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Turning Point: The Battle for Milne Bay 1942 - Japan's first land defeat in World War II
by Michael VeitchSeptember 1942 marked the high-point of Axis conquest in World War II. In the Pacific, Japan's soldiers had seemed unstoppable. However, the tide was about to turn.On Sunday, 6 September 1942, Japanese land forces suffered their first conclusive defeat at the hands of the Allies. At Milne Bay in Papua New Guinea, a predominantly Australian force - including 75 Squadron (fresh from their action in 44 Days) - fought for two weeks to successfully defend a vital airstrip against a determined Japanese invasion. The victorious Australian army units were crucially supported by two locally-based squadrons of RAAF Kittyhawks.The Battle for Milne Bay and victory for the Allies was a significant turning point in the Pacific War, but while it received worldwide publicity at the time, it has since been largely forgotten... It deserves to be remembered. Michael Veitch, actor, presenter and critically acclaimed author, brings to life the incredible exploits and tragic sacrifices of these Australian heroes in another fast-paced and thrilling tale.
Murder at Dusk: How US soldier and smiling psychopath Eddie Leonski terrorised wartime Melbourne
by Ian W. ShawFar away from any World War II battlefront, the citizens of Melbourne lived in fear of a serial killer - the Brownout Strangler.May 1942: Melbourne was torn between fearing Japanese invasion and revelling in the carnival atmosphere brought by the influx of 15,000 cashed-up American servicemen. But those US forces didn't guarantee safety. Not long after their arrival, the city would be gripped by panic when the body of a woman was found strangled, partially naked and brutally beaten. Six days later another woman was found dead and her body told the same horrific story. A murderer was stalking the streets. As women were warned not to travel alone, an intense manhunt ensued. Not long after a third woman was murdered, American soldier Eddie Leonski was arrested. A calculating psychopath, he had a twisted fascination with female voices, especially when they were singing . . . Acclaimed author Ian W. Shaw brings World War II Melbourne to life, and takes us into the mind of the Brownout Strangler, and a very different kind of terror.'enthralling . . . makes for a fascinating read.' Canberra Times on Ian W. Shaw's The Rag Tag Fleet
Burke and Wills: The triumph and tragedy of Australia's most famous explorers
by Peter FitzSimonsThe iconic Australian exploration story - brought to life by Peter FitzSimons, Australia's storyteller. 'They have left here today!' he calls to the others. When King puts his hand down above the ashes of the fire, it is to find it still hot. There is even a tiny flame flickering from the end of one log. They must have left just hours ago. MELBOURNE, 20 AUGUST 1860. In an ambitious quest to be the first Europeans to cross the harsh Australian continent, the Victorian Exploring Expedition sets off, farewelled by 15,000 cheering well-wishers. Led by Robert O'Hara Burke, a brave man totally lacking in the bush skills necessary for his task; surveyor and meteorologist William Wills; and 17 others, the expedition took 20 tons of equipment carried on six wagons, 23 horses and 26 camels. Almost immediately plagued by disputes and sackings, the expeditioners battled the extremes of the Australian landscape and weather: its deserts, the boggy mangrove swamps of the Gulf, the searing heat and flooding rains. Food ran short and, unable to live off the land, the men nevertheless mostly spurned the offers of help from the local Indigenous people. In desperation, leaving the rest of the party at the expedition's depot on Coopers Creek, Burke, Wills, Charley Gray and John King made a dash for the Gulf in December 1860. Bad luck and bad management would see them miss by just hours a rendezvous back at Coopers Creek, leaving them stranded in the wilderness with practically no supplies. Only King survived to tell the tale. Yet, despite their tragic fates, the names of Burke and Wills have become synonymous with perseverance and bravery in the face of overwhelming odds. They live on in our nation's history - and their story remains immediate and compelling.
