Whisky Valley, by Joan Sauers

Historian Rose is still suffering the aftermath of the first novel she featured in, Echo Lake, when virtuoso violinist Billy Mah is found murdered in her patch of the Southern Highlands. Best friends with her son Sam as a kid, Rose feels a responsibility to look into Billy’s death, despite the concerns of friends, family, the local police and her therapist. The NSW southern highlands are again almost a character in the story, brought to life evocatively. The prologue, which is actually the climax to the story, is an annoying and unnecessary screenwriter’s trick. But this is an easy read of short, sharp chapters and an appealing everywoman heroine.

Stone and Sky, by Ben Aaronovitch

Wizard and Detective Sergeant Peter Grant, his river goddess partner Beverly and their two-year old twins are meant to be on holiday, but find themselves accompanied on a trip to Scotland by his parents, his Dad’s jazz band and the Folly team for investigating weird bollocks. They are looking into reports of a large black panther, possibly supernatural, and find themselves in the middle of a murder investigation. The victim had gills and is connected to the water-based fae communities in and around Aberdeen. The disappearance of an academic who is researching extending the life of fossil fuel resources may also be connected. Luckily Peter gets to work with the usual pragmatic local copper, smoothing the path, but his apprentice cousin Abigail’s blooming romance could prove to be hindrance or help. These dark fantasy stories, grounded on a base of routine police work, are always a delight, although occasionally get a bit bogged down in descriptive detail. The alternating POV between Peter and Abigail adds to the tale, but gets a tad confusing at times.

Your Friend and Mine, by Jessica Dettmann

Twenty years after the death of her best friend Tess, Margot receives a legacy and a quest. Leaving her busy Sydney restaurant and complacent husband for a short visit to London to chase a lost dream, Margot finds a new friendship and the space to question her life and dare to think of a different future. It’s a bit of a leap to believe that the young women could have forged such a deep and enduring friendship in six months of knowing each other, but after suspending that disbelief much else rings true. It is refreshing that the story does not pursue the obvious romance, but the twist at the end again stretches credulity and undermines the integrity of the main narrative, which deals movingly with grief and paths not taken.