top of page
il_fullxfull.1419164722_87gz.webp
Writer's pictureChris Quarembo

November/December 2022

Vol. 2 Issue 6

Two debut novels and the first book in a new thriller series are my top recommendations in this issue. I hope my take on these works will help you select your next book to read and enjoy.

Dirt Creek by Hayley Scrivenor In her debut novel, Hayley Scrivenor quickly draws you into the story and keeps you rapt until the end. The disappearance of twelve-year-old Esther Bianchi shakes the rural Australian town of Durton to its core. This is a small, isolated community that people refer to as Dirt Town. The story is told through the eyes of Esther’s friends and classmates, Ronnie and Lewis, her mother, Constance, and Detective Sergeant Sarah Michaels, an outsider assigned to investigate. The journey to the truth of Esther’s fate is painful and shocking and reveals the unpredictability of the behavior of the townspeople we think we know.

All That’s Left Unsaid by Tracey Lien Lien’s story, also a debut novel, centers on a Vietnamese family living in a refugee enclave outside Sydney who suffers the loss of their son Denny, brutally killed on the night of his high school graduation. Denny’s sister Ky, a journalist now living in Melbourne, initiates her own investigation when the police take little action and witnesses refuse to talk. The story takes place in Cabramatta, which, in reality, experienced a heroin epidemic in the 1990s, depicted here by Lien. Ky refuses to believe her brother, a top student determined to go to college, had anything to do with drugs or drug trafficking. She is compelled to find out the truth about his death, even if it means discovering her brother had become enmeshed in the criminal activities surrounding him. Denny’s parents, devastated by their loss, don’t want to know the details of what happened to their son, preferring to mourn him and pray for him at the Buddhist temple. Lien effectively uses both Ky’s point of view and the perspectives of witnesses to give the novel multiple layers, elevating and enriching this heart-wrenching story.

Red Flags by Lisa Black Red Flags is the start of a new thriller series by Lisa Black, a member of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and bestselling author of the Gardiner and Renner suspense novels. In this new novel, crime scene analyst Dr. Ellie Carr is called in to investigate the abduction of an infant. She quickly discovers the child’s mother is her cousin Rebecca Carlisle. Ellie, who grew up with Rebecca, wants off the case, but her boss insists that she remain close to the couple. The infant son of the Carlisle’s disappeared from his cot, despite the extensive security at the wealthy couple’s home. Rebecca is a DC insider who works for a Senate committee and is the wife of Hunter Carlisle, a high-profile lobbyist. The infant’s abduction occurs while the Carlisles are working to prevent the passage of major reform legislation that would tighten privacy protections for children online. As the story unfolds, the couple’s lobbying campaign and the disappearance of their infant son become inextricably linked. Ellie grew up poor and homeless, rotating between the homes of her relatives, including Rebecca’s mother. Over time, the cousins pursued different career paths and drifted apart. Rebecca’s husband Hunter, arrogant, privileged, and used to being in control, becomes impatient with the progress of the investigation and hires the private Locard Forensic Institute to aid the police. Ellie, forced to work with the Institute’s Dr. Rachael Davies, initially resents the partnership, but gradually the two learn to pool their expertise to solve the case. Be prepared for plot twists and an unexpected climax.

Patronize Independent Book Stores Whenever you buy books, please consider purchasing from independent booksellers who remain passionate about books, love to share their knowledge, and provide a vital link between readers and authors. You can reach out to me via my email, chrisquarembo@gmail.com, and share your comments about the newsletter, books you’re reading, and books you’d like to recommend to readers of this newsletter.

Free Short Story Download

My short story, “The Lure of Other Peoples’ Money” is available free to download from Amazon. You can locate the story simply by googling its title. Then you can either download the story to an e-reader, or download the free Kindle App to any computer, tablet, or smartphone to be able to read the story. The free promotion for “The Lure of Other Peoples’ Money” runs from November 10 to 14. Hope you enjoy it!

It’s hard to believe that 2022 is drawing to a close, the second year of this newsletter. Please watch for my next issue in January 2023.

0 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

July/August 2024

Vol 4 Issue 4 Introduction This summer whether you read at the beach, sunning by a pool, or prefer the indoor comfort of air-conditioning...

May/June 2024

Introduction Springtime is a popular vacation time. A time to get away from our normal routines. Many of us travel abroad to enrich our...

March/April 2024

Vol. 4 Issue 2 In this issue I’m recommending the latest novels featuring iconic characters created by Michael Connelly and Janet...

Opmerkingen


bottom of page