Cirrus@Austlit

'When Erin Macalister leaves the city to take care of her beloved grandmother, she's relieved to be escaping the remnants of her broken marriage.

'Arriving in the small rural community she grew up in, Erin finds nothing much has changed - including Jamie McBride, who is still as ridiculously good looking as he was when they were seventeen and madly in love.

'Leafing through old photo albums evokes vivid memories for her grandmother of a soldier she once loved. Erin's curiosity about this mysterious soldier deepens when she finds an engagement ring he once gave her grandmother.

'Meanwhile, Jamie McBride seems intent on rekindling his relationship with Erin, even though she’s not at all sure she wants to risk heartache again.

'From the bestselling author of Poppy's Dilemma, this poignant, heartfelt story of old loves and new possibilities is both inspirational and entertaining.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Smart and reliable, Gemma Northcote has always done what's expected of her. So it's not surprising that after uni she defers to her father's wish that she join the family business.

'Gemma's best friend, Jasmine, is a different personality altogether. She thrives on spontaneity, is unpredictable and has generally pursued her own path.

'When Gemma and Jasmine decide to spend a working holiday on a large rural property, their friends and family are surprised. Neither has any experience of country life (unless you count Jasmine's love of McLeod's Daughters) and they're not exactly farming types.

'Away from her family, Gemma feels liberated. The longer she's away the more she questions what she really wants to do with her future. Ultimately, she realises she needs to choose between duty and what's right for her in life - and love.

'From the bestselling author of Bridie's Choice and Poppy's Dilemma, this inspirational novel is sure to appeal to anyone who's questioned the direction they should take for true happiness.

'Whoever said small towns have no secrets didn't know about this one...

'Born and bred on the land, Jordan Windcroft is tough. She's had to be. Her life revolves around running her property almost single-handedly on next to no money, and waiting out her four years of probation — a rap that she took for one of her closest friends.

'But there's an end to her problems in sight. Jordan’s probation period is almost up, and if she can just make the cattle sale, there’s a chance she can pull herself out of more than ten years of serious debt and keep her precious farm. The last thing she needs is for Reid Easton to walk into town.

'Detective Senior Sergeant Reid Easton drives into Whitewater Creek on a mission to wrap up a three-year drug investigation; his only lead, Jordan Windcroft. The attraction between the two is immediate, but Reid is undercover and Jordan has a secret she can’t risk him discovering. Neither will jeopardise their cause, not for something as transitory as love.' (Publication summary)

'Amid the rising flood waters and shearers' strike violence, can one brave woman reclaim her future? From an Australian bestselling author comes a riveting historical adventure about one woman's journey from a life of isolation to one of love and acceptance.

'1894, Echuca, Victoria

'Tess Hawthorn is a woman on the run from her abusive husband. All she has to do is get on the riverboat Victor and she will be free.

'But with tensions at an all-time high between unionist shearers and Scabs, Tess isn't the only person trying to board a boat under the cover of night. When a brawl erupts between the union and non-union men, Tess is mistaken for a fellow Scab and in the chaos pulled aboard the PS Rodney - the same boat heading up the Darling River that her husband was bound for.

'The last person Bram Kempster expects to see on board is Tess Hawthorn, the girl he's loved from afar since they were young. But he can't afford to get distracted, not when he's on an urgent trip to Renmark. Tess didn't want him back then and, if her haughty behaviour is anything to go by, she certainly doesn't want him now.

'But childhood hurts are the least of their problems. The continent is a tinderbox of violence and bloodshed waiting to ignite, and at home the Murray River is rising fast. Can they overcome their past in time to work together and survive?' (Publication summary)

'I met my husband on the same day I committed my very last murder. There's a joke in there somewhere, about ending two men's lives.'

'Olivia Hodges used to do horrible things - back when she worked for a Spanish crime syndicate - but she fled that life and moved home to Australia, building a family in the hippie, hipster community of the Dandenong Ranges.

'When a small-time criminal gang brings tragedy to her family, superstitious Olivia believes it's the universe demanding payment for her crimes. She wants revenge, but has to get it without adding to her karmic debt. So she creates situations where these bad men get themselves killed through their anger, ego and greed - all while trying to mislead the cops long enough to finish what she started.'  (Publication summary)

'Amy, Jin and Lucie are leading isolated lives in their partially renovated, inner city home. They are not happy, but they are also terrified of change. When they buy a pet rabbit for Lucie, and then Amy’s mother, Pauline, comes to stay, the family is forced to confront long-buried secrets. Will opening their hearts to the rabbit help them to heal or only invite further tragedy?

'The Burrow tells an unforgettable story about grief and hope. With her characteristic compassion and eye for detail, Melanie Cheng reveals the lives of others—even of a small rabbit.'  (Publication summary)

'I pull up at the kerb. I love this park they train in. I must have walked the figure-of-eight around its ovals hundreds of times, at dawn, winter and summer, to throw the ball for Dozer, our red heeler, but he’s buried now, in the backyard, under the crepe myrtle near the chook pen.

