The Gilded Seal by James Twining

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Genre - Thriller

"It started with a whisper; a barely voiced tremor of suppressed anticipation that rippled gently through the expectant crowd.

‘Pronto. Pronto estara aqui.’ Soon. She’ll be here soon.

But the whisper evaporated almost as quickly as it had appeared. Snatched from their lips by a capricious wind, it was carried far above their heads into the warm night."

James Twining’s The Gilded Seal is a maze of twists and turns screaming from Europe to the Americas to Japan to New York and to the catacombs under Paris at breakneck speed. In this latest episode in the complex life of reformed art thief, Tom Kirk, we see him clashing wits against his arch-enemy, Milo. Called in to investigate the theft of Da Vinci’s 'Madonna of the Yarnwinder', Tom is chilled by the macabre sign nailed to the wall; a message just for him, Felix, announcing Milo is back.

Meanwhile, his old lover, Jennifer Browne, FBI agent, travels to Paris to investigate an art fraud. Their paths cross early, adding another layer of complexity to both their lives. Soon, they are drawn into a labyrinth of thieves and kidnappers, and a host of cruel murders. Someone is torturing and killing Tom’s friends. He must race against time to save the life of the kidnapped daughter of one of them.

Then, Jennifer discovers Tom is plotting to steal the 'Mona Lisa’ from the Louvre. And who is the Japanese man?

Once again, James Twining leads his readers on a heart-stopping, page turning, eye-popping adventure. Twining is one of those writers who never lets the writing get in the way of the characters and their stories. His ability has the reader feeling like a consummate voyeur.

---- Reviewed by Hannah

Still Summer by Jacquelyn Mitchard

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Read more reviews at NoveList

Genre - Suspense fiction


The glorious front cover drew me to this great summer read. Lifelong friends since high school, Holly, Tracy and Olivia reunite for a luxurious Caribbean sailing trip. Tracy’s beautiful teenage daughter, Camille, joins them at the last minute as they set off with an experienced two man crew on the holiday of a lifetime. We get to know more about the women and their families on their cruise in paradise. Their shared history and some new secrets are revealed as the suspense builds until a series of deadly mistakes leave them fighting for survival at the mercy of dangerous drug runners and the sea. This is a strong story of survival and friendship.

---- Reviewed by Sue, Knox Library

Beneath the Bleeding by Val McDermid

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Genre - Thriller


"Carnage, Tony thought as a burly figure emerged from the corridor, swinging a fire axe as if it were a scythe and he a grim reaper, jeans and polo shirt spattered with blood. The burly man was intent on his prey. He was gaining on them. Another couple of strides and the axe blade would be slicing through flesh - again".

Tony Hill and Carol Jordan like to solve puzzles, of the gruesome type, but their preferred methods are very different. Tony, psychologist and criminal profiler, likes getting inside the heads of serial killers, even if it means walking into rooms with them, alone. He also likes to get inside the heads of the victims, to better see who the killer is, even if it means lying down on the spot where they died. DCI Carol Jordan, on the other hand, runs the Major Incident Team at Bradfield Police, and prefers to deal with facts and traditional methods. Yet, these two are a formidable team when butting heads against psychopathic killers. Only this time, Tony is in hospital, seriously injured, and Carol is up against a murderer who is long gone before his victims are even dead.

As a bizarre batch of murders happens, Carol follows the leads methodically and is finally narrowing in on the guilty party. Tony, still in hospital and with plenty of time on his hands for online research and flights of fancy, is following a completely different path and growing increasingly impatient with Carol for not listening to him.

Frustrated at his enforced incarceration and convinced his doctors are all idiots with a dose of nasty thrown in just for his displeasure, Tony takes matters into his own hands and leaves his bed, and the hospital. He soon learns this is a mistake, in more ways than one, and returns to his patient status. And to make matters worse, his mother comes to visit, repeatedly. The nurses are impressed by her concern and devotion to her son; Tony takes her visits as a puzzle to be solved; but Carol thinks Mrs Hill is up to no good.

The emotional tension between Tony and Carol bristles as they both battle and hide their own feelings from each other. The electricity between the two and their dogged determination as independent loners brings a subtext which enlivens and deepens the appeal of these two protagonists. They live together, as landlord and lessee, they are constantly in each other’s company, work closely together on the most puzzling and brutal murders and serial killings, but push as far away from each other on the personal front as they can. The trouble is, deep down where it counts, they are too much alike.

This is a book which balances perfectly on a knife-edge between the unfolding, seemingly random murders and Tony’s personal drama with Carol, his mother and his surgeon. We are given an insight into Tony’s childhood which adds layers to his eccentric personality and singular gifts as a psychological profiler. Whether you are an avid devourer of thrillers or like your murder taken with a good pinch of personal interplay, then you must read Beneath the Bleeding.

Beneath the Bleeding is gritty, psychological, at times even haunting and promises to keep the reader turning pages whilst holding their breath as they ride McDermid’s latest rollercoaster.

---- Reviewed by Hannah

Clean Break by Jacqueline Wilson

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Genre - Family


If you haven’t read anything by this author, it’s well and truly time you do. She’s among my top three young adult writers (I can’t pick which order), but she is hands-down the best author in the junior fiction section of my library. Ms Wilson is a prize-winning favourite and readers’ choice for very good reasons. There are characters that everyone can relate to, and the characters have dimensions: some you like, some you don’t, and others that have you changing your mind throughout.

