AustLit

'The remains of a rifle buried in the sand and dust of an outback cattle station in North-west Queensland became the centre of an ongoing story of four brothers running the remote property. Who once owned the weapon? What was it doing hidden in the earth? Was it used in a violent encounter?'  (Publication summary)

'Two close friends at a girls' boarding school follow up messages left by an unknown person, whose identity is eventually revealed in circumstances that provoke in that person a deep hatred towards one of the girls, which has dire consequences for both her and her friend

'The deciphering of one of the messages leads the girls to discover where the proceeds of a robbery are hidden, which in turn leads them to being put in a life-threatening situation.

'Most suited to young adults, particularly girls, this book contains joyful moments, tragedy, triumphs, a romance, an enigma, danger and suspense.

'This book may change the history of humanity as those who read it will be able to retain their memories of this life and the afterworld when they begin their next life.'  (Publication summary)

'After escaping the freezing cold, blizzards and surprising events in Iceland, the friends return home safely; minus one obnoxious, annoying member of their group; Fredrick. Enjoying their relaxed life in Australia, the friends retire from future engagements with Francis. Until, another letter arrives, inviting Francis to India.

'The friends secretly accompany Francis for support, adding more fun and frolic as they travel through the air. Upon landing; Francis is driven to   the famous Mumbai Racecourse, but his friends take it upon themselves to sightsee after meeting an old friend, putting Francis and Tom in deep trouble, again.

'The excitement through India makes for an unbelievable experience when becoming involved with a Bollywood film and a questionable figure. They embark on journeys to the jungle; where they encounter wild ferocious beasts that find them appetising.

'Crossing waters with elephants, borrowing cars to escape, dressing up to disguise themselves through markets and villages to visit the Taj Mahal, and experiencing an unforgettable time as they visit the River Ganges, where some of the friends are captured for sacrifice; only managing to escape to be confronted by police as they are chased on their way to the airport. Do they make it home to Australia, or are they stuck in India?'  (Publication summary)

'A young Scottish lawyer, Cameron Dunbar, arrives in Australia to construct an appeal for a young Aboriginal man who has been wrongly accused of a homicide in Townsville, North Queensland.

'Grappling with racial issues, office procedures and internal conspiracy, he is hailed for his success with the appeal process, only to find himself caught up in a much more complicated reason for his original acceptance as a representative in a homicide appeal.

'Memories of his deceased father, who served military time in Townsville during the Second World War, inadvertently assist in his search for information.

'A new employment endeavour finally leads to a conspiracy theory he had only suspected.

'Rules of immigration work lease in Australia cause him anxiety as he prepares to discover clarification of a theory that had been haunting him. A sense of romantic attachment is secured with a deep respect for the person who introduces him to the peaceful, mystical side of Aboriginal belief.'   (Publication summary)

'Ex-detective George Overton takes on some more cases in post-war Sydney.

'Some cases are easy, like a missing truck driver, and some are difficult, like tracking down money that was hidden in a cemetery many years ago.

'George is almost stumped when Garden Gnomes come to life but does manage to track down some money missing from a Balmain bank.

'When he tries to expose a crooked card game a piece of 'lucky wood' is no help.

'With George out of town at a family funeral Margaret Overton has to take charge in a case of blackmail.

'With help from his mates in the pub and a gang of urchins George Overton wins through.' (Publication summary)

'Television viewers know what is going on in front of the cameras because they see the finished result of the effort that goes into making programmes covering news, sport, current affairs, quiz shows, building renovations, drama, comedy and anything new different producers can come up with. Fans are brought up to date with the private lives of those they see on their TV screens – the romances, affairs, weddings, babies, break-ups, scandals, which are all covered in women’s magazines.

But what about where all of this originates?

The stations, what goes on behind the walls? What of the lives of producers, directors, management, make-up, even the company boards of directors that have a controlling interest? While board members might make the news now and again, very little is known about the rest – the staff – from the station manager right down to the gardeners. What of their lives?