The Bulldog Track: A grandson's story of an ordinary man's war and survival on the other Kokoda trail
by Peter PhelpsThis is the story of Tom Phelps and the 'other Kokoda Track'. Seventy-five years later, Tom's grandson, award-winning actor and writer Peter Phelps, is sharing this inspiring tale of resilience and survival.March 1942: The world is at war. Too old to fight and with jobs scarce at home, Tom Phelps found work as a carpenter in the goldfields of the New Guinea Highlands. No one expected the Japanese to attack in the Pacific. But they did.Tom and his mates weren't going to hang around and wait to be killed. With escape routes bombed by the Japanese, their only option was to try to reach safety by foot, through some of the most rugged terrain on Earth - the Bulldog Track.Back home in Sydney, Rose Phelps, their son, George, and three daughters, Joy, Shirley and Ann, waited for news of Tom's fate. George watched the horrors of war unfold on newsreels knowing his dad was 'over there'.Travelling by foot, raft, canoe, schooner, train, luck and courage, Tom Phelps, half-starved and suffering malaria, would eventually make it home. His stories of New Guinea would lead his son and grandson to their own experiences with the country. The Bulldog Track is a grandson's story of an ordinary man's war. It is an incredible tale of survival and the indomitable Aussie spirit.
Boom and Bust: The rise and fall of the mining industry, greed and the impact on everyday Australians
by Royce KurmelovsThis is a cautionary tale. About greed, irresponsibility and failing to learn from the past.Australia's mining boom is still talked about with a sense of awe. This once-in-a-lifetime event capped off 25 straight years of economic growth. Thanks to mining we sidestepped the worst of the Global Financial Crisis. To the rest of the world Australia was an economic miracle. And then the boom ended.Now Australia is grappling with what that means at a time of rising economic inequality and political upheaval. The end of the boom isn't about money - it's about people. Boom and Bust looks at what happens to those who came into vast wealth only to watch it dry up. To those who thought they had a good job for life, but didn't. The bust didn't just happen on stock-market screens - it was lived, and is still being lived right now, in dusty towns and cities all around the country.As he did in his bestselling book The Death of Holden, Royce Kurmelovs reveals the reality behind the headlines. Boom and Bust is a dirt-under-the-nails look at the winners, the losers and the impact of the boom that wasn't meant to end. This is a book all Australians should read.'Brilliant and powerful' Nick Xenophon on Royce Kurmelovs' THE DEATH OF HOLDEN
Castaway: The extraordinary survival story of Narcisse Pelletier, a young French cabin boy shipwrecked on Cape York in 1858
by Robert MacklinIn 1858, 14-year-old Narcisse Pelletier sailed from Marseilles in the French trader Saint-Paul. With a cargo of Bordeaux wine, they stopped in Bombay, then Hong Kong, and from there they set sail with more than 300 Chinese prospectors bound for the goldfields of Ballarat and Bendigo. Around the eastern tip of New Guinea, however, the ship became engulfed in fog, struck reefs and ran aground. Scrambling aboard a longboat, the survivors undertook a perilous voyage, crossing almost 1000 kilometres of the Coral Sea before reaching the shores of the Daintree region in far north Queensland, where, abandoned by his shipmates and left for dead, Narcisse was rescued by the local Aboriginal people. For seventeen years he lived with them, growing to manhood and participating fully in their world - until in 1875 he was discovered by the crew of a pearling lugger and wrenched from his Aboriginal family. Taken back to his 'real' life in France, he became a lighthouse keeper, married and had another family, all the while dreaming of what he had left behind...Drawing from firsthand interviews with Narcisse after his return to France and other contemporary accounts of exploration and survival, and documenting the spread of European settlement in Queensland and the brutal frontier wars that followed, Robert Macklin weaves an unforgettable tale of a young man caught between two cultures in a time of transformation and upheaval.
Crocs in The Cabinet: Northern Territory politics an instruction manual on how NOT to run a government
by Ben Smee Christopher A. WalshGoings-on in Northern Territory politics from 2012-2016 may read like satire, but it is all true. These are stories you couldn't make up. This book is an instruction manual on how NOT to run a government.In the Top End, politics is not a numbers game, it is a blood sport.In comparison to Rudd, Gillard, Abbott and Turnbull, the goings-on in the Northern Territory parliament are like watching a troop of clowns throwing knives into each other's backs.CROCS IN THE CABINET is partly a serious political book, partly a riotous look at the characters, the scandals and the incompetence of Northern Territory politics. It will make you laugh, cry, wince and shake your head as you read of:- a minister with a hostess club bill- a masturbating minister and the lewd videos he sent someone other than his wife- why a minister shouted 'we are in love' on the floor of the parliament- how the Chief Minister stared down a coup- how an MP forced the evacuation of a hotel- why an MP went fishing instead of dealing with leadership matters- exactly how bonkers the NT parliament really is.Written by two of the NT NEWS's best journalists, Walkley Award-winning Ben Smee and award-winning Christopher A. Walsh, this is FEAR AND LOATHING ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL meets FAWLTY TOWERS.
