My 2018 Aussie Top Ten Reads

                  

I am jumping on the bandwagon and posting my best books of the year.  As choosing only ten books though is just way too difficult, I’ve decided to post my top ten books by Aussie authors first.

Suspect by Michael Robotham:  How did I only discover Robotham this year?  This is the first book in the Joseph O’Loughlin series and I adored it. Although this thriller/mystery has so much going on in it, it’s still an easy read, fast paced and a definite page turner. I couldn’t wait to get to the end to find out how Joe would get out of his dilemma. Just a warning, sitting up late at night to finish the book will happen. There was an unexpected twist in the end that left me breathless for a long moment.  5 out of 5

Lost by Michael Robotham:  It’s a gutsy move to relegate the character you’re planning to make the star of a series to a supporting role in only the second book, but I also thought it was a master stroke. In this thriller/mystery, we follow the story of DI Ruiz who’d pursued O’Loughlin in Suspect. The action moves along with breakneck speed and again Robotham made me gasp out loud a couple of times with shock at the many plot twists and unexpected scenes which occur.  5 out of 5

Life Or Death by Michael Robotham:  A stand alone Robotham thriller/mystery.  Set in the US, it starts with the book’s hero, Audie Palmer, escaping from gaol only one day before he is due to be released on parole. Robotham’s skill for writing action sequences is highlighted, especially during the first part of the book which is full of above average fight and flight scenes. The book is much more though. Robotham’s observations of family and society and the dark side of human nature are remarkable and he manages to present many literary elements.  5 out of 5

The Right Place by Carla Caruso:  Nella and Adrian’s story was probably one of the best contemporary romances I’ve read for a while. The book also comes under the genre of historical fiction by featuring Nella’s grandmother’s, Esta, story of migrating to Australia from Italy in the 50s.  There’s beautiful Italian recipes included (and not just a couple — as many as some high priced recipe books I have purchased in the past) which makes  The Right Place double the worth. 4 1/2 out of 5

The Art of Preserving Love by Ada Langton: This rich and unique tale is about preserving love; ensuring it doesn’t fade, no matter the circumstances.  Love in all its forms, not just romantic.  There is romance, of course, but it isn’t written in the traditional form. The romance more or less just weaves its way through what I’d probably class as a historical women’s fiction book.  4 1/2 out of 5

The Way Back by Kylie Ladd: I thought The Way Back would be a mystery cum physiological thriller, perhaps police procedural.Instead it is the dramatic story of a typical Australian family coping with an unbearably heartbreaking situation. I think my favourite thing about this book is that it felt so real. No character or plotline seemed over the top.  I shed a tear more than once.  4 1/2 out of 5

Beautiful Messy Love by Tess Woods:  A contemporary romance done right.  Woods uses modern references and topical political subjects to actually add to the plot and characterisation. Social media, terrorism, fear of Muslims, asylum seekers, Australia’s off-shore detention centres – they’re all integrated into the plot seamlessly. If you’re looking for a book that represents how Aussies really think, talk and act, this is the book for you. The dialogue and slang are spot on.  4 1/2 out of 5

The Sunday Girl by Pip Drysdale:  An addictive psychological thriller in the vein of Girl on the Train. Instead of the big shock twist, Drysdale just keeps the tension on one blood pumping level. She has a knack of making even the most mundane moments feel frightening. From a parrot squawking to a yellow ribbon, you just know, as you read, that these small things will be dangerous.  4 out of 5

The Secrets at Ocean’s Edge by Kali Napier:  Set in 1932, WW1 is still affecting many of this book’s characters either physically, mentally or financially. The secrets of the title are many and varied. Napier covers tough issues: sexual abuse/rape, child abuse, adultery, arson, extortion. The book can be quite harrowing at times but is an impressive debut and will believe it will become an important piece of Australian literature in the future. 4 out of 5

The Memories That Make Us by Vanessa Carnevale:  Our heroine, Gracie, suffers from complete amnesia after being involved in a car accident. She can’t remember her best friend, her mother, or her fiance, Blake, who she was supposed to marry in three weeks. Yes, the old faithful amnesia trope. But with this book and her heroine, Carnevale has really done an excellent job at looking at the fear of memory loss instead of simply using it as a cliched romantic plot device.  4 out of 5

Suspect

Book Review:  Suspect (Joseph O’Loughlin #1) by Michael Robotham

The ninth book in the Joseph O’Loughlin series is currently out and proving very popular on my Goodreads dash, so I decided to test the waters, so to speak, and read the first book.

Did I enjoy it and will I continue with the series? Yes and yes! Two big fat definite yeses!

The plot is complicated but believable. A woman is brutally murdered and dumped in a canal not far from where psychologist Professor Joe O’Loughlin and his family lives. When showing a photo to a group of prostitutes in a bid to identify the victim, the lead detective, the gloriously crusty DI Ruiz, meets Joe and asks him to help out with the case. Soon, however, all the evidence in the case points to Joe being the murderer.

Joe is the everyday ordinary man and not the physical Tom Cruise-like hero. His job is basically a desk job and, to add to his physical woes, he has recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Therefore, he has to find ways to mentally outwit both the police and the real murderer to save the day and this was one of the more entertaining aspects of the book.

The (assumed) villain is a patient of Joe’s and I loved the way Robotham peeled back layer upon layer of his life to, for want of a better word, justify the crimes he is (presumably) guilty of carrying out.

I also adored all the other supporting characters, from Joe’s tough father to his ever efficient receptionist. I could picture them all so clearly in my mind. I really hope many will feature again in subsequent books in the series. I haven’t read characters with such depth in quite a while.

Although Robotham is Australian, the book is set in London and Liverpool. I loved all the Liverpool scenes in particular. The locals were funny and uncomfortably fearsome in equal measure.

Robotham’s style is fantastic. Although the book has so much going on in it, it’s still an easy read, fast paced and a definite page turner. I couldn’t wait to get to the end to find out how Joe would get out of his dilemma. Just a warning, sitting up late at night to finish the book will happen.

I was very careful not to read any spoilers for this book or blurbs from future books. Even though I knew Joe would make it through to the end of the book and be vindicated (obviously as he has to feature in eight further books), I was still nervous for the outcome of Joe’s family and friends and there was an unexpected twist in the end that left me breathless for a long moment.

This book is currently reduced on the ebook sites and I recommend you snap it up as soon as possible. (Actually, I was thinking about James Patterson after I finished. This is pretty much how Patterson should write but doesn’t, so if you’re looking for something in that vein, you should try this series.)

Suspect, Joe and Robotham have become instant firm favourites and I can’t wait to continue with the series.

5 out of 5