Book Chat Round Up

The Pearler's Wife by Roxane Dhand is set in the far north-west of Australia around 1912, as young Maisie Porter is sent to Buccaneer Bay for an arranged marriage with a pearl magnate cousin. But Maitland is indifferent towards her, and sometimes cruel, while Maisie can't help feeling drawn to William Cooper, hired as a pearl worker. Secrets and danger add to the dramatic tension in this novel about an interesting aspect of Australian colonial history.

The Liar’s Girl by Catherine Ryan Howard - Her first love confessed to five murders, and ten years on, Alison thinks she will never have to relive the horror of that time. But when a body is fished out of Dublin's Grand Canal it looks like he's started again. Only how could he when Will has been in prison all this time. Will agrees to help the police, but will only talk to one person - Alison. This is a gripping novel with a surprise ending you won't see coming.

Murder in the Holy City by Simon Beaufort is a historical mystery set in 1100s Jerusalem, the first in a series featuring Sir Geoffrey Mappestone, a Crusader knight. Sir Geoffrey is tired of the crusades and would like a quiet life pursuing his interest in medicine and science. But someone is killing knights and priests using the same ornate dagger and Sir Geoffrey is ordered to investigate. This is a well-researched novel with a brilliant setting and plenty of pace.

Absent in the Spring by Mary Westmacott (a nom de plume used by Agatha Christie) - Not a murder in sight in this novel about Joan Scudamore, a middle-class wife and mother who is held up by floodwaters in the middle of a trip home from Iraq. While she waits to continue her journey she does some soul searching, looking back on her life. Considered a quiet masterpiece and the book Agatha Christie declared to be her favourite, it is easy to imagine it was inspired by a period in the author's life when she disappeared for a few days, causing much speculation. Definitely a book Agatha Christie fans won’t want to miss.

Island Wife: living on the edge of the wild by Judy Fairbains follows the story of the author's marriage and life on a Scottish island. Judy is only nineteen when she is swept off her feet by her Wild Pioneer to a life of adventure in the Hebredes. She bears five children, learns to run a farm and holiday cottages, starts a recording studio and a whale watching business. This is a terrific memoir of a marriage and a family, their challenges and ups and downs, in a very special place.

Posted by Flaxmere Library Book Chat



Catalogue links: 
The Pearler's Wife
The Liar's Girl
Murder in the Holy City
Absent in the Spring
Island Wife