Shadow and Light by Jonathan Rabb

An apparent suicide is investigated by a father of a dysfunctional family in Berlin in 1927.  His investigation leads him to discover industrial espionage in the world of movie making, the burgeoning National Socialist Worker's Party and his own son's involvement in it.  It also leads to another murder and more mystery.  A good read with lots of false trails to follow.

The Lieutenant

The Lieutenant by Kate Grenville is the story of the meeting of two totally different cultures.  It tells the story of an astronomer who is a member of the British marines sent to guard the the first load prisoners at Botany Bay in Australia.  He meets some Aborigines, including a 12 year old girl, who teach him about their language and culture.  It opens up his eyes to the brutality of his own culture.  A good, quick read.

Wolf Hall

Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall tells the story of Thomas Cromwell and his life as the right hand man to Henry VIII.  It also tells of the rise of Anne Boleyn from a lady of the court to Queen of England.  It also hints at the future queen, Jane Seymour.  For those interested in an historical novel, this is a great read.  However, I did not like the manner in which the author wrote.  Her use of tenses throws the reader and for that I do not rate the book highly, although it was the winner of the 2009 Man Booker prize.