer all? A moving story of overcoming the past and second chances from bestselling Australian romance author Mandy Magro. Can their love heal the shadows of the past?

After losing her family in a tragic fire when she was a child, Amelia Price has battled to put the shattered pieces of her life back together. Even so, she’s never felt like she belongs anywhere, and she longs for stability and love. When a mysterious letter turns up at her apartment with hints that she’ll uncover the truth behind what happened all those years ago if she goes to the sleepy, picturesque town of Riverside, she sets off on a journey to tropical Far North Queensland.

Jarrah King owns and runs the Riverside Roadhouse. He loves the simpleness of country living, and the fact it gives him complete anonymity. Over the years he’s made a life for himself under a new name, however his past has never stopped haunting him.

When a sassy blonde takes up the new cook position, he can’t help but be drawn to her vivacious personality. But he can tell there’s also pain hiding underneath her bubbly facade and he longs to erase those shadows. However, lowering his defences to let her in may risk his new identity, as well as everything he holds dear.

Can Amelia show him that love is worth the risk? Or will the secrets of their entwined past tear them apart forever?

And, One Long Weekend by Shari Low

When all seems lost, hope remains… Val Murray has mislaid her most precious mementoes of the people she’s loved and lost. Can her family, the wonders of technology and a little divine intervention somehow mend her shattered heart?

Sophie Smith had to take a rain check on a marriage proposal. Will her bid to turn back the clock lead her to her greatest love or yet another heartbreak?

Alice McLenn stood by her husband, Larry when a scandal cost them everything. When he hits the headlines again, Alice has an opportunity to leave – but can she find the strength to finally walk away?

Rory Brookes was forced to turn his back on his parents to save his career and marriage. Now, he’s lost his job and wife on the same day. Is it too late to make amends with the one person who never let him down?

Three days. Four broken hearts. Just one weekend to make them whole again.

Sorry, this post isn’t going to be a chatty one, and I am going to apologise in advance for probably not being able to visit everyone’s posts over the next few days, but I need to spend time with family. I am meeting a lot of extended family for the first time ever! Isn’t it sad that we only seem to catch up when someone dies. I am going to try and do better.

Happy reading all, and stay safe. 💕📚

Voices in the Dark by Fleur McDonald

EXCERPT: When her ringtone, Kaylee Bell’s ‘Keith’ had ripped through the kitchen causing her to jump, Sassi knew there was something amiss. No one called so late at night.
The photo that had been taken last Christmas of her and Abe flashed onto the screen and her first thought had been: Which one is it? Which grandparent?
‘It’s bad, Sassi,’ her uncle told her when she answered.
Her hands shaking, she’d slid down next to Jarrah and buried her fingers in the kelpie’s caramel fur.
‘What’s happened?’
‘Not sure. Dad managed to raise the alarm, but . . .’ His voice had trailed off and Sassi realised her kettle was screaming a high-pitched whistle above her. Sticking a finger in her ear and ignoring the sound, she stayed where she was.
‘The ambo couldn’t say much, but he suggested we get everyone together as quickly as we can. I’ve rung your mother.’
Sassi snorted. ‘She won’t be much use.’
‘Sassi.’ As always Abe’s calm and conciliatory tone didn’t change. Sassi was angry and he was the peacemaker. ‘She’s going to be on the first plane she can get out of South Africa.’
She’d probably prefer the borders were still shut so she didn’t have to come back.’
Abe ignored her comments. ‘You need to come now,’ he said. ‘Don’t wait.’

ABOUT ‘VOICES IN THE DARK’: Sassi Stapleton is called home after news her grandmother is unwell. Less than an hour away from her hometown, Barker, she swerves to miss a roo and her car rolls down an embankment and she’s left hanging. By the time she is found, her grandmother has already passed away.

Sassi’s mother, Amber, returns from South Africa, and as soon as she arrives family tensions between her and her brother, Abe, are back in the forefront of everyone’s minds.

When it quickly becomes clear that Sassi’s grandfather Mr Stapleton is unable to live alone, the hunt is on to find a carer. Rasha enters the family home, firmly entrenching herself as someone they can’t do without, and before long Mr Stapleton is happier than he has been in years.

Then bruises start appearing on Mr Stapleton and he becomes withdrawn, refusing to talk even to Sassi.

None of the family are convinced that Rasha could hurt anyone. Amber is his daughter; Sassi, his granddaughter. None of these three could hurt Mr Stapleton. Could they?

MY THOUGHTS: I really enjoy reading stories set in small towns, Australian ones in particular, and Voices in the Dark set in the small town of Barker, four hours out of Adelaide, South Australia, didn’t disappoint. This is a family drama with no romance but a lot of love, secrets, lies, greed and resentment to fuel the storyline.

Small towns can be difficult to live in. Everyone knows everyone else’s business. Scandals never really die, beliefs are firmly entrenched, and grudges can be held for generations. But when the chips are down, everyone pulls together. Barker is no different. Sassi is still that ‘illegitimate Stapleton kid’, and Rasha is ‘a person of color’ taking work away from the locals. ‘She doesn’t belong here.’

Voices in the Dark is very much a character driven drama, and I loved the characters – well, most of them anyway. There’s a few louts and larrikins in Barker, but then aren’t there in every town? And Amber, Sassi’s mother, is, and I’m being kind here, a complicated character. She’s arrogant, entitled, racist and cold . . . I couldn’t find one spark of warmth or humanity in her. But she too has a tragic back story.

There are some wonderful relationships that I loved reading about – Abe and his wife Renee and their twin sons being one; Dave, the local detective and his wife Kim are another. There’s an enticing bit of drama going on in Dave’s family as well as in his workplace.

There’s a bit of a story behind Detective Dave Burrows. He appeared in Fleur McDonald’s first book, ‘Dust’. Since then, he’s appeared as a secondary character in sixteen of her novels and has taken a lead role in another six. I guess if you’ve read a lot of this author’s work, you will already be familiar with him. Unfortunately I haven’t, but that is something I am going to remedy.

I also love Sassi and Abe’s relationship. They are more like brother and sister than uncle and niece. Sassi is a lovely character. She’s had a bit of a rough time of it, having been abandoned by her mother as a young child; her grandmother’s death is more like the loss of a mother and the sudden disintegration of her long-term relationship is a shock, but she is a strong young woman who has her focus in the right place.

I do have some qualms about how the book ended. I’m not entirely sure that Dave did the right thing here. If you read or have read Voices in the Dark, I’d love to know what you think.

A good, solid four-star read that has left me wanting to read more from this author.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

#VoicesintheDark #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: After growing up on a farm near Orroroo in South Australia, Fleur McDonald’s first job was jillarooing in the outback. She has been involved in agriculture all her life, including helping manage an 8000-acre station for twenty years. Today Fleur and her energetic kelpie, Jack, live in Esperance, Western Australia,

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Allen & Unwin via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of Voices in the Dark by Fleur McDonald for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.