CANBERRA WEEKLY 18 JULY 2024: NEW BOOKS BY MICHAEL ROBOTHAM, SHERRYL CLARK AND ANNA JOHNSTON
This week in the Canberra Weekly I reviewed three new Australian novels, including two good crime titles by Michael Robotham and Sherryl Clark.
First up is the latest thrilling novel by the always reliable Michael Robotham, Storm Child (Hachette, 26 June 2024).
In the Canberra Weekly I said:
“Michael Robotham is Australia’s premier crime writer, and has rightly earned world-wide acclaim and awards. His latest novel, Storm Child, is the fourth in his series about forensic psychologist Cyrus Haven and the troubled Evie Cormac, and once more provides a good mix of thrills and serious themes. The story opens with Cyrus and Evie witnessing a terrible tragedy on a British beach with seventeen bodies from a refugee boat being washed up onshore. The event brings back traumatic memories from Evie’s own childhood experiences and sets the pair on a dangerous path to finally uncover what really happened to Evie. Tense and chilling.”
I also did a longer review on the blog a few weeks back: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/june-2024-thrills-new-books-by-ruth-ware-m-w-craven-michael-robotham/
Probably not my favourite Cyrus and Evie novel, but still a damn good read and streets ahead of most of the opposition!
I was pleasantly surprised by Sherryl Clark’s Woman, Missing (HQ, 3 July 2024), which was a fresh and energetic crime novel by an author who is getting steadily better with each book.
In the Canberra Weekly I said:
“Woman, Missing is the first in a new series by Sherryl Clark featuring former cop Lou Alcott, who was dismissed after hitting a domestic violence perpetuator. Thanks to her grandfather Hamish, a notorious Melbourne crime figure, Lou has a new job with a local private eye agency. On her first day she draws two cases helping at-risk women, both of whom have disappeared in strange circumstances. Lou quickly sets to work, but is soon drawn into a deadly cat-and-mouse game.
Briskly paced and interesting, Woman, Missing combines clever plotting, vivid urban locations and some nicely formed characters to make an outstanding read. Recommended.”
I also did a longer review on the blog recently: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/downunder-crime-update-july-2024-news-reviews-and-previews/
I also reviewed a non crime book, although it does involve a level of identity theft, The Borrowed Life Of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston (Michael Joseph, 2 July 2024).
In the Canberra Weekly I said:
“Anna Johnston’s debut, The Borrowed Life Of Frederick Fife, is an uplifting novel about love, second chances and ageing.
82-year-old Frederick Fife is lonely, broke and on the brink of homelessness, when in a bizarre case of mistaken identity, he takes the place of cranky Bernard Greer at the local nursing home. Suddenly he has a roof over his head, warm meals and a sense of community again, provided his lookalike never returns. Walking in Bernard’s shoes, he also comes to understand what it would take to return a broken life to mint condition. A poignant, charming and amusing story with real heart.”
The Borrowed Life Of Frederick Fife is a really enjoyable and pleasant book that deals in a humourous and heart felt way about growing old, loneliness and dementia.
So three very different, but entertaining, books for your mid-winter reading.