Published...Or Not

‘Friends and Dark Shapes’ by Kavita Bedford has short sharp observations of emotions, memories, landscapes and the difficulties of being a mature adult, or whatever that is. In the best traditions of Agatha Christie, Allie Reynolds’ murder mystery, 'Shiver,' leads the reader on an intriguing journey to determine ‘who done it’ with the characters all implicated but confined to a chalet close to a g...

‘The Imitator’ by Rebecca Starford is a page-turning, shocking WW2 spy thriller loosely based on the real-life events of a MI5 female agent based in London in the 1930s and 40s. “I have seen the past – and it works.” Dennis Glover’s satire, ‘Factory 19’, shows what can happen when we idealize the past. The work, while comic, has Orwellian overtones and a latent political message which is in keepin...

‘The Tour’ of the new Queen in 1954 was to be a glamorous adventure for the Chettle sisters serving as maids in waiting, but instead it was a royal disaster in waiting, humoursly written by Andrew Mackie. The naivety of tourists lies in their expectations of another country; the romantic stereotype they envisage. The same can be said for relationships and these two notions come together in Irma Go...

‘Elizabeth and Elizabeth’ are the wives of John Macarthur and Lachlan Macquarie. They should have been bitter foes, but author Sue Williams has them combining their courage and wisdom to influence what is happening in the fledgling colony of New South Wales. The Croatian-Serbian conflict manifests itself in the rivalry between gangs in Sydney’s west in Loraine Peck’s crime novel, 'The Second Son'.

'The Women and the Girls’ is an entertaining read about women being challenged as they try to excel as mothers and friends in a sharehouse, without husbands and set in Sydney in the  1970’s. Your best friend can also be your worst enemy. Polly Phillips explores this notion in her novel, ‘My Best Friend’s Murder’.

Good characters in a good story, Rebecca Lim has Wen, a 14 year old ‘Tiger Daughter’, grappling against racism, sexism and the cultural expectations of her family. ‘The Schoolgirl Strangler’ by Katherine Kovacic is a disturbing account of a real life serial killer in 1930’s Melbourne who lures young girls to their death. 

Will 'Repentance' be known for logging or rainforest tourism? It's a town and the title of Allison Gibb's novel, set during the protests of the 1970's, full of characters who have their own histories and perspectives of what it should be, but what of their own future? Gary Lonesborough’s novel, 'The Boy from the Mish', tackles the challenging question of indigenous identity in young male adolescen...

Rock climbing, horse riding, burglaries, stolen guns, drugs, kidnapping and a "freely given, open-ended, joyous declaration of love", this and more in Leisl Leighton's 'Climbing Fear'.Life becomes a sinister ‘choose your own adventure’ for Iain Ryan’s protagonist in, The Spiral’ where truth and fiction are interchangeable. 

‘The Beach Caves’ by Trevor Shearston is more than a dip into Australian prehistory, it’s a novel of behind the scenes academic envy, guilt and the impact of the choices we make. J P Pomare, once again, takes us into an all too possible scenario where murder is the outcome of obsessive behaviour in his psychological thriller, 'Tell Me Lies'.

Aaron Smith spent seven years editing The Torres News from Thursday Island. His account, The Rock, highlights many of the political, social, personal and economic issues the islanders face and the challenge ahead for Australia in addressing these concerns. Tudor times were full of political plots and conspiracies just as in the fantasy world of Middengard that June Wilson has magicked up in 'Glori...

Denise Leith has set 'The Night Letters' in Afghanistan. As well as the ongoing political problems, an Australian doctor meets and learns of the secrets, friendships and loves of a wealth of characters living within her square. Disgraced lawyer, Clementine Jones juggles the interests and egos of businessmen, coal miners and conservationists when investigating the murder of a friend in Sarah Thornt...

Barry Jonsberg takes us into a world compromised by climate change where artificial intelligence is a necessary survival tool in, Catch Me If I Fall. Twins, Ashleigh and Aiden, as they mature, realize they have different perspectives about the privileged lives they are afforded in this new world. Mythological dangers lurk for four adolescents on schoolies week as they meet a stranger and venture o...

