Outlawed by Anna North, $26.90, from Booktopia
Described as The Crucible meets True Grit, there might just be something for everyone in Reese’s January pick. The book follows 17-year-old Ada, who feels unsafe in a town where barren women are hanged as witches. After a year of marriage and no pregnancy to show for it, she joins the notorious Hole in the Wall Gang, who are hoping to create a safe haven for outcast women.
The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse, $25.75, from Booktopia
The Sanatorium was an instant New York Times bestseller, with author Sarah Pearse touted as the hottest new talent in crime fiction. A new hotel has been opened in the Swiss Alps in what used to be a sanatorium, and detective Elin Warner is reluctantly visiting for her brother’s engagement celebrations. And when his fiancée disappears without a trace, Elin’s unease only continues to grow.
Infinite Country by Patricia Engel, $23.95, from Booktopia
Infinite Country tells a range of stories that twist together in a kaleidoscope, following the family of Talia, who is locked in a correctional facility for adolescent girls after committing an act of violence. We watch her parents fall in love against the backdrop of Colombiad civil war and social unrest, and eventually escape to the United States on temporary visas. Will Talia be able to join them?
Northern Spy by Flynn Berry, $26.90, from Booktopia
Set in Ireland among the conflicts caused by the Irish Republican Army, producer for the Belfast bureau of the BBC, Tessa is faced with the confronting truth that her sister might have joined the IRA. While Tessa knows this is impossible, the truth of what has happened to her sister, Marian, will reveal itself, forcing Tessa to choose between her ideals and her family.
The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave, $22.50, from Booktopia
Evocative family drama The Last Thing He Told Me begins with the disappearance of Owen Michaels, who smuggles a note to his wife, Hannah Hall, just before he disappears, reading ‘Protect her’. The note refers to his daughter, Bailey, who lost her mother as a young child and wants nothing to do with her stepmother. However, as Owen remains missing, and his boss is arrested by the FBI, the two begin to work together to uncover the mystery of where Owen has disappeared to.
Seven Days in June by Tia Williams, $26.90, from Booktopia
Reese called this book ‘a sexy, modern love story to start the summer off right,’ making November the perfect time to read it in Australia. Following writers Eva Mercy and Shane Hall, who spend one torrid, crazy week madly in love. While they pretend not to know each other, their chemistry is undeniable, as is the fact they’ve been using their books to write to each other in the years since their summer romance.
The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller, $24.75, from Booktopia
Unfolding over 24 hours and across 50 years, Elle experiences a sudden memory of a passionate encounter she had the night before while staying with her family at The Paper Palace. As decades of family legacies, love, lies, secrets and an unspeakable incident in her childhood are revealed to Elle, she must choose between the life she has built with her husband Peter, and that she hoped to have with her childhood love, Jonas.
We Were Never Here by Andrea Bartz, $26.90, from Booktopia
Circling back to thriller and suspense, We Were Never Here follows the story of Emily, whose best friend, Kristen, has just killed a man in their Chilean hotel room. While she claims it was an act of self-defence, Emily begins to ask herself if she can really trust Kristen as they cover up the murder together.
L.A. Weather by María Amparo Escandón, $27.95, from Booktopia
Fun and fast-paced, L.A. Weather tells the story of Oscar Alvarado, a weather-obsessed man who desperately wants a little rain. His relationships with his wife, Keila, and daughters Claudia, Olivia and Patricia, will all be explored as the family face up to impending evacuations, secrets, deception and betrayal.
Sankofa by Chibundu Onuzo, $26.90, from Booktopia
Sankofa tells the story of Anna, who is wondering who she is now that she’s reached her 40s. Her marriage has ended, her daughter is all grown up, and her mother has passed away, leading her in search of information about her father. Following his student diaries, Anna learns that his involvement in radical politics in 1970s London actually led him to become the president – or perhaps the dictator – of a small West African nation. And he’s still alive…
