Six last-minute books for Father’s Day

Read This Next: with Emily Darlow

Father’s Day is very fast approaching and you may only have time left to grab a book for your Dad, Husband or Father Figure. The trick is choosing something that suits the person rather than simply reaching for the nearest book with “Dad” on the cover.
This latest selection moves from Australian business and political history to international thrillers, clever crime and a journal designed to preserve Dad’s own stories.

Tech Bros by John Stensholt and Perry Williams
Buy it here

Atlassian is one of Australia’s greatest business success stories, but Tech Bros is interested in far more than the familiar tale of two university friends becoming billionaires. Business journalists John Stensholt and Perry Williams trace how Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar built a software company in a Sydney share house and turned it into a global operation. They examine the different backgrounds of its founders, the company’s record-breaking Nasdaq debut and the strain that eventually appeared within the partnership. The most compelling element is the contrast at its centre: Atlassian built its name creating tools that help people work together, yet the relationship between its own founders reportedly fractured under the pressure of strategy, property and competing ambitions. The growing threat artificial intelligence poses to the company’s products adds another timely dimension. This is the strongest choice for the dad who follows Australian business, technology, entrepreneurship or the people appearing on the nation’s rich lists.

Grand Ambition by James Curran
Buy it here

For the politically engaged father, James Curran’s Grand Ambition revisits Paul Keating’s vision of Australia’s place in the world and asks how much of it remains relevant three decades after his electoral defeat. Curran draws upon previously unseen material from Keating’s archive, extensive interviews and years of conversations with the former prime minister. He examines Keating’s determination to anchor Australia more firmly within Asia, strengthen relations with Indonesia, include China in a stable regional order and question the country’s traditional dependence on larger powers. This is a substantial political history rather than a quick biography. Its appeal lies in the way it connects Keating’s economic reforms, ideas about Australian identity and foreign-policy ambitions, presenting them as parts of one larger national project. Readers do not need to agree with Keating to find the central questions absorbing, particularly as Australia again weighs its relationships with the United States, China and its regional neighbours.

The Damned by Matt Rogers
Buy it here

Matt Rogers wastes little time throwing retired assassin Logan Booth back into danger in The Damned, the second book in his Logan Booth thriller series. Logan is ready to leave his former life behind, but United States President Jacinta Murphy fears he may reveal her past mistakes. Her response sends him to Colombia, where an encounter with the wrong cartel leaves him fleeing through mountainous countryside and fighting to stay alive. Logan is determined to keep his friend and confidante Alice Mason out of the conflict, although she may have other plans. This is the pick for readers who want a thriller driven by action rather than a slow investigation. The international setting, presidential conspiracy, cartels and former assassin protagonist put it firmly in the high-stakes espionage tradition, while Logan’s efforts to protect Alice give the story a more personal source of tension. As this is the second Logan Booth thriller, newcomers may prefer to begin with The Sins, although the central predicament of The Damned is easy to grasp.

Your Story, Dad by Penguin Random House Australia
Buy it here

Your Story, Dad is less a book for Dad to read than one for him to write. The hardback journal contains hundreds of prompts covering childhood, family, friendships, holidays, interests and the values he developed as an adult. The questions are designed to draw out stories that families may never think to ask about during ordinary conversation. There is some effort involved, so this will suit a reflective dad who enjoys reminiscing more than one who considers any blank page an unwelcome homework assignment. For the right person, however, it has more lasting value than a conventional Father’s Day novelty. Once completed, it becomes a record of a life that children and grandchildren can return to long after the occasion has passed. It could also work well as a shared project, with family members asking the questions and recording the answers together rather than leaving Dad to fill it out alone.

Delusional by James Patterson and James O. Born
Buy it here

James Patterson and James O. Born return to Detective Michael Bennett’s world with Delusional, a fast-moving crime thriller that begins with a series of deadly bombings in New York City. The investigation eventually takes Bennett and army-sniper-turned-NYPD officer Rob Trilling to Montana, where the case crosses state borders and reaches into family relationships. That change of setting gives the novel a broader scope than a standard New York police procedural, combining an urban terror investigation with a more personal mystery. This is the 18th Michael Bennett novel, making it an easy choice for an existing fan. New readers should be able to follow the central case, although some relationships and character history will carry more weight for those familiar with the series. Patterson’s short, propulsive style also makes it a useful gift for someone who loves thrillers but rarely has the patience for a sprawling, densely written novel.

We Chase Shadows by Richard Osman
Buy it here

Richard Osman’s second We Solve Murders novel reunites private security officer Amy Wheeler, retired investigator Steve Wheeler and bestselling author Rosie D’Antonio for another international mystery. This time, a body is discovered at sunrise on the steps of a private villa in the Italian hills. The pursuit of a ruthless killer carries the mismatched trio between Italy, Barcelona, Palm Springs and Steve’s sleepy village pub, with almost everyone they encounter apparently hiding something.
Osman’s strength is the combination of an intricate mystery with characters readers enjoy spending time with, and We Chase Shadows is designed for those who prefer their murders tempered by humour, warmth and lively conversation. The globe-trotting plot suggests a larger and more cinematic adventure, but Steve’s attachment to the familiar comforts of home keeps the series from becoming a conventional action thriller. This is the second book in the series, following We Solve Murders, so it is worth starting there if Dad has not yet met Amy, Steve and Rosie.