Storm Front

Australian author Charlotte McConaghy's Wild Dark Shore (2025) is a novel which appeared on many 'best novels of the year' lists and regularly popped up on social media with high praise from readers. Knowing little about it, other than it was a work of speculative fiction set on a remote island, I downloaded the audiobook and was immediately sucked in by this remarkable tale.

On the fictional island of Shearwater, located in the cold waters between Tasmania and Antartica, is a research station which holds a seed vault. This collection of seeds, from plants all over the world, has been preserved underground in an icy room to protect the diverse species. There are countless penguins, sea lions and other creatures who thrive in this environment, but the only human inhabitants are the Salt family. Dominic Salt has lived here with his three children for the past eight years, so he knows the island intimately. He is the lighthouse keeper and custodian of Shearwater. Climate change and rising sea levels have led to a decision to close the station, so the researchers have departed and Salt has to pack up the island before the ship arrives to ferry them all back to the mainland. 

A devastating storm rattles the island, and a woman washes ashore. Bruised and shivering, the Salts take her in and tend to her wounds. They soon get to know her, and suspect she is harbouring a secret. But they too have secrets. After so long without a mother, the children form a bond with Rowan.

I loved this novel. The setting of a remote island gives the story a lot of energy and a locked-room mystery element. The sense of place is vivid as McConaghy has described it so well that readers can picture the landscape, smell the salty sea air, and feel the bone chilling cold. The characters were fascinating and McConaghy is gifted in the way she drip feeds information about Rowan, Dominic and the children. Each chapter is told by from a different perspective, so we see things from their point of view. There is also a lot to learn here as young Orly, knows everything about the different species of plants and animals and is keen to share his passion.

I cannot say much more about the story without spoiling it for others, so it is best that readers go in with no expectations. I did and was surprised to find that this novel is multi-layered and so engaging. There are complex themes to McConaghy's novel, with plenty of fodder for book clubs to ponder. I highly recommend listening to the audiobook version, as it employs several talented voice actors who narrate the chapters from the perspective of their characters. It also adds a sense of urgency as the novel heads towards its thrilling conclusion. 

I can see why McConaghy topped so many reader's lists last year. It will certainly be among my top reads this year. 

Immortal Words

Retired lawyer Sybil Van Antwerp lives alone in Arnold, Maryland. There is routine to the septuagenarian's life. She reads, keeps her house by the river tidy, but mostly she sits at her desk with a mug of Irish breakfast tea and writes letters. Occasionally she will send an email, but Sybil prefers to write in cursive longhand and send the letters by post.  

Sybil writes to authors like Joan Didion, Ann Patchett and Larry McMurtry, telling them about her admiration for their books. She writes to her beloved brother, Felix now living in France with his husband. She writes to her daughter Fiona, a career-driven mother living in London, and to her son Bruce who lives near enough that he could visit more often. She writes to a child of a colleague, the local Garden Club, her neighbour, the editors of a newspaper and a company help desk. Sybil is also writing a long, unsent letter to another person in which she reveals some of her most painful memories and deepest fears. 

Virginia Evans' delightful debut The Correspondent (2025) is an epistolary novel, told in letters. Through the letters she writes and receives, we learn about Sybil and the secrets she holds, the regrets she has, and the belonging she desires. 

Sybil is a remarkable character you cannot help feeling affection for.  Externally she presents as strong-willed and cold, but underneath she is vulnerable and needs to make peace with her past. Evans has lovingly crafted Sybil and tenderly helps her to know and possibly forgive herself. 

The novel is engrossing and covers some deep themes - family, friendship, loss, aging, regret, companionship. I loved how it shined a light on the lost art of letter writing. In a world of social media, instant messaging and AI, the art of a handwritten letter has disappeared. I cannot even remember the last time I wrote or received a handwritten letter, yet I have fond memories of sending aerograms and cards in the time before the internet. If I could, I would love to write to Sybil (she would be an excellent pen pal) and exchange book recommendations with her.  

I highly recommend this unique novel. While it is only January, I have a feeling this will be among my top books for the year. I will be thinking about The Correspondent for a long time to come. 

Dance of Death

Agatha Christie's The Body in the Library (1942) begins with a murder. The body of a young woman is found lying on the hearth rug the library of Gossington Hall, the estate of Colonel and Mrs Bantry, by the maid. She wakes the Bantrys with a shriek.

