Suspense/Thrillers Recent Picks

July 2007

The underlined titles will take you directly to our catalogue.
Some featured items are linked via a book cover to enable you to read more reviews.

The mesmerist, or, The Misses Preston, of Bloomsbury by Barbara Ewing. (2007)
"Unable to find stage work, actresses Cordelia Preston and Rillie Spoons need to find a way of making a living. Cordelia remembers the skills of her aunt and sets out to be a phreno-mesmerist, advising couples on their compatibility and enlightening women on The Gentle Intricacies of the Wedding Night. Cordelia finds that she does indeed possess the gift for mesmerism, and as her popularity grows, she and Rillie are finally living their dream. But events from Cordelia's past return to haunt her, and the women become embroiled in a scandal that threatens to ruin not only them but those they love." (Amazon)

Echoes in the blue by C. George Muller. (2006)
"Ignoring a 20-year moratorium on commercial whaling, Japan sends its whaling fleet deep into the Antarctic to kill whales under the guise of 'scientific research'. Thrust into this volatile situation is Richard Major, an unlikely hero accompanying a whale research expedition. On the High Seas he must confront a terrifying adversary, a ruthless fishing industrialist who would wipe out entire species to satisfy an insatiable lust for money and power. From the windswept Southern Ocean to the opulence of corporate Japan, the battle has many fronts. This Eco-thriller is based on fact." (Amazon)

Cutting Caleb Keys by Glenn Bowden. (2007)
"Since blowing it with Jude, his girlfriend, Ollie has become cynical wreck. He receives a visit from the mother of a long-time friend Caleb Keys. No one has seen or heard from Caleb since his last postcard, several months ago, from the infamous beaches of Goa. Mrs Keys send Ollie on a mission to India to find her wayward son. Surely if Ollie can find where the party's at, Caleb won't be too far away. Ollie's search encompasses the south and north and everything in between, gurus, drugs, girls, Bollywood stars and the Indian mafia. When he stumbles on the trail of his friend he's in for a surprise that will turn the search into a frenzied personal vendetta." (Book cover)

Fire by Deborah Challinor. (2007)
"Allie and her friends, Louise, Irene and Daisy all work at Dunbar & Jones, a glamorous and sophisticated department store. As they make their plans for the summer of 1953, their friendship is strained when one of the four begins an illicit relationship, and Allie finds herself attracted to handsome Sonny Manaia whose best mate is leader of a notorious motorbike gang. In the week before Christmas 1953, as the country prepares for a Royal Visit by the young Queen Elizabeth and the store is crammed with wealthy shoppers, smoke is discovered drifting from the basement lift shaft. What happens next will sear the heart of the city, tearing families apart and testing friendships, love and loyalty, opening wounds that will never heal." (Book cover)

Mr. Allbones' ferrets : an historical pastoral satirical scientifical romance, with mustelids by Fiona Farrell. (2007)
"A young man out poaching, a beautiful maiden in a mysterious house and a perilous voyage to distant islands: these are all the ingredients of a highly coloured Victorian romance that are played out in the context of the great colonial experiment. This is a delicate satirical fantasy about human folly and the perils on disturbing the subtle balance of nature." (Book cover)

A secret mind by Kaye Kelly. (2007)
"Ever since she fell and hit her head, little Libby Budd has been plagued by seizures, strange visions and premonitions. With her behaviour becoming more erratic, and at the urging of the mysterious lodger Alfred Price, Libby's newly widowed mother faces a tough decision: should she have her daughter committed to the lunatic asylum on Hokitika's Misery Hill, the home of the dead, the mad and the bad?" (Book cover)

The path of revenge by Russell Kirkpatrick. (2007)
"Husk is the remnant of a once-powerful magician, defeated decades ago by the Undying Man, Lord of Bhrudwo. He lies with his body in ruins, in the dungeon of Andratan, planning a cold and bloody revenge. Three people have the things he needs, and he must twist the threads of destiny to bring them to him, unwitting pawns in his plan. They will travel across continents, through war and survive communion with the gods to come to him. But Husk's victims are more resourceful that they first appear and even Husk cannot know everything." (Amazon)

Trendy but casual by Paula Morris. (2007)
"Jane Shaw has problems. A homeless old crone accuses her of being ugly on the inside, and soon her life is falling apart : she's about to be evicted from her West Village apartment; her career as a PR maven is stalling; and her attempt to impress a potential future boyfriend fails because she doesn’t know the difference between flora and fauna. This is a smart comedy of manners, a satire about obsession." (Book cover)

The passage of the frog and the wild strawberries of 1942 by Beniamino Petrosino. (2003)
"Beniamino Petrosino's novel is a personal story of a family's history in Southern Italy. It is a tale of superstition, religion, tradition and beliefs, of poverty, fate and a way of life that could so easily be buried and forgotten." (Amazon)

Odyssey bourne force. Book one by Debbie Renner. (2007)
"During Kate Willard’s fortieth year, she encounters strange, incoherent dreams and visions that begin to take over reality. Little realising that her life is being manipulated; she embarks on an adventure that starts a cataclysmic events that could throw the Earth into chaos and also rewrite life as we know it. She learns that her own existence was pre-ordained 6,000 years ago." (Cover)

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