AustLit

'In 1920s Glasgow, Beattie Blaxland falls pregnant to her married lover Henry just before her nineteenth birthday. Abandoned by her family, Beattie and Henry set sail for a new life in Australia. But life is not about to follow the plan that Beattie had hoped for and fate will play her a cruel hand...

'In 2009, London, prima ballerina Lydia Blaxland-Hunter is also discovering that life can also have its ups and downs. Unable to dance again after a fall, Lydia returns home to Australia to recuperate. But on arrival she is presented with some surprising news - her recently deceased and much-loved grandmother Beattie Blaxland has left her Tasmanian property to Lydia.

'Told through the eyes of a young Beattie Blaxland and a contemporary Lydia Blaxland-Hunter, this is an emotionally charged, seductive tale of self-discovery, secrets and surprises.' (From the publisher's website.)

'She fought back. She won. Now the nightmare begins ...

'When Livia Prescott fights off a terrifying assault in a deserted car park, the media hail her bravery. And after a difficult year - watching her father fade away, her business struggle and her marriage fall apart - it feels good to strike back for once.

'But as the police widen their search for her attacker, menacing notes start arriving. And brave is not what she feels any longer ...

'Someone has decided to rip her life apart, then kick her when she's down. But is it a stranger or someone much closer to home? In fact, is there anyone she can now trust?

'When her family and friends are drawn into the stalker's focus - with horrifying consequences - the choice becomes simple. Fight back, or lose the people she loves the most ...' (Publisher's blurb)

'Ellen O'Farrell is an expert when it comes to human frailties. She's a hypnotherapist who helps her clients deal with everything from addictions to life-long phobias. So when she falls in love with a man who is being stalked by his ex-girlfriend she's more intrigued than frightened.

'What makes a supposedly smart, professional woman behave this way? She'd love to meet her! What she doesn't know is that she already has. Saskia has been masquerading as a client, and their lives are set to collide in ways Ellen could never have predicted.

'This wonderfully perceptive new novel from Liane Moriarty is about the lines we'll cross for love. It's about the murky areas between right and wrong, and the complexities of modern relationships.

'As Ellen is about to discover, we're all a little crazy - even her.' (From the publisher's website.)

'I'm a lucky woman, thinks Susanna Greenfield. And why wouldn't she? Her handsome, successful husband is a loving father to their two teenage children. Her mother is her dearest friend, and her scatty but adored younger sister seems to have finally found some stability in her life. Susanna has a solid career as an art teacher, and if, as she's recently discovered, there's a hole inside her where her creative spirit used to be - is that really such a big price to pay?

'But beneath the carefully maintained surface, seismic forces are at work. Fault lines are forming, not only in Susanna, but within each beloved member of her family. In a single, tragically ill-judged moment, the fabric it has taken a lifetime to construct can be torn apart.

'Human frailties, and the power of the ties that bind us: this is Kate Veitch's territory, explored with characteristic warmth and honesty in her absorbing portrait of a family thrown into crisis.' (From the publisher's website.)

'Forensic pathologist Dr. Anya Crichton is incensed over the brutal crime, and she will do everything in her power to see that the three men responsible are punished severely. But the suspects, the Harbourn brothers, are part of a fanatically devoted family of criminals who are expert at sidestepping the law. And suddenly, people connected with the investigation and prosecution are turning up dead.

'In the face of an impending legal travesty Anya cannot let fear distract her. But it may be harder to remain calm in light of the nightmare the Harbourns' attorney unearths beneath the floorboards of his own house . . . ' (From the publisher's website.)

'Ruby and her new husband James brave a long and treacherous journey to start their new life in Australia. Meanwhile, there are other new arrivals to Australian shores: a Tahitian with a mysterious past, a naive young schoolmistress, and an English aristocrat, all unaware that their destinies are irrevocably intertwined.' (Publication summary)

'English artist Storm Cizekova grew up believing that her mother dies when she was born. But then Storm finds a photo of herself in the geart of the Australian desert - and in her mother's arms.

'Haunted by unanswered questions, Storm embarks on a journey of self-discovery that will challenge everything she holds dear: her family history, her art, even her relationship with her partner Max. Who is she really, and where does she belong? Her search will take her from the snow covered Malvern Hills in England to the rich red heart of the Australian outback.

'Retracing her mother's footsteps through the stark beauty of the desert landscape, Storm hopes to find the courage to confront some shocking truths from her past and the strength to face her future.' (Publisher's blurb)

'Detective Kate Farrer returns to duty after three months of leave following her traumatic abduction. Fearing that she has lost her edge, she reluctantly partners homicide newcomer Oliver Parke, and they are thrown into the investigation of a woman burnt beyond recognition in a house-fire. The post-mortem reveals she had recently given birth, but there is no sign of the baby.

'With homicide short-staffed, Kate and Oliver are also ordered to look into the disappearance of a teenage girl. Suspicion falls on Mark Dobbie, a steroid user who is obsessed with the missing girl's sister. When the detectives find explicit photos of unconscious women in his home, they wonder if they have found their prime suspect.

'While the pressure to identify the charred body and find the teenage girl escalates, a quadriplegic is burnt to death in his bed. Shocking links to all three crimes emerge and Kate Farrer's past demons come back to haunt her. But she must fight them - her partner's life depends on it.' (Publisher's blurb)

'Detective Kate Farrer returns to duty after three months of stress leave. Fearing that she has lost her edge, she reluctantly partners homicide newcomer, Oliver Parke. They are immediately thrown into the investigation of a young woman who has been murdered and burnt beyond recognition. The post-mortem reveals she had recently given birth, but there is no sign of the baby.

With homicide short-staffed and overloaded, Kate and Oliver are also ordered to investigate the disappearance of a teenage girl. Suspicion falls on Mark Dobbie, a steroid user who is obsessed with the missing girls sister. When the detectives find drugs and photos of naked women in his apartment, they wonder if they have uncovered a serial date rapist-turned-murderer.

While the pressure to find the missing baby and teenage girl escalates, a young paraplegic is burnt to death in his home. Shocking links to all three crimes emerge and Kate Farrer's past demons come back to haunt her. But she must fight them - her partner's life depends on it.' Source: Back cover.

'Shortlisted for the Booker Prize, this brilliant novel from Madeleine St John, author of The Women in Black, is a comic and tender look at the vicissitudes of love and relationships.

'Nicola should never have stepped out to buy that pack of cigarettes, because the man she discovers in her living room when she returns is not the adorable, straightforward, devoted Jonathan with whom she has been sharing her life.

'That Jonathan would never have unilaterally decided that she should, as he abruptly put it, ‘move out’.

'A shocked Nicola packs her bags and sets out bravely on the bumpy course that will take her from the end of an affair to the essence of the thing.' (Publication summary : Text Classics)