See How They Fall

The Turner family meet to spend Easter together at the family property, Yallambee, in New South Wales. Sir Campbell Turner, who had created a family business that traded worldwide, had recently died and part of the reason for the family get-together is for his three sons, Jamie, Duncan and Hugo, to discuss the distribution of the family fortune. But before the weekend ends one person will be dead and a six year old girl will be seriously ill in hospital.

Initially See How They Fall by Rachel Parks reads as a mystery novel with the need to discover who committed the crime, but it soon becomes obvious that it is much more than that. The story is narrated by Skye, the wife of Duncan Turner, and Mei O'Connor who is investigating the case. The corruption that has occurred within the Turner family is gradually revealed along with the extent that family members will go to cover up the family's crime activities.

As the novel develops into a psychological thriller it is difficult to stop reading as the reader encounters another twist or turn as the exploits of this dysfunctional family are revealed. The Turner family is used being above the law. Skye and Mei are determined that this time the truth will be revealed.

See How They Fall is a debut novel for New Zealand writer, Rachel Paris. I look forward to reading her next book. 

 This was the Monash University Alumni Book Club book for October 2025. 

Review: See How They Fall - Debbishdotcom  

Review:See How They Fall - Aotearoa New Zealand Review of Books  

People absolutely hate me - The Spinoff  

See  How They Fall - Goodreads 

Tea and Cake and Death

In Tea and Cake and Death, the second book in the Bookshop Detective Series, Gareth and Louise Ward have written another cosy crime story about two former police officers who, although they are now bookshop owners, still find crimes to solve in their neighbourhood.

Garth and Eloise, with the assistance of their dog Stevie, are constantly involved in community book groups and promotions including the big annual event - The Battle of the Book Clubs - which they organise as a fundraiser for a group looking after people with cancer. All goes well until a month before the event when a member of the community is poisoned at a book event. Several other readers follow the same fate. 

When the bookshop owners investigate they discover a link with similar deaths in 2016. They also suspect that these attacks may be directed at them and relate to an arrest made in England before they left the police force and moved to New Zealand. As the day of the Battle of the Book Clubs approaches it is imperative that they discover the perpetrator of these crimes.

When the Deep Dark Bush Swallows You Whole

Set in New Zealand, Ryan Bradley returns to the town where he grew up to work as a wool presser during the summer vacation. Ryan is studying Law at university and finds it difficult to readjust to life in a town where he is now considered an outsider. He also is haunted by memories of Sanna Sovernen who disappeared a year ago. Then Sanna's sister, Emilia, turns up in the town wanting answers to questions about her sister's disappearance.

Sanna is not the only woman to have disappeared in the bush surrounding the town. Emilia is not convinced that every effort was put into discovering what happened to her sister. She wants Ryan to help her in the investigation.

When the Deep Dark Bush Swallows You Whole by Geoff Parkes is set in December 1981 and January 1983. In these time periods we learn of life in the town before and after Sanna disappeared and meet the locals who are in contention for being the main suspects. The New Zealand bush also features in the story and the reader will also learn much about the sheep industry as the crime is eventually solved.

17 Years Later: what really killed the Primrose family?

Australian true-crime podcaster, Sloan Abbott, decides to base her next series of podcasts on a cold-case - the murder of members of the Primrose family in New Zealand. Seventeen years previously Bill Kareamer was charged with the multiple murders and had been in prison ever since. He always protested his innocence and Sloan is not sure whether he actually is guilty of the crimes or not. However, she is sure that he was not given a fair trial and she plans to prove this in the podcast series.

Working with TK Phillips who was Bill's psychologist Sloan and her team begin to realise that Bill was not the only suspect for the crime. Many of the other suspects were not interviewed. TK is initially reluctant to become re-involved with the new investigation but he gradually realises that many questions about the case were never answered. Tracking down people who knew the Primrose family is not an easy task seventeen years later and many people who they do locate are not willing to be recorded, though most provide background information. 

17 Years Later by J P Pomare provides accounts of the search for information by Sloan and her team and TK as well as including copies of relevant documents discovered in the search. The reader learns of life in the Primrose household seventeen years earlier as well as the discoveries in the current investigation. 17 Years Later is another excellent crime novel that encourages the reader to keep reading until the end. Another good read for the holidays.

The Bookshop Detectives: Dead Girl Gone

Eloise and Garth with their dog, Stevie, run the bookshop, Sherlock Tomes. They have a loyal clientele who regularly visit the store and keep them entertained. Then they are told that famous author, Isabella Garrante, wants her latest novel to be launched at their bookshop. There is so much to do to get the shop ready for the big event but then a strange envelope arrives at the shop with the message that they should investigate the disappearance of seventeen year old Tracey Jervis twenty years earlier.

