Post Captain

Patrick O'Brian wrote 21 books in the Aubrey & Maturin series. Post Captain is the second book in the series. There had been a short lull in the war with France but when Englishman Jack Aubrey and Irishman Stephen Maturin were travelling through France they had to hide when the call was made to arrest all Englishmen. They eventually reached safety in Spain.  At Maderia they boarded the East Indiaman, Lord Nelson,which was  returning to England. It proved to be an eventful journey with the ship being captured by the French before being recaptured by the English.

Back in England Jack was looking for a post on a new ship but positions were scarce until eventually he took command of a new untried ship, Polychrest. Jack had no choice but to take the position as he was in debt and bailiffs were after him to arrest him. The only place of safety was aboard ship. The novel basically deals with the rollicking adventures at sea on ships including the Polychrest and its crew, many of who are learning on the job. The book also recounts the tenuous relationships of Jack and Stephen with two women they left behind in England.

I was aware of this series of books when I worked in public libraries but decided to read this one as an article about the ship, Lord Nelson, mentioned that chapter five of this historical fiction novel was based on the capture of the ship in 1802. In 1808 Captain Charles William Hutton was in charge of the ship on its fifth voyage when it disappeared off the coast of Madras.  Captain Hutton was my 4 x great grandfather. I was therefore interested in reading this fictional account of the ship's second voyage and then continued reading the novel.

Lord Nelson East Indiaman - Wikipedia

Weekends with the Sunshine Gardening Society

Weekends with the Sunshine Gardening Society by Sophie Green is a book about friendship, hope, community and the love of gardening. It is set in Noosa on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, a settlement by the sea and the national park and with a warm climate throughout the year - a great place for people to live and relax and enjoy the world around them. It is also a place where people can reflect on past events and determine their future.

The story, set in 1987, is about Cynthia, Lorraine, Elizabeth and Kathy as they work together with Barb and Shirl to help bring gardens back to life. The garden club, first established in the 1950s, was once a thriving group of women who enjoyed time in the garden, but now only Barb and Shirl remain. However when they are asked to help Elizabeth with her garden the membership of the group is revitalised.

We gradually learn of the stories of the four younger women, the challenges to be faced and decisions to be made. As they begin to enjoy the experience of gardening, friendships form and they all benefit from the support offered by new friends and the chance for a break from daily concerns.  

Each chapter of the book features a month as the narrative progresses and the name of a plant grown in the area.

Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens

When the Cinnamon Gardens Nursing Home was established in a suburb in western Sydney it was to be a place where older people from all backgrounds and religions could live together during their final days. The owners of the nursing home relocated to Australia after the turmoil of the civil war in Sri Lanka, especially the persecution of Tamils. Although many of the residents were from Sri Lanka and followed the Hindu religion people from other countries and religions also lived at Cinnamon Gardens. It was a place of peace until the nursing home and staff were targeted because, in the views of some people, they were 'un-Australian'.

Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens by Shankari Chandran is about family and memory, community and race. Much of the novel describes the atrocities that occur in a civil war largely based on race and religion. It also emphasises the importance of history in truly understanding the past and the dangers of reinventing the past to prove current actions and beliefs. 

The novel is particularly relevant in Australia (and other countries) today as some groups try to assert their beliefs, especially in regard to religion and ethnicity, to prove their superiority over others who may appear to be different.

In this novel the story is set in Sri Lanka during the war and in present day Sydney. As we learn about the past history we also learn about the present and come to know the main people portrayed in the book. We also learn about Sri Lankan food.

Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens by Shankari Chandranis the winner of the 2023 Miles Franklin Award awarded to "a novel which is of the highest literary merit and presents Australian life in any of its phases".

The Last Devil to Die

The Last Devil to Die is the fourth book in the Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman. Stephen's friend, antiques dealer Kuldesh Sharma, is found dead in his car. He had been shot. Why? It is soon discovered that a package that he was minding is missing. Members of the Thursday Murder Club want answers.

Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim, residents of Coopers Chase Retirement Village, investigate with the assistance of Donna and Chris, members of the local police force. It soon becomes apparent that this is a drug related crime as the bodies of a number of drug dealers are found. Who will be the last devil to die?

Members of the the Thursday Murder Club also help a new member of the retirement village who has become involved in a romance scam. 

Like the other books in the series the exploits of the Thursday Murder Club members are described with humour however this novel is not just about a group of elderly people trying to solve a crime. Richard Osman also provides a compassionate account of the effects of dementia - not just on the person with dementia but also how families and friends of the person with dementia are affected.

Thank you Richard Osman for allowing us to enjoy another adventure with the Thursday Murder Club.

Ripper

Three people were murdered in a small town located off the main road between Sydney and Melbourne. When seventeen years later another murder occurs after a proposal is made to operate a tour of the murder sites in the town, the small town of Ranier is once again gripped in fear as memories of past events resurface. Gemma Guillory, who witnessed the death of one of the victims many years previously, now faces the trauma of the latest murder occurring outside her tearooms and the fears of the past reemerge. 

