Nicotine by Nell Zink

$13.95 AUD

Category: FICTION | Reading Level: very good

From the much acclaimed author of MISLAID and THE WALLCREEPER, a fierce and audaciously funny novel of families-both the ones we're born into and the ones we create-a story of obsession, idealism, and ownership, centered around a young woman who inherits her bohemian late father's childhood home. Recent business school graduate Penny Baker has rebelled against her family her whole life-by being the conventional one. Her mother, Amalia, was a member of a South American tribe called the Kogi; her much older father, Norm, long ago attained cult-like deity status among a certain cohort of ageing hippies while operating a psychedelic 'healing centre.' And she's never felt particularly close to her much older half-brothers from Norm's previous marriage-one wickedly charming and obscenely rich (but mostly just wicked), one a photographer on a distant tropical island. But all that changes when her father dies, and Penny inherits his childhood home in New Jersey. She goes to investigate the property and finds it not overgrown and abandoned, but rather occupied by a group of friendly anarchist squatters whom she finds unexpectedly charming, and who have renamed the property "Nicotine." The Nicotine residents (united in defence of smokers' rights) possess the type of passion and fervour Penny feels she's desperately lacking, and the other squatter houses in the neighbourhood provide a sense of community she has never felt before. She soon moves into a nearby residence, becoming enmeshed in the political fervour and commitment of her fellow squatters. As the Baker family's lives begin to converge around the fate of the house now called Nicotine, Penny grows ever bolder and more desperate to protect it-and its residents-until a fateful night when a reckless confrontation between her old family and her new one changes everything. Nell Zink exquisitely captures the clash between Baby-Boomer idealism and Millennial pragmatism, between the have-nots and want-mores, in a riotous yet tender novel that brilliantly encapsulates our time. ...Show more

The Rules of Backyard Croquet by Sunni Overend

$13.95 AUD

Category: FICTION

All's fair in love and couture ... Fashion and love collide in the stylish new novel from the author of The Dangers of Truffle Hunting. Disgraced fashion prodigy Apple March has gone into hiding, concealing herself within the cashmere and silk folds of a formerly grand fashion boutique - the hanging of blouses and handling of difficult patrons now her only concern.But when her sister Poppy needs a wedding dress, old passions are reignited ... along with threats from her past.As Apple finds herself falling for someone she shouldn't, her quest to re-emerge becomes entangled in a time she wants forgotten, and life unravels as quickly as it began to mend.From the cool heart of Melbourne, to Paris and New York, in an effervescent world of croquet, Campari and cocoon coats, can Apple prevail over demons past to become the woman she was born to be?Praise for The Dangers of Truffle Hunting:'It's Overend's way with words that had us picking the book and giving it prime position as our #1 read' Vogue'Exotic and exciting ... well developed characters ... richly detailed ... enjoyable summer read ... just divine!' Books + Publishing'[This book] is insanely attractive. It has it all - lust, love, fame, wine, rich people, the whole shebang. It had me rooting for the protagonist and left me heart-warmed throughout' Fashion Journal ...Show more

Bring Me Back by B. A. Paris

$13.95 AUD

Category: FICTION

THE NEW TWISTY, GRIPPING READ FROM B. A. PARIS, THE AUTHOR OF THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLING NOVELS BEHIND CLOSED DOORS AND THE BREAKDOWN "We're in a new Golden Age of suspense writing now, because of amazing books like Bring Me Back, and I for one am loving it." --Lee Child "[An ] outstanding Hitchcockian thriller." --Publishers Weekly (starred review) She went missing. He moved on. A whole world of secrets remained--until now. Finn and Layla are young, in love, and on vacation. They're driving along the highway when Finn decides to stop at a service station to use the restroom. He hops out of the car, locks the doors behind him, and goes inside. When he returns Layla is gone--never to be seen again. That is the story Finn told to the police. But it is not the whole story. Ten years later Finn is engaged to Layla's sister, Ellen. Their shared grief over what happened to Layla drew them close and now they intend to remain together. Still, there's something about Ellen that Finn has never fully understood. His heart wants to believe that she is the one for him...even though a sixth sense tells him not to trust her. Then, not long before he and Ellen are to be married, Finn gets a phone call. Someone from his past has seen Layla--hiding in plain sight. There are other odd occurrences: Long-lost items from Layla's past that keep turning up around Finn and Ellen's house. Emails from strangers who seem to know too much. Secret messages, clues, warnings. If Layla is alive--and on Finn's trail--what does she want? And how much does she know? A tour de force of psychological suspense, Bring Me Back will have you questioning everything and everyone until its stunning climax. ...Show more

