Tag: Carla Salmon

Book Haul – 31 May 2026 – Australian Fiction

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Book HaulLeave a comment

After highlighting some great international releases in my last Book Haul Post, I’m now going to dive into several new and upcoming books I’ve recently received, written by Australian authors.  As fans of this blog will know, due to my location in Australia, I tend to receive a ton of awesome novels by my fellow countrymen, who are capable of writing some very impressive novels.  2026 in particular has been an epic year for Australian fiction, with some incredible and unique reads recently rocking up on my door.  As such, I’m very keen to highlight the latest batch of impressive new Australian novels I’ve received, including some outstanding novels with a ton of potential.

Bad Neighbours by Joanna Jenkins

The first new Australian novel I recently received is the new Joanna Jenkins novel Bad Neighbours. Following on from her previous novels, How to Kill a Client and The Bluff, Bad Neighbours is another intriguing thriller with some interesting legal twists to it.

Amazon

 

Stay Buried by Jane R. Miles

The next recently received book I want to highlight is the intense novel Stay Buried by Jane R. Miles. A dark thriller tied into a compelling and disastrous piece of Australian history, Stay Buried has a ton of potential and may be one of the more unique Australian novels of 2026.

Amazon

 

Click by Sarah Bailey

Another intense crime fiction novel from one of Australia’s best authors, Click works as a loosely connected sequel to Bailey’s previous novel, The Housemate.  Featuring another dark and complex mystery in Melbourne, Click sounds like an outstanding read and its one I’m keen to dive into.

Amazon

 

The Lineup by Nicholas Timms

A fun new Australian debut, The Lineup by Nicholas Timms has a great story behind it, as a former surfer must return to the waves to uncover a deadly killer.

Amazon

 

We Did It Anyway by Carla Salmon

Last year Australian author Carla Salmon had an amazing Australian debut with the young adult crime fiction novel, We Saw What You Started. Her next book, We Did It Anyway, will featuring another cool story, as several teens find a fortune in gold on an isolated island. An awesome new book from a great rising talent.

Amazon

 

The Yacht by Kayte Nunn

I love the sound of the next book I recently got, The Yacht by Kayte Nunn. Set to feature a twisty tale of revenge and deceit on a fancy yacht filled with treacherous elites, this cool book sounds very intriguing and I look forward to diving into it.

Amazon

 

LIT by Anna Woods

I’m slightly cheating with the next entry, LIT, as it’s a New Zealand novel rather than Australian (a major distinction, trust me).  However, I think it fits nicely amongst these other Oceanic books, and I like the sound of LIT’s dark, psychological thriller plot.

Amazon

 

Red Lake by Jason Summers

The final Australian book I want to highlight is the new novel from Jason Summers, Red Lake. Another excellent and intriguing rural crime fiction read, Red Lake has a ton of potential and it is a great book to finish this post on.

Amazon

 

As you can see, I’ve got my hands full of fresh new Australian releases.  All the above have some amazing and intriguing stories behind them, and I cannot wait to dive into them all.  In the meantime, I’m about to highlight some cool secondhand books I also recently received in my third and final book post of the night.

Quick Review – We Saw What You Started by Carla Salmon

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Quick Review, Thriller, Young AdultLeave a comment

Publisher: Pan Australia (Trade Paperback – 1 July 2025)

Series: Standalone 

Length: 336 pages

My Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars

Amazon

Prepare for some troubled fun in the sun with the fantastic 2025 Australian young adult fiction debut, We Saw What You Started by new author Carla Salmon.

Plot Synopsis:

Three deadly fires. One suspect. A thriller of surf and sea.

Otto was a star surfer back in California, but now he just wants a fresh start. When fires break out in Red Sands, the locals are suspicious. It’s no coincidence that Otto’s at the scene every time. Is it?

Milly isn’t so sure. Small town talk isn’t always right – especially when it comes to her ‘perfect’ brother, who doesn’t deserve to become captain of the surf lifesaving club. What if the new boy is innocent?

Can Otto and Milly trust each other to find the truth behind the fires? And what happens when you do the wrong things for the right reasons?

We Saw What You Started was a compelling and exciting debut from Salmon, who provides a cool thriller narrative amongst youthful hijinks on a rural Australian coastline.  Starting off with some immediate peril as the protagonist of the story, Otto, gets caught up in an apparently deliberate bushfire, you are quickly introduced to the small-town setting of Red Sands, as well as the dramas surrounding Otto and Milly.

