WHAT WE’RE READING

The Daughters of Madurai

Rajasree Variyar

Nila, daughter of Indian parents growing up in Australia is torn like many children of migrants between the desire to live her own life and parental expectations. Having little knowledge of her parents’ lives before migration Nila lives with a sense of loss and the secrets her parents hold. But she also keeps a secret of her own that she longs to disclose. I was captivated by this book and read it in one sitting. As always it opened my eyes to a world and experiences that enriches my understanding of the world I live in. - Anna

Reykjavík

Ragnar Jónasson and Katrín Jakobsdottir

In 1956, 14-year-old Lara spends the summer on the small island of Videy, just off the coast of Reykjavík. In early August, she disappears without a trace. The mystery becomes Iceland’s greatest unsolved case. What happened to her? Is she still alive? Thirty years later, journalist Valur Robertsson begins his own investigation into Lara’s case and it’s soon clear that this is a mystery someone will stop at nothing to keep unsolved. A heartstopping crime novel co-written by Ragnar Jonasson and Iceland’s prime minister, Katrin Jakobsdottir.

12 Steps to a Long and Fulfilling Death

Sarah Smith

Stacey was trying to live her best life, but now she’s dead. Could it be that her fatal car accident was actually murder? Detectives Ed Beaufontaine and Rosie Garafino certainly think so. As the detectives dig deeper, so does Stacey. She forensically examines her past relationships, realising she might have been better off without them. She’s hoping she can steer the detectives in the right direction before she’s doomed to wander for eternity. A dark comedy about how to live your best life, even when you’re dead.

Taste of Blood

Lynda La Plante

Day’s End

Garry Disher

Day’s End is the latest novel in the Australian rural crime series featuring beloved local copper Hirsch. On his rural beat, he deals with everything from unlicensed driving to arson. Today he’s driving an international visitor around: Janne Van Sant, whose backpacker son went missing while the borders were closed. Then a call comes in – a suitcase has been soaked in diesel and set alight. As the pair investigate together it becomes clear that Janne knows more than Hirsch about forensic evidence. And the body in the suitcase is not her son’s. Text, $22.99

The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction

Robert Goddard

Umiko Wada never set out to be private detective, let alone become the one-woman operation behind the Kodaka Detective Agency. After a mysterious businessman asks her to track down his estranged son, she finds herself pulled into a labyrinthine conspiracy with links to a 20-yearold investigation. Soon those she loves most will be sucked into the orbit of one of the most powerful men in Tokyo. The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction is another tour de force from the cunning mind of master storyteller Robert Goddard.

Random House, $32.99

Detective Jane Tennison has transferred to the quiet, local police station in Bromley, keen to escape the relentless pressure of her former West End department. Then a complicated domestic assault case lands on her desk – one that may still result in a murder charge. When Jane discovers a handsome young boy recently disappeared after the tragic death of his girlfriend, every family in the private close becomes a suspect. As she hunts for the link between the crimes, she uncovers a truth more shocking than she could have contemplated.

Bonnier, $32.99

Penguin

$32.99

Sir Hereward and Mr Fitz

Garth Nix

From the award-winning author and bestselling creator of the Old Kingdom series and The Left-handed Booksellers of London comes this must-have fantasy collection for fans and those about to discover the witch knight and his puppet sorcerer for the first time. This collection of all eight stories – plus a neverbefore-published story – featuring Sir Hereward and his mysterious companion Mister Fitz, are gathered in one magical volume for the first time ever.

For the First Time, Again

Sylvain Neuvel

When you don’t know The Rules it’s hard to stay safe. After a traumatic incident, Aster finds that her blood work comes back with some unusual readings. Unsurprising, as she’s the last of an alien race called the Kibsu. Immediately, Aster finds herself the focus of a hunt, with her mortal enemies, the Trackers, on one side, and the American government on the other. Whoever finds Aster first will hold the fate of the Kibsu – and our world – in their hands.The closing chapter in the acclaimed Take Them to the Stars trilogy.

Prophet

Helen Macdonald and Sin Blache

Immortal Longings

Chloe Gong

Immortal Longings follows the story of two lovers in San-Er, a place where people have the ability to take control of one another’s bodies. Every year, thousands flock to the city where a set of deadly games is held by the palace. Those confident in their ability to jump between bodies can enter a fight to the death – for the chance to win unimaginable riches. Chloe Gong’s adult epic fantasy debut, inspired by Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, is a fiery collision of power plays, spilled blood, and romance.

Hodder & Stoughton, $32.99

Pink Slime

Fernanda Trias

Random House

$34.99

Something is bringing memories to life, then stifling innocent people with their own joy. This is a weapon like no other. But nobody knows who created it, or why. Investigator Sunil Rao is chaotic and unpredictable, the antithesis of his partner Colonel Adam Rubenstein, the model of a military man. But Sunil has the unique ability to distinguish truth from lies – in objects, words and people, in the past and in real time. As they battle this strange new reality, they are drawn closer than ever to defend what they both hold most dear. This is a fresh, thrilling page-turner from a dynamic new duo in genre fiction.

WHAT WE’RE READING

The God of Good Looks

Breanne

Mc Ivor

A port city is in the grips of an ecological crisis. The river has filled with toxic algae, and a deadly “red wind” blows through its streets; much of the coast has been evacuated as the wealthy migrate inland to safety, leaving the rest to shelter in abandoned houses as blackouts and food shortages abound. The unnamed narrator is one of those who has stayed. With striking prose and vivid characters, the multi-award-winning Pink Slime offers profound reflections on motherhood, marriage, and caregiving, set against the backdrop of a crumbling city.

Scribe, $29.99

I didn’t know I needed this book, because it focuses on two things that I know hardly anything about: makeup and Trinidad and Tobago. McIvor’s debut novel follows Bianca, a young woman who is scrambling to work her way back up the social ladder, struggling against political corruption and facing a new career in makeup art. On top of social ostracisation, she has to deal with the struggles of a new job and the everyday hardship of living in a poor area of Trinidad. McIvor skillfully integrates the less glamorous aspects of life in Trinidad, like gunfights, robberies and water supplies that frequently fail, as well as white-collar crime amongst politicians - Imogen