Hero For Hire/Hero For Hire/Shadow Hawk/A Royal Mess by Jill Shalvis

$13.95 AUD

Category: FICTION

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis brings you three classic stories about finding yourself in unexpected predicaments...Hero For HireBrazilian heiress Terry Monteverde was supposedly killed in a tragic accident. But how could a dead woman give birth to a baby? Bounty hunter Rick Singleton go es underground in Rio to find out.His only lead is Terry's sister, Nina Monteverde. She's sweet, shy  and not telling what she knows. Rick's a dangerous man to cross, but Nina's not afraid...Rick is. He's defenceless against her innocent charm. And that scares the hell out of him.Shadow HawkWhen his latest mission turns into a bloodbath, Agent Conner Hawk realises he has been set up by someone at the top. Wounded and on the run, he has no choice but to take beautiful Abby Wells hostage. After all, she's in danger too.And if the only way to keep the fiercely independent communications expert safe is to cuff her and bring her along for the ride, he'll do it. Only, given their close contact, it's not long before Hawk's thinking about a totally different kind of pleasure.A Royal MessFirst she's bumped from first class to coach, then she's robbed, gets soaked in a rainstorm and now is stranded on a ranch full of animals she's afraid of!As far as days go, Princess Natalia Brunner has definitely had better ones. If not for the timely rescue by a good-looking cowboy, she would have quit this day long ago. But just like the old Westerns, the sexy Tim Banning has her thinking she should hang up her tiara and stay awhile... ...Show more

Security by Susan Hoddy

$25.00 AUD

Category: FICTION

The tale of an Australian woman who had to let go of the past and look into the future. Whether a loved one is taken from us through a prolonged illness or suddenly unexpected, our mind and body goes through a world of change. Death is something that we all experience at some stage of our lives; but no t very often, hence we don't get an opportunity to learn how to deal with it. Rebecca Landers has a perfect life. A loving and devoted husband, a close relationship with her daughter, a wonderful job, and lots of amazing friends and family in her home city of Perth. What more could she ask for in life? When a sudden unexpected tragedy strikes Rebecca, her world is shattered and she is confronted with having to cope with a future of being alone. As the days seems to roll into weeks, and then months, she knows she has to eventually draw on every bit of strength she has left and pull herself together. But how was she going to be able to do this? Could the answer be found during a visit to Seattle? ...Show more

Nature of the Lion by T. M. Clark

$19.99 AUD

Category: FICTION

An all-new vivid, action-packed adventure across the African landscape in the tradition of Tony Park and Wilbur Smith, from Australian thriller writer, T.M. Clark. Hiding from the law, they never expected to be caught in the crosshairs of a hunter... After relocating to South Africa on the heels of scan dal five years ago, Chloe and her invalid father, Mike, once wealthy Zimbabwean landowners, now have little. Away at university, Chloe has had to rely on her father's best friend Enoch and his son Xo to watch over Mike. When a violent confrontation puts Chloe in danger, Enoch steps in to help - with inadvertent fatal results. With increasing pressure from a right-wing group on the police to charge Enoch, this mismatched family have no choice but to flee back to Zimbabwe. But crossing the border will be dangerous and near impossible with their route taking them amid warring dissident armies and landmines, and their every footstep is stalked by a shadowy ring of hunters - whose trophies are taken from more than animals... Only with help from Nick, formerly a soldier under Mike's command, now a professional game ranger, will the fugitives have a chance of making it home. But Nick has long struggled to come to terms with his fellow soldiers' choices before their unit was abandoned. Will his past demons put them all at risk? ...Show more

You Don't Know Me by Belle de Jour; Brooke Magnanti

$20.99 AUD

Category: FICTION

'Hugely impressive' Russel McLean ******** You don't know me . . . but your husband does. When a mummified body is found in a quiet town in Scotland, forensic pathologist Harriet Hitchin IDs the woman as call girl Miriam Goldstein. Police quickly lock onto a suspect, but Harriet thinks they are wrong - she must ignore her gut instinct, and risk losing the trail of a killer, or ignore the police and risk her own life. As the investigation ensues, shockwaves from the body's discovery ripple out - former friend, Denise, knows it's only a matter of time before her own past is discovered. Miri's former clients are praying their involvement with her doesn't come to light. And the killer is also in shock - but not for the reasons you'd imagine . . . With taut pace and a twisted sense of humour, You Don't Know Me is a sexy thriller from someone who knows exactly what it means to live a double life - perfect for fans of Katerina Diamond and Joy Ellis. ******** What readers are saying about Brooke Magnanti . . . 'Hugely impressive . . . Brooke writes the kind of women we want to see in crime fiction' Russel McLean 'Rewarding and engaging' Huffington Post 'A helter-skelter of a book' Guardian 'Lively and entertaining . . . When her victims are laid out on that slab, her unspeakably detailed descriptions are good enough to put the wind up Patricia Cornwell' Times 'One of the most compulsively readable crime novels of 2017 - 5*' Amazon reader 'Whip-smart thriller with surprises - 5*' Amazon reader 'A thriller that steps outside the genre' Amazon reader ...Show more

