More Reading Highlights from Book Chat

The Bush Telegraph by Fiona McArthur: Two people return to make a fresh start in the small country town of Spinifex – Maddy to run the medical centre and Connor as owner of a station. The two feel a connection, but will the rumour mill via bush telegraph get in the way of their happiness? A light summer read set in both Sydney and the outback of Queensland that makes for a satisfying Aussie rural romance with a happy ending.

The Killing House by Claire McGowan Forensic psychologist, Paula Maguire is on the case when two bodies are discovered in an abandoned farm – an IRA member missing since the 1990s and a young girl. When another girl goes missing Paula must work fast before more lives are lost, never imagining that the crime will come terrifyingly close to home. The sixth in the series, with an appealing main character and brilliant plotting.

Sunburn by Laura Lipman is a psychological thriller that explores what you might do to save your child. A woman leaves her husband and child and reinvents herself. When a private eye becomes caught up in the situation, dark secrets and forbidden desires emerge. A real page-turner with an unexpected but satisfying ending.

Before the Storm by Di Morrissey Another story about fresh starts. Ellie Conlan quits her job on principal and retreats to the beach town of Storm Harbour. As a new development threatens to split the coastal community, secrets from the past threaten to reappear, while rumours fly and tensions mount. An engrossing read in an atmospheric setting.

The Seagull by Ann Cleeves When DI Vera Stanhope gives a talk at the local prison, she comes face to face with a former detective superintendent whom she helped to put away. He requests a small favour: to keep an eye on his daughter and in return he tells Vera the whereabouts of a body. A gripping cold case that turns out to be far more complicated that you’d at first imagine.

The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult: Dawn Edelstein has a near-death experience on a plane and decides not to return to her family, but travels instead to Egypt. Here she reconnects with an old flame. The novel asks, what does a life well-lived look like? An interesting read that also describes the work of a Death Doula, a person who supports dying people and their families.

Murder in an Irish Cottage by Carlene O’Connor We found this cosy mystery very hard to put down. The cottage of the title is according to folklore cursed, built on a fairy path. It is also the site of a murder – an old woman in fancy dress who has been poisoned then smothered. But she isn’t the first suspicious death in this cottage. A smart whodunit in an idyllic locale.

Monster in the Closet by Karen Rose is a story about a father and daughter, estranged for many years by lies told by the daughter’s mother. Is Taylor’s father the monster he is said to be? As the two get to know each other, Taylor never expects to be the target of a real monster. Another thrilling psychological mystery from Rose, which features characters from other books but can still be read as a standalone novel.

The Wild Silence by Raynor Winn – This non-fiction book is a follow-up to the author’s first book The Salt Path, a highly successful memoir. The first book was originally written as a gift to her husband reminiscing about the walking trip they did around the southern coast of England after being made homeless and his diagnosis with a severe illness. The second book answered the questions so many readers wanted to know about what happened after the walk and fills in some of her childhood, her earlier time with Moth and her connection with the environment.

 Posted by Flaxmere Library Book Chat