Madame Bovary’s Haberdashery by Maurilia Meehan

Author: Maurilia Meehan Publisher: Transit Lounge Copyright Year: 2013 Review By: Sandra Nicholson Book Synopsis: Zac, a translator of Flaubert, can’t believe his luck. He ends up sleeping with Odette, a beautiful but capricious ceramic artist, and her best friend, Cicely, a talented knitter and author of an erotic novel. As well as an interest …

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Deadline by Barbara Nadel

Author: Barbara Nadel Publisher: Headline Copyright Year: 2013 Review By: Sandra Nicholson Book Synopsis: When Inspector CetinIkmen is invited to a murder mystery evening at one of Istanbul’s most exclusive hotels, he suddenly finds himself embroiled in a deadly game of life imitating art. Halfway through the evening, one of the actors is found actually …

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Murder at the Telephone Exchange by June Wright

Author: June Wright Publisher: Portland, OR Verse Chorus Press, [2013] Copyright Year: 1948 Review By: Michaela Lobb Book Synopsis: Who killed Sarah Compton? She was a ‘prying old busybody’, but surely that isn’t an adequate motive for murder? When her grisly corpse is found on the restroom floor of the Melbourne Telephone Exchange, there is …

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Darkening Skies by Bronwyn Parry

Author: Bronwyn Parry Publisher: Hachette Australia ISBN: 9780733625503 Review By: Jo McGahey Book Synopsis: Investigative journalist Jenn Barrett never intended to return to Dungirri, the small town she escaped when she was seventeen. But startling revelations about local man Mark Strelitz have reopened the investigation into her cousin’s death, and she is determined to find …

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Thicker than Water by Judith Colquhoun

Author: Judith Colquhoun Publisher: Black Pepper Copyright Year: 978-1-876044-87-9 (paperback) ISBN: 2014 Review By: Suzanne Bozorth-Baines Book Synopsis: Writers and artists had come here for centuries but she was neither. She was not even seeking a new lover or running away from an old one. No, her mission was altogether different. And the fact that …

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A Killer in the Family by Amanda Howard

Author: Amanda Howard Publisher: New Holland Copyright Year: 2013 No of Pages: 9781742574547 Review By: Suzanne Bozorth-Baines Book Synopsis: A Killer in the Family explores the darkest depths of the human psyche to tell the stories of the world’s most depraved killers – and their families. In these incredible accounts of violence, psychosis and love …

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Taking a Chance by Deborah Burrows

Author: Deborah Burrows Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia Copyright Year: 2013 ISBN: 9781742612836 Review By: Diana Olsberg Book Synopsis: Perth, 1943. A time for taking chances. Eleanor ‘Nell’ Fitzgerald is smart – inside and out. For now, she writes helpful fashion advice for a local rag, but is bursting with ambition and plans to marry her …

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A Taste of Evil by Christina Carlisle

Author: Christina Carlisle Publisher: Champagne Books Copyright Year: 2012 ISBN: 978-1-77155-039-0 Review By: Lesley Vick Book Synopsis: Famous novelist Julia Raymond is found brutally murdered in the grounds of her estate in the English Lake District. Her death throws suspicion on her husband and sister, both of whom have reasons to want Julia dead. The …

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Falling by Emma Kavanagh

Author: Emma Kavanagh Publisher: Century, London Copyright Year: 2014 ISBN: 9781 780892023 Review By: Susan Woldenberg Butler Book Synopsis: A plane falls out of the sky. A woman is murdered. Four people all have something to hide. Jim is a retired police officer, and worried father. His beloved daughter has disappeared and he knows something …

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Playing Dead, True Tales of Fake Suicides by Wendy Lewis

Author: Wendy Lewis Publisher: Five Mile Press Copyright Year: 2013 ISBN: 978-1-74346-301-7 Review By: Susan Woldenberg Butler Book Synopsis: Pretending to be dead is one of the more bizarre ways to opt out of society. Despite the obvious risks, a surprising number of people attempt to leave their old life behind by faking suicide. And …

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