Joan Lindsay_70

I didn't know there was a book, which is a little embarrassing as it's one of Australia's most notable works of fiction, apparently. 'Picnic at Hanging Rock' was published in 1967, with Joan Lindsay then in her early 70s. It's 'Australian Gothic' (also apparently), and reads like the cracking murder mystery it is, undimmed by time or fashion. It's a wonderful book, certainly moody but not pretentious, with strong narrative momentum, and a keeper for the home library. Don't Google it until after you've read it; a final chapter—excised before the book was originally published then released posthumously—explains the mystery and is best left unread.