While the Colonel contacts the local police - Inspector Slack and Colonel Melchett - Mrs Bantry has other ideas. She telephones her dear friend Miss Marple, the amateur sleuth. Marple is able to disarm witnesses with her charming, grandmotherly visage, and piece together a mystery with her fine intellect and quick wit. The police know Miss Marple and are keen to hear her perspective. 

The detectives need to identify this woman, who is unknown to the Bantry household. Their investigation takes them to the Majestic Hotel in Danemouth where an invalid guest, Conway Jefferson, has reported an 18 year old dancer, Ruby Keene, missing. She was onstage at 10pm, and seen dancing with a man at 11pm, but did not return for her midnight set. her cousin Josie, who recommended Ruby for the hotel job, confirms the identity of the body.

Suddenly there are a lot of potential suspects and when a second body is found, things become more complicated. There are many threads to pull in the investigation, revealing bitter rivalries, secret relationships and financial incentives among the many suspects. 

Miss Marple attends police interviews and notices things that others don't. She sees the state of someone's fingernails, the sideways glances another gives, and can tell if a person is lying. Marple figures everything out long before the police, and helps to solve both murders.

This is the second Miss Marple book, preceded by The Murder at the Vicarage (1930), and I enjoyed her as a character, even though she was in the background for much of the story. While Miss Marple worked alongside the police, she did not dominate or show them to be incompetent. Rather she partnered with them and helped them with the investigation. 

The Body in the Library is a delightful novel, brimming with humour. Christie is clearly having a great deal of fun telling this tale.  

I have had this book for a very long time, but had never read it. I recently stumbled across the "Read Christie" challenge, run by Agatha Christie Ltd (the company established by the author which owns the rights to her works). The 2026 challenge, 'Biggest, Best, Beloved' has selected twelve titles for a monthly read along. The Body in the Library has been given the category of 'Best Opening' and it certainly starts lives up to that description. I don't know if I will pursue the full Read Christie challenge this year, but I might give it a go. The Agatha Christie books I have previously enjoyed have generally been quick reads.

My reviews of other Christie novels are available on this blog: 

• The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920)
• Murder on the Links (1923)

An Excellent Vintage

Matthew Spencer's debut novel Black River (2022) introduced readers to Detective Sargent Rose Riley, as she investigated a serial killer prowling Sydney. Journalist Adam Bowman covered the case and the two worked in parallel, each thriving in their respective jobs. Following this high profile case, Bowman wrote a book which changed his fortunes and, with Riley as a central figure, she lost some of her prized anonymity.

DS Riley is back in Broke Road (2025). Wakened by a phone call advising her of a murder in the Hunter Valley wine region, Riley quickly packs for a few days away and begins the two-hour drive north of Sydney. Riley is familiar with the area, having grown up nearby, in the part less frequented by tourists. Past the cellar doors and golf resorts, there is a seedier side to the region marked by poverty, drug abuse and a large prison. 

In a new estate near Pokolbin, a woman has been found strangled in her home. Riley calls in her colleague Priya Patel to assist, and the two book in to a local inn as they realise this case may take a while to solve. The woman's husband, a geologist working for the coal industry, has an alibi. But there are plenty of other suspects for Riley and Patel to investigate and rule out.

When the forensic analysis reveals similarities to cold cases interstate, Riley's investigation becomes much bigger. She needs to crack the case before the killer strikes again. With the local tabloids muddying the waters, she calls on Adam Bowman to resurrect the working relationship they established on the earlier case. He arrives in the area and quickly begins following his own leads, some of which may land him in trouble. 

Spencer has crafted a captivating thriller. He excels at the police procedural aspects of the case, and has created compelling new characters like the local cop Christian Rodrigues who has been assigned to help Riley and Patel. There are plenty of intriguing subplots and red herrings along the way to keep readers guessing. Riley is smart and diligent, but with an underlay of vulnerability. Patel is a perfect partner, with her quick wit and likability, she can build relationships to assist in their work. 

One aspect I really appreciated was the way in which Spencer covered the tension in the area. The tourism industry, which thrives on weekends, causes the towns and villages to swell and locals resent being priced out as homes are converted to AirBnBs and boutique hotels. Beyond the vineyards, farmers are struggling with increased costs, and the coal industry which has sustained generations of workers faces protest from environmentalists. 

Broke Road is an excellent novel which can be read on its own, but I would encourage starting with Black River to get the full effect. 

