Cirrus@Austlit

'Ernest Cunningham returns in a deliciously witty locked room (train) mystery.

'When the Australian Mystery Writers’ Society invited me to their crime-writing festival aboard the Ghan, the famous train between Darwin and Adelaide, I was hoping for some inspiration for my second book. Fiction, this time: I needed a break from real people killing each other. Obviously, that didn’t pan out.

'The program is a who’s who of crime writing royalty:

the debut writer (me!)
the forensic science writer
the blockbuster writer
the legal thriller writer
the literary writer
the psychological suspense writer.

'But when one of us is murdered, six authors quickly turn into five detectives. Together, we should know how to solve a crime.

'Or commit one.

'How can you find a killer when all the suspects know how to get away with murder?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'I was dreading the Cunningham family reunion even before the first murder.

'Before the storm stranded us at the mountain resort, snow and bodies piling up.

'The thing is, us Cunninghams don’t really get along. We’ve only got one thing in common: we’ve all killed someone.

My brother.
My step-sister
My wife
My father
My mother
My sister-in-law
My uncle
My stepfather
My aunt
Me'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'The Underdog Detective Agency has a proud tradition of sniffing out trouble (and sniffing each other’s butts). Detective Barkley (a dog) and Detective Fang (a cat) are cleaning up the mean streets of Dogtown one crime at a time!

'So when Puplo Picasso’s masterpieces are swapped with pawfect imitations, it’s up to The Underdogs to catch the culprit.

'Can Fang and Barkley solve the case before the Top Dogs return from their ski trip? What does soup have to do with it? And will Carl finally learn how to answer the phone?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Now more than ever, children are encouraged to value and appreciate our world. I Heart the World is a beautifully illustrated romp around the planet, celebrating the people, cultural delights, natural and man-made wonders, and the breathtaking flora and fauna, that occupy our land, sea and sky.

'Organised into chapters for each world continent, Tania's illustrations will have any child or parent poring over the pages for many hours, and learning great facts about places near and far.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Bronte Mettlestone's parents ran away to have adventures leaving her to be raised by her Aunt Isabelle and the Butler. She's had a perfectly pleasant childhood of afternoon teas and riding lessons—and no adventures, thank you very much. But Bronte's parents have left extremely detailed (and bossy) instructions in their will. She is to travel the kingdoms and empires, perfectly alone, delivering special gifts to her ten other aunts.

'There is a farmer aunt who owns an orange orchard and a veterinarian aunt who specialises in dragon care, a pair of aunts who captain a cruise ship together and a former rock-star aunt who is now the reigning monarch of a small kingdom. Now, armed with only her parents' instructions, a chest full of strange gifts and her own strong will, Bronte must journey forth to face dragons, Chief Detectives and pirates—and the gathering suspicion that there might be something more to her extremely inconvenient quest than meets the eye . . .'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'The Tattooist of Auschwitz is based on the true story of Lale and Gita Sokolov, two Slovakian Jews who survived Auschwitz and eventually made their home in Australia. In that terrible place, Lale was given the job of tattooing the prisoners marked for survival - literally scratching numbers into his fellow victims' arms in indelible ink to create what would become one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust. Lale used the infinitesimal freedom of movement that this position awarded him to exchange jewels and money taken from murdered Jews for food to keep others alive. If he had been caught, he would have been killed; many owed him their survival.

'There have been many books about the Holocaust - and there will be many more. What makes this one so memorable is Lale Sokolov's incredible zest for life. He understood exactly what was in store for him and his fellow prisoners, and he was determined to survive - not just to survive but to leave the camp with his dignity and integrity intact, to live his life to the full. Terrible though this story is, it is also a story of hope and of courage. It is also - almost unbelievably - a love story. Waiting in line to be tattooed, terrified and shaking, was a young girl. For Lale - a dandy, a jack-the-lad, a bit of a chancer - it was love at first sight, and he determined not only to survive himself but to ensure that Gita did, too. His story - their story - will make you weep, but you will also find it uplifting. It shows the very best of humanity in the very worst of circumstances.

'Like many survivors, Lale and Gita told few people their story after the war. They eventually made their way to Australia, where they raised a son and had a successful life. But when Gita died, Lale felt he could no longer carry the burden of their past alone. He chose to tell his story. ' (Publication summary)

'I’ve always been a bad boy, with a very wicked reputation.

'But then I met Madison – sweet, vulnerable, innocent Madison. She makes me feel as if there is hope for me. As if I could be a good man. I need her more than I need air to breathe.

'There’s just one problem: Juliet. She’s a temptress who won’t take no for an answer. If I resist her, she’ll use our dirty secret to ruin everything with Madison.

'I don’t want to lose Madison, but can I really change?

'This is my chance to prove that I can. But it’s going to be one hell of a ride. Are you ready?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'I knew she was bad news when she walked into my office, but I just couldn’t help myself…

'Filthy, sexy and full of surprises, Juliet is so hot she has me on fire. I’ve met my match and I can’t help going back for more.

