Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • The Official Agatha Christie After School Detectives Club: 50 Mystery Puzzles for Children – Agatha Christie Ltd, Dr Gareth Moore, Laura Jayne Ayres

    Hachette Australia Imprint: Laurence King Publishing Oct 28, 2025 | 9781510231924 | RRP $26.99 It’s been a pretty murder-y sort of week this Halloween special so it seems only apt to add this terrific book into the mix. How did I, Agatha Christie tragic that I am, never realise that there are Agatha puzzle books!!??? Inconceivable! Be assured, now…

  • Murder in the Cathedral (Phryne Fisher #23)- Kerry Greenwood

    November 2025 ISBN:9781760879341 Publisher:Allen & Unwin Imprint:Allen & Unwin RRP: $34.99 Like hundreds – nay, thousands of others, I was completely devastated to learn of Kerry Greenwood’s death back in March. Just this past week my FB memories told me that 11 years ago I was relishing another Phyrne Fisher title, and I would think…

  • Oxford Blood — Rachel Davis Featherstone

    Walker Books Synchronicity yet again. For one thing my other YA review for Halloween is also dark academia, full of privilege vs scholarship, ruthlessness, power-hungry educational institutions, murder/s, set in an elite institution. And, also, as I’ve just re-read via audiobook The Book of Dust #1 & #2 and the setting of Oxford with references…

  • A Box Full of Murders – Janice Hallett

    Penguin Australia June 2025 ISBN: 9780241636183 Imprint: Puffin RRP: $16.99 It was actually quite serendipitous that as friend, Zanni Louise, mentioned she was enjoying a Janice Hallett murder-mystery – an author whose work I didn’t know – I replied by saying, I had just got a review copy of her first kids’ book, also a murder mystery. And…

  • What Have They Done to Liza McClean? – Amy Doak

    Penguin Australia October 2025 No doubt about it, Amy Doak has rocketed into ‘force to be reckoned with’ status since Eleanor Jones first burst onto our YA shelves. After three hugely successful titles in that series, we now have a new aspect of Amy’s talent. Your kiddos who are into the whole Dark Academia vibe…

  • Murder on North Terrace:a Petticoat Police Mystery #2 – Lainie Anderson

    Hachette Australia Sep 30, 2025 | 9780733652097 | RRP $32.99 Around this time last year, I reviewed the first Petticoat Police mystery after thoroughly relishing it, so I was extra keen to get my hands on this one. And it is no disappointment. Equally engaging as the first, cleverly weaving in fact to the fictional aspects, with a little…

  • Silverborn: The Mystery of Morrigan Crow. Nevermoor #4 – Jessica Townsend

    Hachette Australia April 2025 ISBN: 9780734421029  $18.99 If you saw my recent excited posts regarding Nevermoor and finally meeting Jessica Townsend, you will also realise how mad keen I was to read this. I started it the Friday night after the event and finished it the following Thursday – all 660ish pages of it! I…

  • Manslaughter Park -Tirzah Price

    Harper Collins Australia January 2025 I very much enjoyed #2 in this series which I reviewed last year and did also like this one very much. Not quite as much, but that was merely a personal preference. It is just as well-written and engaging but I think tried a little too hard with the whole…

  • Picture Book Month extra: The Death of Dora Black: a Petticoat Police Mystery – Lainie Anderson

    Hachette Australia Aug 28, 2024 | 9780733652066 | RRP $32.99 What a thoroughly enjoyable read this has been over the past few nights! I’m a tragic when it comes to cosy crime and murder mystery books and over the past couple of years I’ve had quite a number of YA titles to review, and also listened to a few…

  • Eleanor Jones Can[‘t] Keep a Secret – Amy Doak

    Penguin Australia I absolutely adored the first Eleanor Jones book and as soon as this one arrived a few days ago, everything else got pushed aside while I binge-read it (which effectively means I’m now book-cheating on 3 different books 😳). I regret nothing! This is every bit as fabulous as the earlier book. It’s…