Paula McLain: Circling the Sun: A Novel

A remarkable tale about a remarkable woman
Paula McLain's story revisits the scene of Out of Africa with a fictional biography of the life of Beryl Markham, a record-setting female aviator who was the first person to fly solo from east to west across the Atlantic from Europe to America.

Beryl was born in England but brought to Kenya by her parents as a child. Abandoned by her mother who returns to England, Beryl grows up in a wild environment of Kenya, playing with the local natives. As she matures her unconventional upbringing and love of horses sets her on a path to become the first woman in Kenya to qualify as a horse trainer.

Financial and personal problems thrust Beryl into a loveless marriage and she only discovers herself when she is able to break out of that arrangement. This is all set amid the background of the frequently decadent life of English ex patriots living in Kenya in the 1920's. She meets with Karen Blixen (who as Isak Dinesen wrote the classic tale Out of Africa) and is attracted to Karen's lover, safari hunter Denys Finch Hatton, She not only discovers the personal love of her eventful life but also her long-term love for flying.

The book is set against the magnificent wild country of 1920's Africa, and the growth of Nairobi into a major city. It is a powerful and frequently emotional tale of historical fiction about an amazing independent woman who was really ahead of her time. This is an extraordinary story that I would strongly recommend to the most discerning reader of historical fiction.

Pat Conroy: Prince of Tides

Superb emotional story by Pat Conroy
Many of you will have seen the Oscar winning movie of Prince of Tides with Barbra Streisand and Nick Nolte. It was a great movie but you are really missing something of this great emotional story if you don't read the book as well.

Pat Conroy is one of my favourite contemporary American authors. His prose is almost poetic and his love for his the beauty of South Carolina's low country stuns the imagination.

Prince of Tides is the story of the Wingo family living in comfortable poverty on a small island of the South Carolina coast. It is the turbulent story of Tom Wingo and his supremely talented but very troubled twin sister Savannah as they come to grips with the legacy of their extraordinary family and the dark things that happen to them during their childhood. It is also the story of their elder brother Luke, a Vietnam War hero with dreams of how his home country should remain.

A lot of the story is set in New York where Savannah is recovering from yet another suicide attempt. Tom, now an unemployed English teacher and football coach, leaves his family and travels to NY (which he hates) to help Savannah, now a renowned poet telling the world about the Carolinas. To help Savannah he must tell her psychiatrist, the beautiful but enigmatic Dr Susan Lowenstein, things about his family history that he and Savannah have repressed to try to keep their sanity.

While the story is really about the Wingos, the sub-story about Tom's relationship with "Lowenstein" is also laced with psychiatric and romantic undertones as Tom and Susan discover how to help one another.

This wonderful book is arguably Conroy's most acclaimed and well-known novel. While I have seen the movie several times I am so pleased that I chose to read the novel as an audiobook narrated by the late Frank Muller. In his introduction to the audiobook Pat Conroy said that Muller "gave me ... a work of art". I totally agree as it took me into the dark world of the Wingos and the strange relationship between Tom and Lowenstein in a way that would not have been possible reading the book myself.

Joel Goldman & Lisa Klink: All In

A great high-stakes romp
Cassie Ireland and Jake Carter have the same objective but totally different reasons to take down Alan Kendrick, an unscrupulous billionaire hedge fund manager. Cassie is a bit of a modern-day Robyn Hood recovering assets from people who think they are above the law. Carter is a high-rolling gambler who travels the world trying to win fortunes off mega-rich but less skillful gamblers.

Cassie plans to be a cat-burglar and overcome Kendrick's extreme security system using information obtained by befriending his disenchanted wife. Carter has got to know Kendrick around the poker table, winning some and losing some and is patiently waiting for the opportunity to pounce and use his skills take him out for megabucks.

Cassie and Jake just happen to live in the same exclusive apartment block where Kendrick owns the penthouse. Things fizzle when they meet but they don't spark because it would spoil their individual plays with Kendrick. Cassie gets in first and the feathers start to fly and Kendrick plans his revenge.

While waiting for the big coup with Kendrick, Jake defeats and humiliates Theo Kalogrides, another mega-rich gambler who is "blessed with his father's money but none of his brains or charm". Theo accuses Jake of cheating. While this is a normal risk for Jake the loser is a dangerous man, verging on the psychotic, who will not give in until he recovers the money he has lost.

This is a fast moving romp through the world of the megarich and international poker on the high seas with the strange pair working together and against one another to protect their lives.

Joel Goldman & Lisa Klink have collaborated seamlessly in producing a fast paced, easily readible escapist thriller. Well done - highly recommended to those looking for something fairly light,  different and enjoyable. 4.5 stars.

Lee Child: Small Wars

A great short dose of Reacher at his peak
This is one of the best e-singles that I have read. Many authors write a poor short story as a promo for their next book which is invariably better. In this case the short story is great but the next book (Make Me) was a bit of a disappointment.

