by NRB | 9 Feb 2018 | The Godfather: Peter Corris |
A good number of authors who’ve employed series characters have written what are called in the business retrospectives – that is, stories that hark back to earlier events in their characters’ careers. John le Carré did so with Smiley’s People (1979), tracing previous...
by NRB | 15 Dec 2017 | The Godfather: Peter Corris |
This year I’ve listened to 70 audio books and read two on my Kindle – very slowly, at about 25 words per screen and mostly in doctors’ waiting rooms. Here is a list of the five books I’ve valued most highly, in no order than that in which I came to them. The Romanovs,...
by NRB | 10 Nov 2016 | Non-fiction |
The distinctive flavour of le Carré’s writing is unmistakeable from the first page of The Pigeon Tunnel. This review is of the audio version of the book. That format has given me an extra insight into the abilities of David Cornwell, aka John le Carré. In his...
by NRB | 24 Apr 2014 | Non-fiction |
The English class system helped Cold War spy Kim Philby, who used his friendships with other agents to thwart their operations. Back when I was working at the National Times, I had the good fortune to meet two men – David Leitch and Phillip Knightley – who’d written...
ANNA DOWNES Red River Road and LISA KENWAY All You Took From Me. Reviewed by Justine Ettler3 October 2024These two new crime thrillers from Australian writers Anna Downes and Lisa [ … ]
KATHERINE WILES No Autographs Please. Reviewed by Sally Nimon2 October 2024Katherine Wiles’ life as a professional opera singer seems glossed with [ … ]
ANTONIA PONT The Memory Library. Reviewed by Ann Skea1 October 2024Memories are not merely recounted in Antonia Pont’s novella. How would you like [ … ]
ALINA BELLCHAMBERS The Order of Masks. Reviewed by Amelia Dudley26 September 2024Spies, magic, intrigue, and the human cost of an expanding empire all feature [ … ]
