Echo Lake, by Joan Sauers

Recently divorced, 40-something Rose has moved from Sydney to a cottage in the NSW southern highlands. There she finds herself entangled in two chilling mysteries, the cold case disappearance of a young woman and the murder of the former owner of Rose’s house – who was a friend of the missing woman. Rose herself is under threat; but is it from the obvious suspect – a local violent crim? Or could it be the charming local real estate agent, or even the attractive and married cop? The writing is very vivid and visual, if somewhat overly descriptive, so it is not surprising to discover the author is a screenwriter. The climax of the plot is wildly improbable and the supernatural elements add little to the story. But it is fast-paced and entertaining and features a very good dog.

For All Mankind (Apple TV+) Seasons 1 & 2

What if the Soviet Union made it to the moon before the USA? What trajectory would the space race have taken? This fascinating alt history shows the USSR not only putting the first man on the moon, but the first woman too, sending NASA into a spin. It skilfully blends fact and fiction, using real figures from history as well as fictional characters, to create a very different pathway into space, with women becoming astronauts and equal participants in the space program from the 70s. Along the way it also tackles topical issues of the time – the Vietnam war, the Equal Rights Amendment, racial issues, persecution of gay people – all through the lens of the space race. The characters and space storylines are compelling, although the personal side sometimes verges on soap it does a good job of showing how challenging frontiers impact s on the individuals involved and their families. Season 2 also verges on fantasy in places, portraying Ronald Reagan as the ultimate peacemaker in a very unlikely scenario. But apparently, it’s generally a case of Republicans good; Democrats bad. Perhaps the writers are trying demonstrate to the current chaotic GOP what could have been possible.

Slough House, by Mick Herron

The head of MI5, First Desk Diana Taverner, has sold what remains of her soul to the diabolical powermonger Peter Judd in order to gain resources and freedom from her political masters. This inadvertently (for a change) puts the current and former slow horses of Slough House at great risk as they become targets in a war of revenge. She is forced into an unholy alliance with Jackson Lamb, the wily but execrable chief of the secret service dumping ground, in order to save all their bacon. Judd, as ever, has his own agenda and is sponsoring Britain’s version of MAGA, a la Steve Bannon. He is not about to let Taverner wriggle free of his clutches. In the face of death the slow horses find themselves dealing with a resurrection, which has been flagged in a previous book but still leaves a lot of questions unanswered. This tight, tense read again puts favourites in the firing line and leaves the fate of heroes and villains alike hanging in the balance until the next tale. Herron has also written a smartly sardonic Christmas short story that follows this novel and is therefore better read after it, as the timelines get confusing and it contains spoilers.

Sorcerer to the Crown, by Zen Cho

Zacharias Wythe is Sorcerer Royal in a version of Regency England. A former slave, he has inherited his role from his late mentor and is a fish out of water among his aristocratic peers. Miss Prunella Gentleman has a natural talent for magic and an inheritance that could be very dangerous in a world that denies and suppresses female magic users. Together, the two must overcome their outsider status and battle enemies in both England and the Fairy Kingdom to save the future of magic. There is a lot going on in this novel, which starts very slowly but gathers life when magical women enter the picture. The tone is not quite right, drawing too heavily on the likes of Georgette Heyer, with awkward dialogue that strives too hard for period accuracy and loses something in translation. It is not as good as Black Water Sister, but it was her debut novel so it will be interesting to see if the sequel is better.

Call Jane (2021), directed by Phyllis Nagy

Unable to legally terminate a pregnancy that threatens her life, suburban Chicago housewife Joy turns to the Jane network for help. It’s 1968 and the world is changing, but not fast enough to help women who need abortions. Joy is drawn to join the Janes, who help make it safer, accessible and affordable until the 1973 Supreme Court Roe V Wade ruling renders their risky work no longer necessary. The film starts slowly but builds interest and tension as Joy is drawn deeper into the network of brave feminists and activists, testing her nerve and her marriage as she grows and takes a leading role in the organisation. Elizabeth Banks and Sigourney Weaver head a strong cast in a timely film that offers a glimmer of hope that such a network could rise again to offer strength in these regressive times. What a shame that after 50 years it is so badly needed again.

Homecoming, by Kate Morton

A small town in the Adelaide Hills in December 1959 is the scene of the mysterious deaths of Isabel Turner and her children. Eventually ruled a murder-suicide, the event has a long term impact on the local community. In London in 2018, journalist Jess Turner-Bridges has lost her job and her partner and is struggling to hang on to her house. Called home to Sydney after her beloved grandmother suffers a fall, Jess starts to uncover family secrets and a link to the events of 1959. Blending real live crimes with the fictional tale provides the author endless opportunities to demonstrate her extensive research, without adding anything meaningful to the the novel. Told in omniscient flashbacks from multiple points of view, this predictable story takes more than 600 pages to wind to a halt. Competent editing could have reduced it by a third without losing anything significant or interesting. Unfortunately the stilted dialogue and unlikely actions of several characters would still have left a flabby and unsatisfying tale.

The Queen’s Price, by Anne Bishop

In the world of the black jewels, Daemon Sadi, Warlord Prince and the High Lord of Hell has established a school to train and protect a new generation. Many of the young queens and witches are vulnerable since the foiled attempt to re-establish a vicious culture previously thought to have been banished. Meanwhile Sadi’s disgraced daughter Saetien embarks on a heart quest to find her place in the world, needing distance from her family to find her way after her part in the devastating events. Her journey revisits the past, forcing her to confront unpalatable truths and come to terms with her father’s nature and role in the world. The story she uncovers fills in some gaps from previous books in the series and sounds a warning to the new generation not to repeat history. All must ponder what is the Queen’s price and whether they are prepared to pay it. Anne Bishop’s worlds are immersive and addictive, exploring a breadth and depth of lands, creatures and powers that are also based on very real human behaviours and relationships. The Queen's Price presages a changing of the guard, which also offers exciting possibilities for new storylines in this world.

Upright 2 (Foxtel)

It is four years on from the events of the first series, when musician Lucky transported a piano from Sydney to Perth, assisted and hampered in equal measure by teen runaway Meg. They haven’t kept in touch so it’s a shock when Meg turns up at Lucky’s door, insisting on his help in finding her errant mother. Their subsequent tropical Queensland odyssey is as ludicrously entertaining as the earlier desert adventure, with both Lucky and Meg as slappable as they are endearing. The coincidences of people and place are a stretch to swallow – North Queensland is not a small place! But Tim Minchin and Milly Alcock are a formidable screen partnership and the classy supporting cast, including Hayley McElhinney, features some joyously funny cameos. It’s not as good as the first, but that was a hard bar to beat.