The Daughters of Mars

I very much enjoyed The Daughters of Mars by Tom Keneally which tells a fictional story about two sisters who served as nurses during World War I.  Naomi and Sally Durance are very different personalities.  The story follows them when the War begins and their voyage to Egypt.  There they see the Australian troops before they're deployed to Gallipoli.  Later they're nursing on Lemnos and witness the carnage visited upon those soldiers from Gallipoli.  Eventually, they end up on the Western Front where men are cut down in that terrible conflict.  We learn through their experiences the terrible consequences of the battles we have heard about.  It's a big book for a big story.  I liked the detail the author gives to his descriptions.  I wanted to know what happened to these characters that I had invested in, their dedication and courage in the face of the horror they witnessed. 5/5

Don't Let Go

I enjoyed Don't Let Go by Harlan Coben which is set in a small town in America.  Police Officer, Nap Dumas, investigates the apparent suicide of his brother Leo 15 years earlier.  Too many coincidences lead him to new information and clues about what happened.  Lots of twists to keep readers interested. 4/5

Bridge of Clay

I enjoyed Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak (author of The Book Thief).  The story is set in a Sydney suburb and a property in the country, west of Sydney.  The narrator is Matthew, the eldest of five boys.  He tells the story of his parents and much of the story is about his brother Clay.  It's about men and boys dealing with tragedy.  Clay moves to his father's property west of their family home.  Together Clay and his father build a bridge which helps them heal.  The story has a slow start, but persevere.  This a big beautifully written book. 41/2/5

Scrublands

I enjoyed Scrublands by Chris Hammer which is set in a small outback town "west of Sydney."  Journalist, Martin Scarsden, arrives in the town to follow up on how the town is coping one year after their priest shot five parishioners.  Martin meets a young mother who runs a bookshop/cafe and learns more about the townspeople.  There are a number of interesting characters and Martin discovers some shocking information about the priest and those he killed.  There is a lot going on in the town beneath the surface.  He ends up with a more compelling story than the one he was sent to write. 4/5

Boy Swallows Universe

I very much enjoyed Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton who used to write for the Courier-Mail weekend paper before he moved to Sydney.  The story is narrated by Eli Bell who lives with his older brother August, his mother, and his step-father in south-west Brisbane.  His family gets a little too close to some really bad people and there are consequences.  Eli is infatuated with a young reporter for a local paper and he hopes one day to be a crime reporter for the Courier-Mail.  Trent Dalton has fleshed out some wonderful characters in this story - the good and the bad.  After watching video interviews with him, we understand more about them.  I loved this book. 5/5

Crime Club Christmas Lunch

We had a very enjoyable lunch at the Monier Tavern yesterday.  It was a good turnout.  We had a good time talking and eating delicious and well-presented food in a great venue.  We have a little Christmas tradition where we bring along a Christmas wrapped book (pre-loved or not) and make a colourful pile in the middle of the table (forgot to photograph that).  Then we "pass the parcel" around the table till we've all got a wrapped book.  I was very happy to receive Markus Zusak's new book Bridge of Clay.  Another member had her book inside a beautiful hand crafted book bag which had been made by one of our clever members.  We were all very pleased with our new books and look forward to

getting together again in 2019.

The Lost Man

I very much enjoyed The Lost Man by Jane Harper, another fine piece of storytelling by this author.  The story opens with the horrific death of a man in the desert at "The Stockman's Grave".  We then learn who he was and his family is at a loss to understand how he could have died there.  He has an older brother Nathan who owns an adjacent property.  Nathan and his son Xander are staying at the family property for Christmas. The family and police are at a loss to determine the circumstances which led to the death in the desert.  As Nathan explores possibilities, he soon learns that he didn't know his brother well at all.  A good mystery set amidst the harsh outback.  Harper makes you feel the heat and desert sand.  41/2/5