Cirrus@Austlit

'A twin girl learns a terrible family secret that will cause the demons lurking within her young mind to rise up and threaten her close-knit family. As a toxic element seeps into their lives they all, in their own way, struggle with feelings of distrust and helplessness.

'The Fatal Path is a tense Australian drama set against the magnificence of Sydney Harbour, the ski fields of America and the famous Bisley shooting centre in England. The twins are born to wealth and idyllic pursuits, but can they overcome a truth that threatens to tear their worlds apart and why does one seek the help of a psychiatrist?

'The family secret has triggered two powerful human weaknesses - the drive to hold power over another person and the need for revenge at whatever the cost.

'All is not as it seems in this intelligent psychological thriller from journalist/author Shirley LaPlanche and the chill of not knowing who to trust will hold you in its grip all the way to its shocking end.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'It is the 25th April 1919 and Captain Christopher Murphy has been invited back to his old school, Guildale College, to deliver an address in the first year of peace after The Great War. When he arrives at East Guildale railway station, which is adjacent to the school, a flood of memories come rushing back.

'Captain Murphy’s reflections go back to 1908; his final year at Guildale College Preparatory School and Stephen Lamont appears for the first time. Life during that year at the ‘Prep.’ is retraced and a tragedy, from which a great friendship grows, is recalled. 1909 – 1913 in the Guildale College Senior School is a series of vignettes. Each one is based on a year in the school life of the five main characters.

'During 1917, some of the boys from Guildale College reappear as young men facing the horrors of trench warfare at Fleurbaix on the Western Front. Captain Murphy faces a personal crisis, but an old association helps him.

'Captain Murphy’s reverie on East Guildale railway station is interrupted, as it is time for the commemoration service. His reflections have helped him crystallise his thoughts on duty, dreams and friendship, but most importantly on the significance of this Service of Remembrance. He now knows what he must say and with renewed confidence, he walks up to the school to deliver his address.' (Publication summary)

'A middle-aged, mid-level executive in the middle of a mid-life crisis ...

'Sid Vickers is in his late-forties; a white-collar worker who struggles with Sydney traffic, passenger congestion on his weekly bus commute, the political undercurrents inside a modern corporation, the responsibility of providing for a wife and two young kids at home, and his work-life imbalance generally.

'As the female CEO at the American insurance company he works for, increasingly makes his (and every other employee’s) life a misery in these tougher economic times, sardonic Sid conspires to finally take some action rather than wiling away his days feeling sorry for himself.

'With a Roald Dahl “Tales of the Unexpected” twist, this book diarises the one hundred and fifty days it takes for Sid to change his situation …' (Publication summary)

'Wealthy socialite Louisa Smith has it all - a home on Sydney's North Shore, an attractive, Bohemian professor as a fiancé, a brand new engineering degree and 3 lucrative job offers so what has happened that she is now stranded in Australia's Outback, the de facto mother of 10 street kids from Darwin, working off a Community Service Order under Warren George, her obnoxious and elusive (but absolutely gorgeous) Aboriginal tour guide? The law she broke was minor - and victimless - so why is the punishment so heinous? As the tension between Louisa and Warren mounts it finds release in unexpected and passionate encounters. An Outback adventure with some rollicking good sex!'

Source: Publisher's blurb. (Sighted: 10/12/2013)

'Thir Franthith Thnake follows the hilarious adventures of our hero, overcoming childhood adversity to develop into a mature and confident young adult, and a hero to all. Solve the Pig’s puzzle, focus on the curious “visions” our hero has, the meaning of which is only revealed in the climax. It’s a story of overcoming adversity, mateship, good triumphs over evil, and there’s an ugly duckling story. And it’s very funny. You should read it' (publication blurb)

'Take time to savour the gentle essence of romance engagingly portrayed through the nearly James Bond adventures of Jonathan Hayes-Walker, in this escalating tale of wealth, greed and corporate intrigue; spanning continents, cultures and characters resulting in a climax you won't expect, in a story you won't forget. ' (Publisher's blurb)