Satin Island by Tom McCarthy

$45.00 AUD

Category: FICTION

Meet U. - a talented and uneasy figure currently pimping his skills to an elite consultancy in contemporary London. His employers advise everyone from big businesses to governments, and, to this end, expect their 'corporate anthropologist' to help decode and manipulate the world around them - all the mo re so now that a giant, epoch-defining project is in the offing. Instead, U. spends his days procrastinating, meandering through endless buffer-zones of information and becoming obsessed by the images with which the world bombards him on a daily basis: oil spills, African traffic jams, roller-blade processions, zombie parades. Is there, U. wonders, a secret logic holding all these images together - a codex that, once cracked, will unlock the master-meaning of our age? Might it have something to do with South Pacific Cargo Cults, or the dead parachutists in the news? Perhaps; perhaps not. As U. oscillates between the visionary and the vague, brilliance and bullshit, Satin Island emerges, an impassioned and exquisite novel for our disjointed times. ...Show more

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

$16.99 AUD

Category: FICTION | Reading Level: very good

The no 1. New York Times bestseller from the author of The Husband's Secret and new novel Nine Perfect Strangers.NOW AN EMMY AWARD WINNING HBO TELEVISION SERIES STARRING REESE WITHERSPOON & NICOLE KIDMANParents behaving badly ... a tragic accident ... or murder? What isn't in doubt is that someone i s dead. Madeline is a force to be reckoned with: witty, noisy and passionate. She remembers everything and forgives no one. Celeste is the kind of beautiful woman who makes the world stop and stare. But perfection is often an illusion. Jane is a single mum with a mysterious past who carries a sadness beyond her years. These three women, all with children starting at the same school, are about to tell the little lies that can turn lethal ...WINNER OF THE ABIA GENERAL FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR PRAISE FOR BIG LITTLE LIES"Irresistible ... Moriarty's sly humor and razor-sharp insights will keep you turning the pages to find out." People Magazine "Liane Moriarty produces novels that are miracles of structure as well as human insight" Sydney Morning Herald"Ms. Moriarty's long-parched fans have something new to dig into....in ways that may give Big Little Lies even more staying power than The Husband's Secret." The New York Times"A novel that will turn you into a compulsive book-finisher ... Moriarty has produced another gripping, satirical hit." Huffington Post"She is the mistress of the razor-sharp observation ... my favourite so far" Kate Morton ...Show more

The Medusa Image by Gordon d'Venables

$28.99 AUD

Category: FICTION

The Stationery Shop of Tehran by Marjan Kamali

$29.99 AUD

Category: FICTION

1953, Tehran. Roya loves nothing better than to while away the hours in the local stationery shop run by Mr. Fakhri. The store, stocked with fountain pens, shiny ink bottles, and thick pads of writing paper, also carries translations of literature from all over the world. And when Mr. Fakhri introduces her to his other favorite customer handsome Bahman , with his burning passion for justice and a shared love for Rumi's poetry Roya loses her heart at once. But around them, life in Tehran is changing. On the eve of their marriage, Roya heads to the town square to meet with Bahman. Suddenly, shockingly, violence erupts: a coup d'etat that forever changes their country's future. Bahman never arrives. Roya must piece her life back together. Her parents, wanting her to be safe, enroll her in college in California, where she meets and marries another man. But, nearly sixty years later, an accident of fate finally brings her the answer she has always wanted to know Why did you leave? Where did you go? How is it that you were able to forget me? Marjan Kamali's beautiful novel, set in a country poised for democracy but destroyed by political upheaval, explores issues that have never been more timely, of immigration and cultural assimilation and of the strange quirks of fate. ...Show more

The Trouble with Choices by Trish Morey

$29.99 AUD

Category: FICTION

A warm, witty and wise exploration of family and contemporary romance from international bestselling author Trish Morey. The trouble with choices... is they come with consequences. Dumped on the eve of her brother's wedding, schoolteacher Sophie Faraday throws caution to the wind and winds up in the arm s of the sexy best man. It was meant to be a one-night fling, but an unexpected consequence means Sophie must face one of the hardest choices a woman ever has to make... Older sister Beth finds life is tough enough juggling a mortgage, shift work and raising her ten-year-old daughter alone. When she meets Harry, the quiet gardener with a heart of gold, she's determined to place him firmly in the friend zone. How can she let herself love again, when the guilt she carries every day reminds her what love can cost? Hannah, Beth's twin, has her own reasons for avoiding relationships. But when Irishman Declan walks into her veterinary clinic with an orphaned joey in his arms, she's seriously tempted. But isn't resisting the attraction the safest option? Especially when the secret she's held close for so long can only guarantee heartbreak... Will the Faraday girls learn that, with your sisters by your side, the wrong choices can still lead to the right places? ...Show more