The Cane

SHORTLISTED, Best Debut Crime Fiction, Davitt Awards

ONE MISSING GIRL.

NO SUSPECTS.

A TOWN ABOUT TO IGNITE.

Quala, a North Queensland sugar town, the 1970s.

Barbara McClymont walks the cane fields searching for Janet, her sixteen-year-old daughter, who has been missing for weeks. The police have no leads. The people of Quala are divided by dread and distrust. But the sugar crush is underway and the cane must be burned.

Meanwhile, children dream of a malevolent presence, a schoolteacher yearns to escape, and history keeps returning to remind Quala that the past is always present.

As the smoke rises and tensions come to a head, the dark heart of Quala will be revealed, affecting the lives of all those who dwell beyond the cane.

The Cane is an evocative and atmospheric thriller, and announces an exciting new voice in Australian crime writing.

‘An evocatively written, atmospheric novel of landscape and rural life… The Cane is perfect for fans of taut outback mysteries.’ – Books + Publishing

‘A fine, brave, perceptive writer.’ – Mark Dapin, journalist and author of Public Enemies

‘A stunning piece of Australian rural noir.’ – Mark Brandi, bestselling author of Wimmera and The Rip