Mount Buggery to Nowhere Else: The stories behind Australia's weird and wonderful place names
by Eamon EvansThe stories behind Australia's many, many strange, inappropriate and downright hilarious place names.From Dismal Swamp to Useless Loop, Intercourse Island to Dead Mans Gully, Mount Buggery to Nowhere Else, Australia has some of the strangest, funniest, weirdest and most out-of-place names going - now described and explained in one humorous and fascinating book.Australia's vast spaces and irreverent, larrikin history have given us some of the best place names in the world. Ranging from the less than positive (Linger and Die Hill, NSW), to the indelicate (Scented Knob, WA), the idiotic (Eggs and Bacon Bay, TAS) to the inappropriate and the just plain fascinating, Mount Buggery to Nowhere Else is a toponymical journey through this nation of weird and wonderful places.
Holidays
by William McInnesWritten and read by bestselling Australian author and much loved actor, William McInnes, this is a story about our love affair with holidays.It's about going away and staying at home. It's about the relaxing times you had as a kid, escapes you have with your children and the stories you hear from your friends.It can be about a romantic sunset, the spare seat at breakfast being taken by an attractive stranger, a miraculous airline upgrade - or missing bags, unfortunate rashes and wrong turns that lead to places you definitely did not intend to go.But most of all it's about being in your backyard in an above-ground pool, floating in circles, staring at the clouds as you go round and round, and knowing as you float that life is sweet because you're on holidays.PRAISE for William McInnes' books:'skilfully constructed...insightful, understated and very funny' Sydney Morning Herald on THE LAUGHING CLOWNS'The Making of Modern Australia is a ripper' The Canberra Times'William McInnes compels with the sheer delightfulness of his memoir, and with his fine ability to spin a damn funny yarn' Sunday Telegraph on A MAN'S GOT TO HAVE A HOBBY'funny and clever' Daily Telegraph on THAT'D BE RIGHT'A big-hearted novel with character' Sunday Telegraph on CRICKET KINGS
Running like China: A memoir of a life interrupted by madness
by Sophie HardcastleFrom a talented emerging Australian writer, a brave, honest, unforgettable memoir about mental illness that breaks the silence and shatters the taboos to give hope to all those struggling to find their way through.'When I was eleven years old Mum told me, "One crowded hour of glorious life is worth an age without a name." Even before I heard these words I was always a child who crammed intense joy into tiny pockets of time.'One day Sophie Hardcastle realised the joy she'd always known had disappeared. She was constantly tired, with no energy, no motivation and no sense of enjoyment for surfing, friends, conversations, movies, parties, family - for anything. Her hours became empty. And then, the month before she turned seventeen, that emptiness filled with an intense, unbearable sadness that made her scream and tear at her skin. Misdiagnosed with chronic fatigue, then major depression, then temporal lobe epilepsy, she was finally told - three years, two suicide attempts and five hospital admissions later - that she had Bipolar 1 Disorder.In this honest and beautifully told memoir, Sophie lays bare her story of mental illness - of a teenage girl using drugs, alcohol and sex in an attempt to fix herself; of her family's anguish and her loss of self. It is a brave and hopeful story of adaptation, learning to accept and of ultimately realising that no matter how deep you have sunk, the surface is always within reach. Running Like China shatters the silence and smashes the taboos around mental illness. It is an unforgettable story.
