Cirrus@Austlit

'Life in a seaside suburb on Sydney Harbour appears idyllic from the outside, but cracks are appearing in the lives of five well-heeled, mismatched friends. Brought together by compassionate Kristen in her quest to help refugees, they share a passion for poker. Every month, they gather in each other's houses to gamble on cards and each other.

'Affairs, fraud, betrayal and greed....their 'first world' problems are suddenly challenged when their lives collide with an embattled Afghani family trying to make it in a hard-arse Australia.

'Smart, taut and sexy, the action in "Poker Protocol" unfolds over one year, putting the life of contemporary middle Australia under a microscope with humour and suspense.

'Using journalistic skills honed over decades, Anne Maria Nicholson tells the story through the cleverly interwoven perspectives of five men and women craving love and friendship while coming to grips with a moral crisis.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Vulcanologist Frances Nelson is in Italy to work with an international team assessing the world′s most dangerous volcano, Mt Vesuvius, responsible for the destruction of ancient Pompeii.

'Instead of the straightforward scientific task she expects, she finds herself in the midst of political scandal and a web of nepotism on the literally murderous streets of Naples as greed, organized crime, and Il Sistema (the system) fill those same streets with violence and pollute the countryside with toxic waste. To her horror, she realises her work is being compromised and her team's findings suppressed by her superiors.

A vivid and compelling story unfolds, drenched with flavours of Italy and the spice of dangerous passions. In flashback, the tragic events of a fatal explosion on White Island, in the Bay of Plenty provide a dramatic emotional counterpoint to the events Frances is dealing with in Italy, adding a poignance to her budding relationship with a colleague, and providing a romatic twist to this fast-paced contemporary novel.' (From the publisher's website.)

'Christmas Eve, 1953. The crater tlake on Mt Ruapehu bursts, unleashing a giant lahar that sweeps down the volcano like a tidal wave, destroying a Tangiwai rail bridge and plunging a passenger train into the river. One hundred and fifty-one people drown and many others are seriously injured.

'Years later, when the vibrant international seismologist Frances Nelson arrives in New Zealand to start monitoring the dangerously active volcano Mt Ruapehu, she is shocked to find herself embroiled in a battle over the mountain that stretches back centuries. Not realising that Frances has ties of her own to the Tangiwai train crash, local scientists seek to gain her support for their schemes, which range from installing an early warning system to bulldozing the entire mountain top.

'Added to that are the Maori locals - and one in particular - who believe that the volcano is sacred and the railway should never have been built across its path. The mountain is heating up and Frances must decide what to do before it is too late.' (Publisher's blurb)