AustLit

'It is 1946, and Sydney is a changed city. In the aftermath of World War II, soldiers have returned to their neighbourhoods, and the community is mending its rifts. When eleven-year-old Frances Reed is found raped and murdered in a Newtown cemetery, the sensationalised details make their way into the media, whipping the city into frenzy — everyone wants the killer found and justice served.

'Sixteen-year-old Templeton lives in the seediest part of Sydney’s underbelly, amid bootleggers, gangs, and prostitutes, with his sister Annie and her friends. Convinced he knows who killed Frances, he becomes determined to bring the perpetrator to justice, in the process becoming embroiled in a feud between Annie’s beau, the violent Jack Tooth, and local hard man Bob Newham.

'In the doglegged streets of Darlinghurst, Templeton and Annie are forced to seek protection from a madam: the once-powerful grog runner Dolly Jenkins. Under Jenkins’ roof, Templeton is drawn into a titillating, enigmatic world of bohemian sexuality, where secrets abound.

'Inspired by a real murder case, Dark Fires Shall Burn is a powerful historical crime novel that explores the intersection of justice and vengeance, and a community’s hunger for resolution.' (Publication summary)