Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich is:

“Another great Stephanie Plum adventure that keeps you turning pages, and laughing out loud, in the middle of the night.”

Thanks, Mary!

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Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer documents a deadly expedition up Mt Everest, undertaken by the author to document the commercialisation of the ascent, which was hit with some of the worst weather the Himalayas can throw at climbers. Gwenda said she was:

“On the edge all night! Finished it at 3am. The book took you along the journey – every step of the way! So very exciting!”

Thanks, Gwenda!

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Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves by Matthew Reilly.
“Best read ever, fast-paced, action-packed, amazing storyline, hanging on to your seat until the last page. Started reading 10pm at night and finished at 8.30am. No way, you won’t want to put this down.”

Thanks, Jordan!

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Some authors for you to comment on or try out in this genre are William Bernhardt, John Grisham, Michael Connelly, Linda Fairstein, Richard North Patterson, Philip Margolin, Steve Martini, Earle Stanley Gardner’s Perry Mason series, John Mortimer’s Rumple series, James Grippando, Lisa Scottoline, and Scott Turow.

If you prefer a classic, try To Kill a Mockingbird which was first published in 1960 and won the Pulitzer Prize, in which a lawyer in the depression-era South defends a black man accused of rape.

One of my personal favourites is John Grisham’s tightly plotted Pelican Brief, and I also very much enjoyed the courtroom scenes in Jeffrey Archer’s A Prisoner of Birth which illustrates how easily and innocent man can be set up and sent to prison.

Red Mist brings the reader once again into the realms of Dr Kay Scarpetta and her career in forensics to find out what happened to Scarpetta’s former deputy chief, Jack Fielding, who was murdered.  Visiting a womens prison, Kay receives information which leads to discovering connections of conspiracy and potential terrorism on an international scale.  An intriguing web of killings which initially appear unrelated, brings together her FBI husband Benton, her niece Lucy and investigator Pete Marino.

Patricia Cornwell is author of eighteen previous novels featuring Dr Kay Scarpetta
and each one follows the forensic path of gaining answers to allow justice to prevail.
In this book the storyline gets bogged down with an oversupply of forensic terminology
to such an extent that the reader’s attention is diverted.  It’s not a page turner and
avid readers of her books may be disappointed, I was.

I caught Terry Pratchett’s Going Postal on TV recently & really enjoyed the televised adaptation so I borrowed the book from the library. The story is part of Pratchett’s Discworld series (it’s the 33rd book), but if you haven’t read any of them this book is a great one to start with. The majority of characters are new and there is plenty of interesting explanation about the world. I think the show helped me understand what was going on in the book but if you didn’t see it I still recommend reading the book.

The star of the story is Moist van Lipwig. He is a conman who escapes persecution for his many crimes & is instead ordered by the city’s leader, Lord Vetinari to revive the dilapidated Postal Service. A strange instruction as the city has evolved & the inhabitants are now using “clacks” to communicate. As far I as can tell “clacks” is a shutter telegraph system of sorts. Anyway, Moist takes up the job with intentions of fleeing at the first opportunity. Much of the plot consists of Moist trying to revamp the Postal Service, evade people trying to kill him, impress the young pretty activist Adora Belle Dearheart, keep his parole officer Mr Pump happy & battle it out with the city’s leader Lord Vetinari.

Pratchett uses wry wit, brisk dialogue, laugh out loud humour & magical description to create a truly amazingly different world. He is a talented story teller & is able to transport the reader into the story. You will feel as though you are there alongside Moist and the other characters. I like Moist, he is funny, very smart and also very determined in his endeavours.   

I would recommend this book to all readers, not just fans of fantasy, as its more than just an enjoyable read it will provoke the reader into thinking about what actually motivates people to do things. I started to think about how communication has evolved over time. It really is a multi-dimensional unique read.

His thirst for informing Australia of what’s happening, not only in their own backyard, but around the world spurred him to travel and research stories which set the path of a successful career spanning forty years in television.

He reveals the interviews with celebrities, the famous and the infamous, the everyday person, during his exceptional years with 60 Minutes, The Midday Show, A Current Affair and The Ray Martin Show.

Ray delivers an insight into his lesser known deep involvement with a variety of charities especially those concerned with Aboriginal disadvantage and children’s hospitals.  A dedicated family man, his wife Dianne and his children are the loves of his life and this book reaffirms that he is a talented journalist & really nice bloke with a good story to tell and its a pleasure to read

“I stayed up to the wee hours reading Nikki Gemmell’s autobiographical musing: Why You Are Australian: A Letter to My Children.
Gemmell is well-known for the international bestseller The Bride Stripped Bare, which deals with the erotic adventures of a frustrated London housewife. This is a much tamer read (i.e sans erotic adventures)! Instead, it addresses the peripatetic nature of modern life and the vagaries of expatriate living. Gemmell lived in London for 12 years with her husband before returning to Australia (she now writes a column for The Weekend Australian) and this small book talks of the tricky balance between the intangible mystique of one’s home country and the intrinsic need to travel which many of us have.
It will be particularly relevant to those (like myself) who have spent time living abroad, as Gemmell captures the stickiness of homesickness that strikes when one is supposedly living a new, often wonderful, ‘dreamed of’ life.
She writes beautifully, poignantly distilling the loveliness of a sunshine-filled Australian childhood so that the pages burst with her love for this sunburnt country. It also kept me up all night giggling at her evocations of the stern English temperament and the feeling of being a peg in a square hole! It will make you reconsider and reflect on what being Australian really means to you…”

Thanks, Christine!

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This second novel is even better than the first as it hints at more to be revealed about the supernatural, its every bit as fun as the first only creepier! There are scenes that made my skin crawl & if you have a particular phobia of spiders you should be prepared that there are some spine tingling moments. 

While Tara Moss gives her central character, Pandora, the main focus the supporting characters are also developing nicely. The reader will learn more about Lieutenant Luke’s visits, great aunt Celia’s strange relationship with the undead & exploration and reference to ancient legends and mythology.

It’s an amazing reinterpretation of the classic horror characters & the names like Pandora, Morticia & Deus provide an additional spooky element . This series can be read by all ages & dabbles in various genres – supernatural, chick lit, historical fiction, fantasy and thriller so it can be enjoyed by many. I think if you liked the first one, you will love this second installment. I can’t wait for the third book

“Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts is the best book I have ever read which says a lot considering I have been reading lengthy Stephen King novels since I was 11 years old! The detailed and beautiful vocabulary used by the author to present his story is so intriguing I was literally up all night reading and could never decide on a page to put it down because something else really interesting would happen! Covering issues from friendship and love, to Indian culture, to crime, violence and war, this book would interest anyone, male or female of any age. I loved how I could locate specific landmarks discussed in the book with google maps such as Leopold’s bar and the police station and visualise how the story unfolded. Shantaram made me laugh, cry and I wished it would go on forever. I have since researched the author and watched him give awe-inspiring lectures on YouTube about his experiences in Bombay. Once I finished this book, I became a temporary widow whilst my partner read it and finished the 900 pages even more quickly than I did and he is not usually an avid reader!”

Thanks, Lauren!

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