Category Archives: Book Review

Both Feet in Paradise by Andy Southall – 2021

Posted on April 7, 2022 by alysonebaker

A woman is waiting at Auckland International Airport for her parents to arrive. She thinks of them impatiently: “Dad off on his walks, and Mum busy with her cousins, her friends, her legions of family.” Adam is on an island … Continue reading →

Posted in #yeahnoir, Book Review | 1 Comment

To Kill a Conman by Kevin Berry – 2021

Posted on April 3, 2022 by alysonebaker

Stuart Baker might not want to work for money, but he certainly puts his all into running his multiple cons. They range from extortion to giving less to beggars than he takes from them, and they cover every type of … Continue reading →

Posted in #yeahnoir, Book Review | Leave a comment

The Final Call by Jen Shieff – 2021

Posted on April 1, 2022 by alysonebaker

Carmel is approaching her 40th birthday. She is noticing the odd wrinkle, and she occasionally feels unattractive. She is torn between her job at the Grand Palais – and her relationship with Rita, the madam – and the possibility of … Continue reading →

Posted in #yeahnoir, Book Review, Historical | Leave a comment

The Leonard Girls by Deborah Challinor – 2022

Posted on March 31, 2022 by alysonebaker

It’s 1969, Joanne Leonard is at university, playing in a folk trio, a member of the Progressive Youth Movement (PYM), and fiercely opposed to the war in Vietnam. Jo’s sister, Rowie, is an army nurse passionate and excited about her … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Review, Historical | Leave a comment

A Good Winter by Gigi Fenster – 2021

Posted on March 29, 2022 by alysonebaker

It is a good winter for Olga, she has befriended Lara, and is spending most days helping her look after her daughter Sophie, and Sophie’s son Michael. Sophie is experiencing post-natal depression and finding it hard to care for her … Continue reading →

Posted in #yeahnoir, Book Review | Leave a comment

Unsheltered by Clare Moleta – 2021

Posted on March 27, 2022 by alysonebaker

Mum, look! – the last words Matti had said, and Li hadn’t looked. Had Matti been trying to draw her attention to “A flicker of light or shape of a cloud, a wobbly tooth, a new trick, something small with … Continue reading →

Posted in #yeahnoir, Book Review | 1 Comment

Folded by Tina Clough – 2021

Posted on March 20, 2022 by alysonebaker

When Mariko Goto is grabbed and held captive in the apartment next door to her own, she drops exquisitely folded messages about her plight out the window. Grace finds the clues, and after talking to her only friend at work, … Continue reading →

Posted in #yeahnoir, Book Review | Leave a comment

The Heretic by Liam McIlvanney – 2022

Posted on March 15, 2022 by alysonebaker

1975 – a fire rages through a tenement building, killing a woman, her child, and two men. A man is tortured to death and his body dumped in the city. A bomb blast disintegrates a pub and shatters its surroundings. … Continue reading →

Posted in #yeahnoir, Book Review, Historical | Leave a comment

Dying Grass Moon by Andrea Jacka – 2021

Posted on March 8, 2022 by alysonebaker

Dying grass moon is the second Hennessey Reed mystery after One for another. Back in Melancholy, Idaho Territory, in the late 19th century, Hennessey and Marshall Rafael Cooper are estranged but still very much connected. Their community is still trying … Continue reading →

Posted in #yeahnoir, Book Review, Historical | Leave a comment

Isobar Precinct by Angelique Kasmara – 2021

Posted on February 14, 2022 by alysonebaker

Lestari, a tattoo artist, is helping her friend and business partner, Frank, install his latest art installation in Symonds Street Cemetery: a statue of St Michael, which Frank will document as it decays and is defaced through time. Jasper is … Continue reading →

Posted in #yeahnoir, Book Review, Science Fiction | Leave a comment