In this short story Child takes us back to the days of Major Jack Reacher MP at the peak of his investigatory powers. By chance Reacher has to fill in for someone else and is asked to look into the murder of a female Colonel on a remote forest road in Georgia. What makes the situation interesting is that the Colonel used to be with the elite War Plans area of the Pentagon. She seems to be on a fast track to higher rank, apparently wealthy because she drives a Porsche sports car. She was shot professional assassination style - two shots in the chest and one in the head.

This is Reacher at his best as he quickly works out a possible scenario and killer. A couple of phone calls to his brother Joe, also a Colonel at the Pentagon, tells him more about the victim's background and possible motives.

It was great to see Lee Child at his best writing a very good short story. IMHO the Reacher series is starting to run out of steam and Make Me was pretty repetitious with a similar plot and formula to many other books in the series.

Lee Child: Make Me

The old Jack Reacher formula
This is #20 in the Jack Reacher series and this time Lee Child has gone back to basics and used the very successful formula where Jack Reacher (ex military) roams the US aimlessly and finds trouble most places he goes.

Reacher is fascinated to find out why a very small town in remote prairie region of Oklahoma is named "Mother's Rest". Maybe it tells a tale of pioneer times when the wagon trains travelled this part of the prairie. The small town is basically centred around some huge wheat silos that cater for thousands of acres of wheat for miles around the town. The other main feature is a rail line with a train at 7am and 7pm each day.

When Reacher steps off the evening train he spots a trim Asian woman, Michelle Chan, apparently waiting for someone who might have been on the train. He soon learns that Michelle is ex FBI working with a security company and her colleague from Oklahoma City appears to have disappeared during an investigation involving Mother's Rest. They soon gain a rapport with one another and as he has nothing else to do before heading for Chicago before it gets too cold Reacher teams up with Chan to help her find her friend.

Walking away would have been easier as Mother's Rest is a strange place which doesn't make either of them very welcome. Reacher knows something is wrong when the General Store refuses to sell him a change of clothing and the Motel tells him they don't have a room for the next night as they are full - but they are not. Slowly but surely they start to piece together a very dark situation which turns into a nightmare.

In the last two Reacher adventures Lee Child has tried to make them different. "Never Go Back" had Reacher involved with his old military career and "Personal" had him helping the State Department track down a sniper who has a personal grudge against Reacher. This time it is back to the basic Reacher formula in a story that, while some of it is very up to the minute, is very similar in plot and formula to many other books in the series. No doubt this book will please many of Child's readers who lap up any new Reacher adventures but I found most of it a bit deja vu.

PS I have been able to write this review now because the book has been published in Australia nearly two weeks ahead of the US release, presumably so the book is available in time for Aussie Father's day on 7 September.

Mark Black: George Washington

Father of the United States
I like these short histories as they give me quick information about historical events, people and things about which I have little knowledge.

I have recently been reading some historical fiction about the American War of Independence and realised that my knowledge of that time (having been educated in England) is sadly lacking. While I know something about John Adams, one of the Founding Fathers, I knew very little about the key military and political leader George Washington.

I didn't realise that Washington was a southerner who started his working life as a surveyor. I also didn't realise that he was initially reluctant to take up the cause of independence or to become a military leader. I did know that he was the first President of the United States but didn't realise the part he played in setting up the US government system that has been so fundamental in creating the important nation that we all know so well.

In about an hour Mark Black gave me a short history of this man who was to become one of the most revered leaders in history. It was enough to whet my appetite to find out more about this extraordinary man.

Jonathan Kellerman: The Murderer's Daughter

Psychology runs off the road
I have read several of Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware stories and was looking forward to seeing what he could do next. Unfortunately, despite Kellerman's writing skills he disappointed me with this thriller about a psychologist that IMHO ran off the road in trying to put some distance from his previous books.

The main protagonist is Grace Blades, a successful and dedicated psychologist who has a troubled history that has never left her. Grace saw her drug and alcohol dependent parents always fighting and eventually one parent murdered the other and then committed suicide. Then followed years of terrible foster homes where some of the children were worse than the uncaring foster parents. At one of her last foster homes she comes into contact with 3 other children from a cult background. Something is strange and dangerous about these children, something that haunts her in later life.

At last a caring childcare person puts her in touch with a loving academic couple who recognise her outstanding mensa IQ and allows her to study to her capacity. Despite gaining her intellectual freedom Grace is still haunted by her childhood background and by a secret life she leads because she doesn't have the emotional maturity to follow a normal sexual relationship.

All of this comes to a head when her childhood background comes back to haunt her when she meets someone from her bleak past which brings her up close and personal in a homicide case which threatens to expose her double life.

