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 :)

An Accommodating Spouse by Elizabeth Jolley

I am a very quick reader, usually powering through books at high speed. For this book, however, I had to slow down. To read in my head as if it was being read aloud, so lovely were the sentences. The story is told by an aging professor surrounded by women - his wife, her twin, their triplet daughters and two work colleagues. It is a comedy of manners and I enjoyed it very much.

You can find An Accommodating Spouse and other novels by Elizabeth Jolley in the fiction section of Wagga Wagga City Library.

The Mitford Girls: A Biography of an Extraordinary Family by Mary S. Lovell

Having thoroughly enjoyed The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate I was keen to learn about Nancy Mitford and her famous sisters. There were six daughters (and a comparatively unremarkable son) born between 1904 and 1920 into an aristocratic English family. It was a remarkable time to be young and the six girls all led such fascinating and different lives. Nancy became a famous novelist, Diana the most beautiful woman of her time, Unity knew and loved Hitler while Decca was a communist, Debo became the Duchess of Devonshire and lived at Chatsworth and even Pam, the most domestic sister, Pam had the Mitford wit.
Mary S Lovell has done a great job letting us into the lives and loves, trials and tribulations of a most fascinating family living through turbulant times. The book is available from the biography section of Wagga City Library with the call number B940 MIT. There are several other books about the Mitfords in the library as well, just put Mitford into the catalogue.