Chris Hammer’s gritty crime thriller set in the outback will have you double checking every small town for subtext!
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If you are planning a drive into the country this book might not be the best travelling companion! Chris Hammer discovered thriller writing after writing several other novels and fell in love with the genre and this fast paced tale takes you into a hot dusty world where no-one and nothing is at it seems at first. Best read beside some water for when all that dust and heat description gets too overwhelming!
As we have just passed Remembrance Day I thought I would upload this fascinating novel based on true experiences of women working undercover during the Second World War. Often chosen for the task because it was thought women would be less suspected of espionage, they had to rely on their wits to save them when they were captured as the protagonist is in this extract.
I felt I had to to pair these two authors together as they deal with young adult anguish of facing up to ones true sexual orientation.
Alicia Tuckerman has written a searing memoir of what it is like to try and hide your true sexual feelings when growing up in a small town, while Will Kostakis’ book is a novel but so clearly based on his own experiences as a young gay teenager.
Both authors have written about the tension of growing up in small towns and agonising over whether they will be ‘ found out’ and what that would mean not just for themselves but for their families and friends. Maybe if you have a teenager or a friend who you suspect is struggling with sexual identity these two beautifully written books might give them the confidence to be themselves.
‘The SidekickS’ deals with a young man trying to fit in with a small town definition of what it means to be male. In this read, the hero has a heart to heart with his mother about and realises he doesn’t have to hide anymore. As Will Kostakis says in his interview, everything became easier for him once he became honest about who he was.
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Will Kostakis reads from ‘The Side kick’
Will Kostakis – Interview
Recorded at the Somerset Festival of Literature 2018
In her interview Melissa revealed that she felt her previous novel ‘Mullumbimby’ was too accessible, and in this new novel she wanted her characters to be perhaps a little less likeable, a little more desperate. They are certainly dealing with desperate situations. For her protagonist, the only way up in life is to fight his way through – literally.
Naturally the first thing I asked Ali Alizadeh was what he felt he had to add to the enormous canon of books, films and plays, that have been written about this real but almost semi mythical historical woman. He believes he really has a special mission to write about her last days in a way no-one else has done before . His extensive research and obvious empathy for his subject has produced a new insight into the last days of this tragic figure.
Ali Alizadeh reads from -‘ The Last Days of Jeanne d’Arc’
Lian Tanner reads with such gusto you know how much she loves writing these books for younger readers. There still some school holidays left so maybe this one will keep them amused for a few days! A young readers Fantasy novel of some ordinary and unlikely heroes.
Have you ever thought about who gets the real dirty work in our messy society?
I’m talking about cleaning up after suicides who have lain unmourned or missed for weeks, or hoarders who can’t control their desire to keep their whole live’s possessions. The industrial accidents, the crime scenes- there are some places you just don’t want to go but specially trained cleaners are often the second on the scene after other services and authorities and they have to have the knowledge ( and the stomach) to get places habitable or safe again.
Sarah Krasnostein followed one such person for several years and what she learned is detailed in this fascinating book. As you can imagine, the person who does this job has to have a well developed philosophy to cope with what they witness and have to deal with.
True life thriller of the story of the Sea Shepherd ship the ‘Bob Barker’, braving arctic seas, storms and the longest sea chase ever in their pursuit of pirate vessels poaching the Patagonian Toothfish.
Kjetil and Eskil took leave from their job as Norwegian journalists and pursued the true owners of the pirate ship through multiple countries of registration and name changes by sifting through thousands of online records and logs while the crew and captain Peter Hammarstedt of the Bob Barker played a waiting game that had a most unexpected ending. Amazing achievement and a great read.
Hyeonseo Lee escaped from North Korea into China when she was just 17- except she didn’t realise she couldn’t go back and that it would be years before she saw her family again. Her story is a roller coaster of joys and terror and is a testament to her immense survival skills. She preferred not to read for Narratives as she feared her English reading skills would let her down, so instead she relates the importance of her opening chapter to illustrate to western ears just what living in the regime meant on a daily basis. Her memoir is a real life thriller.
CONGRATULATIONS to Sulari Gentill winner of this year’s Ned Kelly Award for Best Crime Fiction!!
This week I am thrilled to post Sulari Gentill with her beautifully written crime novel ‘ Crossing the Lines’. The Ned Kelly Awards are Australia’s top awards for Crime Fiction and are held during the Melbourne Writers festival week.
Here is Sulari reading from her book ‘Crossing the Lines’ followed by a short interview which was recorded at this years Bellingen Writers Festival.
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