Ripper by Shelley Burr is another gripping crime novel set in a small community where everyone seems to have a secret and nothing is as it first appears. Gradually we learn about the three people who were the original victims and their interaction with the town. One of the victims was never identified and there are several theories as to her identity. A parallel story occurs in a prison where a prison officer encourages a prisoner and former private investigator, Lane Holland, to establish whether the unidentified victim was the prison officer's missing daughter.

Ripper is another action packed Australian crime novel set in a small town with a hidden past and many complex characters providing an insight into the consequences of a person's actions on other people. 

The raging storm

When Jem Rosco returns to Greystone there is speculation among the locals as to why he is there. And then he disappears again. When a body is found in a small boat off Scully Cove during a storm, Matthew Venn and his team are called in to investigate.

Like many small communities there are numerous stories as to what might have happened in the community, now and in the past. Many of the inhabitants of this north Devon town belong to the Barum Brethren, a sect that Matthew's parents belonged to, as did he until he rebelled when a teenager. Returning to this region therefore brings back many memories from the past. The rivalry between Jen Rafferty and Ross May continues as they assist in the investigation.

Scully Cove appears to be a key to the investigation, but why? A second body is found at the cove then another key character disappears. As to be expected there are lots of twists and turns until the crime is solved.

The Raging Storm is the third book in the Two Rivers series by Ann Cleeves.

Fire with Fire

Sometimes you have to fight fire with fire, at least that is what Ryan and Elsie Delaney believe as they take over the Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Laboratory with the intention of regularly destroying police laboratory samples until their daughter, aged five when she disappeared two years earlier, is found. They have also taken three hostages.

Fire with fire by Australian author, Candice Fox, is set in Los Angeles. While the LAPD and the SWAT teams are in place, police officer Charlie Hoskins and recently fired police recruit, Lynette Lamb, set out to discover what happened to Tilly Delaney. 

For five years Hoskins was under-cover with a ruthless bikie gang. Police recently raided the gang making many arrests however the three leaders are still at large and are after Hoskins. Forensic evidence relating to the gang that Hoskins collected is stored at the laboratory under siege. Lamb is furious at having been fired on her first day in the police force and wants to prove that she is more than capable of being a good police officer. Hoskins and Lamb make up a strange but determined team.

This is an action packed novel from start to finish with complex characters that we learn more about as the story progresses. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and I suspect that this is not the end of the investigations of Hoskins and Lamb.

The adventures and memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

This Vintage Conan Doyle edition contains the collection of the short stories originally published in the books The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for A Study in Scarlet, the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Holmes and Dr. Watson. 

Dr Watson, the narrator and observer in these short stories, accompanies Sherlock Holmes as he solves puzzles and crimes that the police have difficulty resolving. The importance of the case varies in each story and very occasionally Holmes is outwitted but it is fun to try and follow the clues, obvious and not so obvious, and work out the solution.

There are twenty-four stories in this compilation all, of course, set in Victorian England. Times may have changed but it was good to become immersed again in the world of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson. Looking at the range of films and television series based on Sherlock Holmes and the number of Sherlock Holmes inspired mystery series books, the writings of Conan Doyle and his two main characters continue to be relevant in the 2020s.

Slaughter Park

Harry Belltree disappeared to Far North Queensland after his wife, Jenny, said she no longer wanted to see him again. But when Jenny disappears leaving her baby with her sister, Kelly Pool travels to Queensland to find Harry and bring him back to Sydney. Harry knows that his wife is in danger and that the only solution is to solve the mystery of his parent's death which seems to be behind events threatening his family. 

Harry is unable to return to the police force but he still has a few contacts who unofficially assist him as does Kelly Pool. Kelly needs information for an article that she is writing for a Sydney newspaper but she is also grateful to Harry for saving her life. Harry knows that Jenny has gone into hiding and sets out to find her. He also realises that she must remain hidden until the case is solved.

Meanwhile the police are investing a series of murders discovered in Slater Park which becomes known as Slaughter Park. How are these murders connected to Harry's family investigation.

Slaughter Park is the final volume in the Belltree Trilogy by Barry Maitland. The over-riding story in the series flows from one volume to  the next with an additional crime as the focus of each book.There are lots of murders, however the author has ensured that the books are easy to easy to read with constant action and insight into the lives of the main characters. I was able to borrow copies of the three books in the series from my local library. It is advisable to read the books in order to fully follow the story.

Ash Island

After police detective Harry Belltree recovers from being shot he is transferred to Newcastle. Not long after arriving in the town Harry investigates the finding of a body at Ash Island. The investigation  intensifies as more bodies are discovered and police attempt to discover the connection between them.

It soon becomes obvious that events from the past continue to follow Harry. When he investigates a case of domestic violence, Harry is recognised by the accused though Harry is not sure why. Then his home is bombed and Harry and his wife return to Sydney. Both Harry and Jenny realise that they need answers as to why Harry's parents were murdered three years previously if they are to live a 'normal' life again. As the danger to Harry's family increases, he does not know who to trust.

Ash Island by Barry Mortimer is the second volume in the Belltree Trilogy.

A history of Ash Island - Australian Museum