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SOUTHERN AURORA
'We always listen out for the train when we're down in the cutting because sometimes they come quicker than you expect. There aren't as many trains as there used to be. Mostly just the freight ones, like the one that nearly killed us on the bus ... The best train is The Southern Aurora. It goes all the way from Melbourne to Sydney, and from Sydney to Melbourne. It stops in Mittigunda because we're pretty much exactly halfway between.' Jimmy is a kid growing up fast on the poorest street in town. He tries to do everything right and look out for his mum and his younger brother. His older brother is in jail, so it's up to Jimmy to hold things together. But small-town life is unforgiving if you're from the other side of the tracks. If only his mum didn't drink so much. If only he could win the school billycart race. If only his best friend understood. If only he could stop his mum's boyfriend from getting angry. If only he was there. Jimmy soon learns that even when you get things right, everything can still go wrong. |
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THE OTHERS "I heard voices talking last night. I've never heard my father talk to someone else. Not that I can remember. I was in bed, and I heard my father's voice first. He was talking to someone, and then I heard another man with a deep voice. The man got angry, I could tell, even though I couldn't hear exactly what he was saying. Then my father said, 'I'd kill you first.'" On his eleventh birthday, Jacob's father gives him a diary. To write about things that happen. About what he and his father do on their farm. About the sheep, the crop, the fox and the dam. But Jacob knows some things should not be written down. Some things should not be remembered. The only things he knows for sure are what his father has taught him. Sheltered, protected, isolated. But who is his father protecting him from? And how far will his father go to keep the world at bay? All too soon, Jacob will learn that, sometimes, people do the most terrible things. From the bestselling author of WIMMERA and THE RIP comes an unforgettable novel that explores the darkness in our world with the light only a child can find. SHORTLISTED FOR BEST FICTION AT THE NED KELLY AWARDS 2022 |
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WIMMERA An unforgettable literary crime debut that brings the darkness in an Australian country town vividly to life, as it slowly reveals its devastating secrets. In the long, hot summer of 1989, Ben and Fab are best friends. Growing up in a small country town, they spend their days playing cricket, yabbying in local dams, wanting a pair of Nike Air Maxes and not talking about how Fab's dad hits him, or how the sudden death of Ben's next-door neighbour unsettled him. Almost teenagers, they already know some things are better left unsaid. Then a newcomer arrived in the Wimmera. Fab reckoned he was a secret agent and he and Ben staked him out. Up close, the man's shoulders were wide and the veins in his arms stuck out, blue and green. His hands were enormous, red and knotty. He looked strong. Maybe even stronger than Fab's dad. Neither realised the shadow this man would cast over both their lives. Twenty years later, Fab is still stuck in town, going nowhere but hoping for somewhere better. Then a body is found in the river, and Fab can't ignore the past any more. 'Very little fiction is as emotionally true as this. WIMMERA is a dark and disturbing story from a substantial new talent.' SATURDAY PAPER 'This is literary crime fiction at its best.' BOOKS+PUBLISHING WINNER OF THE 2016 CRIME WRITERS' ASSOCIATION DEBUT DAGGER WINNER OF THE 2018 INDIE DEBUT FICTION AWARD SHORTLISTED FOR LITERARY FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR, ABIA AWARDS 2018 SHORTLISTED FOR THE MATT RICHELL AWARD FOR NEW WRITER OF THE YEAR, ABIA AWARDS 2018 Published by Hachette Australia. Read reviews here. |
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THE RIP 'It's funny how quick it happens and without you really noticing. Anton said once that it's like walking out into the sea, and you think everything's fine and the water's warm, but when you turn back you're suddenly miles from shore. I've never been much of a swimmer, but I get what he means. Like, being caught in a current or something. A rip.' A young woman, living on the street has to keep her wits about her. Or her friends. But when the drugs kick in that can be hard. Anton has been looking out for her. She was safe with him. But then Steve came along. He had something over Anton. Must have. But he had a flat they could crash in. And gear in his pocket. And she can't stop thinking about it. A good hit makes everything all right. But the flat smells weird. There's a lock on Steve's bedroom door. And the guy is intense. The problem is, sometimes you just don't know you are in too deep, until you are drowning. LONGLISTED FOR CRIME WRITERS' ASSOCIATION BEST FICTION 2019 LONGLISTED FOR THE INDIE BEST FICTION AWARD 2020 Published by Hachette Australia. Read reviews here. |
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INTO THE RIVER (UK edition of WIMMERA) Growing up in a small country town, Ben and Fab spend their days playing cricket, wanting a pair of Nike Air Maxes and not talking about how Fab's dad hits him, or how the sudden death of Ben's next-door neighbour unsettled him. Almost teenagers, they already know some things are better left unsaid. Then a newcomer arrived. Fab reckoned he was a secret agent and he and Ben staked him out. He looked strong. Maybe even stronger than Fab's dad. Neither realised the shadow this man would cast over both their lives. Twenty years later, Fab is going nowhere but hoping for somewhere better. Then a body is found in the river, and Fab can't ignore the past any more. 'Very little fiction is as emotionally true as this.' SATURDAY PAPER 'This is literary crime fiction at its best.' BOOKS+PUBLISHING Winner of the CWA Debut Dagger Winner of the 2018 Indie Debut Fiction Award Shortlisted for Literary Fiction Book of the Year, Abia Awards 2018 Shortlisted for New Writer of the Year, Abia Awards 2018 Shortlisted for the Australian CWA Ned Kelly Award, Best First Crime Published by Legend Press (UK). Read reviews here. |
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THE RIP (UK edition) A young woman living on the street has to keep her wits about her. Or her friends. But when the drugs kick in that can be hard. Anton has been looking out for her. She was safe with him. But then Steve came along. He had something over Anton. Must have. But he had a flat they could crash in. And gear in his pocket. And she can't stop thinking about it. A good hit makes everything all right. But the flat smells weird. There's a lock on Steve's bedroom door. And the guy is intense. The problem is, sometimes you just don't know you are in too deep, until you are drowning. 'One of the year’s best urban crime stories. Topical, gripping and perfectly paced, you won’t be able to put it down.' BETTER READING 'The Rip pulls you under and tosses your emotions around like flotsam bobbing up and down on the waves.' QUEENSLAND REVIEWERS COLLECTIVE LONGLISTED FOR CRIME WRITERS' ASSOCIATION BEST FICTION 2019 LONGLISTED FOR THE INDIE BEST FICTION AWARD 2020 |