by NRB | 8 Aug 2019 | Fiction |
This collection gives an insight into a trailblazer who created one of the most enduring series in Australian crime fiction. It is hard to believe these days that there was ever a time when there was no market for Australian crime fiction. The strength, the range, the...
by NRB | 6 Aug 2019 | The Godfather: Peter Corris |
See you at the Toxteth: The best of Cliff Hardy and Corris on crime, published this week, brings together in one volume some of Peter Corris’s best short stories, selected by Jean Bedford, together with his ‘ABC of Crime Writing’ and a selection of...
by NRB | 20 Dec 2018 | Fiction, Non-fiction |
From fiction to crime to history, essays, memoir and literary letters, the NRB editors choose ten of the reviews we published in 2018 of books we think deserve to go on your TBR pile. Jean’s picks: Ali Smith Winter The first of Ali Smith’s...
by NRB | 28 Sep 2018 | The Godfather: Peter Corris |
Peter Corris, the ‘Godfather of Australian crime fiction’, died in his sleep on 30 August 2018. His Godfather columns have been part of the Newtown Review of Books from the beginning, and we feel his loss keenly. Following are some tributes that were given at his...
by NRB | 14 Sep 2017 | Crime Scene |
Clear observations and easy rhythms continue to give momentum in this final novel by Peter Corris. Halfway through The Dying Trade by Peter Corris, Cliff Hardy is under a tarp in the back of a Landrover taking stock: ‘I’d been careless and slow and the thought...
by NRB | 2 Jun 2017 | The Godfather: Peter Corris |
As the Godfather continues to recuperate, the NRB editors take turns to share some random thoughts. This week Linda writes about the Sydney Writers Festival, which finished last weekend. I’m told there were 450 writers participating in this year’s Sydney Writers’...
by NRB | 11 May 2017 | Non-fiction |
True stories from the courts of the 1970s and 1980s: police verbals, complacent judges, and a rich cast of characters. The word ‘legend’ is grossly overused thanks to sporting commentators, but not in respect of Bill Hosking QC — at least not among criminal lawyers,...
by NRB | 2 May 2017 | Non-fiction |
Trailblazing literary agent Rosemary Creswell died on 19 April 2017 after a long illness. Jean and Linda each pay tribute. Linda Funnell: Eulogy given at Rose’s funeral on 28 April 2017 Dear Rose, how lucky I was to know you. How lucky we all were to...
by NRB | 26 Dec 2013 | Giveaways |
Here’s a quiz, just for fun. Sport in Australian literature – not much, but some. How well do you know it? (Answers will be posted separately.) Questions 1 What is the title of Nicole Hayes’s young adult novel about AFL? 2 What is the title of Malcolm...
by Jean Bedford | 1 Nov 2012 | Crime Scene, Fiction |
In 1997 Killing Floor crashed Lee Child onto the thriller scene as a major new talent. A Wanted Man is the 17th Jack Reacher novel. Reacher is a macho super-hero, an ex-army cop, who is now a transient. His appeal for me lies in the fact that, unlike most...
by NRB | 22 Jun 2012 | The Godfather: Peter Corris |
When is a ghost-writer not a ghost-writer? My answer is, when his or her name appears on the cover. I’ve worked with six people to help them produce their autobiographies. Four books have resulted; one that was written remains unpublished and another is nearing...
by NRB | 15 Jun 2012 | The Godfather: Peter Corris |
It’s often said that writing is a solitary, lonely business. Well, I suppose the actual act of writing is done alone, but I never minded the kids coming in to ask what I was doing or to request a peanut butter sandwich; and Christopher Smart and Raymond Chandler had...
EVA MENASSE Darkenbloom. Reviewed by Ann Skea22 January 2025In Austrian writer Eva Menasse’s new novel, the residents of a small border [ … ]
MICHEL HOUELLEBECQ Annihilation. Reviewed by James Arbuthnott21 January 2025The controversial author of Atomised sets his new – and possibly last – novel [ … ]
CHER The Memoir Part 1. Reviewed by Naomi Manuell16 January 2025Cher is a genuine superstar who has had an extraordinary career across music, [ … ]
PETER GODWIN Exit Wounds. Reviewed by Ann Skea15 January 2025Peter Godwin’s memoir charts a life of exile, ranging from the horror of civil [ … ]