This week, Jeff Popple reviews three books about spies, lies and a terrible shipwreck. More of Jeff’s reviews can be found on his blog: murdermayhemandlongdogs.com
Two Nights in Lisbon by Chris Pavone
Head of Zeus, $29.99
Chris Pavone is one of my favourite spy authors. His books have a Len Deighton subtlety about them, and always dazzle with their clever plots. His latest, Two Nights in Lisbon, is another twisty feast about an American woman who wakes up in Lisbon to find that her husband has gone with no note or explanation. The police and the American Embassy are initially reluctant to help, but when it emerges that the man may not be who he claims to be, their interest is piqued. This is a briskly paced and very tense thriller, with some great descriptions of Lisbon.
The Secret by Alexandra Smith
Macmillan, $36.99
Recent years have seen a bizarre procession of political scandals and personal failings, but probably none have been as unexpected as Gladys Berejiklian’s fall from grace. For months on end, she was a constant on television screens calmly guiding her state through extreme weather disasters and the onset of the COVID pandemic. Well respected and publicly very popular, she seemed politically invincible in early 2021. Yet by October she was gone after a succession of stunning revelations. Journalist Alexandra Smith’s well-informed account of the last weeks of Berejiklian’s premiership is a fascinating and insightful recapping of what happened.
The Shipwreck by Larry Winter
Allen & Unwin, $34.99
The sinking of the Dunbar near the cliffs of The Gap at Sydney’s South Head in 1857 remains one of the worst maritime disasters in Australia’s history. All but one of the 123 crew and passengers perished during the storm that smashed the celebrated sailing ship onto the rocks. Larry Winter’s The Shipwreck is a captivating and well-written account of what happened. Drawing on a wealth of contemporaneous material, Winter paints a vivid picture of the Dunbar’s voyage to Australia and the events of that night. He also clearly articulates the repercussions of the sinking and its effect on the new colony. Recommended.
