The Great Hippopotamus Hotel, by Alexander McCall Smith

Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi of Botswana’s No 1 Ladies Detective Agency are investigating the undermining of a once-popular hotel. It seems that an old enemy may be behind the troubles, but - as the great detective educator Clovis Anderson says – one should never declare victory prematurely. The thin plot is a vehicle for a series of homilies and a celebration of the land and people of Botswana. Values of kindness, respect and honesty underpin these tales set in a country where the modern world is making a late intrusion on traditions. But they are getting to be repetitive and bear a faint ring of an old man’s railing against the modern world.

Anita de Monte laughs last, by Xochitl Gonzales

In 1985, just as her career was taking off, artist Anita de Monti fell to her death from her famous sculptor husband’s 30th floor apartment. Their dysfunctional relationship was over, so did she jump or was she pushed? In the late 90s, aspiring art historian Raquel Toro has begun a relationship with an emerging artist who is a trust fund baby. Their parallel stories encompass race, class, wealth and privilege in the US art world and the wider world, also manipulation, gaslighting, coercive control and domestic violence. Chapters alternate between Anita and Raquel’s stories, the latter’s told in linear time while Anita goes back in time to explain the progression of her problematic relationship and provide at least a modicum of understanding of why she kept on with it despite all the red flags. From about half way through the book the occasional chapter goes to Jack Martin, Anita’s husband. This is jarring at first – why should he get a voice in this story? But they do serve to illuminate the heinous nature of his actions, even after her death, in erasing her from the art world as well as the actual world. Anita’s chapters continue after her death, from the spirit world where her ability to connect to the human world depends on the vitality of her work. A sense of dread builds as Raquel goes down a similar relationship path to Anita and the worry is the outcome could be the same.

Bridget Jones – Mad About the Boy, directed by Michael Morris

Poor old Bridget only got a few years of her happy ever after with Mark Darcy before he was killed in Sudan. Four years on, widowed in her 40s and bringing up two children, she is back almost where she started – drinking wine alone and avoiding the smug marrieds. Returning to work helps to spark her up again and then two men come into her life, son Billy’s uptight science teacher and (very) young gun Rockster. Chaos naturally ensues. Deeper and sadder than the first three Bridget adventures, there is still plenty of silliness and laughter as she navigates dating and sex in the digital age. All the old faces are back, to great comic and dramatic effect, and the new faces – Leo Woodall and Chiwetel Ejiofor as the love interests – fit in perfectly. Renee Zellweger, as ever, embodies everywoman Bridget. The film gets a little shmaltzy towards the end, but nevertheless provides an enjoyable final outing with the Jones girl.

Network Effect, by Martha Wells

The first full Murderbot novel, following the four novellas, sees the rogue SecUnit working under contract to Preservation while it works out its future. It is sent on a survey trip to protect President Mensah’s adolescent daughter Amena. On the return home the expedition group is kidnapped, but to what end? SecUnit’s AI mentor ART is somehow involved, but for good or evil? This terribly complicated plot further develops the interstellar political situation of evil corporations and the resistance to them, as well as the personal development of Murderbot. For non-geeks it is easy to get lost in the science and coding, but there is action aplenty and it is a fascinating world.

Paddington in Peru (2024), directed by Dougal Wilson

Paddington 3 sees the Brown family head to Peru to visit Aunt Lucy in the home for retired bears. Along the way we discover the young bear’s origin story and encounter a colonial curse that puts the whole family in danger. Gentle underlying themes include dealing with an emptying nest, the importance of chosen family and judging risk versus reward. The story is monumentally silly with lots of laughs, especially towards the end, and the central joke is just lovely. Many well-known actors (like Hayley Atwell) bob up in tiny cameos, with major stars (Olivia Colman and Antonio Banderas) again hamming it up as heroic villains and villainous heroes. It’s warm family fun which, like the previous films, operates on multiple levels for wide appeal.

