White Thorn by Bryce Courtenay

I recently ran out of my usual thrillers and in desperation read this book by Bryce Courtenay which someone had given to me but I had never got around to reading. Surprisingly, I was pretty much absorbed into the story and read the 600 plus pages over a couple of days. Bryce Courtenay can definitely tell a story!

The story is set in Africa and follows the life of Tom Fitzsaxby, from his beginnings in an orphanage, the Boys Farm, and culminating in his working as the prosecution lawyer in a murder trial. The story shows how Tom survives a lot of racial hatred and revolves around his getting justice for his friend Mattress, a Zulu who had befriended him as a child and was wrongly accused of sexual assault and subsequently murdered . For those of you who haven't read The Power of One this will be an amazing story, but for me I kept seeing the similarities to the main character, Peekay, from The Power of One. I cannot recommend The Power of One highly enough. It is definitely a must read!

Worth Dying For by Lee Child

Definitely worth waiting for! I can't get enough of Jack Reacher. This is the 15th book in the series and whilst the relationship started in the previous book didn't eventuate (as yet anyway) this was probably the best Reacher novel to date for me. I just loved it. This time Jack gets involved with a small town devoid of any police presence and run by the Duncan family. Add in a missing child, terrifed townsfolk and the quarterback enforcers and you have a situation that only someone like Jack Reacher can fix.

Shattered by Karen Robards

Lisa Grant, a lawyer now working as a research assistant to the DA Scott Buchanan, is sent to the basement to help organise the cold case files, as punishment by her disagreeable boss. What she finds there sets her on a dangerous path because the woman in the cold case file, who went missing 30 years ago, looks just like her!

What a fantastic read this was. A great story that actually keeps you guessing. Whilst this is not my usual kind of read, I could not put the book down. It's a fast paced, light read, that is mainly a thriller, but also has a touch of romance.

Hell Gate by Linda Fairstein

For those of you who, like me, like to follow characters, here is Book No.12 in the Alexandra Cooper series. Assistant DA Alexandra Cooper and NYPD colleagues Mike and Mercer are called to assist at a shipwreck. The story has an intricate plot involving human trafficking, murder and an adulterous congressman. Always a fascinating, believable read, but for the first time I found the banter between Mike and Alex a bit irritating. Despite this, it is an enjoyable story.

Linda Fairstein writes as only someone with experience running the Sex Crimes unit in the New York DA's office can.

61 Hours by Lee Child

I've just finished 61 Hours, which is Book No. 14 in the Jack Reacher series, by Lee Child. I'm absolutely addicted to this series. Jack Reacher is an ex-military cop, now a bit of drifter, who does not actively go looking for trouble but cannot stand to see innocent people being trampled on. This loveable tough guy is a loner with some amazing skills, thanks to his military training. What a great paced book. You would think that by Book 14 some of the appeal and excitement would have waned, but it hasn't. For the first time there is a teaser at the end of the book saying "To be continued" in late 2010. I hope this means that Reacher will be catching up, in person, with one of the main characters that helped him out in this novel. A must read series for crime/action lovers.

The Idea of Perfection by Kate Grenville

The Idea of Perfection is an RRL Book Club book and makes a perfect book club choice as it would provoke animated discussion. It is set in a small country town in New South Wales and is populated with familiar characters. The town is divided over the fate of an old bridge; some wanting to save it and some wanting to replace it. Into this seemingly sleepy town come two strangers, ill at ease with with the town and themselves. Kate Grenville does a brilliant job getting inside the heads of the characters, giving us an insight into human failings and how two people can fall in love despite their flaws.
You can borrow The Idea of Perfection from the fiction area of Wagga City Library or reserve it here.

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton - an RRL Book Club Book

Mystery, atmosphere, romance and history, this book has it all. The Forgotten Garden gained the highest number of votes for most loved book by RRL Book Club members in 2009. I am trying to read through the whole book list (thankfully I had already read 43 of the 86) so started with this.
The book is set partly in Queensland and partly in Cornwall and follows three generations of women to solve the mystery of a little girl lost. I am a person who reads for setting, among other things, and I wasn't loving the book until it moved from Australia to Cornwall and then I loved it. There is family scandal, upper and lower classes, ghosts, houses and gardens from the late 1800s until the present, in Brisbane, London and Cornwall. You can borrow The Forgotten Garden from the fiction section of Wagga Wagga City Library as well as Kate Morton's first book, The Shifting Fog but you may have to wait for that one as it it is on reserve for me :)