Mutiny on the Bounty: A saga of sex, sedition, mayhem and mutiny, and survival against extraordinary odds
by Peter FitzSimonsThe mutiny on HMS Bounty, in the South Pacific on 28 April 1789, is one of history's truly great stories - a tale of human drama, intrigue and adventure of the highest order - and in the hands of Peter FitzSimons it comes to life as never before.Commissioned by the Royal Navy to collect breadfruit plants from Tahiti and take them to the West Indies, the Bounty's crew found themselves in a tropical paradise. Five months later, they did not want to leave. Under the leadership of Fletcher Christian most of the crew mutinied soon after sailing from Tahiti, setting Captain William Bligh and 18 loyal crewmen adrift in a small open boat. In one of history's great feats of seamanship, Bligh navigated this tiny vessel for 3618 nautical miles to Timor.Fletcher Christian and the mutineers sailed back to Tahiti, where most remained and were later tried for mutiny. But Christian, along with eight fellow mutineers and some Tahitian men and women, sailed off into the unknown, eventually discovering the isolated Pitcairn Island - at the time not even marked on British maps - and settling there.This astonishing story is historical adventure at its very best, encompassing the mutiny, Bligh's monumental achievement in navigating to safety, and Fletcher Christian and the mutineers' own epic journey from the sensual paradise of Tahiti to the outpost of Pitcairn Island. The mutineers' descendants live on Pitcairn to this day, amid swirling stories and rumours of past sexual transgressions and present-day repercussions. Mutiny on the Bounty is a sprawling, dramatic tale of intrigue, bravery and sheer boldness, told with the accuracy of historical detail and total command of story that are Peter FitzSimons' trademarks.
Hamilton Hume: Our Greatest Explorer
by Robert MacklinThe untold story of Hamilton Hume - the Australian-born explorer who truly opened up the nation.While English-born soldiers, sailors and surveyors have claimed pride of place among the explorers of the young New South Wales colony, the real pathfinder was a genuine native-born Australian. Hamilton Hume, a man with a profound understanding of the Aboriginal people and an almost mystical relationship with the Australian bush, led settlers from the cramped surrounds of Sydney Town to the vast fertile country that would provide the wealth to found and sustain a new nation.Robert Macklin, author of the critically acclaimed Dark Paradise, tells the heroic tale of this young Australian man who outdid his English 'betters' by crossing the Blue Mountains, finding a land route from Sydney to Port Phillip and opening up western New South Wales. His contribution to the development of the colony was immense but downplayed in deference to explorers of British origin. Hamilton Hume uncovers this brave man's achievements and paints an intriguing and at times shocking portrait of colonial life, by the author of the bestselling SAS Sniper.
Grog: A Bottled History of Australia's First 30 Years
by Tom GillingThe story of grog is the story of Australia. This is how it all began.Even before James Squire set sail as a convict aboard the First Fleet, liquor was playing its part in shaping the colony-to-be. Who was entitled to it and who wasn't; who could make and sell it and who couldn't; and how the young and thirsty colony could make itself self-sufficient in booze. As the colony grew, rum became both a currency and a source of political strength and instability, culminating in the Rum Rebellion in 1808, and what one observer said was a society of 'drunkenness, gaming and debaucheries'.Now, with Grog, writer Tom Gilling presents a compelling bottled history of the first three decades of European settlement: how the men and women of New South Wales transformed the colony from a squalid and starving convict settlement into a prosperous trading town with fashionable Georgian street names and a monumental two-storey hospital built by private contractors in exchange for a monopoly on rum.Grog is a colourful account of the unique beginnings of a new nation, and a unique insight into the history of Australia's long love affair with the hard stuff.
44 Days: 75 Squadron and the Fight for Australia
by Michael VeitchThe epic World War II story of Australia's 75 Squadron - and the 44 days when these brave and barely trained pilots fought alone against the Japanese.In March and April 1942, RAAF 75 Squadron bravely defended Port Moresby for 44 days when Australia truly stood alone against the Japanese. This group of raw young recruits scrambled ceaselessly in their Kittyhawk fighters to an extraordinary and heroic battle, the story of which has been left largely untold.The recruits had almost nothing going for them against the Japanese war machine, except for one extraordinary leader named John Jackson, a balding, tubby Queenslander - at 35 possibly the oldest fighter pilot in the world - who said little, led from the front, and who had absolutely no sense of physical fear.Time and time again this brave group were hurled into battle, against all odds and logic, and succeeded in mauling a far superior enemy - whilst also fighting against the air force hierarchy. After relentless attack, the squadron was almost wiped out by the time relief came, having succeeded in their mission - but also paying a terrible price.Michael Veitch, actor, presenter and critically acclaimed author, brings to life the incredible exploits and tragic sacrifices of this courageous squadron of Australian heroes.
