There are times when I kick myself for being so far behind with my reading list - The Wife and The Widow by Christian White is a case in point:

If you've not read THE WIFE AND THE WIDOW yet then you're in for an absolute treat - but stay away from too many spoiler's and see if you can pick the twist before it slaps you over the head like it did this reader.

https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/wife-and-widow-christian-white-0

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My review of The Satsuma Complex by Bob Mortimer has just been published at:

https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/satsuma-complex-bob-mortimer

"... it's not a particularly bad outing, it's just not a standout, grab you by the throat, this is great stuff outing. And it's definitely going to be better if you can hear Mortimer's voice when Gary's on page. "

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Extremely cozy, fairytale based mystery novel reviewed

https://www.austcrimefiction.org/book/mirror-mirror-whos-killer

Murder, Mystery & Magic... Who has silenced the magic mirror?

Ella Charming is a suspended Fairy Godmother trying to keep her head down in the frozen kingdom of Wyld Enchantment Woods where magic is strictly forbidden.

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Due out in October, one for fans of dark, historical thrillers with a touch of paranormal:

https://www.austcrimefiction.org/book/bone-rites

Bone Rites by Natalie Bayley

Kathryn Darkling, imprisoned in Holloway, is facing death by hanging for her vengeance killing. Haunted by a spirit, she still hopes to perform the ancient black magic that will free her soul, or her struggle to punish the mighty will have been in vain. Will the love of her life come to her aid?

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My review of one for the #cozy fans - Antiques and Assault by Rodney Strong:

The fourth entry in the Silvermoon Retirement Village series, ANTIQUES AND ASSAULT is part of what's overall a cozy, fun series, with 98 year old Alice Atkinson at the centre of a maelstrom of murder, vice and goings on that would do more than rock a retirement home - but Alice, and the retirement village she secretly owns, are made of much sterner stuff. Just.

Full Review at: https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/antiques-and-assault

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Review - A Virtuous Lie by Christina O'Reilly:

The third novel featuring DSS Archie Baldrick and DC Ben Travers, A VIRTUOUS LIE follows on from INTO THE VOID and RETRIBUTION. This is a series that might be best read in order, which shouldn't be a trial for anyone new to it - the first two are tightly plotted, engaging and only 160 and 180ish pages long.

More at: https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/virtuous-lie-christina-oreilly

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The shortlist for the 2023 Ngaio Marsh Awards (True Crime (Non-Fiction) / Best First Novel and Best Novel) from New Zealand have been announced - you can get all the details here:

https://www.austcrimefiction.org/blog/2023-ngaio-marsh-award-shortlist

The nominees are:

Best Non-Fiction are:

A NEW DAWN by Emeli Sione (Mila’s Books)

THE DEVIL YOU KNOW by Dr Gwen Adshead & Eileen Horne (Faber)

DOWNFALL: THE DESTRUCTION OF CHARLES MACKAY by Paul Diamond (Massey University Press)

THE FIX by Scott Bainbridge (Bateman Books)

MISSING PERSONS by Steve Braunias (HarperCollins)

Best First Novel:

ONE HEART ONE SPADE by Alistair Luke

TOO FAR FROM ANTIBES by Bede Scott (Penguin SEA)

BETTER THE BLOOD by Michael Bennett (Simon & Schuster)

SURVEILLANCE by Riley Chance (CopyPress Books)

THE SLOW ROLL by Simon Lendrum (Upstart Press)

PAPER CAGE by Tom Baragwanath (Text Publishing)

Best Novel:

EXIT .45 by Ben Sanders (Allen & Unwin)

BLUE HOTEL by Chad Taylor (Brio Books)

REMEMBER ME by Charity Norman (Allen & Unwin)

THE DOCTOR’S WIFE by Fiona Sussman (Bateman Books)

BETTER THE BLOOD by Michael Bennett (Simon & Schuster)

BLOOD MATTERS by Renée (The Cuba Press)

THE SLOW ROLL by Simon Lendrum (Upstart Press)

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Just posted my review of Everything to Hide by K.V. Martins: https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/everything-hide-kv-martins

It's going to come as no surprise to any readers of EVERYTHING TO HIDE, that author K.V. Martins is a fan of historical crime fiction, in particular, the work of Dame Agatha Christie. It should also come as no surprise that she has a background in history and archaeology.

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It's Monday, and I finished one of my latest reads before I remembered to mention it....

So Just Finished: Everything to Hide by K.V. Martins https://www.austcrimefiction.org/book/everything-hide Historical Crime fiction set in Sydney with a hat tip to Dame Agatha. Enjoyed it very much - review to come.

