The Lost Man/ Jane Harper/ 352 pgs

I really liked Harper's first book, The Dry. Her second book, Force of Nature, not as much. But The Lost Man. Wow. This is her best book yet. I was stunned by the end and, to be honest, almost afraid to give the revelation too much thought. This is a mystery and a family drama, set in the beautiful, brutal outback of Eastern Australia. Cameron Bright, a husband, a father, the most charming of three brothers, is found dead in the desert. His death from dehydration was horrible and yet he was found alone, miles away from his fully stocked car. Did he commit suicide or did something more nefarious happen? Left to pick up the pieces and figure out the mystery is Cam's older brother Nathan. He's been divorced for over a decade and has also been the town pariah for just as long. Nathan was a heartbreaking figure to me, someone done in by circumstances, a small town, and some disastrous decisions of his own making. All members of the Bright family are well drawn and they are nothing if not shaped by the land they live on. This is an absolutely fabulous read with an ending I won't soon forget.

Nine Perfect Strangers/Lianne Moriarty/453 pgs

Lianne Moriarty always writes engaging, fully developed characters. In this novel, she starts out with some very cliched characters (on purpose, I think) but she gives them life and personality. Tranquillum House is a resort/spa that vows to change its customers' lives. But the nine who show up for a 10 day "transformation" are in for a surprise. Masha, the director of the spa and a former corporate bulldog, has decided to introduce a new element to her clients. This is an interesting, sometimes funny, sometimes sad, story with an ensemble cast that will keep you hooked the whole way through. It's hard to pick who my favorite character is of the nine, but I think it would be Frances, the romance novelist on the brink of the end of her career.

Force of Nature/ Jane Harper/ 326 pgs

I really enjoyed Harper's first novel, The Dry. This one was a bit disappointing after that. The writing is still stellar--Harper does atmosphere very well. It's the plot that lacks here. The setting is still Australia only this time it's a rainy, wooded, mountainous region in the middle of nowhere instead of dry farmland in the middle of nowhere. Five women and five men head out on a corporate, team-building adventure in the forest. The men return on time at the end of the weekend. The women return late and one of them is missing. Our federal agent from the first book, Aaron Falk, is called in because his financial team was investigating the company the hikers worked for. The plot here is mostly unbelievable and entirely predictable. There are a couple of red herrings thrown in but they lack substance and so do not add to the already weak suspense. Falk and his partner, Carmen, seem to have no direction. They wander here and there, not really helping with the search directly and even their interactions together lack focus until the end of the book. I'd love to read another book from Harper but I hope it's more like her first novel than this second one.

The Dry/ Jane Harper / 328 pgs

The Dry (which I think is an unfortunate name for a novel) is a suspense story

set in an isolated rural town in Australia The town is suffering from a severe drought and in turn, economic hardship. I thought the setting and its different facets were well done by the author. A father, mother, and six-year-old boy are found shot to death on their farm (warning for disturbing content). The only survivor is a year-old baby. Initially, this looks like a down-on-his luck farmer who ended the lives of his family members and then took his own. Aaron Falk, a forensic accountant for the federal government, returns to the town he left behind abruptly 20 years ago to attend the funeral of his friend, the supposed killer of his family. Aaron is NOT warmly welcomed back, as he and his father were driven out of town by accusations that Aaron killed a teen-aged friend, Ellie, all those years ago. Though reluctant, Aaron finds himself drawn into the current investigation of the murder-suicide, even while his presence in town stirs up memories and emotions from the past. This book kept me interested from start to finish, although I do think the flashbacks got to be a bit much. There were two mysteries here and I did not guess the solution to one of them, which is good, while I felt the other one was not really resolved in a satisfactory way, i.e. there was no closure and no justice for the victim.

The Fifth Letter/ Nicola Moriarty / 278 pgs

I didn't realize until I finished reading this book by Nicola Moriarty that she is the sister of Liane Moriarty. I've read a number of Liane's Australian-set novels and liked them. The Fifth Letter is also set in Australia. Four women have been friends since middle school and they try to get together every year for a vacation together. They are now in their thirties and have gone to the beach (in the winter!) for a week. The organizer of the group, Joni, decides that they should all write an anonymous letter divulging a secret they've never shared with each other and then they'll read one letter aloud each night. This alone would make for quite a story but it also turns out that someone wrote a "fifth" letter. They wrote that letter first, then changed their mind about the secret they wanted to reveal and wrote a different letter to be shared. Of course Joni finds the fifth letter. Much drama ensues.

While I thought this was well-written, it took a while to get going and I didn't think the secret in the fifth letter was really all that "holy cow, I can't believe it!" Let's just say I was honestly glad to see someone getting psychiatric help at the end of the story. And I have to say that the epilogue, especially the very last line, was just too much. I think the author thought she was being clever but my reaction was just "ugh."

Truly Madly Guilty/ Liane Moriarty/ 415 pages

Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty is a study of how one event can effect nine different people.  It's a particularity rainy time in Sydney, Australia.   But just a few weeks ago six and their children acquaintances gathered for an impromptu barbecue.  For the remainder of the book, bit by bit the incident at the barbecue is revealed as the reader learns more and more about each participant.  A cellist, a stripper, a cranky old man and a request for donor eggs all contribute the story and the incident.  This was a very interesting read.  The reader was kept guessing as to the true nature of the incident.  As each bit is revealed the reader may begin to know what happened.  Overall the characters are likable, each with a very interesting back story.  The ending will not let you down.