The premise of this novel is universal and utterly believable: a father walks out on a family. And the novel’s turning point sees our narrator meeting her favourite author (Jenna Williams, for whom even her illustration seems based on Jacqueline Wilson herself). See what are you waiting for? Track down the author’s books now!

---- Reviewed by Tez

Until It's Over by Nicci French

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Genre - Mystery


This author (well, authors - Nicci French is a pseudonym for two journalists) is a master of psychological thrillers, and is my favourite writer to come out of England. These standalone novels take ordinary people living ordinary lives, and turn their existence into the stuff of very real nightmares.

In this book, cycle courier Astrid Bell’s neighbour is murdered, and a random client of Astrid’s is dead when she arrives to collect a package. But it’s a third murder that leads the police to believe that there is no such thing as coincidence in this case.

The book was quite a cracker, until it switched to the POV of the culprit - then there was a rehash of the events through the killer’s eyes. While it was nice to read some explanation, it didn’t seem entirely necessary. Nevertheless, I’m eagerly awaiting the author’s next book.

---- Reviewed by Tez

Mozart and the Whale by Jerry and Mary Newport

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Genre - Biography


Mozart and the Whale is an unusual love story told in alternating episodes by two people, Jerry and Mary, who have both been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. Jerry, a mathematical genius, and Mary, a gifted composer, lead lives of misunderstanding and loneliness, however, on meeting each other, a sympathetic recognition draws them together.

They marry , but the continuing 'autistic' frustration and anger still lurking in each of them results in a separation. Jerry and Mary eventually re-marry and it is enlightening to hear the differing perspectives and feelings of these two unique individuals.

Aspergers is now realized to be so common that it is no longer considered an 'illness', but just part way along the spectrum between normal and autistic. This book, one of a raft of stories being written by and about people with Aspergers, elucidates the intricacies and quirkiness of a mind/brain affected by this condition.

---- Reviewed by Clare, Mooroolbark library

Skin Privilege by Karin Slaughter

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Genre - Mystery


The author’s books are great for many reasons, but what immediately spring to mind are the characters. These people are really screwed up, and none so more than my favourite, Lena Adams. This novel takes us out of Grant County where Lena is suspected of a brutal murder. And she’s flown the coop. This is a woman who doesn’t want to be saved, yet seemingly doesn’t want to save herself either. And the people populating her hometown…yep, they’re screwed up, too. They keep family secrets, they’re big on drugs, and skinheads unfortunately abound.

But what’s most surprising about this novel? The final page. Don’t spoil it for yourself, readers. All I’m saying is that there better be another book in this series, because I need closure!

---- Reviewed by Tez

Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist

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Genre - Horror


This tale is much more than just a vampire story. It has crime, social commentary, school life, parental issues, alcoholism and cats. It’s so refreshing to read an urban fantasy novel that doesn’t have the cliché kick-arse heroine. Instead, we have schoolboy Oskar, bullied relentlessly at school, who has a macabre fascination with murder. Eli, who’s just moved next door, is like no one else Oskar’s encountered before and there’s a good reason for that.

Oskar and Eli are two of the most fascinating characters I’ve come across in a long time. The cat scenes are disturbing - the moral of the story being not to own eighteen cats. The cruelty and violence of the kids is horrifying; forget the innocence you believe children have. An engrossing read that leaves me waiting for the author’s second novel to be translated into English.

---- Reviewed by Tez

Stray by Rachel Vincent

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Read more reviews at Novelist

Genre - Fantasy


If you’ve read enough about werewolves, here’s a different kind of shape-shifter life – as a werecat. In their society females are rare, and thus highly valued. But Faythe Sanders needed distance from her Pride, and so attended university for five years. But when she’s attacked by a stray (a bitten werecat with no Pride), and her fellow tabbies around the country go missing, Faythe is dragged back to her home. Annoyed with her all-hours protection, she’s overdue for some time to herself, but when she finally gets it, it’s at a dangerous price. Without all her guards, it’s up to Faythe to save herself and her fellow tabbies.

The second half of the novel is worth the cover price alone. Greg Sanders is the most admirable character by far: parenthood and team-leading is difficult enough without all the werecats, ferocious tempers and territorial disputes he has to deal with. Add that to keeping his emotions at bay, and he’s overqualified for the Father of the Year award. Who needs Hogwarts when you can have the Pride? The release of ROGUE (and any other works by this fabulous author) can’t come soon enough.

---- reviewed by Tez

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard

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Genre - Nature writing


Annie Dillard's writing is not to everyone's taste. She is primarily a "nature" writer, however her works are rendered more seductive by her philosophical meanderings, including ethical dilemmas, and intriguing God-problems. For instance, she asks if God is perhaps downright malevolent.

Dillard's close observations of nature sometimes result in troubling thoughts. Nature is not all beauty.- It is , as she says, a "chomp-chomp world". However her great joy and wonderment at the Pilgrim Creek happenings enthuse the reader.

"Pilgrim" is a book in which, according to your proclivity, nothing happens, or a great deal happens.

I found it quite inspiring and have since been searching out creeks and ponds and looking with a more observant eye.

---- Reviewed by Clare, Mooroolbark library