The Shadow Year by Hannah Richell ★★★★

Reviewed by Mel Hearse   Meet Mel

I went into this book with no expectations, so finding myself up into the wee small hours, completely gripped by the story and unable to put it down until I finished was a pleasant surprise.

The basics? Five friends stumble upon an abandoned lakeside cottage hidden deep in the English countryside on a hot summer’s day in the eighties. Having just graduated college, they decide to take something of a gap year, moving into the cottage, living off the land and dropping out of mainstream society. All is initially well, but as the seasons change, tensions begin to rise. An unexpected stranger brings further tension and intrigue to the tale, and things hit a peak shortly thereafter.

In a parallel story, thirty years on from the lost year by the lake, Lila is given a key to the cottage by a mysterious stranger. Her life, filled with sadness after a recent tragedy, sees her deciding to take a break from life as she knows it to renovate the cottage. By the books’ climax, it becomes clear just how the previous tenant’s time at the cottage has implications for her future.

The Shadow Year draws you in slowly at first – it even came off a little too dark and depressing for the first few chapters. Within 20 pages, however, I was firmly gripped in the story and didn’t put it down from there until I had finished (I have the gravy smudges on a few pages to prove it.) The writing is skillful and taut, and Richell gives you just enough information at a time to keep you intrigued and thoroughly hooked.

Having read a lot of books in this genre over the years, it was a testament to Richell’s story telling skills that I didn’t start to suspect the final twist in the tale until very close to the page it was revealed.

RELEASED:  May 2013

My review copy of 'The Shadow Year' supplied by Hachette Australia.

For more information about this book, click  HERE.  

About the Author:

          British-Australian, Hannah currently lives in Sydney with her husband and two young children. Her debut novel, Secrets of the Tides was published in 2012, translated into fourteen languages and selected for the autumn Richard & Judy Book Club.
          Visit Hannah Richell’s website: CLICK HERE

NO WAY BACK by Matthew Klein ★ ★ ★★

A WILD RIDE

You know those theme-park rides that hurl you up and around at breakneck speed until you don’t know which way is up or down, and all you can do is hang on, enjoy the ride and pray that in the end you keep your lunch? 

Reading ‘No Way Back’ by Matthew Klein evokes a similar feel. Where most books hint at an ending, Klein manages to deceive the reader until the big reveal.  You won’t know who to trust or what is going on. It is a superb pleasure to turn each page, ‘guessing’, in this very smart mind-bender.

Jimmy Thane is flawed.  He is an alcoholic, a drug addict and has problems remaining loyal to his wife.  Despite these barriers to success he has managed to land himself a job as CEO to a technology start-up that seems strife with its own problems.  The former CEO has disappeared and Thane has seven weeks to turn it around in any way he can.  Pretty standard procedure until he discovers an embezzlement of millions.  

Not only that, the company appears to have a faulty product, staff with dubious, unprofessional behaviour and the police keep turning up to question him.   The neighbour is spying on him and his wife is not her usual self, some of which he can put down to the years-prior accidental drowning of his son.  On some occasions, though, she seems to be terrified of him. 

Jimmy begins to realise that nothing is what it seems and that his life is in danger. Are the company investors simply businessmen or do they have an ulterior motive?  Is he paranoid or does everyone around him know a secret and he’s the only one clueless?  When you discover the answers they will haunt you for days after.

Matthew Klein writes a brilliant corporate thriller reminiscent of the 1997 film, “The Game”   It is a ride and a half and, after this trip, Matthew Klein is now on my list of authors who are worth every penny of the entry price. 

Thank you to Allen and Unwin Australia for my review copy

VISIT ALLEN AND UNWIN for purchasing details and more information.

           
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Matthew Klein graduated from Yale University in 1990. He attended Stanford Graduate School of Business, in Palo Alto, during the Internet boom years, but he dropped out of school a quarter shy of graduating, to help run a technology company he founded.

He lived in Silicon Valley for almost a decade, and started several technology firms.

Today he lives near New York City, with his wife Laura. He writes novels and runs a financial-services technology company.

VISIT http://www.matthewklein.org/index.html FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS AUTHOR

THE HIT by David Baldacci ★★★ ½

Reviewed by Tracy Harris

     Will Robie is a killer. A professional killer, but a killer nonetheless. One  of the US Government’s top assassins, Robie is the man you call to eliminate threats, existing and potential, to national and international security with no questions asked.

