Needle in a Haystack by Australian author Karly Lane is a moving and emotionally layered fictional story of history, mystery, and romance.
Lottie Fairchild lives in Banalla, New South Wales, in a little old cottage on the hill once owned by her grandmother. She has a love of history, and when she found out her mum was going to sell the local family antique store, she left her government HR job in Sydney and returned home to save it. It also gave her a chance to start drafting a book on the history of her family and the curses handed down, as well as their ties to the town.
Banalla is known for its infamous bushranger Jack McNally, who holds the record for the biggest stagecoach robbery in the country. Lottie is part of the committee organising a festival to celebrate the local history and McNally. When guest speaker history professor and author Damian Loxley comes to town early, he meets Lottie and discovers they have interests in common.
Damian is researching Alexander Compton and the mysterious disappearance of his wife Catherine. Lottie is excited about the prospect of showing him around Banalla and her own research. Will they be able to uncover the truth and solve the mystery that surrounds the disappearance of Catherine and the notorious bushranger?
The plot develops at a relaxing pace, with unexpected twists and turns along the way to spark renewed interest. The descriptive narrative is well-constructed, and dialogue is used effectively as the reader is immersed in the world of a dual timeline between past and present. This is a romance, but it goes far beyond most books in the genre, offering a wealth of knowledge, a glimpse into a little-known world, and sensory delight.
Lane knows how to get to the soul of a character swiftly and naturally, and readers are quickly gripped by the cast in a beautifully written tale of a historic mystery and family connections, steeped in emotional authenticity and quiet grace.
Lottie makes for a truly compelling, relatable protagonist. She is a strong, independent woman, and I was drawn to her from the start with her love of history, curses, and her little antique shop. Damián brings an extra layer of warmth and charm to the story, making the character dynamics even more fun to read. These characters make an impression on you and will have you rooting for them to end up together.
The supporting characters: Jack, Emeline, Kate, Catherine, Hannah, and Cher leap off the page. Each is well-rounded and believable, with heart, quirks, and emotional depth. Readers will find a redeeming value in each of them.
There’s beauty to behold in the lyrical prose that evokes the Banalla setting, and it is clear in the tenderness and authenticity of the descriptions that Lane treats this place with reverence and love. I found myself daydreaming I was sitting on the front veranda of Grandma Rosemary’s little old cottage, immersing myself with the view as I breathed in the smells of eucalyptus and wattle and listening to the sounds of magpies and kookaburras.
Karly Lane never disappoints her readers; she has a knack for perfectly capturing the mood, setting the scene, and bringing out emotions in her readers. I can always count on her books being beautifully written and allowing the reader to visualize what they are reading.
Romance readers, chick lit readers, and those readers who just need a change of pace from more intense books, Needle in a Haystack is exactly what you are looking for. A wonderful romantic, wholesome, and satisfying story that has a happy ending. What more could you ask for? I highly recommend.
A selection of our Beauty and Lace Club members are reading Needle in a Haystack by Karly Lane. You can read their comments below, or add your own review.
My love of books started at a very young age. My mum has always been a reader and encouraged me to read, buying me endless book from classic fairy tales advancing to the world of Enid Blyton, CS Lewis, Louisa May Alcott, Kathryn Kenny, Carolyn Keene, Francine Pascal. In my adult years the list of authors is endless and every room in my house is filled with books.
One of my favourite novels is Narnia which has always has a special place in my heart. I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in 1978 and when I was given this book to read it let me escape to another world where I felt like I was in the book with all the characters, it wasfun and exciting to escape from reality and eased the ups and downs of the disease at such a young age.
In books nothing is impossible and there is endless potential and hundreds of places to explore or being taken to places that are only made up from the authors’ great minds, the past and future to navigate, characters lives you step into taking you on an emotional rollercoaster ride or being scared out of your wits. I can experience things that I can’t in real life because they’re not possible or real. It challenges my perspective and mindset expanding my worldview.
I find joy, comfort and peace with books, many people may not get it, but I know bookworms like me truly understand. Reading makes my heart happy.
Needle in a Haystack by Karly Lane is a great read. It weaves together country romance and historical mystery in a truly delightful way.
Lottie and Damian are the two main characters of the book and not only do they find each other, they also get to the bottom of an incredible mystery associated with the notorious bushranger Jack McNally.
Lottie is a lover of history and owns the local antique shop in the small town of Banalla ( based on Uralla, NSW). She is also writing a book about the women in her family, the curse of a family heirloom and their apparent link to the bushranger Jack McNally.
Damian is a history professor who has been asked to be the keynote speaker at Banalla’s upcoming festival. He sees his trip to Banalla as an opportunity to conduct field research for his next book investigating the disappearance of Lady Catherine Compton, the wife of one of bushranger Jack McNally’s victims.
When Lottie and Damian meet, their mutual love of history and instant chemistry sees them join together to find clues and uncover the true story behind Jack McNally’s fateful last robbery …
A well written thoroughly enjoyable book with very relatable characters and a great storyline.
Needle In A Haystack by Karly Lane is the story of Lottie Fairchild who owns an antique store in the small town of Banalla. She loves history and stories from the past, except may be the curse in her family. Lottie is part of the committee organising a festival including the story of bushranger Jack McNally. Her best friend Cher is a descendant of Jack and has an interest also. When history professor Damian is invited to the festival as a guest he arrives early to do book research he connects with Lottie and sparks fly. He is researching Alexander Compton and his wife Catherine who were ambushed by Jack, but information is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. There are the two interesting storylines which give the book depth and even more heart. Mystery and romance work well together and make the stories come to life and the people involved all become three dimensional as their tales unfold. I was happy getting all the information and learning about everyone involved – thoroughly recommend.
