This week, Jeff Popple reviews three entertaining Australian novels about dark secrets, violence and a seaside salon. More of Jeff’s reviews can be found on his blog: murdermayhemandlongdogs.com
High Rise by Gabriel Bergmoser
Harper Collins, $34.99
Gabriel Bergmoser’s High Rise is another full-throttle thriller by an author who seems incapable of writing a boring book. After a year of searching, rogue ex-cop Jack Carlin has finally found his estranged daughter, Morgan, holed up on the top floor of a rundown, grimy Melbourne high-rise. She is in trouble and Carlin is coming to save her. Unfortunately, Morgan does not want saving and, to make things worse, Jack has a huge bounty on his head. As bounty hunters and gang members converge on the building, father and daughter are thrown into a desperate fight for survival through fifteen storeys of deadly enemies. Good fun.
Stillwater by Tanya Scott
Allen & Unwin, $32.99
Tanya Scott’s Stillwater is the latest impressive Australian crime debut to grace bookshop shelves this year. Eschewing the current fashion for rural murder mysteries, it is a tough, gritty story with a strong urban feel. Luke Harris is trying to restart his life with a new name and career. However, a chance encounter with the brutal criminal he worked for as a teenager drags Luke back into his old life as he tries to track down his father and a missing chunk of money. Skilfully utilising a dual timeline, Stillwater moves along at a good pace with a real depth to its storytelling. Recommended.
Lessons in Love at the Seaside Salon by Sophie Green
Hachette, $34.99
Sophie Green has established herself as a leading Australian writer of warm-hearted, long-titled tales about female friendship and second chances. In her latest novel, Lessons in Love at the Seaside Salon, four women come together at a small hairdresser salon in the sun-soaked coastal town of Terrigal in the 1980s. They are of different ages and stages in life, but each of them is looking for a new chance at love and fulfilment. Together they move through heartbreak and happiness in this enjoyable book that readily engages the reader’s heart and mind. A good spring choice for book clubs.
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