'Then there’s Madison… she’s sweet, funny and awakens in me a fierce need to protect her.

'But I don’t do relationships. I don’t usually do the same woman twice.

Juliet and Madison: Two very different women have got me completely hooked.

'Who will I choose?

'I know who I should choose, but I never said I was the hero of this story, or even the good guy. And besides, who wants to be good, when it feels so good being bad?

'My tale isn’t for the faint-hearted. If you’re game, strap yourself in and expect the unexpected. But don’t say I didn’t warn you…'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'It's Superheroes Week at school and Eric Vale is in for some SUPER surprises. A killer beast, a giant bully, a mutant orang-utan bear and the dreaded Oogily-Boogily Man await him. This looks like a job for Eric Vale, SUPER MALE! But will it end in a SUPER FAIL? Or will Eric finally go from ZERO to SUPER HERO?' (Publication summary)

'Heaven must be missing an angel ... The angel Bethany and her mortal love, Xavier, have already pushed the boundaries of Heaven with their relationship. In this conclusion to the Halo trilogy, the two take their love to the next, forbidden, step: they marry. At a time when they believe nothing will come between them again, they are faced with their most daunting challenge yet - The Sevens, a military order of angels designed to maintain balance in the universe. These soldiers won't stop until their job is done - capture the wayward angel and send her home. Beth discovers there is only one way back to Earth, but the cost is higher than she ever imagined. If she can survive, she can prove to Heaven and Earth that there is nothing stronger than the power of love.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'When Maeve, twenty year old daughter of Lord Sean of Sevenwaters, accompanies a skittish horse back to Erin, she must confront her demons. For Maeve carries the legacy of a childhood fire in her crippled hands. She has lived with her aunt in Britain for ten years, developing a special gift for gentling difficult animals.

'Maeve arrives home to find Sevenwaters in turmoil. The forest surrounding her father's keep also has uncanny inhabitants, including a community of Fair Folk. Now the fey prince Mac Dara has become desperate to see his only son return to the Otherworld to rule after him. To force Sean's hand, Mac Dara has made innocent travellers on the Sevenwaters border disappear, and now their bodies are appearing one by one in bizarre circumstances. Mac Dara's malign activities must be stopped. But how? What human army can defeat a force with magic at its fingertips?

'Maeve's gift with animals earns her respect at Sevenwaters. She bonds with her enigmatic small brother, Finbar, his druid tutor Luachan, and two stray dogs. When Maeve discovers the body of one of the missing men, she and Finbar are drawn into a journey where the stakes are high: they may bring about the end of Mac Dara's reign, or suffer a hideous death. For Maeve, success may lead to a future she has not dared to believe possible.' (Publisher's blurb)

'Nothing much happens in the sleepy town of Venus Cove.

'But everything changes when three angels, Ivy, Bethany and Gabriel are sent from heaven to protect the town against the gathering forces of darkness. They work hard to conceal their true identity and, most of all, their wings. But the mission is threatened when the youngest angel, Bethany, is sent to high school and falls for the handsome school captain, Xavier Woods. Will she defy the laws of Heaven by loving him?

'Things come to a head when the angels realize they are not the only supernatural power in Venus Cove. There′s a new kid in town and he′s charming, seductive and deadly. Worst of all, he′s after Beth.'

'The angels and Xavier must work together to overcome the dark forces - but will Beth survive the battle?' (From the publisher's website.)

'Sibeal has always known that she is destined for a spiritual life, and is committed to it with all her heart. The only thing left for her to do before she enters the nemetons is to spend the summer visiting her sisters, Muirrin and Clodagh, on the northern island of Inis Eala.

'But Sibeal has barely set foot on the island before a freak storm out at sea sinks a ship before her eyes. In spite of frantic efforts, only three survivors are fished alive from the water, and one of them, a man Sibeal names Ardal, clings to life by the merest thread.

'Life continues on the island, as it must, and Sibeal befriends Ardal as he begins to regain his health. But it becomes clear there is something unusual about the three shipwrecked strangers. Why won't the beautiful Svala speak? And what is it that the gravely ill Ardal can't remember - or won't tell? When a visiting warrior is found dead at the bottom of a cliff, and an attempt is made on Ardal's life, Sibeal finds herself a pawn in a deadly game. The truth will be far more astonishing than she could ever have believed - and the consequences for Sibeal unimaginable.' (From the publisher's website.)

'The younger son of an earl, Gabriel Fitzpaine earned glory and honor on the battlefield, but now, without purpose, he finds himself deliberately courting danger at every turn. Then one night he races his horse along a death-defying moonlit cliff-and stumbles upon a princess on the run.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Presents the stories of Marius, wealthy but lowborn, and Sulla, penniless though aristocratic and debauched - men of vision whose ambitions will lay the foundations of the most awesome empire ever known.' (Publication summary)