FOR REASONS OF THEIR OWN

This thrilling debut crime novel, from New Zealand author Chris Stuart, is set in Melbourne. It’s a city on the brink from arson-fed bush fires, searing heatwaves and the potential threat of terrorism. Detective Inspector Robbie Gray, falling foul of police bureaucracy, gets called to a body found lying in a rural swamp. When the nationality of the victim is revealed, Australian intelligence take over her investigation and she is sidelined. Convinced they are misinterpreting the evidence, she, along with a disenfranchised Aboriginal policeman, secretly digs for the truth and discovers an entirely different motive, one which transcends international borders and exposes corruption in the humanitarian world. When the killer is arrested, DI Robbie Gray realises that the past contains only hurt and pain and she asks herself whether, in certain circumstances, murder may well be justified.

Chris Stuart Original Sin Press RRP $35