Boomerang Books Info Bank - Fiction Book Reviews

The Woman in the Lobby by Lee Tulloch

Thu, 01 May 2008 05:41:52 UT

Melbourne-born author Lee Tulloch writes for newspapers and magazines such as the Age, Vogue Living and Australian Women’s Weekly. She has written five previous novels, including Wraith and Perfect Pink.

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The Two Pearls of Wisdom by Alison Goodman

Thu, 01 May 2008 05:39:32 UT

Twelve-year-old Eon, aspiring apprentice to the zodiacal Rat Dragon, is playing a dangerous game: he is actually Eona, 16-years-old and a girl.

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Nocturne by Diane Armstrong

Thu, 01 May 2008 05:36:22 UT

Herself a childhood refugee from WWII Poland, Armstrong is on familiar territory following the author’s earlier explorations of personal identity and the Holocaust. Teenage Elzunia Orlowski reaches womanhood through the deprivations imposed upon her by the Nazi occupation of Warsaw.

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The Nearly Happy Family by Catherine McKinnon

Thu, 01 May 2008 05:32:48 UT

Told in alternating chapters by mother Jackie and eldest daughter Claire, The Nearly Happy Family is a confident, though perhaps overly long, debut from Catherine McKinnon.

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Misconceptions by Sophie Townsend

Thu, 01 May 2008 05:29:44 UT

Sophie Townsend’s debut novel is both tender and readable. Best friends Ruth and Mim have been each others’ rock through countless experiences, including the death of Ruth’s mother when they were young.

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The Household Guide to Dying by Debra Adelaide

Thu, 01 May 2008 05:27:01 UT

Delia Bennet offers domestic advice for a living, is the author of the popular ‘Household Guide’ series, and she is dying of cancer. Using her experience of dying as fodder, Delia embarks upon writing her final book

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Dreamland by Tom Gilling

Thu, 01 May 2008 05:23:45 UT

Gilling’s previous novels have been historicals, set in an early Australia tinged with fantasy, black comedy and a touch of the gothic. His latest is quite a departure, with its contemporary Sydney setting and many of the genre hallmarks of the crime thriller.

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Dreaming Again ed. by Jack Dann

Thu, 01 May 2008 05:20:54 UT

The release of the Dreaming Down-Under collection in 1998 marked a significant time for Australian speculative fiction. For those of us who were lucky or clever enough to get a copy it was a wild and brilliant showcase of stories that pushed the boundaries of science fiction, fantasy and horror

The Dark Mountain by Catherine Jinks

Thu, 01 May 2008 05:17:44 UT

A great big hulk of a book that, given its definite pageturner status, nonetheless goes by very quickly. I have to admit that I would probably never think to pick up this book based on the market its cover suggests

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The Darkest Hour by Katherine Howell

Thu, 01 May 2008 05:14:48 UT

This is the second crime novel to feature detective Ella Marconi, following Frantic. Once again the author introduces the lives of paramedics and this I found fascinating, knowing little about the experiences of an ambulance officer.

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Bird by Sophie Cunningham

Thu, 01 May 2008 05:11:58 UT

Anna Davidoff, aka Bird, is a Russian immigrant, ’50s movie star and Buddhist nun. Ana-Sofia is her daughter, a lonely woman who cannot move forward with life until she comes to terms with her mother’s abandonment.

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The Twisted Citadel by Sara Douglass

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 01:00:02 UT

There are three perilous things a fantasy writer may attempt that often end in disaster. The first is to extend a popular franchise past its original conclusion. The second is to resurrect a fan favourite character who has been convincingly killed.

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Texas: An Australian Love Story by Sarah Hay

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 01:00:02 UT

Don’t be misled by the title, this book is by no means a romantic love story. Rather, it is a tale of loneliness and the harsh realities of mid-’80s life on a cattle station in a remote part of Western Australia.

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Shatter by Michael Robotham

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 01:00:03 UT

A woman jumps to her death from a bridge, an obvious suicide. The clinical psychologist called in to talk her down thinks she was coerced. The police ignore his theory, forcing him to chase it up himself.

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The Séance by John Harwood

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 00:45:02 UT

This crisply written mystery is told in several sections, from three alternating points of view. Constance Langton, a young woman living in London in 1889, opens the narrative with a firstperson description of how she came to be involved in the world of ‘spiritualists’ and séances

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