Better books

Kayte Nunn (Hachette, $32.99)

In 1999, a group of women reunite at a New Year’s Eve party to confront the secrets they’ve kept hidden for more than 50 years.

It all starts in 1945, when the five join the Women’s Auxiliary Service during the Burmese war. Years later, in 1976, a woman slips into an Oxford museum and steals several mysterious artefacts, including the famed fox-girl. Fast forward to 1999, and Olivia, assistant to an art dealer, meets Beatrix, who is selling her late husband’s rare collection of treasured art. Olivia soon finds out there’s a history of revenge, and secrets waiting to unfold. But how are all these events linked?

A story of desire and courage, based on Australian and British WWII servicewomen in the Burmese war.