Category Archives: Book Review

Answering to the Caul by Ted Dawe – 2020

Posted on January 8, 2021 by alysonebaker

Andrei Reti was born with his amniotic membrane covering his head, a caul. He grows up having been told this means he will always be protected from drowning. He has multiple escapes from water, and often sees first-hand how water … Continue reading →

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Addressed to Greta by Fiona Sussman – 2020

Posted on November 15, 2020 by alysonebaker

There is a little bit of all of us in Greta Jellings. Maybe in her tendency to talk too much, or her nervousness about meeting people. It could be in her knowing that she looks shifty to security cameras and … Continue reading →

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The Forger and the Thief by Kirsten McKenzie – 2020

Posted on November 11, 2020 by alysonebaker

Florence 1966, a magnet for tourists and art students, a paradise full of art treasures, leaky buildings full of history, their walls displaying famous paintings, their hallways home to famous statues. Florence 1966, the war still present in the injured … Continue reading →

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Doom Creek by Alan Carter – 2020

Posted on November 7, 2020 by alysonebaker

“Good to have you back, Sergeant. We need a sheriff in town.” Sergeant Nick Chester is once again living up the Wakamarina Valley with his wife Vanessa and their son Paulie, “getting a taste for the simple life.” That is … Continue reading →

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Remote Sympathy by Catherine Chidgey – 2020

Posted on November 2, 2020 by alysonebaker

“My Country, Right or Wrong” – the slogan that sits on the lintel above the gate to Buchenwald concentration camp in Remote Sympathy. But is it a call to blind patriotism? – the harbour for those ‘just following orders.’ Is … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Review, Historical | 1 Comment

Kealaula by Kim Cope Tait – 2019

Posted on October 14, 2020 by alysonebaker

Kealaula lives in Vermont, her father calls her Chickadee, a bird with a plaintive call, “the saddest sound I knew” but also with a “trill that sounds like excitement spiralling up a spine.” Through this novel, Kealaula learns what that … Continue reading →

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The Girl in the Mirror by Rose Carlyle – 2020

Posted on September 21, 2020 by alysonebaker

For the love of money is the root of all evil, and the proviso on Ridge Carmichael’s will leads to all kinds of evil. The first of his children to bear a child will receive one hundred million dollars, and … Continue reading →

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The Tally Stick by Carl Nixon – 2020

Posted on September 13, 2020 by alysonebaker

It is the late 1970s New Zealand, a car goes off the road into the dense forest, slipping “between the trunks like a blade”, and plummeting into the river below. Rain takes all traces away. In the car is a … Continue reading →

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The Silence of Snow by Eileen Merriman – 2020

Posted on September 9, 2020 by alysonebaker

Jodi is a new doctor, working at Nelson Hospital, feeling out of her depth: “I keep worrying I’m going to kill someone.” But helping her out is handsome Rory, the anaesthetist with an appealing accent. Jodi’s controlling fiancé, Fraser, is … Continue reading →

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The Murder Club by Nikki Crutchley – 2020

Posted on September 5, 2020 by alysonebaker

Evil “doesn’t always lurk in city centres after dark. It mows your lawns, frequents your local pub, takes its kids to school and contributes to communities.” Journalist Miller Hatcher is back, back in small town New Zealand, where: “Any ambition … Continue reading →

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