'A farmer is confronted by two desperadoes; a tourist does her terrible best to evade a tracker and his dog; a teenager discards his civilised mask inside a lonely roadhouse.

'This collection of 28 short stories propels the reader through a kaleidoscope of Australian lowlife. In a range of styles, from dirty realism to noir, Deborah Sheldon pens the kind of fiction that is tough enough to shock, yet tender enough to hurt.

'An exploration of what it means to be human in the face of brutality, Mayhem: selected stories, is perfect reading for pulp novices and crime aficionados alike.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.