     Until it comes to this mission. When ordered to take down one of his fellow assassins, Agent Jessica Reel, who supposedly has gone rogue and killed her handler and is targeting members of their agency and the US Government, Robie finds himself questioning his task. Nothing, and no one, is as they seem. Fighting a battle against misinformation, false trails and double-crosses, Will Robie does the one thing no one ever expects.  He starts to think for himself.

     David Baldacci fans will love this novel. Complex, intriguing, well written, it ticks every box when it comes to a novel with a powerful story and action filled ending which lures the reader in and leaves them wanting more.

     I, personally, found the start to this novel a little slow. Whilst the characters themselves are exceptionally well crafted, it wasn’t until the last third of the novel that I found the pace rapidly quickened, as did the action and my heart rate.

     David Baldacci has created two amazingly sympathetic characters, especially considering their career choice, in Will Robie and Jessica Reel. It is these two characters that drive the plot and, regardless of any shortfalls I might have found, will bring me back for more.

     Thank you to the wonderful people at Pan Macmillan for providing our preview copy.

     For more information and purchasing details for THE HIT, please visit the publisher's page here.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

David’s first novel, Absolute Power, was published in 1996 beginning a writing career which has seen his books published in over 43 different languages and in more than 80 countries. David was born in Richmond, Virginia in 1960. He received his Bachelor’s degree in political science from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1982 and his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1986, after which he practiced law for nine years in Washington, D.C.A

A lifelong resident of his native Virginia, David and his family are involved in several organisations which support family and adult literacy programs, including the  Wish You Well Foundation established by David and his wife Michelle.

David and his wife are the very proud parents of two terrific teenagers and the generally proud owners of two not-so-well-behaved dogs. They live in Northern Virginia.

More on David Baldacci: http://davidbaldacci.com/

TAKE OUT by Felicity Young ★★★★

Reviewed by Tracy Harris

         As soon as Detective Senior Sergeant Stevie Hooper steps into the deserted Pavel house in the wealthy Peppermint Grove suburb of Perth, Western Australia, she knows she’s stepped into trouble. Trespassing on another copper’s territory as a favour for her friend Skye Williams, a Silver Chain nurse who regularly visits the invalid Lilly Hardegan who lives next door. Stevie discovers half-eaten meals, a burning stovetop and, worst of all, an abandoned baby.

        When the local police take the case over, Stevie finds herself  pushed to the side. Urged on by Skye and her own gut-instincts, she is determined to investigate the matter further. As Stevie pushes for the truth, she eventually unearths dark and sordid secrets leading her to a human trafficking ring with international links and a complete disregard for the sanctity of human life.

        Set in the most isolated city in the world, Felicity Young has managed to capture the charm and beauty of Perth whilst  revealing its darker, seedier side. She has brought to life a likable and charismatic character in Stevie Hooper, whose determination to get to the truth balances well with her concern for her family and friends.

        I found this to be a novel with a complex and intriguing plot, sympathetic and lifelike characters which is sure to be enjoyed by fans of crime fiction.  

        As this is the third novel to feature Stevie Hooper, I shall certainly be ensuring that I visit Felicity Young's previous books, Harum Scarum and An Easeful Death.

         Many thanks to the kind people at Fremantle Press for providing our review copy.

          To discover more about this book and where to purchase, please visit   Take Out Information Page

Others in this Series

• An Easeful Death 2007
• Harum Scarum 2008
• Take Out ebook 2010
• An Easeful Death ebook 2007
• Harum Scarum ebook 2008

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Felicity Young was born in Hanover, Germany, in 1960 and went to boarding school in the United Kingdom while her parents were posted around the world with the British Army. She took up writing after moving to rural Western Australia in 1990. Having a brother-in-law who is a retired police superintendent, it was almost inevitable she would turn to crime writing. Her first novel, A Certain Malice, was published in Britain by Creme de la Crime in 2005.

Visit Felicity's website to learn more: http://felicityyoung.com/ 

The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult ★ ★★ ½

I have never read Jodi Picoult but I did listen to a fabulous interview with her and her daughter Samantha Van Leer at the Australian Wheeler's Centre on their collaborative YA fiction book, ‘Between The Lines’.   
That book sounded light, fun and fluffy.  So, I wasn’t sure what to expect with the latest release THE STORYTELLER.  First up, I will say this author can write and considering she’s been writing for over twenty years and has a slew of best selling books it is not surprising.

