Last One Out

A new novel by Australian author, Jane Harper, is always something to look forward to. Last One Out is set in a New South Wales town that is rapidly being destroyed by a nearby coal mine. Many of the residents have sold their properties to the mining company and have moved elsewhere. But some are determined to remain. There is resentment from some of the remaining residents to those who have left the town. There is also resentment to the constant noise of the mining machinery and the dust that settles everywhere.

Each year Ro Crowley returns to the town to commemorate with family and friends the memory of her son, Sam, who disappeared on his twenty-first birthday, five years previously.  There are some clues to where he went prior to his disappearance but no-one appears to know where or why he is gone. Sam's father, Griff, still lives in the town but he is about to lose his job and has to decide what to do next. Sam's sister, Della also comes to the town to support her parents. A friend of Griff had committed suicide several years before Sam's disappearance. This therefore is not a happy time for the family or for the community.

However Ro feels that this year she may finally learn the answers regarding the disappearance of her son.

Last One Out is primarily a novel about family and community relationships that develop over time in an outback town. Like Jane Harper's other novels the environment is important. This novel is a study of how people cope with challenges in an outback community under threat. It is also a study of how people cope in times of difficulty plus the determination to discover the truth.

 As Ro investigates, a former friend of Sam makes this statement when talking to community members - 'When Sam asked me why I was still here, it was a bloody good question, and it's one maybe we could all do with making ourselves. ... And to honest about it. Because there's no prize for being the last one out.' (p 308).

King and Outlaw: the real Robert the Bruce

In the 1950s a cousin of my grandmother had a genealogist in the UK investigate the story that our family, like thousands of others, had a direct link to Robert the Bruce. The story was confirmed. Many years later I decided to check the theory for myself and discovered not only family links to Scottish royalty but also to English royalty in our family tree. These discoveries make reading British history more interesting.

In King and Outlaw the author, Chris Brown, has set out to provide an account as to who Robert the Bruce - King Robert I of Scotland - really was as a person, a leader and outlaw. The main chapters are A Man Who would be King, King Robert's War and King Robert's Scotland. There is also a useful list of the people who appear in the book, a timeline, a glossary and maps of Bannockburn.

The author has used the limited available resources from medieval times to provide this historical account of troubled times within Scotland as well as between Scotland and England. At the back of the book Chris Brown dispels some of the myths about Robert the Bruce. The chapter on King Robert's Scotland provides useful information as to how most Scottish people lived their lives while instability was occurring around them.

King and Outlaw is a readable account of this important period in Scottish history as well as an account of the life of a man who was determined to claim the throne that had belonged to his ancestors.

Five Found Dead

Agatha Christie wrote her crime novel, Murder on the Orient Express in 1934. The book has become a classic and the story has been made into films and television shows. Many authors have also used ideas from the book as a basis for their work. One recent example is Everyone on this Train is a Suspect by Australian author Benjamin Stevenson. Another Australian author, Sulari Gentill has written a new book, Five Found Dead, which involves a journey on the famous train, the Orient Express.

Joe Penvale and his sister, Meredith, board the Orient Express in Paris for a well earned holiday. Joe, an author of crime fiction, also hopes that the trip will provide inspiration for his second novel. Little do they realise the drama about to unfold.

The first evening is spent meeting some of their fellow travellers but next day they discover that the cabin next to their cabin has become a crime scene. Shortly afterwards COVID cases are discovered in one of the carriages and part of the train is in lockdown. The passengers are not allowed to leave the train and there is a killer on board.

Several of the passengers have been involved with law enforcement and the manager of the train calls them together to try and solve who is behind the mounting deaths occurring on the train. But can all of these experts also be trusted? 

Sulari Gentill has written a humorous who-done-it with a large collection of suspects and many people trying to solve the case. Meanwhile Joe accumulates much source material for his next book. Five Found Dead is an entertaining crime fiction book with plenty of puzzles to solve.

A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens was first published in London on 19 December 1843. It has become a classic as a book and has also been produced as a play performed before Christmas. There have also been films based on the novel, including The Muppet Christmas Carol and television productions. Other authors have also based books on Dickens' work.

In A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by Marley's Ghost who warns Scrooge that he will be visited by The Ghost of Christmas Past, The Ghost of Christmas Present and The Ghost of Christmas Future. When each ghost appears Scrooge is taken to view events from his past, the present and the possible future if he does not change his miserly ways. Through these visits Scrooge learns not only the true message of the Christmas season but how life should be lived.

This novella of eighty-five pages includes a mixture of humor and compassion as Scrooge realises that he has to change his ways in order to live a good life. Two of my grandchildren have shared the reading of this book with me as part of their year seven reading.

The Frozen River

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon is a work of historical fiction set in Maine, USA. It is based on the life of Martha Ballard, a midwife in the settlement of Hallowell. The story occurs from November 1789 to April 1790, covering a long, cold winter when the river is frozen solid. At the end of each section there is a flashback to events that occurred earlier in Martha's life. The story is primarily told from Martha's viewpoint.

The story begins when a group of men try to navigate the river on a raft before the river finally freezes over. When one of the men falls into the river he discovers a body frozen in the ice. The men manage to get their companion out of the water and safely to shore but then questions arise as to who the man in the frozen river is and how and why he came to be there.

As one of the local midwives in the region Martha is called upon not just to assist women who are pregnant and to deliver their babies safely, but she also assists with other medical emergencies as required. Much of the book concerns the role and treatment of women in a male driven community. One challenge faced is the arrival of a young Harvard trained doctor who is reluctant to accept the knowledge collected by women over time. The courts also provide harsher sentences for women than for men and Martha spends much of her time trying to assist local women in a variety of ways.

When the body is removed from the river, Martha is the first to examine it and comes to the conclusion that the victim was hanged before he entered the river. The new doctor also investigates the body and concludes that the man died from injuries after he entered the river. Several court cases follow and Martha is also involved in defending the honour of a woman who accuses two men of raping her. Martha keeps a day-book recording events in the community and this provides important evidence used in the trials. 

 The Frozen River is the Monash University Alumni Book Club book for january-February 2026. 

 Reviews:

The Frozen River - Portobello Book Blog

The Frozen River - Marmalade and Mustardseed 

Information about Martha Ballard:

Martha Ballard 'Delivered' - marthaballard.com 

Who was Martha Ballard - DoHistory 

Martha Ballard - Historic Hallowell

Other novels about midwives:

Lisa Lee. Lady Tan's Circle of Women

Lauren Chater. Gulliver's Wife

Philippa Gregory. Tidelands