This week, Jeff Popple reviews three Australian books about murder, human trafficking and second chances. More of Jeff’s reviews can be found on his blog: murdermayhemandlongdogs.com

Storm Child by Michael Robotham

Hachette, $32.99

Michael Robotham is Australia’s premier crime writer and has rightly earned world-wide acclaim and awards. His latest novel, Storm Child, is the fourth in his series about forensic psychologist Cyrus Haven and the troubled Evie Cormac, and once more,0  provides a good mix of thrills and serious themes. The story opens with Cyrus and Evie witnessing a terrible tragedy on a British beach with seventeen bodies from a refugee boat being washed up onshore. The event brings back traumatic memories from Evie’s own childhood experiences and sets the pair on a dangerous path to finally uncover what really happened to Evie. Tense and chilling.

Woman, Missing by Sherryl Clark

Harper Collins, $32.99

Woman, Missing is the first in a new series by Sherryl Clark featuring former cop Lou Alcott, who was dismissed after hitting a domestic violence perpetuator. Thanks to her grandfather Hamish, a notorious Melbourne crime figure, Lou has a new job with a local private eye agency. On her first day she draws two cases helping at-risk women, both of whom have disappeared in strange circumstances. Lou quickly sets to work, but is soon drawn into a deadly cat-and-mouse game. Briskly paced and interesting, Woman, Missing combines clever plotting, vivid urban locations and some nicely formed characters to make an outstanding read. Recommended.

The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston

Penguin, $34.99

Anna Johnston’s debut, The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife, is an uplifting novel about love, second chances and ageing. 82-year-old Frederick Fife is lonely, broke and on the brink of homelessness, when in a bizarre case of mistaken identity, he takes the place of cranky Bernard Greer at the local nursing home. Suddenly he has a roof over his head, warm meals and a sense of community again, provided his lookalike never returns. Walking in Bernard’s shoes, he also comes to understand what it would take to return a broken life to mint condition. A poignant, charming and amusing story with real heart.