'The boy jumps out with his footy and trots away, bouncing it. Boy? Look at him. He’s five foot eleven. The last of my three grandkids. This year he’s in the Under 16s.

'It’s footy season in Melbourne, and Helen Garner is following her grandson’s suburban team. She turns up not only at every game (give or take), but at every training session, shivering on the sidelines in the dark, fascinated by the spectacle.

'She’s a passionate Western Bulldogs supporter (with a rather shaky grasp of the rules) and a great admirer of the players and the epic theatre of the game. But this is something more than that. It is a chance to connect with her youngest grandchild, to be close to him in his last moments as a child and in his headlong rush into manhood. To witness his triumphs and defeats, to fear for his safety in battle, to gasp and to cheer for the team as it fights its way towards the finals.

'Garner’s sharp eye, wit and warm humour bring the team and the season to life, as she documents this pivotal moment, both as part of the story and as silent witness. It’s a reflection on masculinity, on the nobility, grace and grit of team spirit and the game’s power to enthral.' (Publication summary)

'A powerful and poignant tale of rural suspense told by the acclaimed Fleur McDonald, bestselling author of Voices in the Dark and Shock Waves.

'Left alone on the vast cattle station with her baby while her husband, Alex, works the farm, Hallie Donaldson is having trouble adjusting to the flies, dust, snakes and isolation in the Flinders Ranges.

'At least today, Hallie knows that she and their daughter Ruby can watch Alex on the security camera erected at the windmill where he'll be working. But something goes horribly wrong and he suddenly disappears from view.

'Alex is found later, dead at the bottom of the windmill.

'After Alex's death, Hallie discovers an alarming series of phone messages sent to a still-shared link on Alex's phone. A short time later, one of Alex's close friends from agricultural college, Danny Betts, loses his life in another tragic rural accident.

'When Hallie reveals the horrifying information she's been keeping secret to Detective Dave Burrows and his partner, Constable Mia Worth, they quickly realise that all is not what it seems.' (Publication summary)

'Gina Chick, the inaugural winner of Alone Australia, tells the story of her extraordinary, indomitable life in one of the most powerful, moving memoirs you will ever read.

'From day one of her wildly unconventional childhood, Gina Chick blazed her own trail, which led her to dance through the hidden world of 90’s Sydney nightlife into the arms of a conman. She fled to the wilderness to find healing, began a wondrous love affair with the deepest lessons life - and death - can offer, and found that all the answers are written in the wisdom of the body and the whirling silence of stars.

'If you’re ready to get lost in jungles, wander into wolf-dens, sing with storms, rescue orphaned animals, dive to the depths, dance ‘til your knees wobble, fall in love, find yourself by losing it all, and most of all be real; this book is for you.

'We Are the Stars is a magic carpet ride through the exquisite mystery of the human heart. You’ve never read anything like it.' (Publication summary) 

'Three friends travel to Marcoy, a regional town for a weekend away from family life. One year ago, a tragic incident splintered the group, and the women have seen little of each other since.

'Melissa has slept much of the past twelve months away, and she hopes this weekend will help her re-emerge from the depression she’s been living with. Bridie worries that she is not a good enough mother. She worries about most things, really, but she’s dealing with things just fine. At least that’s what she tells herself. In fact, she only agreed to this weekend away out of a sense of duty.

'What Cassandra really needs is a break, so she’s come away to forget it all, to enjoy a cab-sav and an open fire and the company of her long lost friends.

'This weekend is about reconnecting, about enjoying their friendship the way they used to, while not—at any cost—having to address the reason for the distance between them. But when they witness a young girl being coerced into a car by a man she fears, they are forced to reckon with the chasm of grief and trauma that’s kept them apart.

'Everywhere We Look explores domestic abuse, the dynamics of female friendship, and the danger that can hide in plain sight.'  (Publication summary)

'Tales from a perfectly imperfect life

'Known and loved by her many New Zealand and Australian fans as a down-to-earth broadcaster, radio host and social media sensation, Bree Tomasel is an irrepressible force of nature.

'But behind the banter and success, is a young woman who has battled anxiety and survived a harrowing attack on her as a young child.

'Now, for the first time, Bree writes about how that attack has shaped her, as well what it was like to grow up questioning her sexuality in conservative country Queensland, her struggles with anxiety and ADHD, and living in the public eye.

'Funny, candid, raw - this is Bree Tomasel as you've never seen her.' (Publication summary) 

''Her self is an illusion yet it is one beloved by most everyone who has heard her speak . . . She is thirty-three years old and there is no one else in the world who knows who she used to be.'

'The motherless child of an English priest living in ninth-century Mainz, Agnes is a wild and brilliant girl with a deep, visceral love of God. At eighteen, to avoid a future as a wife or nun, Agnes enlists the help of a lovesick Benedictine monk to disguise herself as a man and devote her life to the study she is denied as a woman.

