PanMacmillan Archives - Page 9 of 12

Book review: The Missing Girl by Jenny Quintana

December 23, 20173 min read

I read a lot of books about kids going missing. In retrospect perhaps it was for the best that I didn’t have children myself, or I may have been paralysed with fear… worrying about all of the terrible things that could happen to them. Or perhaps I’d be adept at pocketing the stuff I read and watch into some place in my mind – recognising (for the most part) they’re only part of my fictional world.

This debut novel by Jenny Quintana centres around the disappearance of Gabriella and (in retrospect) the impact it has on her family and loved ones in the years that follow.

VIEW the POST

Share

Book review: End Game by David Baldacci

November 17, 20173 min read

I mentioned in my review of David Baldacci’s previous Will Robie book, The Guilty (published in 2015), that it wasn’t a series I knew well. In fact, I was a latecomer to the series but that book took Will (and his erstwhile partner Jessica Reel) out of his usual spy / assassin / government agent role and had a more personal twist.

At the time I appreciated the deviation because I was worried having not read previous books in the series may have been a disadvantage. It wasn’t. Similarly, it doesn’t matter if you’re meeting these characters for the first time in this latest installment as Baldacci does a great job at introducing them to us via James Bond-esque style opening sequences.

VIEW the POST

Share

Book review: Tell Tale by Jeffrey Archer

November 4, 20172 min read

I didn’t actually request this book and wasn’t too sure about it as: 1. I haven’t read anything by Jeffrey Archer for quite some time; and 2. I’m not usually a fan of short stories.

However, I’d had a bit of a lull in new book arrivals and figured the best thing about short stories is that you can leap into them when you have time, then put the book aside when one story comes to an end rather than getting stuck in the middle of something.

VIEW the POST

Share

Book review: Girl in Snow by Danya Kukafka

September 2, 20174 min read

This will sound weird (and I know that’s never stopped me before) but there was something about: the title of this book, its cover and name of the author which made me think I was about to embark on Nordic Noir. And I was a little worried as not all books I’ve read which have been popular in their country of origin have translated as I’d hoped. (And I guess the same can be said when a great TV show is remade in English and into something a little more mainstream.)

However… all of those weird prejudices aside, this book was very very different to whatever it was I’d imagined and was – most certainly – an excellent read.

VIEW the POST

Share

Book review: Y is for Yesterday by Sue Grafton

August 30, 20173 min read

In my review of Sue Grafton’s X (almost exactly two years ago) I mentioned that her Kinsey Millhone alphabet series has been a comfort read for me. There’s something warm, familiar and welcoming about the books. Whether it’s because they’re set in the not-too-distant past when time felt a little less frantic or whether it’s the fact that PI Kinsey lives a kind of ‘small’ (though complicated) life; I’m not sure.

For a long time I wanted to be Kinsey. Perhaps I still do. She’s not aged much in the 35 years since A is for Alibi was released and I note – in Y is for Yesterday – Kinsey makes mention of eight years of living above landlord Henry’s garage… so her life has passed in something akin to dog years… compared to ours. (Or is that vice versa?)

VIEW the POST

Share

Book review: Are You Sleeping by Kathleen Barber

August 18, 20173 min read

I was at a writers conference last weekend and one or two publishers mentioned the fact they were after novels featuring mixed media or compiled via a mix of emails or text or similar. Are You Sleeping by Kathleen Barber would have made those publishers very happy because, not only is it about something very topical (ie. podcasts and true crimes), it includes tweets, online forum chats and podcast transcripts.

VIEW the POST

Share

Book review: The Making of Christina by Meredith Jaffe

August 4, 20174 min read

My first ‘real’ job after University involved working in child protection and youth justice. I worked with kids and their families, though mostly the kids and young offenders themselves.

When this book came up for review and I read the blurb it seemed kinda obvious that there was going to be an underlying theme of abuse and I wasn’t too sure I wanted to go back to that world. Not because I found it too traumatic or it offered a trigger of sorts (though warning: it may for some), but because it was just something I left behind a career or three ago.

However, Australian author Meredith Jaffe handles the issue of child sexual abuse with a very light and deft touch. In fact, it’s really mostly spoken of in its aftermath.

VIEW the POST

Share

Book review: Deeper Than The Sea by Nelika McDonald

July 18, 20172 min read

Deeper Than The Sea by Brisbane-based author Nelika McDonald was a delightful surprise. In fact, I’ve read so many amazing Australian books this year I’m kinda agog – discovering so many new and talented voices across a range of genres.

VIEW the POST

Share