Henry and Banjo: The Tumultuous Lives And Times Of Henry Lawson And Banjo Paterson, The Men Who Wrote Australia's History
by James KnightThe fascinating lives and turbulent times of Henry Lawson and Andrew 'Banjo' Paterson - the two men who wrote Australia's story.Today most of us know that Henry Lawson and Andrew 'Banjo' Paterson were famous writers. We know about Matilda, Clancy of the Overflow and the Man from Snowy River; The Drover's Wife, While the Billy Boils and Joe Wilson and his mates, but little else. Here, in a compelling and engaging work, James Knight brings Henry and Banjo's own stories to life. And there is much to tell.Both were country born, just three years and three hundred kilometres apart, Henry on the goldfields of Grenfell and Banjo on a property near Orange, but their paths to literary immortality took very different routes - indeed at times their lives were ones of savage and all too tragic contrasts. Banjo, born into a life of comparative privilege, would rise from country boy to Sydney Grammar student, solicitor, journalist, war correspondent and revered man about town. Henry's formal education only began when his feminist mother finally won her battle for a local school but illness and subsequent deafness would make continuing his lessons difficult, seeing him find work as a labourer, a coach painter and a journalist, all the while wrestling with poverty, alcoholism and mental illness. Both men would become household names during their lifetimes. Both would have regrets.Henry and Banjo details two incredibly fascinating lives and delves into the famous (and not so famous) writings of the two men who had the power to influence and change Australia.
Warrior Elite: Australia's special forces Z Force to the SAS intelligence operations to cyber warfare
by Robert MacklinA compelling account of Australia's intelligence organisations and special forces - from the early days of the commandos during World War II through to the SAS of today and the cyber wars of the future. From the co-author of SAS Sniper.Warrior Elite is a unique and compelling account of Australia's special forces and intelligence operations - ranging from the early special forces of World War II to the establishment and development of the SAS and Commando Regiments as the elite fighters of today, and from the Australian Security Intelligence Service to the Australian Signals Directorate and ASIO. It is an authoritative, gripping and thoroughly up-to-date account of both the history and current state of our special forces and intelligence bodies - and gives a unique glimpse into the warfare of the future. Our future.Robert Macklin has conducted dozens of exclusive interviews and uncovered incredible, daring and sometimes heartbreaking stories of the elite troops that guard our nation and engage in secret operations around the world. He has had significant cooperation from numerous sources within the special forces and the various intelligence agencies.Both thoroughly researched and colourfully written, Warrior Elite will attract the reader of action memoirs as well as those interested in broader military history and espionage.
Commandos: Heroic and Deadly ANZAC Raids in World War II
by Frank WalkerAmazing revelations and extraordinary exploits of Australia's elite secret warriors.There was something unique about Australians and New Zealanders in war that prompted World War II Allied commanders to turn to ANZAC soldiers, sailors and airmen to carry out the most dangerous and virtually impossible missions behind enemy lines.Paddling canoes 4,000 kilometres to attack enemy ships in Singapore; lightning raids on Rommel's forces in the deserts of North Africa. Flying bombers at tree-top level deep into Nazi Germany to destroy vital targets; rescuing sultans and future US presidents from under the noses of the Japanese and playing crucial roles in the greatest commando raid of the war at St Nazaire - the Aussies and Kiwis were there.The special forces showed incredible bravery in the face of overwhelming odds. They were determined to complete their missions. Often alone and far behind enemy lines,they demonstrated resourcefulness, spirit and a humanity that inspired others to follow them.Frank Walker, author of bestselling books on the Vietnam War and the British atomic tests in Australia, brings to life the amazing exploits and extraordinary stories of this select band of heroes..
