Esther’s Children – Caroline Beeham
Austria, 1936: Esther ‘Tess’ Simpson works for a British organisation that rescues academics from the cruel Fascist and anti-Semitic regimes taking hold in Europe. During a dangerous trip to Vienna to help bring aid to Europe’s threatened Jewish scholars, Esther meets Harry Singer, a young Jewish academic and musician – and they fall in love.
Tess works tirelessly to rescue at-risk academics and scientists from across Europe, trying to find positions for them in Britain and America. In 1938 she secures employment for Harry at Imperial College, their love affair intensifying as the world heads into war, yet they are separated once again as Britain moves to intern European refugees.
With Harry detained on the Isle of Man while still waiting for news of his parents, Esther and the Society plead with the government for the interned scientists’ release. When Harry is eventually liberated, he discovers that his parents have fought their own path to freedom in America his future with Esther is by no means certain as he faces an impossible choice; stay with Esther and turn his back on his parents or follow them to reunite his family.
Confronting the horrific dangers of World War Two with remarkable integrity and bravery, Esther Simpson is revealed as an exceptional heroine.
Sunbathing – Isobel Beech
Shortlisted for the 2022 Readings New Australian Fiction Prize
Summertime in Italy, fresh vegetables from the garden, taking turns washing dishes, reading to each other, learning about cherry worms. Strange how badly I could punish myself for abandoning you once, then go and do it again.
After weeks of grieving, a woman books a plane ticket, bound for an old villa in the mountains of Abruzzo. Invited to stay with her friends Giulia and Fab – in the weeks before they marry in a village orchard – she lives for a summer in the house’s Birthing Room, where generations of women once had their babies.
More often, though, she lives in her head: in the past, trying to make sense of her grief and wondering how to go on, or if she can.
As her inner and outer worlds spar and converge, she passes the time helping with the household chores, walking in the sunshine and plucking fruit from the nearby orchards, all while dwelling on the moments with her father that might have warned her something was wrong.
This spare, stunning novel explores the workings of the self in the wake of devastation and deep regret and reveals the infinite ways that the every day offers solace and hope.
Grand Hotel Europa – Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer
A writer takes residence in the illustrious but decaying Grand Hotel Europa to think about where things went wrong with Clio, with whom he fell in love in Genoa and moved to Venice. He reconstructs a compelling story of love in times of mass tourism, about their trips to Malta, Palmaria, Portovenere and the Cinque Terre and their thrilling search for the last painting of Caravaggio. Meanwhile, he becomes fascinated by the mysteries of Grand Hotel Europe and gets more and more involved with the memorable characters who inhabit it, and who seem to come from a more elegant time. All the while, globalisation seems to be grabbing hold even in this place frozen in time.
Grand Hotel Europa is Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer’s masterly novel on the old continent, where so much history resides that there is no place left for a future and where the most realistic future perspectives are offered in the form of exploiting the past in the shape of tourism.
The Murder Rule – Dervla McTiernan
First Rule: Make them like you.
Second Rule: Make them need you.
Third Rule: Make them pay.
They think I’m a young, idealistic law student, that I’m passionate about reforming a corrupt and brutal system.
They think I’m working hard to impress them.
They think I’m here to save an innocent man on death row.
They’re wrong. I’m going to bury him.
The Corpse Flower – Anne Mette Hancock
Early in Danish author Hancock’s gripping debut, Copenhagen journalist Heloise Kaldan receives two letters from Anna Kiel, a wanted murderer. Anna killed a real estate tycoon’s son years earlier and is on the run. Anna claims she and Heloise are connected, and she seems to know personal things about Heloise, such as her lucky number and her favourite flower. Heloise starts looking into Anna’s case by reaching out to Urlich Andersson, the journalist who originally covered the murder. Ulrich warns Heloise to stay away from the story since her life could be in danger. When Anna posts a picture of Heloise’s apartment on social media, Heloise is convinced Anna is breaking in and calls the police. She’s forced to tell Det. Sgt. Erik Schäfer about the letters, and they start sharing information. Soon, one dark turn leads to another, and Heloise follows a lead to Paris, where she comes face-to-face with Anna and learns their connection is deeper and more disturbing than she could have imagined. Assured prose matches the intricate plot. Hancock is off to a strong start.
The Curfew – T.M. Logan
Your son said he was home. WHY DID HE LIE?
It’s time to preorder the brand new up-all-night thriller from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Richard and Judy pick The Holiday, now a major TV Drama.
I should have known something was wrong. I should have sensed it. Felt it in the air, like the build-up of pressure before a thunderstorm, that heavy, loaded calm.
The curfew
Andy and Laura are good parents. They tell their son Connor that he can go out with friends to celebrate completing his exams, but he must be home by midnight.
The lie
When Connor misses his curfew, it sets off a series of events that will change the lives of five families forever.
The truth?
Because five teenagers went into the woods that night, but only four came out. And telling the truth might mean losing everything…
WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
