AustLit

'Detective Dave Burrows has longed for the top job in the Stock Squad but never thought he'd be acting in that role while his partner and best mate, Detective Bob Holden, is treated for melanoma.

'Bob is keen to get back on the road and Dave can't wait to go bush either, expecting the trip will be much the same as usual.

'But the trip doesn't play out that way.

'Multiple bomb blasts in the small country town of Kallygarn send shock waves through the state of Western Australia, and Dave and Bob are once again drawn into the criminal underworld.' (Publication summary)

'A powerful and poignant rural family story told by the acclaimed Fleur McDonald, bestselling author of Broad River Station and Into the Night.

'When Sassi Stapleton receives a middle-of-the-night phone call to tell her that her beloved grandmother is unwell, she quickly puts her job on hold, packs her ute and sets off on the long drive home, knowing her grandfather will need her.

'Less than an hour away from Sassi's hometown, Barker, she swerves to miss a roo and her car rolls down an embankment. By the time Sassi is found, her grandmother has already passed away.

'On the other side of the world, Sassi's estranged mother, Amber, receives a similar call and shocks the whole family when she flies home from South Africa.

'With everyone under the same roof, tensions escalate as Amber's secrecy and odd behaviour become unsettling. What is she really doing at home with a father she's barely spoken to since she left years ago? And will Amber and Sassi ever be able to reconnect?' (Publication summary)

'Detective Dave Burrows is devastated. After an acrimonious divorce, Dave has no choice but to let his ex-wife and her father Mark call the shots: supervised, one-hour visits are all he's allowed if he wants to see his two young daughters. And he knows he'll jump through any hoops to see Bec and Alice.

'On Leo Perry's farm, sixty kilometres out of Yorkenup, the only positive in Leo's day is the unswerving loyalty of his dog, Coffee. Thanks to yet another power outage, Leo is out in the morning heat, refuelling the water pump. But seconds later he watches in horror as the tank explodes. Flames engulf wooden beams and sparks ignite grass just as Leo realises he's at the end of a one-way petrol trail, the fire roaring straight for him.

'When Dave and his partner Detective Bob Holden are called to Leo's ravaged farm, they're unclear if they're dealing with arson, suicide or something else. There's been no sign of Leo anywhere, and his wife Jill is distraught. Leo and his dog appear to have vanished. But, when Dave and Bob begin their investigation, what they find makes no sense at all.' (Publication summary)

'A young constable faces prejudice in a small country town, but the search for a missing child changes everything. A breathtaking novel of rural suspense from the bestselling Voice of the Outback.

'Mia, a newly graduated constable, on her first post is assigned to Broad River, a small country town. And as certain as she is about her ability to do the job, on day one she's already in conflict with colleagues who believe that women shouldn't be coppers.

'It takes the shine off coming home, where her grandmother, Clara, is in the early stages of dementia. Clara is in a nursing home, living between her present and the mist-covered past of her life as dementia slowly steals her memories. Mia is accustomed to their conversations often not quite making sense but when Clara hints of veiled family secrets, Mia isn't sure what she should believe.

'In the midst of all this, a local child goes missing and Mia is confined to barracks. When Detective Dave Burrows realises she has skills that could be put to use, Mia's career takes a new turn, and she must decide down which road to walk.' (Publication summary)

'Detective Dave Burrows returns in another breathtaking tale of rural suspense.

'After the family's devastating tragedy, Detective Dave Burrows is crystal clear that his wife, Mel, is no longer interested in their marriage.

'Before Dave can talk to Mel, he and his partner, Bob Holden, are sent to investigate a suspected sheep stealing at a station north of Carnarvon, where they very quickly realise that this crime is a lot more than just stock theft.

'As a ferocious tropical storm floods the airstrip and uncovers more than anyone expected, Dave and Bob find themselves isolated, outnumbered and in extraordinary danger. Dave has to confront the guilt and trauma of his past before he can move forward. And perhaps there's no way out this time.' (Publication summary)

'A returned criminal, a cult-like family and cybercrime all clash against the backdrop of the Flinders Ranges in this thrilling new rural suspense novel from the best-selling Voice of the Outback.

'Emma Cameron, a recently divorced farmer and a local in Barker, runs Deception Creek, the farm that three generations of her family have owned before her. Every day Emma pushes herself hard on the land, hoping to make ten-year-old memories of a terrible car accident disappear. And now there are more recent nightmares of an ex-husband who refuses to understand how much the farm means to Emma.

'When Joel Hammond is released from jail and heads home to Barker, Detective Dave Burrows and Senior Sergeant Jack Higgins are on high alert. Joel has a long and sorry history with many of the townsfolk and they are not keen to see him home to stay.

