Full Fathom Five, by Kate Humphrey
Flamingo, $29.95
The dark stormy night beloved of many mysteries is critical for a poor farming family. Their father, an erratically brilliant artist, is found hanging from a cliff face. What this means to Sara, who hasn’t left home for five years, her three brothers and wayward step-sister is a dramatic revelation of family secrets and the discovery of hidden strengths and new relationships. Disquietingly gripping.
The Great Indoors by Sabine Durant
Warner, $22.95
Martha’s home is untouched by children, chocolate and clutter. But when her stepfather dies, her life gradually takes on a new dimension as she has to contend with squabbling sisters and their families, find a home for an ageing, unattractive cat, and still run her exquisite antiques business. There’s a website search for old friends, the arrival of Mr Magic and an old flame’s return. An enjoyable, entertaining read.
The Accomplice, by Kathryn Heyman
Review, $29.95
A darkly haunting story of the wreck of the Batavia off the coast of Western Australia in 1629, the dreadful fate of the survivors and the cruel power of the mutineers. Judith, the eldest daughter of a migrant Dutch family, is torn by her loyalty to her strict religious upbringing and her love for an enigmatic nobleman Conraat. Haunted by guilt for the rest of her life, her memories of the terrifying times are vivid and relentlessly disturbing. Beautifully written historical fiction.
Love Struck by Melanie La’Brooy
Penguin, $22.95
Melbourne girl Isabelle has comfortably migrated to Sydney and a career in art auctions. But when her boyfriend makes a career move to Adelaide, she has to learn about living – and loving – on her own again. A light-hearted romp that introduces some weird and wonderful characters and makes some delicious but loving digs at the foibles and fantastic fun of the city she now calls home. Lovely laugh-out-loud reading to enjoy.
The Hamilton Case, by Michelle de Kretser
Random House, $29.95
The 1930s when Ceylon was still a part of an Empire, before independence and Sri Lanka came into being, was a time when jungle humidity and plantation affairs flourished side by side. This is the world of Sam Obeyseker, a young lawyer, whose life is shaken by the Hamilton Case, a scandalous murder that rocks the island and changes lives. Sam’s bizarre mother and erratic sister are but two of the intriguing people that colour his life. This surprising and clever book grabs you in the beginning, keeps you in suspense in the middle and has an ending that is open to interpretation.
**Middlemere by Judith Lennox
** Pan Macmillan, $30
Why were the Cole family evicted from their home, Middlemere, in the darkest days of the war? Desperate to succeed and to help her family – her exhausted mother and wayward brother – Romy never forgets the bewildering violence of that day and it colours her relationships with her new London friends in a life that never has the magic of Middlemere. Then she meets Caleb who lives there now. And when she finds out more about his and her own history and about the web that was woven of willful passion and pride, grows more tangled. Fabulous reading for wintry evenings.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