This story will take you behind the scenes of an independent television station (Ind.1), which is not aligned with any network, and reveal what goes on day to day.' (Source: Publisher's blurb)

'At nine years of age, Luke Harris is led to believe his father died while fighting the Japanese in Papua New Guinea and his mother takes him and his sister, Kathy, to live with his grandfather on his property at Glen Innes. The old man is such a tyrant that Luke makes the decision to leave the boarding school he was sent to and make his own way to the Queensland outback when he learns a dark truth.

While working for a drover, a bond is formed with the old man who becomes his mentor, as Luke makes his journey, searching for answers. His torment only deepens when the people closest to him are the ones that suffer the most from the disturbing things that occurred in his father’s past.

Luke’s character is moulded and strengthened by the relationships of those that care for him. The tragedies that fall on him simply strengthen his resolve as the enigma about his father is defined.' (Source: Publisher's blurb)

'Could one woman stop political corruption and start true democracy? Feisty Jane Kenwood is a strong woman councillor and popular public figure in Alexandra City, Southland.
Her debating skills are legendary.
 
She is independent and vociferously opposed to a megacasino proposal. When the Council becomes hung, her vote is critical. She disappears and her colleague and friend, Dr Phillip Keane, a forensic scientist, investigates with the help of her zany friends and a novel forensic method.

Will they find her alive? Will she recover? Will they be able to stop the casino?  Will she be able to transform the city’s fossilised partisan government into the participative democracy she wants?' (Source: Publisher's blurb)
 

'By riding a dark horse into the history books, charismatic female jockey, Arielle LaSalle, spares her father from financial ruin, but in turn brings a killer to his door.

'Bred true, former Dubai racing celebrity, Napoleon, should have been a prolific sire of winners. However, in the hands of stud master, Trent Winnings, the fabled stud fails to successfully settle, time after time. The reckless investment threatens to bankrupt the illustrious Pandora Estates stables.

'With three unexplained murders at a rival nearby breeding farm, the Hunter Valley local police wonders how Chantilly Farms’  proud owner, Will LaSalle, has ever crossed paths with a member of the notorious Cosa Nostra, now bent on revenge.

'With her family honour and reputation at stake, Arielle is left with no choice but to call upon a man she has spent a decade forgetting. With betrayal and blackmail suddenly on the agenda, the emerging scandal is prone to turn the racing industry on its head.

'To save her future, Arielle will have to choose between compromising the Sport of Kings for generations to come and burying her deadly secrets in the burning desert sands.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'At the end of the worst drought in Queensland’s history, 80 kilometres west of Winton, three men have set up a camp on Cooinda, an 80,000-acre beef property, mustering cattle needed for a sale to satisfy a long-overdue loan.

A massive downpour leaves them isolated between two major waterways, where they find a severely injured man with no memory of who he is, or how he came to be there.

A news bulletin reveals who he might be; two police officers and their prisoner were washed off Werna Creek the previous day. The body of one of the constables is recovered but the other two men are still missing.

The search for the man’s true identity is further complicated when he is convinced to leave the safety of Cooinda by two men who make an attempt on his life. With his memory slowly returning, the reason he’s being hunted is eventually revealed.' (Source: Publisher's blurb)

'A troubled teen haunted by the memories of her father and inspired by his visions of time and space. Whoever she meets will feel the effects of her inner wisdom and humanity. Carla is an unforgettable character whose life demonstrates the possibility of rising above circumstances in a very thought-provoking read.' (Source: Publisher's blurb)

'Evolution seemed like a good idea when set in place by a couple of junior angels at Earth’s beginning. But now the Assessment Panel of senior angels, having looked at the history of humans with all its positives and negatives, are having doubts about the ability of humans to move on to something better. The Panel retires to consider the project. Raguel decides that the project should be abandoned and the Earth terminated. The two angels plead further and beg him to find another solution. What will they decide to do about this situation? Will they terminate the Earth, or find another solution?' (Source: Publisher's blurb)