'So begins the life of John the Englishman: a matchless scholar and scribe of the revered Fulda monastery, then a charismatic heretic in an Athens commune and, by her middle years, a celebrated teacher in Rome. There, Agnes (as John) dazzles the Church hierarchy with her knowledge and wisdom and finds herself at the heart of political intrigue in a city where gossip is a powerful—and deadly—currency.

'And when the only person who knows her identity arrives in Rome, she will risk everything to once again feel what it is to be known—and loved.

'Rapture is an astonishing, transformative and audacious novel that confirms Emily Maguire as one of our finest writers.' (Publication summary)

'Hair stylist Kit Cooper is at the top of her game. She does the shows in Milan and Paris, tends to pop stars and celebrities, and has styled enough campaigns and magazine covers to last a lifetime. But Kit is ambitious. Restless. She can't help asking: what's next?

'One day, frustrated she can't find the perfect product for a look, she wonders ... could she make it herself?

'THINGS WILL CALM DOWN SOON takes Kit from idea to founder of a highly successful hair-care company. Amid spreadsheets, influencers, product launches and a parade of potential investors, Kit is juggling an eager young team, needy family members, a charismatic but unreliable romantic partner, single parenting and far too many school WhatsApp messages. She is certain, positive, things will calm down soon, because how can life possibly keep going at this pace?

'As the founder of Go-To Skincare, Zoë Foster Blake has learned a lot in her decade of business. THINGS WILL CALM DOWN SOON blends her love of fiction with the knowledge she has acquired in business, entrepreneurship, and mergers and acquisitions. Part entertainment, part founder insight, THINGS WILL CALM DOWN SOON is an entirely new breed of illuminating storytelling.' (Publication summary)

'The latest stunning thriller from the bestselling author of Scrublands and The Seven.

'Nell Buchanan and Ivan Lucic are back – as Nell is thrown into her most emotionally fraught investigation yet.

'A controversial entrepreneur is murdered in a remote mountain valley, but this is no ordinary case. Ivan and Nell are soon contending with cowboy lawyers, conmen, bullion thieves and grave robbers.

'But it's when Nell discovers the victim is a close blood relative that the past begins to take on a looming significance.

'What did take place in The Valley all those years ago? What was Nell's mother doing there, and what was her connection to troubled young police officer Simmons Burnside? And why do the police hierarchy insist Ivan and Nell stay with the case despite an obvious conflict of interest?

'The Valley features a page-turning plot, intriguing characters, and an evocative sense of place—where nothing is ever quite what it seems. Chris Hammer, the acclaimed author of the international bestsellers Scrublands, Treasure & Dirt, The Tilt and The Seven, presents another immersive and emotionally rewarding thriller.' (Publication summary)

'When human remains are discovered in a forest, police are baffled, the locals are shocked and one group of old friends starts to panic. Their long-held secret is about to be uncovered.

'It all began in 1999 when sixteen-year-old Aaron ran away from home, drawing his friends into an unforeseeable chain of events that no one escaped from unscathed.

'In The Ledge, past and present run breathlessly parallel, leading to a cliff-hanger nobody will see coming. This is a mind-bending new novel from the master of the unexpected.' (Publication summary)

'At seventeen, Maeve is naively single-minded about pursuing a life in the theatre. After a rigorous audition process, she secures a position at one of the most competitive drama schools in the country. Leaving behind the security of her childhood home in Queensland, Maeve moves to Melbourne and devotes herself to the course.

'The expectations of the faculty are made clear from the outset: to avoid failure, the process must be adhered to without question and, as the youngest student at the school, Maeve knows she must gain life experience in order to inhabit her roles. With the encouragement of her new classmates, Maeve explores the darker pockets of her personality, disastrously blurring the line between the characters she must play and herself.'

Source: Abstract.

 (Publication summary)

'Even the worst person has a best friend.

'A chilling black comedy, The First Friend imagines a gangster mob in charge of a global superpower.

'The Soviet Union 1938: Lavrentiy Beria, 'The Boss' of the Georgian republic, nervously prepares a Black Sea resort for a visit from 'The Boss of Bosses', his fellow Georgian Josef Stalin. Under escalating pressure from enemies and allies alike, Beria slowly but surely descends into murderous paranoia.

'By his side is Vasil Murtov, Beria's closest friend since childhood. But to be a witness is dangerous; Murtov must protect his family and play his own game of survival while remaining outwardly loyal to an increasingly unstable Beria. The tension ramps up as Stalin's visit and the inevitable bloodbath approaches. Is Murtov playing Beria, or is he being played?

'The First Friend is a novel in a time of autocrats, where reality is a fiction created by those who rule. Reflecting on Putin's Russia, Trump's America, Xi's China and Murdoch's planet Earth, it is at once a satire and a thriller, a survivor's tale in which a father has to walk a tightrope every day to save his family from a monster and a monstrous society. Where safety lies in following official fictions, is a truthful life the ultimate risk?'  (Publication summary)