A Karly Lane book is like sitting down with a good friend and a cuppa, always an enjoyable read, Needle in a Haystack is yet another great read.
With a cast full of characters typical of a small country town, the story centres on Lottie Fairchild, owner of an antiques shop in small town Banalla. She’s happy as she is, even if her best friend Cher is always trying to set her up, that is until Professor Damian Loxley rides into town, the guest speaker for Banallas inaugural festival celebrating local history and the bushranger Jack McNally, Damien arrives early to do some research for his new book, featuring Jack McNally and a long lost colonial lady. Their shared love of history and the sparks that instantly fly make the two a great team to research the mystery.
I really enjoyed the history angle and the little snippets back into the past, it had me turning the pages eager to know more, adding more weight to the book and Lottie and Damians romance.
Thank you Beauty and Lace and Allen and Unwin for the copy to read and review.
Needle in a Haystack by Karly Lane is the first of Karly’s books I’ve read, a huge thank you to Beauty and Lace, and Allen & Unwin for introducing me, I’m hooked.
Karly’s diverse characters really added to the charm of the story, as we are introduced to Lottie, an amateur historian penning her first book, her whimsical, hipster mum Hannah, Cher, Lottie’s flamboyant gal pal. They’re all enjoying life in their little corner of paradise, and plans are in full swing for an upcoming inaugural historical festival applauding two celebrities, Damien a modern-day bushranger / historian who roars into town on his steel horse, versus, Jack a wily gentlemanly Aussie scallywag, a real bushranger of a bygone era.
I immersed myself wholly in Karly’s descriptive writing style, I could almost smell the Eucalypts, and picture Grans charming little cottage, smell Hannah’s freshly brewed tea wafting through the open window, imagine Cher’s outrageous costumes, and sing along to her burlesque cabaret shows, It felt like I had to shield my eyes from the opalesque glint of the cursed opal ring, handed down to the women in the family through the generations, I could feel the uneven ground traversing the rocky outcrops of the native bushland surrounding the beautiful fictional town of Banalla.
Needle in a Haystack is a wonderful read, with equal sorrow and laugh out loud moments, I loved this book, it was a definite * * * * * read for me.
Needle in a Haystack is another great read by Karly Lane. Set in the fictional town of Banalla we see antique shop owner Lottie Fairchild meet author and history professor Damian Loxley. Both are interested in the history of the local area, particularly the history of notorious bushranger Jack McNally. Lottie is writing a book about the women in her family from the bushranger days until now, while Damian is researching the mysterious disappearance of a noble woman whose husband was killed by McNally.
While sharing research and attending the town festival in honour of Jack McNally, Lottie and Damian fall for each other, but the road to love is not without its twists and turns. The snippets from 1863 that outline what was going on with bushranger Jack McNally really help set the story for the current day events, and take this book to another level.
A thoroughly enjoyable read that will delight fans of Karly Lane, and turn new readers into instant fans.
Thank you to Beauty and Lace and Allen and Unwin for the opportunity to read and review this great book.
Thank you for this book reading opportunity.
I enjoyed reading this book from the first sentence. It was easy to read and took me away to the Australian outback, and it was relaxing and a nice escape to go on this journey.
It also goes back in history, which was interesting and a nice change of pace and a good aspect to the overall storyline.
Karly Lane has a wonderful skill which captures our interest with a rural setting and characters who are multi dimensional. The story itself was intriguing and I loved the romance too.
This book is a great holiday or anytime read when you want a fabulous rural setting with fascinating characters and it just keeps you interested wanting to know more. Thank you, very enjoyable.
Thank you for giving me to opportunity to read “Needle in a Haystack” by Karly Lane. This book would be classed as a rural romance but I believe it’s more than that and I really enjoyed it.
Lottie is a descendant from Jack McNally a bushranger from the town of Banalla. She owns an antique shop in the town,. Damien is researching the bushranger’s story and they end together to see what they can find out.
The story comes together for both of them and their families.
Thank you Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to read Karly Lane’s 25th rural romance which once again doesn’t disappoint.
Needle In A Haystack is set in NSW in the fictional town of Banalla and we are introduced to Lottie Fairchild local antique shop owner and budding author who is writing a memoir about the females in her family tree and Professor Damian Loxley who is a history buff and author who is be guest of honour at the Banalla Festival which centres around local bushranger legend Jack McNally.
Damian is keen to research the disappearance of Catherine a colonial woman who went missing in the area in the days of Jack McNally – the story takes us on a dual timeline following Lottie and Damian’s story and also Catherine’s.
A great enjoyable read ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Needle in a Haystack by Karly Lane is a story about Lottie Fairchild and the fictional town of Banalla. The town is gearing up to celebrate the town through the Banalla Festival and coincides with Lottie’s research of her family history and connection to a local, infamous bushranger. She is particularly focused on the females in her family anf the contribution they made regionally.
The guest speaker to the festival, Damian Loxley, comes to town with an interest in his own research for his own book. The combination of local research and knowledge from the locals, including Lottie, enables them to spend time together and enables both to explore history and their growing feelings.
A rural romance where the town and other characters are as much a part of the story as Lottie and Damian. Karly Lane captures this genre perfectly.
Thank you Karly Lane, Beauty and Lace and Allen and Unwin for the opportunity to read this book.