A man builds a successful life post-war, but always feels there is something missing in his life, a particular woman. His friends try to help him out in this regard but nothing works as he feels the years slipping away and hours of his life being stolen in time. 
A parallel love story takes place at the same time with several players in the romantic drama travelling to such disparate places as Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia and Pago Pago in the Pacific. (Source: Publisher's blurb)

'David Lewis, former Navy clearance diver, one-time screw and bouncer, is kidnapped by unknown persons. His lover, ex-Federal police officer, Rachel Dawes, has to call on the help of the only person she can – Steven James Forbes, career criminal and probable psychopath. The two travel to David’s farm, Tobin’s River Run, at the foot of Mt Seaview in Port Macquarie’s hinterland, to see what they can ascertain about David’s disappearance, finding the main bedroom a blood-covered mess. 

The kidnappers contact them and make their demands. Rachel and Steve begin the machinations to get David back unscathed. But things don’t go easy when they find that David’s kidnappers are a band of Australian-born, radicalised Muslim bad boys who are hell-bent on wreaking havoc in Australia. This brings two other players onto the scene: Oktay Saglam, a Turkish national with a mysterious background, and Craig Johnson, a disgraced and corrupt New South Wales cop, now apparently working for one of the intelligence services. The two coerce David, Rachel and Steve into helping them try to locate an Afghan/Russian hit man, working for a notorious Sydney outlaw motorbike gang, which is engaging in its own nefarious activities. 

The story is told through the eyes of the main protagonist, Rachel Dawes, who pulls no punches when mixing it with all the alpha males. Fast-paced and sexually explicit, Shot at the Title is a wild tale of what could easily happen.' (Source: Publisher's blurb)

'The Brendon James Life Foundation is Australia’s premier cryonic company, with its patient-storage facility situated in outback NSW. To boost sales, and increase its public awareness, it announces a nationwide competition, with the winner to receive a free cryonic suspension. A controversial condition of entry stipulates that all applicants have a terminal illness, with only a further six months’ life expectancy. Geoffrey Blakely, a retired Newcastle Council worker, is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. His family is aghast at his decision to enter the competition, desirous of a traditional family funeral. A determined father and husband soon realises that winning the competition is only half the battle in his quest for frozen immortality.' (Source: Publisher's blurb)

'Set on the small island of Ceylon, this is the story of Dhana, born to a rich and powerful Muslim father and Catholic mother. Exposed to infidelity, betrayal, abandonment and rejection, Dhana turns into an uncontrollable, rebel teenager who uses her sexuality to get what she wants from the men she encounters throughout her teenage years. Following an attempted rape by the husband of her father’s mistress, at 16 years of age, she elopes with a handsome, charismatic daredevil motor racer, Ricky. Disowned by her family, she discovers that Ricky is an alcoholic and prone to violence. Although obsessed with his pretty wife, Ricky cannot deal with her headstrong, rebellious personality so under the influence of alcohol he starts bashing her and brandishing firearms. As Ricky draws her into his crazy world of motor racing, alcohol, violence and unimaginable situations, she fears for her life but she loves him desperately and cannot leave. Every day becomes a fight for survival as she is caught up in one unspeakable ordeal after another. Terrified and fighting for her life, she has to escape but where can she go? Who will save her now? Can she survive? Based on a true story, Dhana, The Beginning takes you on a dangerous journey through a plethora of emotions, ultimately ending in a fight for survival by a young girl rebelling against the culture she was born into and the social expectations of the country she lives in.' (Source: Publisher's blurb)

'A politician’s past life as a copper threatens to catch up with him. It is 30 years since a judicial inquiry into corruption in the police force transformed the subtropical state of Queensland, Australia. Sam Corris is now the Premier of Queensland. In a chance encounter, Sam Corris runs into an ex-lover, Jenna. The accidental meeting stirs long-held emotions. The encounter is witnessed by Sarah, a friend of Jenna’s. Unbeknownst to both Corris and Jenna, Sarah is actually an investigative journalist researching the Premier’s alleged links to corruption in the police force back in the 1980s. From this beginning, the storyline revolves around an eclectic array of characters – their friendships, loves and jealousies. Events from the present and past interconnect.' (Source: Publisher's blurb)