Eloise and Garth were members of the police force in England before moving to New Zealand to start a new life. Their initial fear when they received the envelope was that it was connected to a criminal in England who they had helped put in prison. Before long they discover that they need to be worried about dangerous people closer to their new home including members of the Black Dogs motor cycle gang. As their investigation continues, with the assistance of a local police officer, they have a suspect for Tracey's disappearance but how are they to prove it?

The Bookshop Detectives: Dead Girl Gone by Gareth and Louise Ward is an entertaining romp as Eloise and Garth encounter danger as they investigate this cold case.

Home before midnight

Third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Melbourne and another curfew has been called. Everyone must be home by 8pm. Lou is worried. She is unable to contact her son Samuel to ensure that he knows about the impending curfew. He was going to visit his father but did not arrive. Lou becomes frantic. Samuel seems to have disappeared.

When Lou eventually hears from her son, he is evasive and hesitant about answering her questions. He indicates that he is staying with his girlfriend but Lou is not convinced that he is telling the truth. Where is her son and what has happened to him?

In Home  before midnight J. P. Pomare has written another psychological thriller that will keep the reader guessing. We know that Lou and her  ex - husband Marko have a secret but does it have any relation to the disappearance of their son? Lou knows that at all costs she must find Samuel and ensure that he arrives home safely.

Did I ever tell you this? a memoir

Nigel Neill was born in Northern Ireland in 1947. When he was seven the family moved to New Zealand where he changed his name to Sam. Breaking into the film industry via New Zealand was difficult, as at the time films were not being made there, so he began his career learning to make documentaries. Eventually he decided to try his luck in Australia and over the years found himself making films and television productions in countries throughout the world, including New Zealand.

In Did I ever tell you this? a memoir, Sam Neill takes on the reader on a journey into his world mentioning some of the many films he has made and some of the actors with whom he has worked. When he wrote this book Sam was receiving treatment for blood cancer so he decided to write the memoir as a record of his life. The result is a largely entertaining, sometimes rambling, account of Sam's adventures in the entertainment industry and how he came to make some of the films. 

As well making films Sam also owns several vineyards and this has proved to be another successful project. He also has dabbled in architecture, particularly designing family homes in Australia and New Zealand. Reading this memoir allows the reader not only to get to know Sam Neill as a person but also to gain an overview from an insider into the making of films.

The Wrong Woman

Vince Reid is a private investigator returning to a community he had left under a cloud many years previously. There has been a car accident resulting in the death of the passenger and the hospitalisation of the driver. An insurance company has hired Vince to investigate whether it really was an accident. Eshana Stiles was the driver of the car. She is in a coma when Reid arrives in town.

The story unfolds via alternate stories - Reid telling the story in present time while Eshana's story reveals past events leading to the time of the crash. Both stories are told by the protagonists. The reader gradually learns of the events in the lives of both Reid and Eshana.

 The Wrong Woman is set in Manson, a small country town in the USA. When Reid arrives in Manson he learns that two teenage girls are missing and soon wonders if there are connections between the disappearances and his case. Then a twist in the story leaves Reid questioning why he has really been asked to investigate the car crash.

The Wrong Woman is written by New Zealand born author, J P Pomare who now lives with his family in Australia. This is book is number 1 in the Vince Reid series of books and was made into a television series. He has written a number of novels including The Last Guests.

Josephine's Garden

When Rose de Beauharnais is released from prison at the end of the French Revolution in 1794 she little suspects that she will one day be Empress of France and known as Josephine. In the novel Josephine's Garden, Sephanie Parkyn continues her exploration of French history from the end of the eighteenth century to early nineteenth century by interweaving the story of Josephine Bonaparte with that of Anne, wife of the botanist Felix Lahaie, and Marthe, wife of savant Jacques de Labillardiere. 

When Josephine marries the soldier, Napoleon Boneparte, she discovers a dilapidated house by a lake with the sad name of Malmaison and decides there and then that the house should be restored and that the gardens will be her project. The plan is to make them the best gardens in France and include examples of the variety of exotic plants brought back to France by French explorers. She needs assistance to fulfill her plan so enlists the skills of Felix Lahaie who had recently returned from a four year voyage to New Holland and nearby islands. 

There are a number of themes in this book. One is the rivalry between the botanists and Josephine to be able to propagate plants from the other side of the world in France. Another theme is the quest for political power and also the need for political stability. The French Revolution did not remove the the political tensions in the country which increase as Napoleon rises to power and sets out to expand French territory in Europe and also makes himself Emperor. A third theme looks at the lives of women who have difficulty becoming pregnant for a variety of reasons.