The Light Between Oceans/M.L. Stedman/343 pages

A lighthouse keeper and his wife discover an abandoned dingy with a dead man and crying baby just days after the wife has suffered her third devastating miscarriage. Isabel convinces her husband Tom to keep the baby instead of reporting it to the authorities. As the only inhabitants of the remote island off the coast of Australia, it seems like no one would suspect the baby isn't really theirs. Then, during one of their infrequent visits to the mainland, they discover the baby's family and the tragic story behind her predicament. Will Isabel and Tom be able to keep their lie between them or will they return the baby to her real family?


Spoiler alert: this is a sad book! I felt so much sympathy for each of the characters. Stedman does a great job making even morally questionable decisions understandable. She also conveys the loneliness and sense of duty of a lighthouse keeper perfectly. This is a remarkable first novel. I highly recommend it.

Big Little Lies / Liane Moriarty / 480 p.

WOW! That's how I would sum up this book in one word. It is full of humor (I LOVE Madeline!) but it is a serious book about serious issues...and quite a few secrets. AND somebody (?) gets killed. It is set in Australia, but this could just as easily have been the U. S. It centers around a group of parents of new kindergarten students. Jane: a single mom who's child is accused of bullying from the first day. Madeline: struggling to deal with having her ex's child in the same kindergarten as her o...more WOW! That's how I would sum up this book in one word. It is full of humor (I LOVE Madeline!) but it is a serious book about serious issues...and quite a few secrets. AND somebody (?) gets killed. It is set in Australia, but this could just as easily have been the U. S. It centers around a group of parents of new kindergarten students. Jane: a single mom who's child is accused of bullying from the first day. Madeline: struggling to deal with having her ex's child in the same kindergarten as her own kindergartner with her 2nd husband--not to mention problems with the daughter they share. Celeste: who has the biggest secret of all. Terrific storytelling! For readers of realistic, contemporary family fiction that centers on the family in all its forms.

The Husband's Secret/Liane Moriarty/396 pages

Cecilia Fitzpatrick is the ultra-organized super mom. She is a successful businesswoman (selling Tupperware), president of our version of PTO, devoted wife and mother of three. While looking for a keepsake to give to her daughter in her very orderly side of the attic, she accidently comes across a letter in her husband's very messy side. "For my wife, Cecilia Fitzpatrick. To be opened only in the event of my death" is written on the envelope. John-Paul Fitzpatrick is very much alive and on a business trip in the U.S. When he calls that evening, she mentions the letter, and he begs her not to open it. Then he comes home the next day, three days ahead of schedule. Cecilia's and two other women's lives will be changed when she opens the letter and gets the shock of her life. Set in Australia and at Easter, I had to keep reminding myself about the difference in seasons since the characters would mention the beginning of autumn.


Very good story that kept me interested all the way until the end. Moriarty is becoming one of my favorite authors.

The Light Between Oceans/Stedman/343 pages

 When Tom first returns from fighting on the Western Front in the early 1920s, he is deeply disturbed by everything he has gone through and expects to live out the rest his life alone. Tom takes a job as a lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, just off the coast of Australia, isolated from everyone, with supply boats coming only twice a year and a leave to the mainland once every two years. Unexpectedly, he meets and falls in love with Isabel who is  strong and bold, a young woman ready for an adventure. They create a happy, loving life but after two miscarriages, Isabel longs for a baby to call her own. After rescuing a baby girl from a boat washed ashore on their island, her prayers are answered. Against Tom's better judgement, they claim the baby as their own not thinking of the consequences. The characters in this book are very compelling and the author has done a beautiful job of writing a unforgettable debut novel. Great book discussion book.

The Light Between Oceans/Stedman/343 pages

 When Tom first returns from fighting on the Western Front in the early 1920s, he is deeply disturbed by everything he has gone through and expects to live out the rest his life alone. Tom takes a job as a lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, just off the coast of Australia, isolated from everyone,  with supply boats coming only twice a year and a leave to the mainland once every two years.  Unexpectedly, he meets and falls in love with Isabel who is a strong and bold, a young woman ready for an adventure. They create a happy, loving life but after two miscarriages, Isabel longs for a baby to call her own. After rescuing a baby girl from a boat washed ashore on their island, her prayers are answered. Against Tom's better judgement, they claim the baby as their own not thinking of the consequences.  The characters in this book are very compelling and the author has done a beautiful job of writing a unforgettable debut novel. Great book discussion book.

People of the Book / Geraldine Brooks 372 p.

While conserving the famous illuminated Sarajevo Haggada, Australian rare book expert, Hanna Heath, finds tiny artifacts that drive her to trace the book’s journey from its recent salvation in war torn Sarajevo, hidden by a Muslim from the Nazis, nearly destroyed by Catholics during the Inquisition-era in Venice, and to the woman illuminator in 1480’s in Seville.

Narrative, based on a true story, moving, richly detailed, historical fiction, first person narrative, character driven, intricately plotted, and Austrialian fiction.

Continents Books: Australia
Award Winner

Dingoes at Dinnertime/Mary pope Osborne/96 pages

We had to read this one out of order because it was the only one in the series available when my daughter turned in her summer reading sheet. The usual suspects, the usual plot. Apparently that never gets old if you are 4.