However, it is not the type of book I would normally read and I didn't love this book even though I know many of her fans are saying it is her best book yet.   It is a tough read as much of the story is of a teenage girl’s experience in Nazi Germany and the concentration camps of World War II. 

There were several times where I considered putting it down.  It was just a little too horrifically detailed for me. 

My one criticism is the story felt a touch cliché.  Now, I am also a film critic and I’ve seen many Nazi films (mostly foreign language) and, for me, it had a real feel of déjà vu.  In saying that, perhaps the average non-obsessive film goer and book reader wouldn’t feel this way.

THE STORYTELLER is the tale of Sage a young, disfigured woman, who chooses the nocturnal life of a baker as it allows her to hide away from mainstream life.  Instead, she puts all her energy into creating, beautiful and popular artisan bread. 

She befriends Joseph Weber who imparts to her that he served in the SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Totenkopf and was once the camp supervisor at Auschwitz.  Joseph asks Sage to help him end his life and at the same time forgive him his crimes. Sage must decide whether this man who had become a valuable part of their community is telling the truth and, if he is, does he deserve redemption.

The Nazi invasion part of the story is told via Minka, who had once aspired to be a writer.  Her story-telling is so compelling it kept her alive throughout the war.  There is also a story within her story which is her book she was writing during the war.

Sage also enlists the help of a Nazi War Crimes hunter and he too has a voice in the story, although, it is Minka’s horrific tale which is the page-turning chapters.

This book is thought provoking but not for the faint-hearted and in handling this subject matter Picoult demonstrates she is an accomplished writer.  Whether you are a fan of hers or not, prepare yourself for a disturbing journey from which you will not alight for a long time after you finish reading. 

Are you a Jodie Picoult fan? Do share some of your favourite books of hers.

Thank you to the lovely publicity folk at Allen & Unwin Book Publishers Australia for my review copy.

For more information on THE STORYTELLER and where to purchase, please visit the publisher’s page here.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Visit http://www.jodipicoult.com.au/default.htm for more about Jodi Picoult.

Jodi Picoult, 43,is the bestselling author of seventeen novels.  Picoult studied creative writing with Mary Morris at Princeton, and had two short stories published in Seventeen magazine while still a student. Realism - and a profound desire to be able to pay the rent - led Picoult to a series of different jobs following her graduation: as a technical writer for a Wall Street brokerage firm, as a copywriter at an ad agency, as an editor at a textbook publisher, and as an 8th grade English teacher - before entering Harvard to pursue a master’s in education. She married Tim Van Leer, whom she had known at Princeton, and it was while she was pregnant with her first child that she wrote her first novel, Songs of the Humpback Whale.

In 2003 she was awarded the New England Bookseller Award for Fiction. She has also been the recipient an Alex Award from the Young Adult Library Services Association, sponsored by the Margaret Alexander Edwards Trust and Booklist, one of ten books written for adults that have special appeal for young adults; the Book Browse Diamond Award for novel of the year; a lifetime achievement award for mainstream fiction from the Romance Writers of America; Cosmopolitan magazine's 'Fearless Fiction' Award 2007; Waterstone's Author of the Year in the UK, a Vermont Green Mountain Book Award, a Virginia Reader's Choice Award, the Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book Award, and a Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Award. She wrote five issues of the Wonder Woman comic book series for DC Comics. Her books are translated into thirty four languages in thirty five countries. Three – The Pact, Plain Truth, and The Tenth Circle, have been made into television movies. My Sister's Keeper was a big-screen release from New Line Cinema, with Nick Cassavetes directing and Cameron Diaz starring, which is now available on DVD.

She and Tim and their three children live in Hanover, New Hampshire with three Springer spaniels, two donkeys, two geese, eight ducks, five chickens, and the occasional Holstein.

THE AUSTRALIAN WOMEN'S WEEKLY GREAT ITALIAN COOKBOOK

MORE THAN MEATBALLS

 I am an Aussie but I married an Italian. He’s the youngest of four brothers.

The day I walked down the aisle was the equivalent of immigrating.  There is an Italian lifestyle and most of it is wonderful. It is the Dolmio ad most of the time. They’re a rowdy lot.  Put all the relatives in a room together celebrating a birthday or a special day and I can barely hear myself think.

My children have a Nonna and a Nonno and I have spent the past thirteen years only half understanding what is said around me.  Besides inheriting masses of relatives, I did inherit one of the greatest benefits of all…the Italian food. 

