Brunswick Street Blues

Sally Bothroyd: HQ Fiction, $30

Not since Jack Irish has Melbourne’s Fitzroy been so funny. Part-time bartender Brick Brown has blagged her way into a council PR job to investigate complaints about her Uncle Baz’s pub, a crummy joint nonetheless revered by its dubious clientele. Nosing in the archives one night, she stumbles across the body of the mayor and is thrust into a rollicking romp filled with bent developers, sleazy politicians and an ever-growing band of oddball allies. Chief among the latter is sexy war correspondent Mitch Mitchell, sidelined from international action by HR but in almost as much peril at home. A laugh-out-loud day at the Melbourne Cup dodging assassins and drunk socialites alike is worth the cover price.

SHELLEY ORCHARD