The Racketeer

I enjoyed The Racketeer by John Grisham, a story about Malcolm Bannister who has already served five years in an American Federal prison for a crime he didn't commit.  Malcolm is a lawyer (or was before he was imprisoned) and carefully constructs an intricate plan to win his freedom.    On the "outside" the FBI is trying to find the murderer of a Federal Court judge and they're having little success.  While in prison Malcolm has helped out many prisoners with their appeals and has sometimes been successful, therefore gaining a good reputation within the prison.  He has had plenty of time to plot his revenge and it gradually all comes together, but the reader is constantly wondering if he will "get away with it." The story is highly incredible and the reader will need to suspend belief and "go along for the ride".  It has many twists and turns and the reader won't be sure how it ends till the end. 4/5

Instructions for a Heatwave

I quite liked Instructions for a Heatwave by Maggie O'Farrell which was set in 1976 England when the country was enduring a heatwave.  A middle-aged couple, originally from Ireland, are living in London with their three children grown up and left home.One morning Robert leaves the house as he routinely does to buy his newspaper but this time doesn't return.  His wife Gretta cannot understand what has happened and calls her three children, Michael Francis, Monica and Aoife home to help her deal with the situation.  Michael Francis is having marital problems with his wife Claire and they have two young children.  Monica is on her second marriage which is also looking rocky, with two step-children.  Aoife has "escaped" to New York and is working as a photographer's assistant.  This is one big dysfunctional family and this new crisis eventually resolves some of the issues plaguing the family.  Set against the backdrop of a major heatwave leaves all the characters a bit tense. 31/2/5

The Secret Keeper

I very much enjoyed The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton, a local author which has written other successful books.  This story progresses in different time periods, mainly 1941 London and 2011.  Dorothy Nicolson is 90 years old and dying in 2011.  Her daughter Laura, a successful actress, recalls an incident she witnessed as young teenager and tries to discover the reason behind it.  The reader gets to know Dorothy (Dolly) in 1941 and her relationships with Jimmy and Vivien.  We are drawn in to their lives in London while German bombs destroyed much of the city.  Meanwhile Laura in 2011 investigates her mother's past and finds a number of clues that help her unravel the mystery.  The reader is often left with a "cliff-hanger" at the end of a chapter dealing with one period and is then taken to the next.  Therefore, we wait in anticipation for the chapter that will continue that part of the story.  This is a good device to keep the suspense going.  Laura realises that something significant must have happened to her mother during the War and this affected subsequent events.  Eventually the reader and Laura discover the truth and it has been worth reading the 582 pages to get there.  A great read. 5/5

Joyful Strains

I very much enjoyed Joyful Strains - Making Australia Home edited by Kent MacCarter & Ali Lemer.  It is a collection of short stories by Australian authors who migrated to Australia.  Each comes from a different country and the age they came here varies greatly from young child to middle age.  They talk about their feelings on leaving their home and making a new home in a new country and the challenges they face in doing so.  Some have had negative experiences such as racism and discrimination and others have more positive experiences.  They have all adapted to their new life but some still yearn for what they've left behind and the difficulties of balancing their lives between their two countries.  This a wonderful collection to be read by all Australians. 41/2/5

April 2013 Book Club

Had a very enjoyable book club last Monday evening.  Four of us were missing due to illness, family with illness or being on holiday, but we had a good time discussing the events that have affected our lives.  Some have experienced the threat of government cuts and that is very unsettling.  It seems cheaper workers are more "valued" that those with experience, which is a sad state of affairs.  A couple of the ladies talked about their childhood growing up in African countries which was very interesting.  Our hostess provided a delicious supper, especially the gluten free chocolate slice.  She also bought a great range of new books to add to our collection and our reading pleasure. 

The Price of Fame

I enjoyed The Price of Fame by R.C. Daniells an Australian author who has set her book in the streets of St Kilda, Melbourne.  Antonia moves into a house where teenager, Genevieve, a member of a band was murdered 25 years previously.  Antonia wants to make a documentary about the band's early days and a former filmmaker colleague, Monty, moves in to help her.  They meet the remaining members of the band and learn more about the murder as doubt grows about who actually killed Genevieve.  The police believed her taxi driver friend, O'Toole, did it and his suicide a week later confirmed it.  However, a man named Joe who was a witness at the time comes out of hiding and is writing his version of events. This manuscript is "gold" for Antonia and Monty.  The reader becomes as engrossed as they are in the unfolding of events of that time.  There are some twists and turns, a romantic element, and also a supernatural element (which I didn't like).  A good mystery. 31/2/5

Blood Guilt

I've read Blood Guilt by Lindy Cameron, an Australian author.  Set in Melbourne, Kit O'Malley, a former police officer, now private investigator is hired by a wealthy woman to follow her philandering husband.  Kit investigates and gets the information for her client only to find something unexpected has occurred. Kit continues her investigation as things become more complicated as she moves in to dangerous territory.  She is "helped" by her new client Quinn and Quinn's lawyer Alexis.  The writing is clever and witty but the romantic side is overdone. 31/2/5