The parents of Pacific Pines are desperate to get their sons into the exclusive St Ignatius Boys’ School. And it’s time for the annual Gala Day, where each applicant is put to the test, on the sporting field and in an interview.
Kaya has moved into the area after the death of her husband Paul. His last wish was for their son Ollie to be accepted into the school, where he was once school captain.
Bec, who runs a cake business, is planning on using her baking skills to get on the right side of the school principal to help her sporty son Cooper win a place.
And Estella is willing to go to great lengths to ensure her twins Jonty and Archie – one sporty, the other smart – are accepted into the school.
From the moment the story opens with a boy becoming the victim of an intended hit and run, this is a compelling and twisty tale about the crazy ambitions of private school parents, which eventually veers into a dark conclusion. With punch after punch, this is my favourite Ali Lowe book so far.
Some of the residents of a well-to-do beachside locale have formed a running club to traverse the purpose-built running track each evening. One night a woman’s body is found but who is the victim and who is the culprit?
The cast includes Carole, who has always enjoyed a picture-perfect lifestyle growing up in Esperance, and she is about to celebrate her 15th wedding anniversary with Max who hails from the less prosperous end of the peninsula.
Her best friend is Lottie, who is as lovely as her twin sister Shelby isn’t. And finally there is Freya, who is married to a much-older lawyer.
This was a gripping read about resentment, revenge, desire and deception in the vein of Big Little Lies and keeps you guessing until the end. (I must admit the setting confused me initially until it become clear that this is set in a fictitious NSW location, not the southern coastal town in Western Australia.)
The kids have just started the new school year at Darley Heights primary and a trivia night fundraiser is on this weekend.
Real estate photographer Amanda and her family are new to the school after having to leave a private school in disgrace. She and husband Ted are on the table with her friend and event organiser Alice and her husband Pete, and two other couples, Zoe and Miles, and Lara and Luke.
That night, Amanda finds out that her nemesis from the previous school, Victoria, has also joined the Darley Heights community and Lara and Luke reveal they are swingers. These revelations lead to a wild night and major repercussions for all involved.
Joining a plethora of books about misbehaving parents and fatal consequences, this story is told through three narrators: Amanda, Alice talking to her therapist, and Zoe’s emails to her sister Phoebe. It’s an entertaining debut, with some surprise reveals, outrageous behaviour and malevolent machinations.
