AustLit

'Paddy Pest, the ubiquitous Aussie gumshoe, is immersed in a world full of beautiful women, conniving conspirators, and covert agents. Never without his Beretta or fold-up boomerang, Paddy is always prepared—a good thing, since he is about to take a ride on the wild side with his entourage of female associates. Stormy Weathers, Paddy’s girlfriend and wing person, is known for her flaming red hair, nice legs, and her ability to hold her own in a fight. Pest surrounds himself with girls with guns and they mean business. Ariadne Vasilis has long black hair, a brutal arm-chop, and a fierce loyalty to her country, as does the delightful French gendarme Yvette Baguette.  She wouldn’t be seen dead without her Paris fashion labels. From a salacious situation in Salem to a conundrum in Kentucky! There’s murder in Melbourne and mystery in Moscow, and Paddy’s people are playing for keeps. Paddy’s People is a collection of short stories laced with treachery, mayhem, and mischievous behaviour that encompass some of Paddy’s worldwide adventures and acknowledge those men and women who have been inspired by his exploits.' (Source: Publisher's blurb)

'What happens when an alien probe strikes the earth in the Arizona desert? What happens when rock hounds, college students, and the US Army confront this probe? What happens when religious zealots trek to the alien with hopes for salvation? An Australian shaman foresees that the Earth will change. And he sees that Uluru will rise. Can humankind adapt? Or must they resist? Down under, the Earth is carved until the land itself becomes a weapon. Can we handle a second invasion? A team of American scientists and soldiers work to understand then protect us from what they find. Like termites in search of their next meal, humans must address their limitations in a world gone mad. Uluru will rise.' (Publication summary)

''Almost Perfect', by Greg Fogarty, is a true account of a brutal killing of a mother and her three children. Still to this day the killer has not been caught. Theresa Crawford and her three children lost their lives on a cold day, July 2, 1970. The case became one of the most intriguing murder mysteries in the modern history of Victoria. Greg Fogarty has meticulously pieced together the events surrounding the grisly family murder tracing coronial documents and interviewing key figures long ago caught in the tragedy. For many, the crime is just as fresh in their minds as it was when it happened - more than thirty years ago.'

(Source: publisher's blurb)

'In the south of France, when the Scott Fitzgeralds, the Murphys, Picasso, and Jean Cocteau lived and worked during the Jazz Age, the French Riviera became famous. Now, Nicole Bennett goes there to retrace their steps and try to discover who followed after them.

'Disenchanted with her award-winning acting career as well as her one-year marriage to Nigel, she seeks to make a significant change in her life. She leaves London and attempts to fulfill her dream of writing a book about the writers who lived and worked in the south of France.

'In Cannes, she meets new people and falls in love with the incredible scenery. While rediscovering the charm and magic of the Riviera, she is influenced by other writersGraham Green, Dirk Bogarde, Scott Fitzgerald, and Ernest Hemingway who once walked the same streets and enjoyed the same experiences. Its now up to Nicole to recreate the magic they all found.' (Publication summary)

Branigan's son, who had improperly blamed his father for the early death of his mother, had left home as a youth and never returned. At the close of World War II, he is in Italy, seconded by the British, as the sergeant in charge of a demolition squad of Australians.

He survives a near-fatal accident, and, unconscious is hauled from turbulent waters by two humble Italian fishermen who secrete him into one of their homes where he is nursed to recovery by a beautiful, though volatile young woman.

Without money, he plans to repay those who cared for him, though discovers two significant issues of concern. Firstly, he has lost his memory. Secondly, a small group of Italian youth, dissatisfied with their country's defeat in the war, plan catastrophic action against the Americans who, before departing, are effusing kindness and generosity in their efforts to repair the pain and devastation that they have been forced to afflict.

Working alone, and caught in a frightening situation where he cannot proceed owing to his physical size, he hears, at his side, the voice of the girl who has nursed him back to good health in her father's home.

Source: Publisher's Website

Some Lust, No Trust is about an educated young man drifting through life on the established comfort of his accountant father. This situation suddenly changes when his father fails to return from a fishing trip; and his affectionate-though scatter-brained-mother announces that the family home had been rented, not owned, and she intends to join her sister in a distant town. Rejecting an offer to join them, he vacations in a gold mining town inland, where the behavior of a new friend entices him to participate in a robbery.

He is alarmed when his cohorts seem oblivious to the dangers and consequences; realizing it is too late to withdraw and that self-protection is imperative. A provocative young woman recounts a painful childhood, upsetting him in more ways than one. As she is drawn into the robbery scheme, he knows that he must ensure her safety-even though it might jeopardize his own.

Source: Publisher's website.

'A mystery thriller that pulsates with lust and love, violence and romance, linking cosmopolitan America to outback Australia.

'Ben Hall, a young, weak, and easily led Australian, blunders headlong into a world of crime and sex, dominated by powerful, ruthless men and women from both sides of the Pacific. How did he get involved? Does Louisse ever forgive him? Why has Helen sunk to such depths of degradation? Is Jake linked to that dreaded family of Chicago? What are the mysteries of the aboriginal people of Australia?

'Fast paced and captivating, Dark Ghosts of the Night explodes onto the world scene with all the suspense and intrigue of a thriller classic.'

Source: Publisher's blurb (iUniverse edition).

'Best selling crime-fiction author, Jack Danziger, discovers that the film rights for his one highly personal novel, which details his passionate relationship with his beautiful international model ex-lover, Chantal, have been acquired by his deadly enemy, Kurtz, genius movie maker and psychotic. As an act of revenge upon Danziger, whom he hates, Kurtz, who has a Svengali-like hold on the girl, intends to turn the book into the ultimate pornographic fantasy; one that will ruin Chantal's career, and maybe threaten her life. The only way to prevent her destruction by Kurtz and the circus of crazies with whom he surrounds himself is for the soft-living Danziger to take on the tough persona of his own fictional invention, "Lieutenant McKnight', and follow, step by step, the most dangerous plot he has ever written, an obsessive game plan for real-life that takes him in a deadly direction. As the pages roll off his word processor, and as Danziger hardens himself up physically for the desperate things he must do, a complex scam develops that will rock the film industry to its heels and result in a final bloody confrontation with Kurtz.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.