Fast paced plot deserves measured considered read

Down the slope of Stacey Street, Bankstown was a pool of concrete, shimmering in the heat haze of a thousand idling car exhausts.

Sydney is renowned for its harbour and beaches, but they are miles away for most Sydney residents. Newton’s portrayal of a Sydney summer would not only resonate with the majority of Sydneysiders living in the western suburbs but anyone living in the multitude of suburbs that encase Australia’s cities.

At the outset I stated that I picked up this book because I was looking for a novel written by an Australian female author. Why? For one reason or another few female authors are considered for awards for literary merit and books written by women don't get as many reviews as those written by men. In order to bring more attention to Australian female authors, over two hundred people have signed up for the Australian Women Writers Reading and Reviewing Challenge. I pledged to read at least six histories written by Australian women and review three of them on my blog.

Then an e-mail from Graham Young came encouraging authors to contribute reviews for On Line Opinion’s Summer Reading feature so I decided to branch out and read something different, which caused me to recall that crime fiction panel at the Women’s College Writers’ Festival. The moral of this story is that it is worth an author’s time to speak at writers festivals; reading challenges do encourage people to read more widely and writers of reviews respond to encouragement!