Ballad for a Mad Girl, by Vikki Wakefield

Grace is a prankster and a risk taker, her behaviour always on the edge - especially since the death of her mum. Amid the pressures of year 12and looming exams, life is changing, alliances are shifting and Grace finds herself more and more on the outer in her semi-rural community. Strange experiences start to haunt her and lead her to investigate the 20-year-old mystery disappearance of a local girl. But is she really being haunted or is she going mad? Maybe both. Grace’s friends and family are equally worried and exasperated. Can they help pull her back from the edge as she plunges deeper into the mystery of what happened to Hannah Holt and how that is linked to her mother’s death? The plot often stretches credulity but the fast pace and strong characterisation helps to leap the gaps and make the story enjoyable.

Ali’s Wedding (2017), directed by Jeffrey Walker

Overwhelmed by the expectations of family and community, Ali tells a lie that compounds into a situation that has him living that lie right up to and including his marriage. This very interesting glimpse of the Muslim experience in Australia gives a warts and all look at life in and around the mosque, with the less appealing aspects glossed over by playing them for broad laughs. Same same but different is the inevitable conclusion. Although warm, engaging and funny, this film does not quite live up to its hype. Some of the music is terrible, the swelling orchestra under every emotional scene overwhelming rather than underpinning the point. The postscript of photos from the real life of Osamah Sami, the film’s writer, producer and star, add a note of authenticity that elevates it beyond an average, if unusual, rom com.

Silkworm, by Robert Galbraith

Cormoran Strike’s economic situation has improved since he solved the high profile case of Lula Landry’s murder. But he is once again in danger of losing his remarkably efficient offsider Robin, who has begun the countdown to her wedding. Vicarious fame may have brought in a steady income, but the divorce cases are dull work and the corporate cases involve dealing with very unpleasant people. So when Leonora Quine asks for his help tracking down her errant author husband, Strike finds his sympathy invoked and his intelligence intrigued. What follows involves a bizarre exploration of the world of publishing. Once again Strike finds himself up against a psychopathic killer, while Robin gets the opportunity to develop her talents. The very strange and twisted murder plot is a little hard to swallow, but the suspense of whodunit is maintained to the end.

Bloodlines, by Richelle Mead

The characters from the Vampire Academy series return for a new adventure, this time told from the point of view of Sydney Sage, the young Alchemist who reluctantly helped out Rose Hathaway in some of the earlier stories. The Alchemists despise all vampires and don’t distinguish between the ruling Moroi, the guardian Dhampir, or the evil Strigoi. But they are sworn to protect humans from vampires and so are drawn in to help prevent a damaging Moroi civil war that could have repercussions for everyone. The Alchemists view Sydney with suspicion because of her previous experience with the hated race, but it also makes her the ideal person to work with them again on this new task. The main players from Vampire Academy days take a back seat, with Lissa’s sister Jill, guardian Eddie and Rose’s ex Adrian taking centre stage. Sydney is between a rock and a hard place trying to navigate complicated relationships, do her job as an Alchemist and keep everybody safe and happy. She has to learn to stand up for herself to achieve this and solve a few mysteries along the way.

The Kettering Incident (Foxtel)

One teenage girl disappears and another is left traumatised after they see mysterious lights in the forest outside Kettering, a small logging town in Tasmania. Fifteen years later Dr Anna Macey has buried her trauma and is living in London. Unfortunately she has been having blackouts that leave her with lost hours, migraines and nosebleeds. One day she wakes up in a hire car outside Kettering with no memory of how she got there from London. A bewildering array of characters is introduced and most of them seem to be corrupt, sinister or disturbed. Heavy supernatural symbolism is less than subtle, underlined by the gorgeous but ominous scenery. Are the terrible things happening in Kettering the result of alien visitation, or just the outcome of terrible past acts by a group of corrupt locals? And just what is the role of Jens, the charismatic leader of the greenies protesting the logging? There is no humour to leaven the heavy atmosphere; Elizabeth Debicki never cracks a smile as Anna, a woman admittedly beset by tragedy. A solid cast of well-known actors make the best they can of a strange and meandering tale that is ambitious and interesting, but ultimately unsatisfying.

Valentine, by Jodi McAlister

Finn, Pearl, Cardy and Marie were all born on Valentines Day and so have all been wheeled out as a little bit special in their small country town. The year they are 17 special turns dark as Marie goes missing after a party and it becomes clear the other three are also in danger. After Marie’s remains are found and Cardy goes missing Finn and Pearl have to work together to keep themselves and their town safe from the supernatural forces threatening them. The only trouble is they can’t stand each other. McAlister maintains a fast pace and a nice balance between teen romance and dark thriller. Pearl and Finn are appealing flawed heroes and there is clearly more to discover about their fairy origins and futures.

He Said She Said, by Erin Kelly

Recent Uni grads Laura and Kit witness a violent incident between Jamie and Beth at an eclipse festival in 1999. The fallout affects all of them for the next 16 years as Kit and Laura forge a life together while chasing Kit’s passion for eclipses. The story is told from the differing viewpoints of the couple, moving back and forth in time. Was Beth really the victim she appears to be? Should Laura have befriended her? Is Jamie wrongly accused or a violent psychopath? Is Kit overprotective and why has he not fulfilled the promise of a brilliant career? What secrets have Laura and Kit been keeping from each other about the past and how will this affect their future? A sense of creeping dread pervades the narrative as these questions and more are asked and eventually answered, with the full truth rather different from what could be imagined. Laura and Kit are fully realised characters, who evoke both sympathy and frustration. Beth is a rather annoying puzzle that is satisfactorily solved in the end, while Jamie remains a little two-dimensional on the periphery. A clever structure following the phases of a total eclipse builds suspense right through to a realistic and convincing conclusion, except for the last few paragraphs, which are unnecessary and unbelievably stupid. This lets down what is otherwise a gripping tale.

Paris Can Wait (2016), directed by Eleanor Coppola

Delicious food and gorgeous scenery do not a movie make. Diane Lane is lovely as neglected wife Anne, who embarks on a drive across France with a colleague of her husband. But although she does a nice job portraying an older woman slowly realising she is worth more than she has, she can’t carry the film alone. Arnaud Viard is sleazy rather than charming as the Frenchman cliché, Jacques, making their rapidly developing relationship less than credible. The film often descends into a travelogue or a second rate documentary on the history, food and scenery of south and central France and really drags on the very slight story. Not worth the price of admission.