His Bloody Project

On a small island in Scotland's Outer Hebrides a shocking crime occurred in an otherwise peaceful crofter community in July 1857. Angus MacPhee, a troubled and troublesome man, brutally murdered his parents and aunt, then took off fearing capture. Locals formed a hunting party and found him, taking him to Inverness for trial. MacPhee's siblings are left to pick up the pieces.

Graeme Macrae Burnet has taken this true crime story and composed a novella, Benbecula (2025), narrated by MacPhee's brother Malcolm. Told retrospectively, Angus first appears to be a lazy man in a household which tolerates his weirdness. His father is disinterested, his mother is only focussed on the hearth fire at the croft, and his siblings are busy working to bring in sea ware to make a small living off selling kelp. Angus smokes his pipe and pleasures himself, without lifting a finger to help. His sibling do their best to avoid him.

Neighbours are worried about Angus. His creepiness disturbs passersby, and his odd behaviour has caused concern. One day he behaves so erratically that he is shackled and forced to remain at home, restrained. As the days pass, the family gives him more latitude and he seems to be better. Until he commits the horrendous act of violence for which he is incarcerated. Several years after the crime Malcolm MacPhee recounts the tale and the aftermath, alone from the croft. 

I always admire Macrae Burnet's writing style. By using Malcolm as narrator, he inhabits the brevity of the man's storytelling and infuses it with the local dialect. Readers can see the bigger picture, and read between the lines of what is not being overtly said. Relying on the scant records from witness statements, which would have been translated from Gaelic and made to sound more proper than the words of the illiterate locals, Macrae Burnet builds a whole world. He is able to depict the bleakness of this life - growing potatoes, harvesting kelp - on this small island. I appreciated the way the narration switched between Malcolm's later recall, and the lead up to the crimes. 

In less than 170 pages, Macrae Burnet has crafted a wonderful novella. While I greatly enjoyed it, I did not feel it was as good as Macrae Burnet's His Bloody Project (2015) which I absolutely adored. My review of Macrae Burnet's Case Study (2021) is also available on this blog. 

Handle the Heat

If you a senior leader, facilitator or board chair, Larry Dressler's Standing in the Fire (2018) is definitely worth a read. In this short book, Dressler explores what to do if a meeting goes off the rails, participants are polarised, or you find yourself in the middle of a fiery situation. The book is subtitled 'Leading high-heat meetings with clarity, calm, and courage' - and addresses how to do just that.

In my career I have had to have many difficult conversations, participated in intense board meetings, mediated grievances, and managed challenging group dynamics. Despite my experience, every so often a curve ball is thrown and upon reflection I wonder what I could have done differently to take the heat out of a situation or responded more effectively when I was the target of other's emotions.

Business books often have models - a pyramid or Venn diagram which purports to solve all your woes. Thankfully, Dressler doesn't really do that. Instead he focusses on practical tips for managing group dynamics. 

He begins with an analogy of fire and how in groups a fire can be destructive or productive. Heat can escalate in a group environment and degrade into aggression, personal attacks, misinformation and rumour. Conversely, fire can serve groups by bringing passions to the surface, illuminating issues, clearing the air, and allowing creativity to flourish. 

I like his depiction of leaders as fire tenders - 'people who can stand in the face of incendiary conflicts and perplexing challenges and help others hold the tensions, emotions and uncertainties long enough to arrive at new insights and common ground' (p25). In order to master this skill, we have to look inward at how we react and adapt to situations. We need to know our own triggers and what we can do to tend our own fires.

Dressler shows six ways of standing in fire by being present, self-aware, open, empathetic, ready for the unexpected and knowing what you stand for. He gives examples from his work and interviews with business leaders to showcase different skills, provides reflect questions to provoke introspection and homework for those who want to develop their skills.  

Not all of his tips will work for everyone. Indeed, there were many where I thought I am never going to do that. But there was much that resonated for me. 

Standing in the Fire is a quick read, but a book I can see myself go back to overtime to hone these important skills. 

Dust and Division

Day's End (2022) is the fourth novel in Garry Disher's Hirsch crime series and his best to date. 

Paul Hirschhausen (Hirsch) has been stationed at the single-officer police station in Tiverton, South Australia for three years now and has gradually become part of the community. He covers a huge rural area, and does the rounds twice a week to check in on locals and providing a visible police presence. The pandemic has reached the town, bringing with it division and isolation. 

