Dennis G Jones & Associates

But major crime detectives aren't allowed to be haunted and Pufferfish absorbs himself in the mystery of the disappearance of Romeo Ferrari, seriously good-looking and charming sommelier of a trendy waterfront hotel. Bloodied clues scattered about his upmarket rental property - owned by flamboyant millionaire Vaughan Urquhart - are tantalising and puzzling, including a Beretta PX4 Storm, not fired in years. But ballistic tests on Romeo's gun link him to a cop's death and an international drug cartel war, currently being played out on the streets of marvellous, complicated Melbourne.

Rosie is not alone in her growing apprehension towards Australia's involvement in a war. Like many mothers, she feels helpless as her sons are swayed by the relentless pull of 'mateship' and are lured by the sense of 'adventure' awaiting them in another continent. While yearning for news from them in Northern France, Rosie grapples with the changing reality that war is placing on women in the home front.

Flame Tip is a slim collection of short fictions that explore different realities and perceptions arising from the Tasmanian Black Tuesday bushfires of 1967. The pieces in this collection are as diverse in subject matter (infidelity, love, suicide) as they are in length. Despite the horror of one day of infernal terror, these stories reveal nuances of character and place through resilience, empathy, honesty and humour.

William Patterson is a wealthy ambitious politician with a scandalous past. Elizabeth is his beloved daughter, beautiful and headstrong. Stefan Muller is a poor German migrant seeking a better life in Australia.

A Clean Job - In a world where the neutralisation of emotions is compulsory, an enforcement officer risks everything when she starts to succumb to her feelings. From the Shadows - An intimate friendship between two women, one an actress and one a therapist, turns sour, resulting in an unsettling and predatory sequence of events.