The Soft Touch
by Tony CavanaughA gripping short crime story featuring Darian Richards by Australia's bestselling debut crime writer Tony Cavanaugh. Includes previews of his first two full-length novels.[Cavanaugh's debut is] 'as good as Harlan Coben' - Weekend Australian.Darian Richards is a retired homicide investigator. He was one of the best. But chasing monsters eventually took its toll and he quit the force to sit on a jetty on the Noosa River. Or so he planned.After years of service, witnessing the best and the worst of policing, Darian has made up his own mind about justice. Whenever a horrific crime is committed debate rages about the nature of punishment. As far as the law is concerned justice doesn't condone revenge, but tell that to the family of a murder victim or to the woman you can't protect. Darian Richards knows that in the real world, when your hands are tied, sometimes revenge is the only justice.The Soft Touch takes you deep into Darian's past, to the life lessons that made him who he is. He is a man you want looking out for you not looking for you.The Darian Richards SeriesPromiseDead Girl SingThe Soft Touch (Short Story)The Train RiderKingdom of the Strong
Flinders: The Man Who Mapped Australia
by Rob MundleFLINDERS brings to life the fascinating story of this exceptional maritime explorer ? from the drama of epic voyages and devastating shipwrecks; his part in the naming of Australia; his cruel imprisonment by the French on Mauritius for six long and harrowing years; the heartbreaking separation from his beloved wife; and the comfort he got from his loyal cat, Trim; to his tragic death at just forty, before ever seeing the publication of his life's work. Flinders is a true hero whose name is forever woven into the fabric of Australian history. This is a gripping adventure biography in the style of the bestselling BLIGH: MASTER MARINER.
Hell on Earth: Sandakan - Australia's Greatest War Tragedy
by Michele CunninghamThe heart-rending story of the Australians brutally imprisoned in Sandakan, the Japanese POW camp in North Borneo, whose very name came to symbolise cruelty and ill-treatment.In mid-1942, after the fall of Singapore, almost three thousand Allied prisoners of war were taken by the Japanese from Changi to Sandakan. Of those, 2500 lost their lives.Men died at Sandakan and on the infamous death marches: they died from sickness and starvation, torture and appalling violence, or were killed by the guards as they were forced to keep moving along a seemingly never-ending track. Only six Australians survived the death marches, out of the thousand who left ...Michele Cunningham's father was one of those who survived Sandakan, and then Kuching. Through the mateship and common bond of the survivors, she has had access to their stories, and here she gives an account of these courageous men ? those who refused to break no matter how badly they were treated; and those brave men who didn't make it. And it is the story of the depths to which the Japanese sank.Hell on Earth is a remarkable story of bravery, brutality, mateship and survival.
Dead Girl Sing
by Tony Cavanaugh'One of the most complex and uncompromising heroes since Harry Bosch' - Weekend AustralianWorld-class crime writing from a brilliant Australian author.Darian Richards knew he should have let the phone keep ringing. But more than two decades as a cop leaves you with a certain outlook on life. No matter how much he tried to walk away, something, or someone, kept bringing him back to his gun.One phone call. Two dead girls in a shallow water grave. And a missing cop to deal with. Something bad is happening on the Gold Coast glitter strip. Amongst the thousands of schoolies and the usual suspects, someone is preying on beautiful young women. No one has noticed. No one knows why.Darian looked into the eyes of those two dead girls. The last person to do that was their killer. He can't walk away. He will find out why.Tony Cavanaugh is an Australian writer and producer of film and television with over thirty years' experience in the industry. Dead Girl Sing is his second book featuring former cop Darian Richards and follows on from the acclaimed crime thriller Promise.The Darian Richards SeriesPromiseDead Girl SingThe Soft Touch (Short Story)The Train RiderKingdom of the Strong
Promise: Promise And Dead Girl Rising (Darian Richards Ser. #1)
