Fleshmarket Close
Author: Ian Rankin
Publisher: Orion Books
RRP: $29.95

One of crime fiction’s most beloved characters, Detective Inspector John Rebus, returns in this latest instalment from Ian Rankin. Rebus’s old police station has shut its doors, his superiors are pressuring him to retire and he finds himself drawn into the case of a murdered illegal immigrant in Knoxland. Was it a racist attack? Rebus’s investigation takes him into an asylum seekers’ detention centre, the dark and menacing Edinburgh underworld, and beyond.

Meanwhile, Detective Sergeant Siobhan Clarke is confronted with two skeletons found buried underneath a cellar floor. It seems an elaborate stunt, but why? And can it really be connected to a murder on the housing scheme known as Knoxland?

The Road
Author: Catherine Jinks
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
RRP: $29.95

“It’s the Devil’s work,” Del declared flatly. “Or the work of the Seven Angels.”
“Eh?” said Noel.
“Y’know. In the Book of Revelations. ‘The first angel sounded and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood.’ ”

Just outside Broken Hill, on the Silver City Highway, a group of travellers is caught in a time loop, trapped on the highway with seemingly no escape. The discovery of the bodies of a young woman and man on a property nearby leads to the realization that there is a killer on the loose, and the travellers are all in danger.

Outback New South Wales makes the perfect backdrop for this chilling, supernatural thriller. Catherine Jinks captures the atmosphere and landscape superbly as she weaves a tale of nightmare and murder.

Getting Handsome
Author: Clare Maxfield
Publisher: Ibis Publishing
RRP: $17.00

“After I finished writing Getting Gorgeous I was astounded at the number of men who asked when a book for them would be ready” writes Clare Maxfield, and here it is - a makeover manual for men.

Getting Handsome is a collection of tips and ideas for dressing for every occasion - work, dates, sporting events. It includes advice on shopping, caring for your clothes, colour, style and presentation. A section on social etiquette provides valuable suggestions on subjects such as choosing wine, dining decorum and how to be a true gentleman. So, if you ever wanted to be a bit more adventurous in your dressing, or just want to decide which tie to wear with which shirt, this book is for you.

What They Don’t Teach You In Driving School
Author: Peter Wherrett
Publisher: Ibis Publishing
RRP: $19.95

Most of us, at some time or another, will buy, own or drive a car. Indeed, it’s hard to imagine a time when we didn’t have vehicles. Unfortunately, it’s equally hard to imagine a time when we didn’t have road fatalities. In What They Don’t Teach You In Driving School, motoring expert and journalist, Peter Wherrett, aims to help new and old drivers reduce the risk to themselves and others. Some of the areas covered include:

• Road sense.
• Reaction control.
• Defensive control.
• Vehicle dynamics.

Wherrett’s in-depth discussion of every aspect of car ownership and skilled driving, from buying a car to emergency control and driving in all weather conditions, is highly informative and could make all the difference in an emergency situation.

Horse Dreams
Author: Edited by Jan Fook, Susan Hawthorne & Renate Klein
Publisher: Spinifex Press
RRP: $34.95

“Can I have a pony for Christmas?” What little girl hasn’t asked her parents for a horse at some stage? Women and horses have always shared a bond. Horse Dreams is an anthology of stories exploring this relationship.

Contributors range from nine to 80 years of age and include Marge Piercy, Di Gatehouse and Julie Copeland. Why do otherwise fastidious females gleefully spend their time mucking out stables, covering their boots and nails with mud? Why is it that the most urbanized, “civilized” woman will look up with a smile at the clatter of police horses going by? This book has stories that will make your stomach hurt from laughing and others that will soak every handkerchief you possess.

Darkly Dreaming Dexter
Author: Jeff Lindsay
Publisher: Orion Books
RRP: $29.95

Meet Dexter Morgan - nice guy, perfect gentleman. To all appearances he leads a quiet, normal, almost mundane life. Supportive of his sister Deb, a Miami cop, well-liked by his girlfriend’s children, one would never guess he was such an accomplished serial killer.

His current tally is 36 people and he’s never been caught. Perhaps it is the fact that he is a blood-spatter analyst for the Miami police and knows exactly how to hide the evidence that keeps him “safe”. Perhaps it is because he kills only the bad guys. But when a new serial killer arrives in town, one whose methods so closely resemble his own, Dexter’s organized life is disrupted. The newcomer seems to be offering Dexter a direct invitation to “come out and play”.

Written from Dexter’s point of view, Darkly Dreaming Dexter is a frightening look at what may go on in a serial killer’s head.

The Book of Success
Author: Ben Collins
Publisher: Geoff Slattery Publishing
RRP: $34.95

From all walks of life they come - normal Australians who have achieved the abnormal. Ben Collins has interviewed 35 prominent Australians, from sports stars to philanthropists and, here, presents their stories. Written as first-person accounts, each story provides a plethora of motivational tips, and inspiration, for those who have the will to succeed. The Book of Success is a book for all ages, containing valuable insights into how “ordinary people” overcame various obstacles to achieve their goals, and how you can make your dreams come true.

A Life By Design
Author: Siobhan O’Brien
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
RRP: $24.95

Florence Broadhurst, world-famous designer and socialite, was found murdered in her Paddington design studio on October 16, 1977. Born in rural Queensland in 1899, Florence wasted no time in trying to find her fortune. Over the years she assumed many personas, but it was upon her return to Australia in 1949 that she became known as a designer of beautiful Australian hand-printed wallpapers.

Now, with Broadhurst’s brocades and wallpapers rising again in popularity, Siobhan O’Brien explores the many lives and death of one of Australia’s most enigmatic women. That process spans 80 years and three continents.

Special book offer

For your chance to win a copy of one of the following books, put your name, location and despatch number on the back of an envelope, along with the title of your choice, and send it to Book Competition, Police Association of SA, post code 168.

• Fleshmarket Close.
• Getting Handsome.
• Horse Dreams.
• Darkly Dreaming Dexter.
• The Book of Success.
• The Road.