'Not all of the Barker locals want to see Joel run out of town though. Some even harbour doubts about Joel's conviction. The town finds itself split down the middle, families pitted against each other with devastating outcomes.' (Publication summary)

'A riveting new novel of rural suspense from the bestselling Voice of the Outback.

'With the sickening realisation that his cover has been blown, Detective Dave Burrows knows his family is in serious danger from the vicious stock thieves and murderers, Bulldust and his brother Scotty.

'Devastating news brings Dave back to Barrabine, where circumstances force him to question his determination to stay in the police force. How could he live with himself if anything happened to Mel and the kids?

'Mel, understandably frightened, must decide who she'll listen to. Can she trust Dave to handle this threat hanging over their family, or is her father right to argue that she should leave her marriage immediately?

'With her acclaimed skill for tension and drama, Fleur McDonald has delivered another richly compelling story in Something to Hide.' (Publication summary)

'Red Dirt Country features the thrilling return of Detective Dave Burrows, now a member of the stock squad in Western Australia.

'Recovering from an undercover case in outback Queensland, Dave Burrows finally returns to Perth, to join his pregnant wife, Melinda, and their small daughter, Bec. Things have been off-kilter between Mel and Dave for some time and nothing he says or does seems to make it right. Once Dave starts waking violently in the dark nights, reliving the horrors of the Queensland job, Mel issues an ultimatum.

'But Dave's work, despite its dangers, means everything to him. He's finally achieved his long-held dream and is now a Detective Senior Constable in the stock squad. And as soon as his shoulder wound is declared fully healed, Dave jumps into an investigation of stock theft in the north of Australia. There's a standoff between two stations and a history of disappearances and grief to uncover.

'It's also a long way away from his problems with Mel.

'With the prospect of going back to Queensland to give evidence as a protected witness, a dangerously ruthless enemy on the loose, and a family to protect, Dave's first experience on the stock squad is deep in an underbelly of racial divide with family secrets, long-repeated lies, kidnapping and murder.' (Publication summary)

'When her brother becomes seriously unwell, twenty-five-year-old journalist Zara Ellison must leave her much-loved city life to return to the family farm. She'd been reporting on an explosive court case in Adelaide that threatened to divide city and country. Animal welfare activists had stormed a farm and one man had lost his life. But Zara's stint in the country isn't as quiet as she'd feared when she gains a new job on the Farming Journal, and an introduction to Detective Dave Burrows and his second-in-charge, Senior Constable Jack Higgins. After more terrible farming accidents and reports of unidentified drones flying over farmlands, Zara witnesses Jack in a role she'd never have believed. But what is he playing at?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Detective Dave Burrows had never even heard of Nundrew in Queensland before. He'd certainly never would have guessed that this was where he'd be risking his life. In Barrabine, as Dave's workload skyrockets, his wife Melinda is unhappy about being left alone to raise their eighteen-month-old daughter. It's not how Dave wants it either, but crimes still have to be investigated and he's the only one able to do it. Melinda's interfering father isn't helping. He's never thought that Dave was right for his daughter and he's not shy about telling him. When things come to a head at home, Dave's policing mate, Spencer, comes up with a plan. In the most dangerous mission of his life, Dave knows what he needs to do. If he's found out, he'll never see Melinda again. Of that he's sure.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Farmer Rochelle owns a cow that says moo moo, a sheep that says baa baa, a chicken that says chick chick and a horse that says ... chick chick! What on earth could be wrong with Farmer Rochelle’s horse?

'A playful farmyard story full of animal friends and the noises they make.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Nine years ago, thirty-year-old Chelsea Taylor left the small country town of Barker and her family's property to rise to the top as a concert pianist. With talent, ambition and a determination to show them all at home, Chelsea thought she had it made. Yet here she was, in Barker, with her four-year-old daughter, Aria, readying herself to face her father, Tom. The father who'd shouted down the phone nine years ago never to come home again.

'With an uneasy truce developing, Chelsea and Aria settle into the rhythm of life on the land with Tom and Cal, the farmhand, who seems already to have judged Chelsea badly. Until a shocking discovery is made on the riverbed and Detective Dave Burrows, the local copper, has to tear back generations of family stories to reveal the secrets of the past. Chelsea just wants a relationship with her dad but will he ever want that too? Or will his memory lapses mean they'll never get that opportunity?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Newly badged Detective Dave Burrows' first posting to the far West goldfields town of Barrabine holds everything he's looking for, but Melinda, his wife of two weeks, is devastated at leaving behind her family, friends and career. More comfortable in heels than RM Williams, Melinda walked away from her much-loved job in the city as a paediatric nurse to follow Dave into the bush. Dave settles in easily to the plain-speaking toughness of his new town, determined to do well, knowing that Barrabine could be his stepping stone into the elite Stock Squad. But will his marriage last the distance?