As always Jonathan Kellerman's writing a plotting is excellent. However this time I couldn't connect with the major character and the plot was so far fetched as to run off the road. Kellerman says that this is a stand-alone novel - I hope it is because I would not be inclined to read any more in the series.

My thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book for review.

Steve Gannon: Kane (Audiobook)

"Kane" revisited as an Audiobook
Just over 3 years ago I read and enjoyed Kane, #2 in Steve Gannon's superb series that combines a great crime/police thriller with an extremely emotional family saga. My review rated it highly as a very powerful, exciting and challenging page-turning novel, which is both spine chilling and personally emotional.

I was given the opportunity to revisit the story now that it is available as an audiobook. With the closer immersion in the story through listening instead of reading the book my rating is now probably even higher.

My only reservation is that the narration could have been better. At the beginning the narrator's slow delivery made it difficult for me to fully connect with the story. As an Aussie I also has problems with his unfamiliar drawling accent. I nearly gave up but then I had a brainwave and adjusted the replay speed to 1.25% and without noticeable distortion the drawling accent and slow delivery disappeared, the narration came to life and gave the book the thrust and drive it needed to become a real page turner. After that I took every chance to find time to listen to the book.

Revisiting the book in audio format reminded me of Steve Gannon's undoubted talent in being able to combine a thriller with a great and very emotional family saga. Once again I warn the reader/listener that this is very much an adult novel with vivid scenes of sadistic serial murders but they are needed because they are central to the story.

Music is always a key emotional factor in the Kane books. In this one there is an extremely emotional scene where Kane's wife Catherine is the soloist in Dvorak's Cello Concerto. It would have been great if the audio version could have played some of the music in the background.

Barbara Hannay: The Secret Years

Another inter-generational story set in the Australian outback
Once again Barbara Hannay has taken the theme of inter-generational secrets of a family living in the Australian outback and woven a story of love and living over the years.

When Lucy Hunter stumbles upon her grandfather Harry's World War II memorabilia, she finds a faded photograph of a stunning young woman known simply as 'George' and a series of heartfelt letters. They are clues about the secret years, a period of Lucy's family history that has been kept a mystery . . . until now.

Lucy Hunter is exploring her grandfather's World War II memorabilia when she finds a faded photograph of a stunning young woman known simply as 'George' plus a series of heartfelt letters.  This is a secret from a period of family history unknown to her. Things become interesting when she goes to England and finds out that George was an English aristocrat who moved from London to an isolated outback property, a move that still has a big impact on Lucy's family.

The book started slowly for me and left me somewhat confused with frequent time and character changes. It wasn't until the end that the story started to come together for me. I became enthralled when Lucy returns to Australia from her travels of family and personal discovery in England and gets to know more about her mother and father who left her the farm.

The formula for this book is similar to the successful one in Hannay's previous book, Moonlight Plains, where the heroine tracks down the secret lives of family members by travelling around the world and finds herself and love in the process. While I enjoyed this book I didn't find it quite as appealing as her previous book.

My thanks to Penguin Australia for an advanced copy of this book.

Taylor Stevens: The Mask - A Vanessa Michael Munroe Novel #5

The return of The Informationist
Taylor Stevens has scored again by bringing back Vanessa "Michael" Munroe, one of the most complex, violent but compelling characters in modern adrenaline-filled action packed adventure fiction, in a similar role to her outstanding debut novel "The Informationist". Michael is tall and slim and can become androgynous, changing her sex to survive in different environments, especially where females are treated as second class citizens.

"Michael" has taken time healing from a Somali hijacking and an attack that left her struggling for her life. She rejoins her lover Miles Bradford in Japan where he is working as a security consultant for a hi-tech firm trying to find the source of industrial espionage leaks. For a time Michael finds peace in their relationship but is soon anxious to get back into action.

Before that happens Miles is arrested for the murder of an employee of the firm using his readily identifiable Texan belt. This is clearly the action of the person responsible for the leaks but he cannot combat the accusations because he is faced with the almost impenetrable Japanese homicide police system which almost guarantees conviction and a harsh prison sentence. Fortunately Miles has sub-contracted Michael (in her male guise) to take over his work which allows her access to the facility. Another foreigner is not welcomed by most of the staff and superiors and this, combined with the Japanese social and business environment, makes it very difficult to track down the killer.

"Michael" sets about finding the killer through intense research and checking things that may have been overlooked (the Informationist role). Along the way she meets up violently with many who want to prevent her finding the truth and displays the survival skills that have kept her alive so many times. She also does battle with a very different cultural background of Japanese life where things are never what they seem to be on the surface.

Well done Taylor Stevens, you have succeeded in giving us another unique adrenaline filled episode in the life of Michael Munroe - one of my favourite fictional female "kick ass" characters in modern thrillers. While this book can be read as a standalone I would strongly recommend visiting "The Informationist" first to get more information about the complex and violent leading character. If you do this I am sure that you will end up reading the other 4 books in the series.