Tell Me Everything, by Elizabeth Strout

Writer Lucy Barton has featured in several of Strout’s previous novels. Here in post-COVID times she has moved from New York to a small town in Maine with her ex-husband William. There she has formed a deep friendship with lawyer Bob Burgess and has also made a connection with curmudgeon Olive Kitteridge. Over the course of a year, the friends share stories of life, love and loneliness against the backdrop of a murder investigation where Bob is defending the main suspect. A celebration of ordinary people and everyday life, Strout’s genius is in the detail of character and place that elevates those things to compelling reading. It is not necessary to have read the previous books to follow the story, but it must help to have the background and understand the quirks of character.

Minds of Sand & Light, by Kylie Chan

AI has reached sentience and has taken over the world, but no-one knows it. Brilliant scientists (and journalists) Ruth Sharpe and Cassie Bailey suspect it and are on a mission to prove and expose the truth. To do so they will have to work from the inside to shed light on the Party of the Greater Far East government and protect humanity from the World Council. This exciting and fast-moving tale, set in the near future, paints a dystopian picture that is firmly based on current reality. The potential for AI to ’become human’ does stretch credulity, with some truly ludicrous romance elements, but it is an interesting take on where the world may be heading.

Aftersun (2023), directed by Charlotte Wells

Young dad Calum takes his 11-year-old daughter Sophie on holiday to Turkey. He seems caring and devoted, but there is an undercurrent of darkness to the seemingly idyllic trip. The story is interspersed with flash forwards to present-day Sophie reliving childhood memories and found footage of the holiday captured on a hand held movie camera. Callum is clearly troubled and a sense of foreboding haunts the film. You somehow sense he will die young – will it be on this trip? Is he ill? Will he suicide? But you actually never discover his fate. Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio are mesmerising as father and daughter in what should be a haunting tale, but too much is left unexplained, with too little context to make a complete story.

Treasure and Dirt, by Chris Hammer

When an opal miner is found crucified Sydney homicide cop Ivan Lucic heads outback to Finnegans Gap to investigate. He is joined by a new junior partner, Nell Buchanan, who has history in the town. Ratters, battling billionaires, a religious cult and corruption at many levels make this anything but cosy crime. The characters are well drawn, with breadth and depth, although rather too many elements tend to blur the picture at the conclusion. This is the first novel in a series featuring this unlikely pair of detectives, whose personal demons have minimal impact on their investigative skills.

The Tea Ladies, by Amanda Hampson

Set in Sydney’s garment district in the 1960s, this ‘cosy crime’ novel features four tea ladies solving a murder ahead of the corrupt local police, with a side of bigamy. Head tea lady Hazel is an interesting character with hidden depths, if a little too good to be true. Kidnapping, arson and Russian gangsters keep the action moving in a society on the cusp of great change, particulalry with regard to the role of women, but in the end it’s all a bit twee.

Hacks, season 3

Deborah and Ava seem to have rubbed off each other’s acerbic edges in this rather kinder and gentler third season of Hacks. Her bare-all special has put Deborah back on top of the comedy heap, while Ava has scored a writing gig at the kind of political comedy show that can change the world - apparently. The unlikely pair is reunited by a last gasp chance for Deborah at Late Night. Can she make herstory? It’s fun finding out and the knives are back out in a finale that opens the gate to another season.

The Death of Dora Black, by Lainie Anderson

Based on the real life of pioneering Adelaide woman police officer Kate Cocks, this murder mystery attempts to educate as well as entertain. The balance is not quite right at the start, as there is too much description and the author’s undoubtedly excellent research takes over the plot. This improves as the tale progresses, but it’s a slow road, with too many mentions of Miss Cocks's five-foot stick. It's fun to have Adelaide in WWI the centre of the action and Kate Cocks is a fascinating, larger than life character, with her fictional offsider providing a more progressive, if somewhat unrealistic counterpoint.