Stephanie Parkyn has created another novel bringing to life the lives of individuals trying to survive firstly during the French Revolution and then the Napoleonic Wars. Her first novel was Into the World and the third novel is the recently published The Freedom of Birds.

Into the World

Into the World by Stephanie Parkyn is based on the life of a real person - Marie-Louise Victorie Giradin (1754-1794). On 28 September 1791 disguised as a ship's steward, Louis Giraden boarded the Researche, one of the two ships sent out by the French King to search for La Perouse's two ships that had disappeared when exploring territories in the Paccific Ocean near New Holland. 

For the next four years Marie-Louise strived to maintain her identity as a man during the expedition. She had untaken this voyage as there was no future for her as an unmarried mothers in France, particularly during the uncertain times of the French Revolution (1789-1799). Marie-Louise planned to use her earnings to support a new life with her son who she would reclaim on her return to France. However, at least one person aboard the ship knew her true identity.

 As well as the search for La Perouse, the ship carried botanists charged with collecting whatever items could be found to bring back to France. Cartographers were also aboard to chart the south coast of Australia while astronomers were to study the southern hemisphere skies. Tensions often arose between those on board as to whose interests should be persued. There were also tensions, on occasion, between those who supported the King and Republicans aboard the ship.

The novel is written from the perspective of Marie-Louise but we also learn of other real people who were on the ships, especially the thoughts of the French explorers. The book provides an insight into an often dangerous time in history as well as providing a possible picture of life aboard a sailing ship travelling into the unknown.

The author located limited reference to Louis Giradin in a number of private journals written by crew members and scientists, particularly the published journal of Jacques-Julien Labillardiere, which provided background information for the novel. 

Australian Dictionary of Biography - Marie-Louise Victoire Giradin

Louis Giradin - Museum of Western Australia

Marie Louise Victoire Giradin- The first European woman to visit Tasmania

Australian Dictionary of Biography - Jean Francoise de Galaup La Perouse

The Freedom of Birds

The Freedom of Birds by New Zealand author, Stephanie Parkyn, is set in Europe during the early years of the nineteenth century. We first meet the main characters, Remi, Pascale and Saski in 1807. When young children, they had all been deserted by their mothers and spent their early lives living with entertainers in theatres or in a circus. By 1812 they have joined forces and formed an entertainment act performing in towns to earn money for food and board as they move from town to town. They eventually find a safe haven in Venice but this is shortlived when Napoleon's army is on the retreat and it becomes obvious that Remi and Pascale, being French are putting friends in danger. They resolve to return to France.

The relevance of this story to today is increasingly apparent with Russia presently encroaching into Ukraine's territory. Some of the conflicts that have existed in Europe for centuries are highlighted in the book. Napoleon began his retreat from Moscow in 1812 and during the next two years gradually returned with his army to France. As the French army retreated young men were captured to add to its military forces.

Against the background of an ever changing political landscape, this novel explores the relationships between the three main characters as they attempt to survive in an often cruel world and also attempt to discover a little about their early life. It also shows the working of theatre, storytelling and trends in the entertainment industry at the time. Some of the characters that appear in Stephanie Parkyn's previous novels - Into the World and Josephine's Garden - appear in this story. Although the story in this book stands on its own it could be seen to be an advantage to have read the previous two novels.

Before You Knew My Name

Alice Lee had just turned 18 when she arrived in New York, hoping to start a new life. One month later she was dead. Alice's body was discovered by Ruby Jones, aged 36, who had arrived in New York from Melbourne, Australia, on the same day that Alice arrived in New York. Ruby also was searching for a new beginning.

Before You Knew My Name is written by Jacqueline Bublitz, born in New Zealand but now living in Australia. The novel is not so much about who murdered Alice Lee but is a study of Alice and Ruby as narrated by Alice. 

This is a crime novel with a difference with the story revealed from both the viewpoint of the victim and the person who found the body, rather than techniques involved in solving the crime or the perpetrator. It is a study of the effects of crime on individuals including the victim who will never have the opportunity to experience the life she would have expected to live.

With no identification on her, plus being from out of town, Alice is treated as a Jane Doe, waiting for someone to identify her as well as her killer. Meanwhile Ruby struggles with the knowledge of being 'the jogger who found the body'. A sensitive study of coming to terms with the effects of grief after a death or near death experience. The book also examines the abuse of power that some men attempt to have over women. A crime novel truely worth reading.

The Last Guests

The Last Guests by J P Pomare, New Zealand born author now living in Australia, is a pychological thriller that you possibly would not want to read late at night. You might also not want to read it if you are a user of airbnbs. This is a book about secrets, not knowing who to trust, voyeurism and surveillance, the ability to trace people on various devices plus the intrusive power of the deep web.

