9 January 2021
Resolving not to make a resolution
Living, coping and observing in the age of Covid #2 02 Jan 2021: SAME old, same old. Here we go again. Back on the media roundabout as the familiar format for each year’s beginning is once more regurgitated. Not even all the shifts in lifestyles forced upon us by the pandemic’s restrictions and changes can… Continue Reading
8 January 2021
Turning over a not so new leaf
Living and coping: Year #2 of Covid-19 01 Jan 2021: AND so it goes; another New Year’s Day following yet one more New Year’s Eve. Ho hum. After enduring a long line of such pairings, I still have yet to gather much sense of endings and beginnings. Something more than the mere flicking over a… Continue Reading
27 December 2020
Confused by sleuths of crime-ridden south coast

CONFUSION continues to await avid readers of two popular series of crime fiction tales centred on Britain’s south coast. They can be left flummoxed, not so much by the intricate plotting but rather by the naming of the two main characters. One wonders whether there is mutual admiration or deep rivalry between the books’ authors,… Continue Reading
10 December 2020
Garry dishes up Outback crime to rival the best

I HAVE been renewing acquaintance with an old friend. As always, it was a rewarding and compelling page-turning experience. It was also thought provoking, making me wonder yet again why so few Australian crime writers make it on to the international stage. Rather than becoming household names they are too often relegated to being the… Continue Reading
3 November 2020
Five Strikes and out; too much of a bad thing
THIS was a huge letdown. A thorough disappointment on so many fronts. And all the more so for one who has been a consistent fan of the Cormoran Strike tales from the very beginning. As evidenced by having ordered and paid for this latest saga well in advance of its publication day. We know better… Continue Reading

THE prime reason we write is to communicate with others. This applies whether it be with one other person or with the masses devouring the latest scandal or disaster. Nowhere is this more true than in the print media. Newspapers need to be quickly and clearly understood by the widest possible audience. No going back… Continue Reading
THERE are people who return year after year after year to the same place for their annual holidays. Familiarity apparently brings content. And probably boredom, as they are not averse also to sneaking away on an occasional long weekend break which, if pressed, they will describe as “refreshing”. Which shows it is good to break… Continue Reading
2 October 2020
Adrenalin overload, excessive effort and a hangover haze
NOW here’s a weird, even disturbing, thing; my trusty Garmin records a hilly four-mile run around the city where I live. Yet I have scant memory of it ever happening. How can this be? The watch tells of a continuous jog with every second accounted for. By contrast, my memory presents me with a… Continue Reading
25 September 2020
Delight in old master of writing, and crime fiction
THERE’S nothing like revisiting an old friend. So much forgotten pleasure to be derived from taking giant steps back to the very early years. In so doing we revive experiences that only now are revealed and recognised for their formative effect on so much that followed. As a youth, I voraciously and randomly devoured almost… Continue Reading
10 September 2020
Stop the clock; pause for reflection
OKAY, so life’s a journey. We all know that; it has been stated often enough. We also know, as with any journey, there will inevitably be stops, delays, breakdowns, detours, U-turns and even the need for spare parts and replacements. There will be tears and laughter; excruciating sadness and unfettered joy. Far less certain is… Continue Reading
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9 January 2021
Resolving not to make a resolution
Living, coping and observing in the age of Covid #2 02 Jan 2021: SAME old, same old. Here we go again. Back on the media roundabout as the familiar format for each year’s beginning is once more regurgitated. Not even all the shifts in lifestyles forced upon us by the pandemic’s restrictions and changes can… Continue Reading