AustLit

'I'm nobody much That's the way Dougy sees himself. Struggling at school, Dougy is quiet. He watches more than he speaks. His siblings, Raymond and Gracey, are the one with the talent- his brother a star footballer and his sister just picked for the state athletic championships. When racial tensions engulf their lonely town in the Australian outback, madness grips and hot-headed men give way to their fears. And waiting in the rising river waters lurks something even more dangerous. Death is stalking Dougy's sister, Gracey, unless he can save her. Can a nobody stand against such forces? Is there more to Dougy than even he knows?' (Publication summary)

'Dylan Kane has liked Kirsty for a long time, but he has only just found out the secret that she and her brother Tim are keeping from everyone else in school. Every second Sunday their stepfather, Ian, returns their little sister home. And every second Sunday turns into a nightmare for the family as he bullies them all into terrified submission.

'Tim is becoming increasingly withdrawn, and Kirsty is growing more and more worried about her little sister and her mother, who is on the verge of a breakdown. As Dylan is drawn into the maelstrom of emotion, he becomes determined to help get rid of Ian for good no matter what it takes.' (Publisher's blurb)

'From the outside, Josh's life looks pretty much perfect. He's in a band, he has a gorgeous girlfriend and he does well at school. But Josh's family has been slowly falling apart since his older brother disappeared two years before. Then Josh comes across a clue to Michael's whereabouts in the Lost Property Office where he's working for the holidays. Determined to put his family back together, and without a word to anyone, Josh too leaves Sydney in a desperate bid to bring his brother home.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.