Read your way around the world

Transport yourself to Thailand with the latest novel from the bestselling author of The Man Who Didn’t Call, Rosie Walsh. 

Carrie marries the love of her life on a sun-drenched beach, only for her world to fall apart hours later when her new husband, Johan, is violently abducted. Twelve years on, she has rebuilt her life, balancing a demanding career with raising twins alongside a devoted new partner. Just as the past finally feels behind her, a shocking discovery changes everything: Johan is alive, living a completely new life and has never tried to contact her. Desperate for answers, Carrie risks everything to uncover the truth about that fateful day. Part pulse-pounding thriller, part heartbreaking love story, it asks – what you would sacrifice for your first love?

If you've ever wanted to experience contemporary South Korean life beyond the tourist hotspots, this uplifting novel provides a wonderfully immersive window into Seoul's communities.

Dokgo spends his days living rough in Seoul Station with no memory of who he is or how he got there. His life changes when he returns a lost wallet to Mrs. Yeom, the owner of a struggling convenience store. Grateful for his honesty, she offers him a meal, and before long, a job. As Dokgo becomes a familiar face behind the counter, his quiet kindness begins to have an unexpected impact on the people around him, from weary office workers to troubled teenagers and lonely neighbours. But while the community embraces him, questions about his past remain unanswered. When Mrs. Yeom's son hires a detective to investigate, long-buried secrets threaten to unravel the new life Dokgo has built. This heartwarming novel is a celebration of kindness and by the final page, you'll feel as though you're a part of the everyday rhythms of life in the South Korean capital.

Set against the turquoise waters and swaying palms of the Bahamas, this clever mystery proves that paradise can be the perfect setting for murder.

Eleanor Dash arrives at a luxury resort in the Bahamas expecting a relaxing weekend at a prestigious conference for crime writers. Instead, she opens the door to her hotel room and discovers a dead body on the floor. With guests trapped together on the island and no shortage of suspects, Eleanor quickly finds herself at the centre of a real-life murder mystery. As she pursues her investigation, she realises that anyone at the resort could have been the intended victim. . .  or the killer. It doesn’t help that the other attendees are experts in plotting the perfect crime,  and soon it becomes even harder to separate fact from fiction. With danger closing in and secrets emerging from every corner of the hotel, Eleanor must uncover the truth before she becomes the next target. Perfect for fans of Death in Paradise.

Find yourself drawn into a complex web of lies and secrets in South Australia’s wine country. 

When Kim Gillespie disappears from a crowded festival on a warm spring evening, she leaves behind only questions and her baby, abandoned in a pram. A year later, her disappearance remains unsolved, but the small community she left behind are still reeling. As family and friends gather for a celebration, federal investigator Aaron Falk arrives and begins to look more closely at what happened that night. What starts as a missing-person case soon uncovers buried tensions, old grudges and carefully guarded secrets. As Falk digs deeper, he discovers that the people closest to Kim may know more than they've ever admitted, and that the truth could shatter the community's carefully maintained façade.

Escape to the rocky shores of the Pacific Northwest with the multi-million-copy bestselling author, Kristin Hannah.  

In years since Nora Bridge walked out on her marriage and family, she has become both a radio host and columnist, famous for giving out moral advice. When she becomes injured in an accident, her youngest daughter Ruby – a struggling comedian – is offered huge sums by a glossy magazine to write a sensational tell-all article and return home under the pretext of caring for her injured mother. After almost a decade of silence, they both retreat to their old house on the water and Ruby is reunited with her first love: facing the childhood memories of the fateful summer that broke everyone's hearts in this sweeping family saga.  

Go on a journey to Trinidad's bustling villages in V.S. Naipaul’s beloved classic which captures the island's unique blend of cultures in the years before independence.

Mohun Biswas, a man seemingly cursed by bad luck, whose lifelong dream is simply to own a house he can call his own. When in trying to avoid punishment, he causes the death of his father, the disintegration of his family that follows sets him on an uneasy path. Soon after, a fleeting attraction to a beautiful woman leads to an ill-fated marriage, and an even more complicated entanglement with her domineering, extended family.  Yet amid constant setbacks, Biswas is gripped by a single, stubborn desire: to own a house of his own, a private space where he can shut the world out and finally experience  belonging somewhere entirely his own. Warm, humourous and deeply moving, it's a vividly colourful novel that lets you experience the heart and soul of Trinidad without leaving home.

Lose yourself in the lush rainforests of Costa Rica with Nikki Allen’s debut novel.  

Five strangers, ecstatic to have won the chance to experience an all-expenses paid stay at an exclusive wellness retreat are plunged into confusion on arrival when their famous host is mysteriously missing.  Undeterred by this setback, the group decides to venture into the dense tropical canopies in search of a rejuvenating waterfall when disaster strikes.  As darkness closes in, what seems like a serene paradise quickly transforms into a claustrophobic trap where nothing, and no one can be trusted in this exhilarating, destination thriller.

Settle down in a snug Japanese café with this cosy whodunnit from award-winning translated author, Masateru Konishi. 

When a young schoolteacher named Kaede finds herself encountering unexplainable mysteries every day, she turns to her much-loved grandfather, a man living with dementia.  He still has a sharp mind though — as a former member of the Waseda Mystery Club, he was part a group of classic crime aficiandos who met at the Mo Cheri Café in Nishi Waseda to pore over the latest murder mystery novels.  Together, both grandfather and granddaughter team up to solve each mystery, from an impossible locked-room murder to mystifying missing person cases, but before long, a more insidious threat appears.  Perfect for fans of The Thursday Murder Club.