Salmon effectively splits the narrative of We Saw What You Started between the perspectives of Otto and Milly, who grow close as the story progresses.  However, with an important swimming and lifesaving contest on the horizon, things become complicated for both as a series of arsons take place around town, often when Otto is nearby.  This naturally increases the drama of the plot, as Otto deals with suspicion from the Red Sands townsfolk, especially when his troubled past in America becomes known.  At the same time, Milly, driven by her own desire for independence and respect from her father, becomes one of Otto’s only allies.  The two start teaming up to investigate the arsons, resulting in some interesting moments of investigation, conflict and teenage rebellion, that play into the main plot extremely well.

The author does an exceptional job pulling together a great young adult crime fiction story in the second half of We Saw What You Started, loaded with high stakes and powerful dives into the protagonist’s traumatic past.  The revelation of who is responsible for the arsons, and the big confrontation at the end, are nicely set up, and Salmon loaded up a ton of fun hints throughout the book that really pay off.  Everything wraps up nicely, with the ongoing character struggles resolved and everyone getting their happy ending, allowing for a fantastic and heartfelt standalone read that did an excellent job of blending its crime fiction elements with the various personal problems of its intriguing young cast.

Overall, I felt that We Saw What You Started was an excellent debut novel that helped to showcase the Carla Salmon’s ability as a writer.  Expertly combining an intriguing crime fiction narrative with some fantastic young characters and a striking Australian setting, We Saw What You Started that will appeal to a wide range of readers, especially it’s intended young adult audience, who can relate to Salmon’s protagonists and their struggles.  This was a wonderful Australian novel and a great introduction to Carla Salmon, who looks set to continue her writing adventures in 2026.

Amazon

WWW Wednesday – 23 July 2025

On By The Unseen LibraryIn WWW WednesdayLeave a comment

WWW Wednesday is a weekly post hosted by Taking on a World of Words, where bloggers share the books that they’ve recently finished, what they are currently reading and what books they are planning to read next. Essentially you have to answer three questions (the Three Ws):

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

So, let’s get to it.

What are you currently reading:

No Body No Crime by Tess Sharpe (ebook)

I’ve just started reading the outstanding new novel from Tess Sharpe, No Boby No Crime. Following two young women who are forced to deal with the consequences of a murder they committed as teenagers, No Body No Crime is so far proving to be particularly awesome, and I look forward to unwinding it’s full twisty and clever narrative.

Amazon

 

The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook by Matt Dinniman (Audiobook)

Over the last week or so I’ve gone down into the rabbit hole that is Matt Dinniman’s Dungeon Crawler Carl series, and I am absolutely loving it.  Following the remnants of humanity as they are forced to explore a televised fantasy dungeon after the world is destroyed, the Dungeon Crawler Carl books are an awesome LitRPG series that really captures your imagination.  I absolutely blew through the first two books in the series and now I’m on the third book, The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook, which is just as epic as the previous entries.  Featuring a really cool new level to explore and loaded with the author’s trademark humour, The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook is an incredible and ultra fun novel, especially on audiobook.

Amazon

What did you recently finish reading?

Of Flame and Fury by Mikayla Bridge (Trade Paperback)

I managed to finish off the debut novel of Australian author Mikayla Bridge, Of Flame and Fury which was an excellent fantasy novel about phoenix racing that I really enjoyed.

Amazon

 

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman (Audiobook)

An incredible and epic first book in a really cool series.  Review to follow soon.

Amazon

 

We Saw What You Started by Carla Salmon (Trade Paperback)

A fantastic young adult thriller set in a small Australian town that is worth checking out.

Amazon

 

Carl’s Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman (Audiobook)

The Dungeon Crawler Carl fun continued here, and this sequel was just as impressive as the first book in the series.  Another really amazing read that I’m hoping to rave about soon in a proper review.

Amazon

What do you think you’ll read next?

Three Shattered Souls by Mai Corland

If I get through The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook this week, I think I might start listening to the audiobook version of Three Shattered Souls by Mai Corland.  The third and final book in the Broken Blades trilogy (Five Broken Blades and Four Ruined Realms), Three Shattered Souls looks set to be an amazing novel, and I cannot wait to see how this elaborate series comes to an end.

Amazon

 

That’s it for this week; check back in next Wednesday to see what progress I’ve made on my reading and what books I’ll be looking at next.