PICCADILLY PICKS

THE SEVEN

Chris Hammer Allen & Unwin, $37 Chris Hammer again takes us to the parched interior of New South Wales where access to water has always determined the future of agriculture, the development of rural towns and the lives of land-owning dynasties.

It’s 1900, and the need for year-round irrigation is becoming obvious to some, and seven wealthy farming families adopt a scheme that would capture access to water. Fast-forward to 1993, a body has been found, and detectives Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan are brought in to assist area police.

A further murder and the investigation centres on ‘The Seven’, those now leading the families that remain and their predecessors back to their early 1900 origins. Lucic and Buchanan uncover hidden family secrets, unsolved crimes, deception, corruption and ongoing fraud among politicians, police and the farming community.

Hammer has studied the Murray and the Riverina, and writes this thriller with skill and proven authenticity on the arid zones.

– Neville Templeton

SECRET GARDENS OF AOTEAROA

Jane Mahoney & Sophie Bannan Allen & Unwin, $50 A beautiful hardcover book of “field notes and practical wisdom”, by Jane Mahoney and Sophie Bannan. I have just read, and been captivated by, this new New Zealand gardening book. Twelve private gardens are included, all owned and nurtured by ardent everyday gardeners throughout New Zealand.

Every garden is different but all embody the merit of sustainable gardening practices. Knowledge and skills are shared freely, along with pages of delightful photographs from each garden.

In separate chapters, we learn about each individual garden, and each gardener, along with personal notes and observations from them, resulting from the creation and experience they have learned.

I can recommend this book to all garden lovers!

– Helen Templeton