House of Diamonds by Amber Jakeman

 

Stella is talented and ambitious and has a clear plan for what she wants to do with her life. Stella and her sister, Jeannie, had an unsettled childhood with their single, free wheeling mother who moved from town to town and man to man causing both girls to look for stability when they began taking charge of their own destinies.

There are two main themes to this story: one deals with the very real form of bullying that is the taking away of a person’s  self-worth. It is easily enough done when one partner in what appears to be a mutual relationship begins, subtly at first, to change the rules. 

The second theme is following a dream and Stella, whose supreme artistic talent for creating beautiful jewellery, as well as her perfect pitch in knowing what people want, is well equipped to make her dream a reality. It’s not easy and how Stella deals with all aspects of her life make for compulsive reading.

Of course, this is a contemporary romantic novel and there is a man who may or may not share a future with Stella.

There are some beautiful locations throughout the story from Sydney’s Bondi to the New South Wales Southern Highlands; from Provence to Las Vegas.

This is above all a love story with a strong message about the importance of trust. I enjoyed reading it immensely and will look for more of Amber Jakeman’s books.

Published by Lorikeet Press.

The Resemblance by Lauren Nossett

 

The Resemblance is narrated by Detective Marlitt Kaplan, a different character than is usually seen in a crime novel. Marlitt is an introspective young woman who, in not consciously revealing much about herself, allows the reader to fill in a lot of the blanks. She was an only child and carries with her a loneliness and a sadness having lost the best friend she thought of as her brother. She isn't interested in her own appearance, but I would have liked a description inferred somehow so I could picture her for myself.

Marlitt comes upon the scene of a fatal hit and run in the university town of Athens, Georgia where her mother is a professor, which she suspects may not have been accidental.  This leads her with her partner, Teddy, to investigate a fraternity of which the victim was a member and it soon becomes obvious that there are dark secrets to uncover.

Marlitt's history with the university as well as her personal problems force her to carry on the investigation against all odds and the story becomes more mysterious and thrilling with every twist and turn.

This is a terrific detective story which will require your full concentration.  Marlitt is a one-of-a-kind with her personal history, investigative skills and fearless determination, and I hope Laure Nossett has left a space for her to crawl through to make a reappearance.

Published by Macmillan

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Broad River Station by Fleur McDonald

 

Lovely! A new book featuring Detective Dave Burrows. Fleur McDonald’s characters are always relatable because they radiate authenticity; a new one, Mia, a newly graduated constable in her first posting to the Broad River police station, comes up against prejudice which she has to find a way to deal with, while at the same time coping with her beloved grandmother’s descent into dementia. 

Outback South Australia comes alive once more under Fleur McDonald’s guidance. Mia does exceptionally well with her first serious assignment at Broad River, where she also meets Dave Burrows. A child has gone missing and Dave’s is one of  the stations which has been called on to join in the search. Fortunately, and coincidentally, she soon finds herself in Barker working with Dave in trying to solve an outback mystery involving agricultural sabotage.

Fleur’s lived experiences of farming in South and Western Australia provide the inspiration for her books and make them believable. She deserves her reputation as one of Australia’s top novelists.

Published by Allen & Unwin

The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth

 

The tension is exquisite in this brilliantly plotted novel. Pippa and Gabe have bought a house in a prime position above a beach, and with a magnificent view of the ocean. They gradually come to realise that the reason they could afford to live in this area is that their house has been built close to The Drop, a location which is favoured by people wanting to commit suicide. Gabe becomes something of a hero for having prevented seven would-be jumpers; however, he fails to save the eighth, Amanda, and questions arise about what happened exactly on the cliff top.

The story is told intriguingly in alternating chapters by Pippa and Amanda, headed Before, Now and After. It kept me in its thrall from the first page to the last. Both Pippa and Amanda experience changes in their relationships with their respective husbands over the time of the story and it becomes clear that the lives of all the characters are intertwined. 

I couldn’t put this book down once I had started it. Its great appeal is in its difference. Pippa and Amanda both had expectations from the lives they had chosen but neither of them could have foreseen the eventual outcomes of those lives.

There is a very clever twist to the story which remains darkly mysterious to the end. There are a lot of great Australian writers and Sally Hepworth is one of the best.

Published by Pan Macmillan Australia