A Belgian visitor, Janne Van Sant, is in town looking for her son. He was a backpacker working on a rural property before he allegedly took off to Queensland with a girl. A body has been found in a smouldering suitcase, but it is not Van Sant's son. On top of this, some residence have been the victims of online scams, including Hirsch's partner Wendy. Up in the more populated Redruth, his colleagues are dealing with racist graffiti, druggies and other crime. 

There is a lot going on in Day's End and Disher handles it all brilliantly. I really appreciated the way he depicted the COVID lockdown impact on the regional area and the challenges young people face in a town which gives them little to do. 

Disher is such a great crime writer. He is an expert with pacing and uses short chapters which always leave the reader wanting more. As such, I was easily able to finish this 400 page book in two days. You really get feel for the landscape here, and Van Sant, as a foreigner in this strange land, comments that places are named for ill-adventure - Mischance Creek, Desolation Hill etc. 

I was fortunate to receive book five in this series, Mischance Creek (2025), for Christmas so will be returning to Hirsch's world before long.   

You don't need to read the first three Hirsch books to enjoy Day's End, but I would encourage fans of the genre not to miss them. My reviews of other novels in the Hirsch series are available on this blog:

• Bitter Wash Road (2013)
• Peace (2019)
• Consolation (2020) 

I also recommend Disher's standalone novels, like: The Way it is Now (2021) and Sanctuary (2024). 

Planning for 2026

My reading year begins with a review of the stack of books on my 'To Be Read' pile to see which ones I really want to read and which can be shelved a little longer. I have also recently done a major clean up and cull of my library and found many forgotten gems. So I have the following prioritised for 2026: 

• 
  Emma Donoghue - The Paris Express
• Mick Herron - Dead Lions
• Alan Hollinghurst - Our Evenings
• Dervla McTiernan - The Unquiet Grave
• Philip Pullman - The Rose Field
• Heather Rose - A Great Act of Love
• Elizabeth Strout - Abide with Me
• Graeme Macrae Burnet - Benbecula

I am looking forward to a number of new books due to be published in 2026, including:

• George Saunders - Vigil (January) 
  
• Julian Barnes - Departure(s) (January)
• Tayari Jones - Kin (February)
• Lauren Groff - Brawler: Stories (February)
• Louise Milligan - Shelleybanks (March)
• ML Steadman - A Far Flung Life (March)
• Alba De Cespedes (trans. Ann Goldstein) - There's No Turning Back (March)
• Tana French - The Keeper (March)
• Natalie Haynes - No Friend in this House (March)
• Yann Martel - Son of Nobody (March)
• Colm Tóibín - The News from Dublin (March)
• Brian Bilston - How to Lay and Egg with a Horse Inside (April)
• Kae Tempest - Having Spent Life Seeking (April)
• Elizabeth Strout - The Things We Never Say (May)
• Kristin Hannah - Between Sisters (May)
• Douglas Stuart - John of John (May)
• Maggie O'Farrell - Land (June)
• Ann Patchett - Whistler (June)
• Jennifer Saint - This Immortal Heart (June)
• Lisa See - Daughters of the Sun and Moon (June)
• Colson Whitehead - Cool Machine (July)
• Daniel Mason - Country People (July)
• Robert Harris - Agrippa (August)
• Jon Ronson - The Castle (August)
• Emily St John Mandel - Exit Party (September)
• Louise Kennedy - Stations (September)

While I won't get to all of them this year, I have preordered many from my library. 

I have renewed my Quarterly Essay subscription and am looking forward to coming issues by Michael Wesley, Anna Goldsworthy and others. I have also renewed my Audible subscription so will be able to explore audiobooks to enhance my reading.

Having nearly completed Hilary Mantel's epic Cromwell trilogy (Wolf Hall, Bring Up the Bodies -read in 2025, and The Mirror and the Light - not quite finished by year end!), I am thinking I should complete some other big series that I have started - like Frank Moorhouse's Edith Campbell Berry series, Robertson Davies' Cornish Trilogy, or Colson Whitehead's Harlem Trilogy. Or maybe I should start something new like Solvej Balle's seriers On the Calculation of Volume.

For the past few years I have consistently been able to read at least 30 books a year. In 2025 I exceed this, reading 45. For 2026, I will aim for 40 books! I will continue to explore new authors, genres and subject matters, however I am also enjoying my Box Sets plan to read the back catalogues of authors I admire. I also need to get cracking on my Fifty/Five list of what I planned to read before the end of 2028 as I have not done very well so far. 

Happy reading everyone!