AustLit

'Melbourne's first serial killer is at work and only one man can stop him.

'It's 1967, the summer of love, and in swinging Melbourne Detective Sergeant Charlie Berlin has been hauled out of exile in the Fraud Squad to investigate the disappearance of a teenage girl, the daughter of a powerful and politically connected property developer. As Berlin's inquiries uncover more missing girls he gets an uneasy feeling he may be dealing with the city's first serial killer.

'Berlin's investigation leads him through inner-city discothèques, hip photographic studios, the emerging drug culture and into the seedy back streets of St Kilda. The investigation also brings up ghosts of Berlin's past, disturbing memories of the casual murder of a young woman he witnessed in dying days of WW11.

'As in war, some victories come at a terrible cost and Berlin will have to face an awful truth and endure an unimaginable loss before his investigation is over.

'St Kilda Blues is the third novel in the Charlie Berlin series. Both previous novels, The Diggers Rest Hotel and Blackwattle Creek, won the Ned Kelly Award for Best Fiction in 2011 and 2013 respectively.' (Publication summary)

'It's September 1957, two days before the VFL grand final, and Detective Sergeant Charlie Berlin finally has some time off. But there's no rest for this decent if damaged man, still troubled by his wartime experience as a bomber pilot and POW. A recently widowed friend asks a favour and he's dropped into something much bigger than he bargained for. When he uncovers dubious practices at a Melbourne funeral parlour, it's quickly obvious that anyone asking questions is also asking for trouble. His offsider is beaten and left for dead, witnesses are warned off, Special Branch is on his case, and even Berlin's young family may be at risk. His pursuit of the truth leads him to Blackwattle Creek, once an asylum for the criminally insane and now home to even darker evils. And if Berlin thought government machinations during World War II were devious, those of the Cold War leave them for dead . . . ' (Source: publisher website)

'When a movie about an Australian war hero takes Alby Murdoch to Vietnam, he discovers that some old soldiers never die and that it's not just the cameras doing the shooting.

'A job as stills photographer and some top-notch nosh were two good reasons for Alby Murdock to be in Saigon. The third was that he had to clear out of Sydney and the spy game for a while. But when Alby snaps a photo of the wrong passing cyclo, suddenly more action is taking place off camera than on. Alongside his old flame, the bootylicious Jezebel Quick – and his new friend, the alluring Inspector Hoang – Alby is thrust into the murky, watch-your-back world of casino crime lords, bent politicians, rogue expats, killer fish and ruthless celebrity chefs. Dead and Kicking takes us racing through the adrenalin-charged streets of Saigon, Hong Kong and Macau, through Darwin and the Top End and into Canberra's corridors of power. It's Geoff McGeachin at his irreverent, page-turning best' (publication blurb)

'All Alby wants is a decent coffee and a day off. But there's a hijacked tanker with a deadly cargo in Sydney Harbour, and bullets are flying on board a US Navy cruiser. Three sailors are dead and a Seahawk chopper is missing. Who's behind the mayhem? Why is the government intent on shutting down Alby's investigation? What's the connection to the smooth-talking Reverend Priday, spiritual leader to the upwardly mobile? And can Alby trust Lieutenant Kingston, a weapons specialist with the longest legs he's ever seen on a sailor and not a tattoo anywhere on her stunning body?' (publication blurb).

'In D-E-D Dead!, Geoff McGeachin's riotous adventure thriller, Alby Murdoch - international photographer and Australian special agent – ducks bullets and bombs from Bondi to Bali and back as he attempts to unravel a lethal web of high-level dodgy dealings . . .

From the moment Alby drops his gun on a St Kilda tram he knows he's in for a bad day. Then his partner Harry is gunned down in a Double Bay coffee shop. By lunchtime Alby realises someone wants him dead – and they want him dead now.

All Alby wants is some pasta, a good bottle of wine and to know more about the mysterious Grace Goodluck . . . long dark hair, legs up to there, and piercing slate-grey eyes...sniper's eyes. But he also has to figure out who shot Harry and who wants him dead. And why.

Unfortunately for Alby, the answer lies over the razor wire and past the anti-personnel mines protecting Bitter Springs, a top-secret US military facility deep in the central Australian desert. Now that can really ruin your day . . .' (publication blurb)

'Martin Carter is having a crook day. His home life's a misery, he's been retrenched by the bank and everyone's forgotten his birthday. But a million-dollar payroll, a pistol, and a split-second decision change everything. Hurtling north on a motorcycle with the intriguing Faith, Martin encounters a mysterious hit-man, a new-age bikie gang, a reclusive media mogul, and the booby-trapped mountain hideout of an old schoolmate. With Faith's help he learns about love again, along with some bitter truths about instant coffee, brown suede shoes, and the legendary Great Aussie Truck-stop Breakfast.' (Publication summary)