Cain is a former member of the NZSAS and served in Afghanistan where he was injured. He and his wife, Lina, live in Auckland where Cain is trying to run a gym while Lina is an ambulance worker. Money is short, not helped by Cain's love of gambling. Lina owns another house that previously belonged to her grandparents near a lake in the Rotorua region of New Zealand. When visiting friends one evening, the suggestion is made that the house by the lake would be a great location for a WeStay property. A little work would be needed to make it ready, but not an impossible task to undertake. Lina eventually agrees to the plan as they need the money. Then the nightmare begins.

Nancy Business

Tippy's Uncle Pike with his partner, Devon, has returned to New Zealand from Sydney to be with Tippy and her mother for the twelve month anniversary of the death of Tippy's father. Tippy has still not been told the full story about her father's accident and is grieving his death while her mother has difficulty containing her anger about events that occurred before he died. Pike and Devon are determined to entertain and spoil Tippy during their visit. They have purchased a holiday house in Riverstone and plan to supervise the refurbishments during the visit. During their stay Tippy stays with them in an Airbnb as her mother is currently working long hours.

One morning Pike, Devon and Tippy are awoken by an explosion that rocks the small town when a car bomb explodes near the town hall destroying a number of buildings and the Founding Tree. Three people are dead with others injured. Tippy's mother and Devon provide first aid to the injured. According to media reports the bomber has been identified but Tippy, Pike and Devon are not convinced about the facts as presented and the Nancy Drew fans tackle a new investigation.

There is much zany and often outrageous humour in this book but the novel also a dark side, particularly when  dealing with the question as to when people should be told something that will only cause them grief. The relationship between Pike and Devon is also tested. In the end it is the investigation that reunites them.

The Nancy Business by R W R McDonald, a New Zealander now living in Australia, is the second book in the series. The Nancy's was published last year. Indications at the end of the book is that there is still more of this story to tell.

The Girl in the Mirror

The girl in the mirror is the first novel written by New Zealand author, Rose Carlyle. Summer Rose and Iris are identical twin sisters but with different personalities and interests. It is soon obvious that all is not as it seems.

When their father died he left a will that would divide and cause havoc in his large family, having had three wives and seven children, when he decreed that the family fortune was not to be divided but would go to only one family member.

Summer Rose, her husband Adam and her step son are in Thailand when they request that Iris should join them to sail the family boat, Bathesheba, to the Seyshelles. As she loves sailing Iris jumps at the opportunity and soon Summer and Iris are on their way. Mid-journey diaster occurs and Iris' life is never the same.

This psychological thriller takes the reader on a dramatic ride as the many twists and turns in the plot are revealed.

The Nancys

Eleven year old Tippy Chan waited excitedly at the airport for her Uncle Pike to arrive from Australia.  Pike brings with him his new boy-friend, Devon, and they are returning to Pike's home town in New Zealand to look after Tippy while her mother goes on a cruise.

Growing up Pike loved reading Nancy Drew books and had passed his collection to Tippy who was also a fan. So when Tippy's school teacher is murdered Tippy, Pike and Devon decide to form a group, the Nancys, to investigate the crime, especially when the police appear to arrest the wrong suspect. Tippy is also concerned about a friend, Todd, who fell from a bridge several days before the death of the teacher.

R W R (Rob) McDonald is a New Zealander who now lives in Australia. In this book he has created a collection of eccentric, and sometimes flawed, characters who live in Tippy's community and support her.

As well as being a murder mystery the book is concerned about people, their perceptions of themselves and of others plus the different ways that people cope with grief. Tippy's father had died in a car crash nine months earlier and she is struggling to understand how and why it happened. Her mother is also struggling with coping with the death of her husband and has not told Tippy the full story. She is also cross that Pike left New Zealand when he was young to find a new life.

This is a very readable crime novel, often amusing with loads of over-the top humour.  

R W R McDonald https://rwrmcdonald.com/
AustCrime  https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/nancys-rwr-mcdonald
Nancy Drew books  https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/NAD/nancy-drew

Pearly Gates: a novel

Pat (Pearly to his friends) Gates runs a real estate agency in a small town on the South Island of New Zealand. To all intents and purposes he is a successful businessman and well liked in his local community where he is a councillor about to stand for a third term as mayor. In his younger days Pearly was a successful rugby player and may have even played for his country if injury had not cut short his rugby career. He is married to Helen and they have two grown up children who have moved away from home.

All appears to be going well for Pearly but he begins to have doubts and question some of his decisions and actions as well as his relationships, especially with family. At the end of some of the chapters there is a flashback to events that occurred earlier in Pearly's life which provide a back story as well as an insight into the state of Pearly's mind.

The author of this novel, Owen Marshall, is well known in New Zealand as a writer of short stories and poetry as well as, more recently, novels.

Owen Marshall's website