The Opal Desert (45 page)

The Valley

FROM AUSTRALIA'S QUEEN OF FICTION COMES A PAGE-TURNING STORY OF FAMILY SECRETS AND LIES . . .

The valley is nestled between rugged peaks, divided by a magnificent river. Within its peaceful green contours are held the secrets of generations of tribes, families and loners who have come under its spell.

But some secrets are never shared, never told.

Until one woman returns and begins asking questions . . . and discovers the story of a forgotten valley pioneer whose life becomes entwined with hers. But in looking into her own family's history she uncovers more than she ever expected – and what her mother hoped would always remain a secret . . .

Monsoon

Sandy Donaldson has been working in Vietnam for a volunteer organisation, HOPE, for four years. Reluctant to return to Australia when her contract is up, she invites her oldest friend Anna to come and explore the popular tourist destination of beautiful Vietnam.

Both have unexplored links to this country, but swept up in their own relationships and ambitions, they are reluctant to pursue them. A chance meeting with an Australian journalist will encourage the girls to reconnect with their past.

Monsoon is a journey into the hearts and memories of those caught in a certain time, in a particular place.

‘An intoxicating blend of drama and mystery set in steamy South-East Asia.'

AUSTRALIAN WOMEN'S WEEKLY

The Islands

They seemed to be romantic tropical islands . . . until a young woman discovered there's a darker side to paradise.

It's the psychedelic 70s and social conventions are being challenged. When Catherine Moreland from rural Australia goes on her first trip abroad, a handsome American naval officer sweeps her off her feet and she goes to live in the beautiful Hawaiian Islands with her new husband.

At first, the magic and loveliness of the Islands lead Catherine to believe she is living in paradise. However, as she learns more about the Islands, she begins to discover that paradise has a darker side. And when she meets a mystery man of the sea, as though hit by a tsunami her life is turned upside down and changed forever.

‘Her heroine . . . is recognisable as the kind of young woman we find in [Jane] Austen's work: intelligent, generous, not always wise at first, but able to learn.'

THE AGE

The Silent Country

The Silent Country is a vast and beautiful wilderness, a place which holds secrets and stories that are rarely spoken. TV producer, Veronica Anderson, travels to the Northern Territory to retrace the journey of an expedition that had set out fifty years earlier to film the outback, but which mysteriously ended in tragedy.

Of the group, led by the eccentric Maxim Topov, few are still alive and they are reluctant to talk about the intriguing events.

It is through the help of local NT Park Ranger, Jamie McIntosh, that Veronica begins to piece together the puzzle and discover the answers.

These answers break the silence and change her life.

‘The Morrissey name has become a sure-fire indicator of a big read . . . a saga well told . . .' WEST AUSTRALIAN

The Plantation

When Australian Julie Reagan discovers a book written about wild Malaysia in the 1970s, she decides to find out more about the author – her great aunt. Why did her grandmother refuse to speak about her sister who disappeared from the family, 60 years before? What caused such a severe rift?

Julie is invited to stay with her cousins who run the plantation founded by her great grandfather in Malaya a hundred years ago, and she decides to visit in the hope of finding clues to this family mystery. What Julie finds sends her spiralling through generations of loves, deaths, tragedy and the challenges of the present until she discovers her grandmother’s shocking secret.

‘Beautifully written, this is a moving, complex tale.’

ADELAIDE ADVERTISER