On The Shelf – Apr/May 2023

As the cooler months settle in we have some hot new reads to keep you entertained! Reviews by Norma Geddes, Julie McGrath, Belinda O’Keefe and Lucinda Diack. Happy Reading!

Dead Tide

Fiona McIntosh

Penguin Random House

Detective Superintendent Jack Hawksworth is on sabbatical as a guest lecturer in a London university while recovering from an injury on his last case. When one of his students suddenly dies under highly suspicious circumstances, Jack persuades his superior to allow him to investigate. The case leads him to Adelaide, where he discovers a black market for human embryos and he becomes embroiled in a sordid family drama with alarming consequences. This crime novel was a thoroughly absorbing read with plenty of mystery, intrigue and suspense. A great one for book clubs – it even has book club notes in the back! (Book 4 in the Jack Hawksworth series, but works perfectly well as a standalone too.) BO

The Forest of Vanishing Stars

Kristin Harmel

Simon & Schuster

Inspired by the incredible true stories of those who fled the Nazis in World War II into the Naliboki Forest, Poland, The Forest of Vanishing Stars follows the life of a young woman raised in this unforgiving wilderness of Eastern Europe.

Kidnapped from her wealthy German parents as a baby, she finds herself alone in 1941, living a nomadic life within the confines of the trees. Shocked to learn of the events unfolding in the ‘real world’ she vows to help those she encounters learn to live and survive in the forest.

Reminiscent of Where the Crawdads Sing with similar themes of isolation and life in the wilderness, this sweeping novel will stay with you long after the last page is finished. LD

One of Those Mothers

Megan Nicol Reed

Allen & Unwin

Bridget, Roz and Lucy have been friends forever. They live in the upmarket suburb of Point Heed, their children attend a smart school, they have beautiful homes and every year they holiday together. Until a local father is charged with possession of child pornography, but is granted name suppression. The once tight-knit community starts to question their neighbours and tensions run high.

The three friends are forced to face what happened on the last holiday they took together – when everything went very wrong. Who was to blame?

If you’re a fan of Liane Moriarty you’re going to love this one. NG

The Amazing Grace Adams

Fran Littlewood

Michael Joseph

This is an easy read about everyday life and its difficulties.

Stuck in traffic one hot summer day, Grace Adams suddenly snaps, abandoning her car and walking away. From there the story flits between present day and what has led Grace to her lowest point on this particular day.

Her teenage daughter wants nothing to do with her and has moved in with Grace’s estranged husband who is filing for divorce. Throughout the story you are taken on a journey of Grace’s brilliance and popularity to the heart-wrenching moment when everything changed their lives forever. JM

The Dead of Winter

Stuart MacBride

Bantam Press

It was supposed to be an easy job. DC Edward Reekie and his boss DI Montgomery-Porter are sent to pick up a dying prisoner from HMP Grampian and deliver him to a place called Glenfarach, in the middle of nowhere.

The DI wants to return to Aberdeen as quickly as possible as the weather is closing in, but an ex-cop-turned-criminal turns up dead in his bungalow and someone has to take charge. The inhabitants of the village are all ex-prisoners deemed too dangerous to be returned to their communities. The snow has arrived, no one’s going anywhere and there’s a crime to solve.

There’s tension, dark humour, scary characters – what is not to like? NG

Someone Else’s Shoes

Jojo Moyes

Penguin

I love Jojo Moyes and this is another brilliant tale from this master storyteller.

Nisha Cantor lives the life of the seriously wealthy until her husband suddenly cuts her off, while Sam Kemp is barely able to keep herself and her family afloat. The two women couldn’t live more different lives – until the day they unintentionally swap bags at the gym and find themselves, literally, in someone else’s shoes, forcing them both to re-evaluate what they hold dear.

Throughout the mishaps, mess-ups, twists and turns, this is ultimately a story about friendship and making the most of second chances. LD

For more great reads, visit Paper Plus Ashburton.