by Tony CavanaughAn Australian crime thriller 'as good as Harlan Coben' - Weekend Australian.A serial killer is stalking the Sunshine Coast. Girls have vanished. All blonde and pretty. Ex homicide investigator Darian Richards knows they are dead even though the cops keep saying 'missing'. That's what you have to say if you don't have a body.Jenny Brown was the first. The local cops said runaway. Then others disappeared. They couldn't all be runaways.This killer knows how to stay under the radar, how to hide in plain sight. He knows how to hunt, hurt and kill. Darian has seen evil like him before and knows what it takes to make it stop. He'll make sure the killer gets what he deserves... and that's a promise. A devastatingly brilliant crime novel that gives us a horrifying glimpse into the mind of a diabolical killer and introduces us to one of the most complex and uncompromising heroes since Harry Bosch.Tony Cavanaugh is an Australian writer and producer of film and television with over thirty years' experience in the industry. His new novel, Dead Girl Sing also features former cop Darian Richards and is on sale now.'Never relinquishes its hold on your nerves' - Canberra Times'Couldn't stop reading it. One of the freshest and most well-written novels I've come across this year' - Graeme Blundell, crime reviewer, The Australian 'The best thing about this book is that it looks like there will be a second one' - Australian Bookseller & Publisher'Compulsive reading, Promise itself is more menacing, more disturbing and much more confronting than any other crime thriller on the shelves. It is brutal. It is terrifying. It is a brilliant book' - Rob Monshull, Weekends Producer, ABCThe Darian Richards SeriesPromiseDead Girl SingThe Soft Touch (Short Story)The Train RiderKingdom of the Strong
HMAS Sydney
by Tom FrameThe complete and authoritative account of the sinking of the HMAS Sydney, and the recent finding of her wreck.On 19 November 1941, the pride of the Australian Navy, the light cruiser Sydney, fought a close-quarters battle with the German armed raider HSK Kormoran off Carnarvon on the West Australian coast. Both ships sank ? and not one of the 645 men on board the Sydney survived. Was Sydney?s captain guilty of negligence by allowing his ship to manoeuvre within range of Kormoran?s guns? Did the Germans feign surrender before firing a torpedo at the Sydney as she prepared to despatch a boarding party? This updated edition covers the recent discovery of the wreck ? with the light this sheds on the events of that day 67 years ago, and the closure it has brought to so many grieving families. `Tom Frame has produced the most comprehensive and compelling account of the loss of HMAS Sydney to date. His judgements are fair and his conclusions reasoned. If you only read one book on this tragic event in Australian naval history, and want all the facts and theories presented in a balanced way, Tom Frame?s book is for you? - Vice Admiral Russ Shalders AO CSC RANR Chief of Navy, 2005-08.
Ghost Platoon
by Frank Walker'thoroughly researched and compelling . . . a chilling account' - The Sun HeraldAn eye-opening account of Australian combat history, untold . . . until now.In 1969 a ragtag unit of 39 men were thrown together at Nui Dat, Vietnam. It was so slapdash a group it didn't even have an officer or sergeant in charge. A rugged ex-Royal Marine stepped forward to take the lead. Jim Riddle was only an acting corporal but he knew enough of war to keep these young diggers alive.When the platoon was involved in a high-risk ambush Riddle proved his leadership skills, bringing his men through unscathed and leaving the battlefield littered with enemy bodies.Despite their success, immediately afterwards the platoon was disbanded. According to the army they'd never existed ? theirs was a ghost platoon.Frank Walker details what happened at that ambush and why the army buried their existence, and the secrets that went with it. His findings are a shocking indictment of the long-term effects of war. The men of the platoon ? who'd fought so hard for their country ? had to fight again to reveal the truth. But the price they all paid was far too high.Ghost Platoon is a gripping story of the soldiers who should never be forgotten . . . or denied.
Gallipoli: The battlefield guide
by Mat MclachlanThe essential travel companion for anyone visiting Gallipoli.Each year, thousands of Australians visit Gallipoli to pay homage and see where their forebears fought, suffered and died. Anzac Cove, Quinn's Post, Lone Pine - the iconic places where our national legend was forged.In this essential and authoritative guide, practical information is combined with historical detail, alongside revealing and often heartrending quotes from the letters and diaries of the Anzacs themselves.- Detailed easy-to-follow plans for walking and driving tours across the main battlefields- Maps, photos and historical commentary to put the campaign in context- Everything you need to know where to go, where to stay and how to get there.Walk where the Anzacs walked, see where they fought and marvel at their courage.