Category Archives: Book Review

Trust No One by Paul Cleave – 2015

Posted on October 9, 2015 by alysonebaker

Paul Cleave’s Christchurch Noir thrillers are all set in a nightmare Christchurch of murder and mayhem.  Trust No One is too – but this time the nightmare is internalised in Jerry Grey – a thriller writer with early onset Alzheimer’s … Continue reading →

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A Crooked Rib by Judy Corbalis – 2015

Posted on October 3, 2015 by alysonebaker

A Crooked Rib is part historical, part romance and part a treatise on the subjugation of women.  It is the story of fictitious Fanny, “sister” to the historical Eliza Lucy – who became the wife of Sir George Grey – … Continue reading →

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The Fixer by John Daniell – 2015

Posted on September 27, 2015 by alysonebaker

I almost bailed on John Daniell’s The Fixer – the misogynist world of professional male rugby not being very attractive.  But I stuck with it – Daniell was a player in the French premier league so presumably the sexist repartee … Continue reading →

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The Antipodeans by Greg Magee – 2015

Posted on September 9, 2015 by alysonebaker

There is much about The Antipodeans that I liked – the intricacies of the politics and loyalties in occupied Italy during World War 2 – and the very human experiences of young New Zealanders who find themselves enmeshed in them.  … Continue reading →

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The Legend of Winstone Blackhat by Tanya Moir – 2015

Posted on July 27, 2015 by alysonebaker

What a tragic and haunting book!  We start in a surreal Western story, and rapidly realise this is the fantasy of a young kid on the run, fending for himself in the wilds of Otago.  We follow Winstone’s sad story … Continue reading →

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Blood, Wine & Chocolate by Julie Thomas – 2015

Posted on July 25, 2015 by alysonebaker

Blood, Wine & Chocolate starts in the dangerous world of London gangsters – three boys, Vinnie, Marcus and Tom end up entwined through Marcus being the grandson of the head of the infamous Lane crime family. We are told the … Continue reading →

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James Cook’s Lost World by Graeme Lay – 2015

Posted on July 21, 2015 by alysonebaker

James Cook’s Lost World is the final in Lay’s trilogy after The Secret Life of James Cook (2013) and James Cook’s New World (2014). The novels cover Cook’s three voyages of discovery, and most readers would know how the third … Continue reading →

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Starlight Peninsula by Charlotte Grimshaw – 2015

Posted on July 18, 2015 by alysonebaker

‘I just want to be able to say I asked’ – Eloise Hay is reeling after her husband has left her for a younger woman; lacking in self-esteem she is seeing a shrink and the bottom of a lot of … Continue reading →

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Rich Man Road by Ann Glamuzina – 2015

Posted on July 8, 2015 by alysonebaker

Sometimes I read a novel which makes me realise just how privileged my life has been – and Rich Man Road is such a novel.  It is not a literary masterpiece but the parallel stories of Olga and Pualele, two … Continue reading →

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In the Neighbourhood of Fame by Bridget Van der Zijpp – 2015

Posted on July 3, 2015 by alysonebaker

Oh dear, having read reviews of In the neighbourhood of fame after reading it, it would appear I am out of step in thinking it not well constructed and over-written.  It deals with fame, what it is, how it affects … Continue reading →

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