The unusual characters, the interesting situations and the building of friendships make ‘Honeybee’ another moving, occasionally devastating, read by Craig SilveyBarry Jones applies his incredible intellect to the future once again in, What is to be Done. The political landscape, education, technology and the environment all come under close scrutiny.

Sally Hepworth has mixed humour and dark reality, with the wonders and horrors of having a sister in 'The Good Sister'.Every Second Tuesday is a collection of poetry, fiction and memoir generated by the Elwood Writers who just happen to meet every second Tuesday. Their aim is to mentor each other to become the best writers they can be. 

Readers and writers alike get lost in stories. Philip Salom plays on this conceit in his latest work, 'The Fifth Season'.If we could instantly know the rules to being an adult, would that make growing up easier? Georgina Young has a 20 year old woman questioning herself and her artistic ambiions in 'Loner'. 

Once again, Chris Hammer’s protagonist, Martin Scarsden, confronts murder and corruption but this time Sydney is where the action takes place. Martin doesn’t know if he can trust anyone – not even his paramour Mandalay Blonde. Appropriately, the book is entitled, 'Trust'.The 'Tiny White Lies' are told to protect the ones we love or perhaps they are to cover the secrets we are embarrassed to have e...

Some people find consolation in their obsessions and some of those obsessions can lead to murder. Gary Disher explores that psychological conundrum in the next instalment of his Hirschhausen series, 'Consolation', where a country cop deals with everything from the mundane to multiple murders. How far would desperate farmers go to save or make money? Could stock theft lead to manslaugter or murder?...

20 years ago Rosalie Ham gave us Tilly Dunnage from Dungatar in her debut novel and has followed it with another story of fun and frocks in 'The Dressmaker's Secret'.‘None Shall Sleep’ is Ellie Marney’s disturbing insight into the world of an adolescent serial killer. Can the name of the killer currently on the loose be discovered before more gruesome murders occur? 

The power of words can change lives, and the power of revenge can live for a long time in Benjamin Stevenson's crime novel 'The Other Side Of Midnight'.  Boys need a discourse and language that help them grapple with the challenges faced on the road to maturity. Tobias McCorkell explores this notion in his novel, 'Everything In Its Right Place', as his protagonist ‘crosses the river ‘ - the social...

What can teenage boys learn about themselves from playing sport? Lots, especially in Rawah Arja's amusing and insighful novel, 'The F Team'.A sibling exacts a form of retribution for being denied opportunities and choices by her domineering brother in S L Lim’s novel, 'Revenge'.

Petronella McGovern's suspense novel of kindness and berayal culminates when 'The Good Teacher' crosses the line from professional to personal. A murder mystery and a suspect without a motive – S R White’s novel, 'Hermit', is a psychological expose of the cat and mouse game that is the interrogation process. 

Jock Serong, in 'The Burning Island', takes us on an epic journey into Australia’s early days; the shipwrecks, the eccentric individuals and odd communities found on the islands in Bass Strait. The how and why of Alex Miller's search into finding the facts about his friend Max Blatt, a Nazi-resistance figure, make for an interesting read of connections in 'Max'.

Eliza's godmothers are her mother's best friends. Will they be able to help her find her father? Friendships and truths are at the heart of 'The Godmothers' by Monica McInerney. The stories in Barry Lee Thompson’s collection, ‘Broken Rules and Other Stories’ are united by the universal elements of the unspoken and unstated especially where the question of one’s sexuality is involved.   

No one had come through the storm unscathed. Twelve years later, and with another death, blame and guilt rise to the surface again in 'The Survivor' by Jane Harper.‘State Highway One’ is Sam Coley’s road trip narrative of a protagonist taking on the physical, emotional and psychological challenges associated with the loss of his parents, his sexuality and his twin sister’s betrayal.

Kings Cross in the 60's is a place to swing, or a place to hide. There is a collection of friends who are trying to find their own identities while helping each other, in Deborah Challinor's 'The Jacaranda House'.Memory and identity collide in Lili Wilkinson’s adolescent psychological thriller, The Erasure Initiative.