Jeff Popple reviews three books about mutiny, greed, and advice columns. More of Jeffโs reviews can be found on his blog: murdermayhemandlongdogs.com
The Wager by David Gann
Simon & Schuster, $34.99
In January 1742, a patchwork boat made of cloth and wood washed ashore on the coast of Brazil. The thirty men onboard were the emaciated survivors of HMS Wager, which had been wrecked on a desolate island. The men were greeted as heroes, but six months later they were in court following claims from another three survivors that they were guilty of murder and mutiny. Claim and counter claim followed in the resultant court-martial, and renowned author David Gann brings this real-life event to dramatic life and vividly captures the details of the incident and the wider implications. Highly recommended.
The Money Club by Fiona Lowe
HQ, $32.99
Greed, self-interest, and moral drama also feature in the latest novel by Fiona Lowe, the undisputed queen of Australian small-town fiction. The town of Glingilly is rocked when Izzy Harringtonโs popular entrepreneur fiancรฉ Brad goes missing. Brad had used his family contacts in the small town to set up a successful investment business, but it now seems that the profits are illusory. As a furious mob camps on Izzyโs lawn demanding their money back, it appears that no one really knew Brad, including Izzy. The Money Club is another enjoyable character-driven tale by Lowe that will keep you happily entertained.
Dear Prudence by Daniel M. Lavery
Scribe, $29.99
For five years Daniel Lavery wrote the popular advice column Dear Prudence for the online American magazine Slate. Like the magazine, the Dear Prudence column attracted an enthusiastic audience and Laveryโs compassionate and idiosyncratic reflections thrust him into the public limelight. Dear Prudence is a collection of the weirdest and wildest questions, including privacy violations by a spy-cam wearing cat, sent to the column, and a reflection by Lavery on how his public gender transition and split from his religious family impacted on the advice he gave. Often funny and insightful, Dear Prudence is also quite poignant and moving at times.
