Crime
The Last Act of Hattie Hoffman by Mindy Mejia
I’ve long been a sucker for American stories set away from the intensity of their cities and in the country’s open heart: those wide endless prairies; the sheriffs who know everyone and ride the thin line between being adored and…
Last Words by Barry Dickins
It is 50 years since Ronald Ryan became the last person to be hanged in Victoria. Ryan was serving an 8-year sentence for breaking and entering and together with another inmate broke out of Coburg’s Pentridge prison. During the breakout…
Night School by Lee Child
I often try to put local and small-press authors as my books of the month, mainly because they’re great, but also because Readings has an extensive history of author support that I’m very proud to be part of. This month’s…
Dr Knox by Peter Spiegelman
Adam Knox is a man of contradictions. Altruistic by day, he runs a clinic for the poor, the drug addicted, the prostitutes and homeless of downtown Los Angeles. Mercenary by night, Knox makes home visits to criminals and those famous…
The Trespasser by Tana French
The wonderful thing about Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad series is that they’re all excellent, but all very different at the same time. Each book has enough familiarity to allow you to slip effortlessly into the story, but not so…
Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil by Melina Marchetta
Like many readers, I’ve adored Melina Marchetta since my English teacher issued Looking for Alibrandi as a Year 11 text and we all gleefully discussed it in class since all of us actually happily read it instead of reading the…
Wilde Lake by Laura Lippman
As usual, there was a fair internal fight about what should be this month’s Book of the Month (as I’m not allowed to take up eight pages with my extended thoughts on each title), but something about the fallible intimacy…
Black Teeth by Zane Lovitt
If you are a local who decides to rush out and buy Black Teeth just after you read this review, you’ll find yourself with the ultimate literary luxury: reading a book in July in Melbourne set in a Melbourne July…
Sunset City by Melissa Ginsburg
Short and anything but sweet, Sunset City paints a neon-soaked picture of Houston’s grimiest places, visited by a drunk and bereaved Charlotte Ford, trying to find solace after the death of her oldest friend. Danielle was murdered – beaten to…
The Poison Artist by Jonathan Moore
In a San Franciscan hotel, Caleb Maddox cleans the cut on his forehead. His girlfriend threw a crystal tumbler at his head, and it didn’t miss. It’s all he can do to fix himself up and then go and find…
Browse our reviews by category
