MARY-ROSE MACCOLL The True Story of Maddie Bright. Reviewed by Kim Kelly
The True Story of Maddie Bright captures the challenges of the writing life with wit and romance. Intriguing from the opening scenes, which play out in the grim between-wars London of 1921 and a possum-ridden Brisbane house 60 years on, Mary-Rose MacColl’s sixth and...
LEE GOLDBERG Killer Thriller. Reviewed by Lou Mentor
This second book in Ian Ludlow action series by Lee Goldberg takes us deep into a global conspiracy, never skipping any opportunity for cheap kills, expensive thrills and slapstick laughs along the way. Following on from True Fiction, Ian Ludlow once again stars as...
JESSICA NORTH Esther. Reviewed by Ann Skea
This biography recounts how Esther went from being convicted in London’s Old Bailey and transported to Botany Bay with the First Fleet, to becoming First Lady of the colony. Do not be misled, as I was, by the cover of this book, which shows a young...
MELISSA FERGUSON The Shining Wall. Reviewed by Dasha Maiorova
In Melissa Ferguson’s imaginative and original debut, Homo Sapiens and Neanderthal clones inhabit a bleak and desperate dystopia. The Shining Wall questions the nature of humanity and compassion in a world bereft of both. The depiction of an unhappy future, societal...
NRB’s 7th birthday biggest-ever giveaway #5
Here’s our final bundle of six terrific books to be won in the last special 7th birthday giveaway. We’re thrilled to be seven, and we’re hugely grateful to all our readers, contributors and supporters who have made it possible. If you enjoy NRB,...
DERVLA MCTIERNAN The Scholar. Reviewed by Karen Chisholm
This second novel in the DS Cormac O’Reilly series cements Irish-born, Australian-resident Dervla McTiernan as one of the up and coming stars of crime fiction in both countries. DS Cormac O’Reilly of the Garda was introduced to readers in the highly...
JACQUELINE KENT Beyond Words: A year with Kenneth Cook. Reviewed by Linda Funnell
Award-winning biographer Jacqueline Kent has written books about Beatrice Davis, Hephzibah Menuhin and Julia Gillard, but here she tells a much more personal story of her relationship with the writer Kenneth Cook. Jacqueline Kent’s memoir is the story of a love...
NRB’s 7th birthday biggest-ever giveaway #4
So many goodies in one book pack as our 7th birthday celebrations continue this month. To go in the draw to win all six of these books, email editors@newtownreviewofbooks.com.au by 6pm Monday 25 March 2019 with ‘birthday #4’ in the subject line and your name and...
SYLVAIN NEUVEL The Test. Reviewed by Robert Goodman
Sylvain Neuvel’s novella The Test, about the demonisation of immigrants, packs a punch and could not be more timely. Canadian author Sylvain Neuvel’s new novella, The Test, is a long way removed from his engaging trilogy of novels about alien invasion and...
ROYCE KURMELOVS Boom and Bust: The rise and fall of the mining industry, greed and the impact on everyday Australians. Reviewed by Kurt Johnson
Royce Kurmelovs shines a light on recent history, exploring the personal stories of those directly involved in mining and the wider impacts of the industry in Australia. You would be hard pressed to find an Australian who has not invested in mining. Some have...
NRB’s 7th birthday biggest-ever giveaway #3
Another irresistible book pack to win as part of our 7th birthday celebrations this month. To go in the draw to win all six of these special books, email editors@newtownreviewofbooks.com.au by 6pm Monday 18 March 2019 with ‘birthday #3’ in the subject line and your...
Recent Posts
LYN DICKENS Salt Upon the Water. Reviewed by Ann Skea11 December 2025Lyn Dickens’s award-winning debut novel of an independent woman in colonial [ … ]
STUART EVERLY-WILSON The Maskeys. Reviewed by Catherine Pardey10 December 2025Set in a small Australian town dominated by a family of drug dealers, Stuart [ … ]
ALIX E HARROW The Everlasting. Reviewed by Robert Goodman9 December 2025Alix E Harrow’s time-travelling new novel asks questions about our most [ … ]
LUKE KEMP Goliath’s Curse: The history and future of societal collapse. Reviewed by Braham Dabscheck4 December 2025Human history has seen many civilisations rise and fall. Luke Kemp contemplates [ … ]