Book reviews: A Basket by the Door, Without Doubt, The Gift of Life

IDEAS for some truly comforting gifts for friends and loved ones, a rural crime fiction, and a novel about two women brought together after a tragedy feature in this week’s book reviews.

IDEAS for some truly comforting gifts for friends and loved ones, a rural crime fiction, and a novel about two women brought together after a tragedy feature in this week’s book reviews.

A BASKET BY THE DOOR

Sophie Hansen

Murdoch Books

RRP $39.99

A Basket by the Door. By Sophie Hansen. Book cover. Murdoch Books. Released April 2019.

THERE are times in life when nothing says “I am thinking of you” better than a home-cooked meal.

Author Sophie Hansen — who received her own basket by the door the day she and her husband brought their first baby home from the hospital — has set out to create a book to cover “some of life’s big moments”, both in joy and tragedy.

The anecdotes dotted throughout — the food she prepares for those fighting the bushfires last February; a friend’s mum who was truly touched to find a tray of fresh figs and blue cheese on her doorstep when she came home from chemotherapy treatment — are a gentle reminder that the simple act of cooking for someone remains such a wonderful gesture of love.

Divided into seasons, starting with spring, there’s food ideas for those welcoming a new baby, mourning a loss or disappointment, but also for gatherings of friends and family.

There are 130 recipes here, everything from glazed ham, pies, paella, frittata, soups, salads, preserves, tarts and cakes.

— Hannah Driscoll

WITHOUT A DOUBT

Fleur McDonald

Allen & Unwin

RRP $29.99

Without a doubt. Fleur McDonald. Allen & Unwin. Book cover

NOBODY does rural fiction quite like Fleur McDonald.

Without a Doubt reunites readers with Detective Dave Burrows and follows on from last April’s release, Fool’s Gold. However, an older Burrows has appeared in several other of McDonald’s books, including last year’s Where the River Runs.

In Without a Doubt, we meet Dave at Barrabine, where he and his wife Melinda have an 18-month-old daughter. At work, the police are presented with two cases — a man’s disappearance and a problem with cattle rustlers. To have a break from issues at home, Dave gets a chance to go undercover.

The pacing was a little slow to start with, but hit its straps in the latter stage.

McDonald has never shied from tackling issues relevant to farmers in her fiction, and after reading this, I was not surprised to find she has called for reinstating the Rural Crime Unit in her home state of WA.

— Hannah Driscoll

THE GIFT OF LIFE

Josephine Moon

Michael Joseph

RRP $32.99

The Gift of Life. By Josephine Moon. Book cover. Imprint: Michael Joseph. Released April 2019. RRP 32.99

AS WELL as her book being an entertaining read, Josephine Moon shines the spotlight on the joys and difficulties facing a heart transplant recipient.

Mother of three, Gabby McPhee, who owns a Melbourne cafe and coffee roasting house called The Tin Man, had a heart transplant three years ago and now wants to discover the donor.

Meanwhile Krystal, who was widowed after husband Evan was killed in a mysterious hit and run car accident in Sydney, believes Gabby is the recipient of his heart.

A newspaper story about Gabby’s cafe and her transplant inadvertently connects the dates and provides a contact.

Krystal, who was left alone to bring up two young boys, must cope with Evan’s ruthless sister, lawyer Cordelia-Aurora Arthur. Head of the family law firm, Cordelia-Aurora resented her brother’s quick decision to abandon his legal career and become a sommelier.

Krystal has many unanswered questions, including why Evan was in Sydney that fateful night, and believes Gabby can provide the answers via Evan’s heart.

Gabby, who has researched the possibilities of cellular memories from a donor’s heart, wants to help Krystal, but they discover several unpleasant secrets in their quest to leave the past behind.

It is a moving novel that makes you smile and feel sympathy for the well-rounded characters that are both likeable, believable and vibrant.

Themes of the priceless gift of life, loss, grief, love and friendship run through the engrossing book which is hard to put down.

— Sue Wallace