As I have 4 x great grandparents who lived on Norfolk Island from 1790-1805 before resettling at Hobart Town, I was interested to read the author's imagining of the lives of her ancestors in a similar situation.
This novel is the first book in the Garth Trilogy.
When Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan arrive in the area to investigate the murder they discover similarities to another murder of a family member of The Seven thirty years earlier. Could the two cases be connected?
There are three threads that reveal the story in the novel - correspondence between Bessie Walker and her mother in 1913, the death of Davis Heartwood in 1993 and the recent death of Athol Hasluck.
Davis decided not to run the family property after his grandfather's death. Instead he wanted to continue his studies at university, starting with an honours thesis on the early development of the irrigation scheme at Yuwonderie. His initial investigations show that nine families had planned to set up the scheme, three families had dropped out to be replaced by one more family. It soon becomes obvious that many questions needed to be answered. Then Davis and his girlfriend disappeared. Ivan and Nell discover that current members of The Seven are also wary of investigations into the history of the local area. There has obviously been corruption in place for many years but uncovering it proves to be a challenge.
Donna Leon lived in Iran, China and Saudi Arabia teaching English to tertiary students before moving to Venice in 1981 where she lived for thirty years. She now lives in Switzerland. In Wandering Through Life she tells thirty short stories relating to her life. She starts with her family who came from different parts of Europe and Ireland before describing living in the Middle East and China. Part three of the book contains stories relating to Italy, particularly Venice. One chapter contains a copy of the letter that is handed out to visitors visiting the Questore looking for Commissario Brunetti and his colleagues. Part four contains stories of life in the mountains of Switzerland plus reflections on her life. Throughout the book the author's love of classical music is shown.
Wandering Through Life provides glimpses into the life of Donna Leon, an important contributor to modern crime fiction.
This is number 34 in the Meg Langslow series and much of the action is concerned with the blade making television program. Meg has the opportunity to work at blacksmithing, (she is a blacksmith), but still has time to help with the investigation. Crows are also the stars of the book, observing the activities of the guests on the property and even helping from time to time. The novel also provides an insight into the making of reality television programs. Then just before Christmas it finally starts to snow, adding to the Christmas atmosphere in this American cosy crime story.
Carrying out a police investigation during lockdown presents additional challenges for Karen and her team as they attempt to unravel the true meaning of the short story that has been discovered. Life during COVID-19 in Edinburgh features strongly in this novel and having experienced a series of COVID lockdowns in Victoria during 2020 and 2021 this background to the story resonated strongly. The strategies of chess also feature in the novel as Karen and her team work to unravel the true meaning of the story found in the archives of a well-known author.
Past Lying by Val McDermid is no. 7 in the Karen Pierie series. As with the other books in the series the challenges faced by the characters in the book are an important feature of the novel.
Abel and his mother live at Longboat Bay south of Perth. They both love the sea and frequently take a boat into the bay and then dive and explore the clear water. On these expeditions Abel meets a large Groper who he names Blueback and much of the book is about the relationship that develops between this fish and Abel.
As he grows up Abel learns to love the the sea around Longboat bay and is reluctant to leave the area to attend school and later university. He becomes a marine biologist and travels the world but he eventually realises that his heart remains in Longboat Bay and its surrounding environment. The importance of respecting and maintaining the marine environment is an important theme in this book.
