Jim Reay Novels & Short Stories

Is your self-esteem based on someone else’s opinion of you … or whatever box others might fit you into?

‘The Chess Board’ is a spy mystery set on the Queensland Darling Downs where no-one fits into the role that society usually expects – the opposite of stereotyping. The book explores social convention by contrasting the humour of unique characters with the gravity of crime, guilt and redemption. Read the novel in eBook or borrow from the local, state or national libraries … and enjoy!

This is the appeal court in the High Court of Australia. We all have different views on what justice should be: punishment, retribution, deterrent, rehabilitation, keeping society safe … ‘Searching for Siobhan’, ‘The Guanaco Affair’ and ‘The Napoleon Curse’ are all based in Australia and each explores different notions of justice through novel crime scenarios. If life imprisonment is the sentence for one murder, what should the sentences be for global crimes or mass murder? Click on the links. Read the stories in eBook!

In a world of spin, fake stories, fallacies and lies, how do you know what is true? Critical thinking uses evidence and carefully tests that evidence, just as law courts try to do, before coming to a logical conclusion. That is a huge difference from just trusting that whatever you read or hear might be factually correct. ‘The Most Avoided Questions’ is a non-fiction book that examines many of the moral issues of our time, in easy-to-read short chapters. Click on the webpage link or the book image to see some of the issues being addressed.

Chapter 13 deals with the types of fallacy that spin doctors use to influence your thinking. Chapter 6 examines belief systems. Read this philosophical morality challenge in eBook.

‘Prime Minister by Accident’ is set in the Brisbane bayside and Canberra. Be informed about a process to run the country, better. ‘Roller Coaster’ is set in 2030, mainly in Scotland and the Netherlands. Someone has sabotaged all the silicon-based electronics on the planet. What needs to be done soon so that we can avoid the collapse of all that we take for granted in our technological world? Read the stories in eBook! Be informed! Be a critical thinker!

Civilised society survives by having accepted rules to protect the general population and the vulnerable – to balance freedoms and rights. It is necessary to have regular audits and monitoring to see that the systems are operating legally. ‘Searching for Siobhan’ explores such a scenario in 2009 Brisbane.

Blind Freddy can see that Western democracies are slowly grinding to dysfunction. The system has been ‘gamed’ by powerful players.

Justin Kipps shows a different way to govern democratically, where the checks and balances actually work and the people are represented fairly and effectively.

Read ‘Prime Minister by Accident’ on eBook or hard copy! Multiple satisfied readers are looking forward with new eyes.

Get a new perspective. Travel with The Run in Europe and the Middle East.

The present is shaped by the complex pain of the past. It flags how the future could be … with a strategy that will work.

See the Mediterranean in a novel way!

The scents, sounds and beauty of the Australia are inspirational and precious – as are the stories with their distinctive humour and down-to-earth honesty.

Read more at my website – published short stories, full-length novel mysteries with just a touch of crime and … non-fiction with the most avoided questions of our time.

Blue skies and a rainbow lorikeet amidst the grevillea blossoms – a normal Queensland winter’s day.

Settle down with a good book in the warmth. Listen to the bird song and get lost in an absorbing story.
www.jimreaywriter.net . Read chapters for FREE on the website! Available in eBook and hardcopy. All links are on the website or go to the library catalogues: Brisbane City Library, Queensland State Library, National Library of Australia.