Read Between The Wines #1: Intro and Book Review - The Iron Rose by Peter Temple
book·@shellyduncan·
0.000 HBDRead Between The Wines #1: Intro and Book Review - The Iron Rose by Peter Temple
<center>  </center> Hey Steemians, So I'm taking a short break from my normal travel adventure posts (mostly as I still have a ton of photos to go through and my brain needs a bit of a break from them and to focus on something else.) My other great love (outside of @cryptoandzen of course) is reading. So it's time to start a new series of posts to go along with my Amateur Adventures and View from the Verandah posts. This is series is named in honour of the first book club I joined (last year) called Read Between the Wines. As you might guess - not so much reading but lots of fun... probably due to the lots of wine! It's also named after my Book Review Blog - written(sporadically) by both me and my fluffy cat Princess Ava! <center>  </center> I've always been an avid reader but ever since joining Good Reads last year I've become obsessed with reading as much as possible - and entering a plethora of challenges that have me expanding my reading horizons constantly. I did manage last year to knock off 100 books for my annual reading challenge and have set a lofty goal this year of 110 which I am currently right on track for so far. But I know there is a long way to go. I need to stop reading 900 page books if I'm ever going to make it though! Anyway throughout this series - I'll review some books, give you tips on where and how to get free books, talk about reading in general, and I'm working on some interviews with some cool authors. Anything book or story related! Oh and well because it's reading between drinking - I'll give you my recommendation for the best drink to go with the story :) One of the current book groups I'm in is focussed on Aussie writers. I'd not really read many of them but I have to say that it totally expanded my list of must read authors. We've got some really kick-ass good writers, especially when it comes to suspense and thrillers. I'd kind of imagined them all being a bit artsy sort of authors that are a good but often rally hard slog. I was pleasantly surprised. The first of these authors I picked up was Peter Temple. If you are an Aussie you may have come across the Jack Irish Series starring Guy Pierce. Temple is the author of this brilliant piece of viewing. Today's review is not one of the jack Irish Books but one of Temple's stand alone books. Hope you enjoy the review # The Iron Rose # Gets a great big 4 out of 5 stars! <hr> >A regular at the local pub, a mainstay of the footy team, Mac Faraday is a man with a past living the quiet life of a country blacksmith. But when his best friend Ned Lowey is found hanged, Mac - who has learned the hard way never to accept things at face value - isn't convinced he committed suicide, and starts asking questions.As Mac's search for answers pushes deeper into the past, it resurrects the terrifying spectre of what he calls his 'old life', forcing him to turn to long-discarded skills not only to discover why his best friend died, but also to save his own life. ## Typically Australian. ## <br> An Iron Rose was my first foray with Peter Temple And it definitely won't be my last. __"When men in police uniforms came to execute me on the roadside, beside dark fields, it was a definite sign that my new life was over."__ That was the promo sentence that drew me in. When ex-Fed detective Mac Faraday's best friend Ned Lowey is found hanged, Mac - who has learned the hard way never to accept things at face value - isn't convinced he committed suicide, and starts asking questions. As Mac's search for answers pushes deeper into the past, it resurrects the terrifying spectre of what he calls his 'old life', forcing him to turn to long-discarded skills not only to discover why his best friend died, but also to save his own life. Everything about the way Temple writes is typically Australian. His style is laid back, laconic, with a typically Australian sense of humour despite the book being a thriller. There is very little superfluous writing in An Iron Rose. It moves along at a cracking pace, action from start to finish, yet Temple still manages not to skimp on character development, giving you an insight into the story's protagonist, how his past has shaped him and threatens him. But still there are no wasted words. Who would have thought that a thriller that talks about gardening, blacksmithing and football would really draw a reader in? Yet everything had its time and place and simply added to the colour of the narrative. This was a ripper of a ride and I can't wait to get my hands on more of Peter Temples work! >### THE OPINION OF AVA THE PRINCESS CAT: ### >Okay the human has a thing about thrillers - clearly. She seems to want to be scared out of her wits. She doesn't give that impression when I jump on her unexpectedly in the middle of the night. Clearly I need to try harder. ### THE GOOD: ### * Fast paced - once you get passed the start * Great sense of humour in the writing * Nails the "Australianess" of the characters and the environment ### THE BAD: ### * Okay I'm probably being a bit nit-picky but it did start off a little slow.. but get through the first 50 pages and it takes off at break neck speed. ### WHO SHOULD READ THIS BOOK: ### * Anyone who likes suspense and thrillers * If you like a dry sense of humour * If you like Australian books * If you are a fan of the Jack Irish Series ### BEST DRINK WHILE READING: ### * Try a true-blue Aussie beer so long as it's NOT a Fosters! <center> .gif) <a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/season-6-the-simpsons-6x16-xT5LMvg3nEkTpYX2ik">via GIPHY</a> </center> Til next time steem on with love and light <center>  </center> My Beautiful Upcats were designed by the one and only beautiful @ryivhnn <hr> If you enjoyed this post don't forget to UPVOTE and Hit that FOLLOW Button! Let's All Share the Steemit Love! <center>  </center> Don't forget to come check out the teamaustralia tag and see what exciting things we are all up to in the land of Oz! It's full of Aussies and Aussie-lovers with great stories from when we are at home or loose in the world! Thanks to @bearone for creating my beautiful teamaustralia banner which I love sooooo much! Don't forget to check out her posts and show her some love as well. If you are a newbie and looking for help - or you just want to help support the minnows and grow this wonderful platform of ours - please consider checking out minnowsupportproject. This is a fantastic initiative to help everyone grow together and is full of fantastic advice for anyone starting out. You can find out more about it here. https://steemit.com/minnowsupportproject/@minnowsupport/minnow-support-project-problem-statement-vision-statement-mission-statement-and-plan-to-help-you-grow-from-minnow-to-whale-with <center>  </center> (Logo and Banner Created By @justcallmemyth - another great Steemian you should check out and support) DISCLAIMER: The review portion of this post may be found on Good Reads, Amazon and my Review Website Read Between The Wines. The views and opinions of Ava The Princess Cat are hers and may not reflect that of her owner (me)
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