I'm also reading, as a background project, Life by Keith Richards and have a sneaking suspicion I'll be calling people cats soon if I'm not careful. https://bookwyrm.social/book/85305/s/life

Next up has taken a bit of umming, aaing and disorganising of piles but I I've shuffled up Mole Creek by James Dunbar https://www.austcrimefiction.org/book/mole-creek.

Then something that's badly overdue - The Wife and the Widow by Christian White https://www.austcrimefiction.org/book/wife-and-widow

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Just posted my review of Winter Time by Laurence Fearnley:

https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/winter-time-laurence-fearnley

Familial love, tension, friendship and interconnections are all part of Laurence Fearnley's novel WINTER TIME, set in New Zealand's MacKenzie Basin, a location which absolutely stars in this story. A place in which breath frosts, mists are all encompassing, peaks are starkly white, snow slopes glow silver-blue, and the lakes are black and dark.

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Just posted my review of A Runner's Guide to Rakiura by Jessica Howland Kany

https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/runners-guide-rakiura-jessica-howland-kany

"Started this book with absolutely no idea what I was going to get, got through the first quarter with no idea what was going on, ended the whole thing thoroughly enjoying every word of it."

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New onto MtTBR - The Caretaker by Gabriel Bergmoser

https://www.austcrimefiction.org/book/caretaker

An isolated, empty ski resort in the off-season. A woman who doesn't want to be found. A man who may not be who he appears to be. A game of cat and mouse - with deadly consequences.

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(Can't add the book cover image for some reason which will probably make sense 2 minutes after I post this).

Just posted my review of Violet Kelly and the Jade Owl by Fiona Britton at:

https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/violet-kelly-and-jade-owl-fiona-britton

It's hard not to wonder what the line "Phyrne Fisher meets Underbelly in an arch, out-of-the-box debut historical crime caper" actually means. Turns out it's a bit the timeframe and environment, the character of Violet Kelly, and the situation she finds herself in.

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Added to MT-TBR today is the 2nd Jane Halifax novel from Roger Simpson - Resurrection

https://www.austcrimefiction.org/book/resurrection

Jane Halifax is back in a twisted story of betrayal, where the formidable forensic psychiatrist will discover that the only person you can trust is yourself.

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My review of Traced by Catherine Jinks has just gone up at:

https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/traced-catherine-jinks

"Beautifully paced, with a central character that leans out from the page, daring you to feel her pain, frustration, panic, fear and resolve, TRACED is a novel that shows the reader what it feels like to be afraid, and what protecting the ones you love the most in the world will drive you to do.:

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My review of the amazing Pet by Catherine Chidgey has just been posted at:

https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/pet-catherine-chidgey

"Unable to put down Catherine Chidgey's PET, I struggled to sleep last night as I thought long and hard about the "conventions" of society. "

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My review of Mad, Bad and Dead by Sherryl Clark, the third in the Judi Westerholme series has just been published at:

https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/mad-bad-and-dead-sherryl-clark

"If you're new to the Judi Westerholme series, it's one of those featuring a slightly older, marginally wiser, female character who's in too deep and doing the two steps forward, one step dance that quite a few of us might recognise."

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Right ... I will try to keep this together but today bought to my doorstep A NOVEL BY ADRIAN HYLAND. THE SECOND JESSE REDPATH NOVEL.

I'm a bit excited. NO BEYOND EXCITED.

Adrian Hyland's latest novel - The Wiregrass is out in December from Ultimo Press and I'm so thrilled to see it arrive in all it's ARC glory!

https://www.austcrimefiction.org/book/wiregrass

"Nash Rankin is a disgraced cop trying to escape his past – his career was destroyed when he chose to take justice into his own hands. Now he’s living a quiet life in a small town caring for the local wildlife and trying to stay away from trouble."

The first in the series CANTICLE CREEK is out there if you've not read it yet

https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/canticle-creek-adrian-hyland

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Just arrived onto MtTBR is number 22 in the Temperance Brennan series The Bone Hacker by Kathy Reichs

https://bookwyrm.social/book/1243595/s/the-bone-hacker

Called in to examine what is left of a body struck by lightning, Tempe traces an unusual tattoo to its source and is soon embroiled in a much larger case. Young men – tourists – have been disappearing on the islands of Turks and Caicos for years. Seven years ago, the first victim was found in a strange location with both hands cut off; the other visitors vanished without a trace. But, recently, tantalising leads have emerged and only Tempe can unravel them.

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So this week's reading is taking a hammering from #TourDeFrance viewing and the associated extreme sleep deprivation but, still she persists.

Currently reading: Roseghetto by Kirsty Jagger https://www.austcrimefiction.org/book/roseghetto

Harrowing is the only word I can come up with.

Next Up will be Remember Me by Charity Norman: https://www.austcrimefiction.org/book/remember-me

Currently listening to Mercy by Jussi Adler-Olsen (which I've read but I'm still wandering around going back in a number of series via audio books).

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