Missing 85 Days by Randy Haglund

A story of a man who finds himself adrift without knowledge of his past told alongside that of the family desperately searching for him

Land of the Blue Mist by Susan Mallgrave

The story of Aster Sweetwater, a girl between two cultural worlds – Cherokee and Jackson’s USA – and her search for a place for her people

The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan

A magnificent book of war and love and courage and weakness – a tour through the human experience: its emotions, its hesitancies, its losses

Deadly Intents by Laraine Stephens

Early twentieth century Melbourne is a city of dark corners but Reggie da Costa is there to shine an investigative light in this lively book

Sweet Caress by William Boyd

William Boyd delivers again – great story, vividly told, with an engaging and strong female narrator enhanced by “lost” photos

A Gilded Death by Cecelia Tichi

The first book in the series about Val and Roddy DeVere is a great opener, establishing the characters and atmosphere of the Gilded Age

The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney

A glimpse of the fading days of the dominance of the Hudson’s Bay Company, woven into a gripping tale of murder, lust and individual courage

A Theatre for Dreamers by Polly Samson

Worth reading for the island setting only, which I warmed to immediately in Samson’s description, but felt much less for the characters

Give Me Shelter by David B. Seaburn

A story of a boy, his family and friends, navigating loss, anxiety and uncertainty at the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Frances Finkel and the Passenger Pigeon by D. M. Mahoney

A nice, heart-warming read about teenager Frances Finkel and her yearning to become a fighter plane pilot in the Second World War