When another wave of the virus hits, and the government issues an 8pm curfew for all Melbourne residents, Lou's son Samuel doesn't make it home in time. As day turns to night and darkness overcomes the city, her panic soars. He's not answering his phone. He hasn't left a message. And his social media is … Continue reading Review: Home Before Night by J.P. Pomare
Author: Simon McDonald
Simon is a Sydney-based award-winning bookseller.
Review: Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane
Small Mercies is a tour de force of crime writing, which’ll come as no surprise to those who’ve read Dennis Lehane before. Set in Boston in 1974, with the public school system on the cusp of desegregation, we’re introduced to Mary Pat Fennessey, a lifetime resident of South Boston, who simmers with rage like everybody … Continue reading Review: Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane
Review: City of Dreams by Don Winslow
I call middle sections of trilogies storytelling cartilage. You need that connective tissue for the sake of the saga’s culmination. But those second novels rarely satisfy. They don’t function as standalone narratives. They’re bridges. Leave it to the maestro, Don Winslow, to refute that notion. “City of Dreams” picks up moments after “City on Fire” … Continue reading Review: City of Dreams by Don Winslow
Review: The Last Orphan by Gregg Hurwitz
Evan Smoak returns in another pedal-to-the-metal action blockbuster, which doesn't really ingratiate itself to new readers, but will more than satisfy those who've been following Orphan X since the beginning. In other words, if you loved the others, you'll love "The Last Orphan," too. This time round, our favourite government-assassin-turned-pro-bono-vigilante is captured by an army of … Continue reading Review: The Last Orphan by Gregg Hurwitz
Review: Age Of Vice by Deepti Kapoor
Deepti Kapoor's "Age Of Vice" is a sprawling, old-fashioned epic that reads like a fusion of Don Winslow and Rohinton Mistry. It's the story of India at the turn of the 21st century, prismed through the perspectives of three characters navigating the country's rampant corruption; its prejudice, class, money and power; and facing up to their own morality … Continue reading Review: Age Of Vice by Deepti Kapoor
Review: The Salt Path by Raynor Winn
Oh, gosh did I love “The Salt Path.” I’m talking, possibly edging into my all-time favourites kind of love. That’s right: love-love. It’s another book I’m late to — if indeed one can be ‘late’ to reading something — but sometimes it’s about timing, right? Turns out a couple nights in a giant house in … Continue reading Review: The Salt Path by Raynor Winn
Review: I Will Find You by Harlan Coben
It never takes me more than a weekend to binge a Harlan Coben thriller. Regardless of real life affairs, Coben's brand of storytelling — pacy, taut and twisty — always demands 'one more chapter.' His latest, "I Will Find You," is no different; I turned its pages so fast my fingers blistered. But its sheer … Continue reading Review: I Will Find You by Harlan Coben
Review: Sarn Helen – A Journey Through Wales, Past, Present and Future by Tom Bullough
Tom Bullough's "Sarn Helen" is many things: a travelogue of the author's walk of the titular Roman road that once cut through Wales, from southern Neath to northern Caerhun; a history of the country from its very beginning; and a terrifying prophecy of its future, as the climate crisis intensifies. Despite his inauspicious forecast, "Sarn Helen" is very much … Continue reading Review: Sarn Helen – A Journey Through Wales, Past, Present and Future by Tom Bullough
Review: Headland by John Byrnes
“Headland” is a propulsive, lean and gritty crime thriller from a distinct new voice in Australian crime writing. It reads like John Byrnes hails from the school of Mickey Spillane. His debut is packed with debauched sex and gunplay. It begins as classic Australian noir: outsider cop arrives in a small rural town and takes … Continue reading Review: Headland by John Byrnes
Review: Maame by Jessica George
Jessica George’s “Maame” is a sensational debut. It’s a coming-of-age page-turner that tackles weighty themes with a light touch, anchored by 25 year old Londoner, Maddie; referred to as ‘Maame’ by her Ghanaian family, which is intended as a term of endearment, a salute to her reliability, but is actually the root of her anxiety, … Continue reading Review: Maame by Jessica George
Simon McDonald 