All the relatives gather at Nonna’s once a year to make the sauce and I assure you very little tastes as good as Nonna’s sauce. There is the sausage making day and there’s even olive picking day and if work needs to be done, the sons and family arrive en masse. The kids love all the get togethers and pitch in with the cousins and Uncles with any of the hard labour.

Before my Father-in-Law passed away a few years ago, our visits to the in-laws would always end with us towing home bagfuls of fresh produce picked straight from the garden.  Jealous yet?
          So, although not a food blogger, I’m the perfect choice to judge The Australian Women’s Weekly Great Italian Cookbook. But this is a trial with a twist here, my husband did the cooking.He fancies himself a chef these days.  (Yes, I am the luckiest girl on Earth; he even makes the school lunches.)  So, when we were designated Easter hosts out came the shiny, brand new Women’s Weekly Great Italian Cookbook.

We began with Antipasto inspired by the picture on the very first page and next came the wonderful ‘tomato and rocket Bruschetta’.  Then we were onto the Chicken Ravioli with Tarragon Sauce.  That’s three courses and by then everyone was complaining, ‘It’s too wonderful and we’re too full.’

 Mains were the most beautiful peppered steak (barbecued) with Grilled Polenta Cakes and a side dish of Garlic Marinated Prawns.  Finally, when there was no room left for anything more, the hubby presents the Sicilian Cheesecake. Everyone dug deep and still managed to devour it.You don’t need a party though or to be Italian to appreciate this book.  The recipes are simple and beautifully presented. There are special sections on how to cook perfect pasta, bread, Italian essentials and Italian classics and a wonderful section containing gourmet pizza ideas plus much more in over 240 pages.

        

Since Easter we’ve trialled even more recipes and can report every single one turned out beautifully. Thanks to this book, our Italian cooking is more than meatballs and pasta sauce.  Now the downfall of this book, I’m renewing my membership at the local gym but it is worth every gram. Bon Appetito 

P.S. The picture on the right is Nonna's score for her son's Easter meal.  Three judges all awarded a Master Chef 10.

Review copy thanks to my friends at Random House 

Please click here for purchasing info and further details.

More Women’s Weekly Cookbooks to check out HERE

Published: 01/02/2013

Imprint: ACP Miscellaneous

Extent: 248 pages

Down and Out in Beverly Heels by Kathryn Leigh Scott ★★★★

Reviewed by Tracy Harris

        A year ago, actress Meg Barnes had it all—fame, fortune, the house in Beverley Hills and a gorgeous man in her bed.

12 months later and Meg is scraping to find a job, living out of her Volvo and wondering about the fate of her gorgeous husband. Meg still believes Paul was kidnapped despite all evidence that he has simply abandoned her. Her friends, the media and the FBI are of the opinion that Paul has orchestrated his disappearance, taking the ransom that Meg paid to save him and the investments from almost everyone around her.

Life however is starting to look up with Meg being offered a guest role in the pilot for a new TV series. She’s also managed to be invited to stay with an acquaintance and enjoy the perks of a bed that’s not located in the back seat of a motor vehicle. However, reminders of Paul and his shady dealings are everywhere and Meg finds herself in the most important role of her life as she begins an investigation that not only leads to answers but great danger.

Kathryn Leigh Scott has spun a refreshing and quirky tale with a mature heroine who is not your stereotypical blonde bombshell. She  capably draws you into Meg's world.  An easy writing style compliments the story-line and creates a believable backdrop of the lifestyle of a homeless person living and working in Beverly Hills. Kathryn Leigh Scott has written a novel that fans of romance and “light” crime will enjoy.

Purchase DOWN AND OUT IN BEVERLEY HEELS here

Purchase links on Amazon (US): Amazon USA

Amazon (UK): Amazon UK

Booktopia: Booktopia

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

            Kathryn Leigh Scott starred as the doomed fiancée of vampire Barnabas Collins in the original Gothic daytime drama series “Dark Shadows,” and in the 1971 film House of Dark Shadows. She also made a cameo appearance in the 2012 feature Dark Shadows, starring Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins and directed by Tim Burton. She is the author of several books about the series, including Dark Shadows Memories and Return to Collinwood.

       Kathryn is a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and launched Pomegranate Press, which publishes books about the entertainment industry. She is the author of The Bunny Years: The Surprising Inside Story of the Playboy Clubs and the novel Dark Passages. Kathryn lives in Los Angeles, California.

More about the book and Kathryn Leigh Scott CLICK HERE