'As Dave investigates reports of mysterious late-night trespassing, a missing person and guns being drawn on strangers, a local prospector phones in with horrific news that could hold the key to everything . . . Written with Fleur's trademark warmth and outstanding storytelling, this first book in the Detective Dave Burrows series is a compelling and exciting beginning.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'When Brianna Donahue was three years old, her mother mysteriously disappeared while farming in Merriwell Bay, Western Australia. Committed to the family's farm, Brianna works the same land with her father, while raising her two children as her husband works as a fly-in fly-out lawyer in Perth. One scorching summer's morning, her son Trent goes missing and, while frantically searching for him, Brianna must come to terms with the fact that her marriage has large cracks in it.

'Over two thousand kilometres away in South Australia, Detective Dave Burrows receives a phone call reporting stolen sheep from an elderly farmer. It becomes clear that Guy has early signs of dementia and Dave becomes intrigued with his family history. Was there a child, or was there not? No one seems to know. While trying to save her marriage and battling the threat of bushfires back in Merriwell Bay, Brianna is faced with challenges: her father's new girlfriend, who on the surface seems pleasant, seems to have a hidden agenda; Trent is having nightmares, triggered by his accident; and Beau, her youngest, is afraid to let her out of his sight.

'So how will Dave's investigation impact Brianna's world? Suspenseful and incendiary, Suddenly One Summer is an intriguing and heartfelt story of the unlikely connections of life on the land.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Sometimes you have to resolve the past before you can face the future. The moving and heart-warming new novel from Fleur McDonald.

'Lauren Ramsey was adopted at birth. Now a teacher, her mantra is to never let a child fall through the cracks. But she's so concerned about the welfare of a little boy in her kindy class she doesn't notice that her teenage daughter needs help.

'At fourteen, Skye Ramsey is on the cusp of womanhood, but she's also teetering on the edge of an abyss. Battling with the usual pressures faced by a teenage girl, including the pitfalls of social media, she's flirting with outright rebellion.

'As a child, Tamara Thompson felt unloved and overlooked. She's now the manager of a successful business and has a partner who adores her, but her fear of rejection is threatening to overwhelm her.

'All three women are searching for a happier future, but the answers may lie in shedding light on secrets from the past.

'From the bestselling author of Red Dust and Crimson Dawn, comes a moving and intriguing novel about love, friendship and how the truth can set us free... ' (Publication summary)

'When suspicions are wrongly aimed at Amelia following the theft of proceeds from the local rodeo after a crash and grab, she must work with a sceptical rural detective to clear her name - and that of the man she loves. Mystery and romance abound in the new novel from the bestselling author of Crimson Dawn.

'After finishing university, Amelia Bennett returns to her home town. Determined to lose her old reputation for being scatty, she works hard to prove herself as the treasurer of the local rodeo committee.

'Flushed with triumph on the evening of the best rodeo in the town's history, Amelia is driving the bags of cash into town when she becomes the victim of a terrifying smash and grab. Injured and distraught after her ordeal, she's even more devastated when she finds out that she and her boyfriend Paul are the objects of suspicion.

'To prove her innocence and that of the man she loves, Amelia must convince a sceptical detective that her account of what happened does add up and that he must help her track down the real culprits . . .

'With its cracker plot, feisty heroine and engaging love story, Emerald Springs will have you reading well into the night.' (Publication summary)

'A farmer struggles to get to sleep with all the noise from his farm animals. He finally finds the solution to a good night’s sleep.' (Publication summary)

'Mystery and drama abound in the new novel from Australia's Voice of the Outback

'Nicole Bridges is fleeing her so-called-perfect life and her crooked bully of a husband. Dominic won’t be happy when he discovers she’s gone, and he’ll be determined to find her, so she knows the only way she can hope to escape is to reinvent herself. Nicole changes her name to Eliza and drives until she comes across a tiny town in the Flinders Ranges. Feeling relatively safe amongst the friendly locals, Eliza begins the long road to healing and regaining her confidence.

'Gradually Eliza ventures out and the townsfolk start to call on her when they need a hand with something. During an excursion to some nearby ruins, Eliza becomes fascinated with one of the families who lived there during the 1800s. Then disaster strikes, throwing her life into disarray. Just as Eliza thinks things can’t possibly get any worse, her ex-husband arrives… With a cracker plot and nail-biting suspense, Indigo Storm is the story of a courageous woman fiercely determined to reclaim her life and her belief in herself.' (Publication summary)