Dust Off the Bones

(Paperback)

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Description

Death follows young Tommy McBride everywhere. Five years ago his family was murdered, now a freak accident sends him fleeing into the wilderness of the Australian outback with a man lying dead in his wake. But Tommy is haunted by even worse - as children, he and his brother Billy witnessed the state-sanctioned massacre of the indigenous Kurrong people, and they haven't seen each other since.

When an official inquiry is launched into the massacre, the successful life that Billy has built for himself comes under threat. He desperately needs to find Tommy, long disappeared into the bush. And he's not the only one - ruthless Inspector Noone, the man with perhaps the most to hide, is on Tommy's trail as well.

'A brilliant, layered novel unlike anything else you'll read this year. Do not miss it' - Gabriel Bergmoser, author of The Hunted

Reviews

'Dust Off the Bones is a terrific sequel to one of my favourite novels of the last few years and takes us in a new and wholly unexpected direction with many of our favourite characters from Only Killers and Thieves. Highly recommended' - Adrian McKinty, author of THE CHAIN

'Dust Off The Bones is a blood-soaked outback saga that brings Australia's bleak history to vivid, page-turning life. Packed with compelling characters and shocking turns, this is essential reading, taking us from the heart of deepest darkness to a place of fragile hope. A brilliant, layered novel unlike anything else you'll read this year. Do not miss it' - Gabriel Bergmoser, author of 'The Hunted'

'Howarth has been compared to Cormac McCarthy; this pair of books shows the comparison is deserved' - The Times, Historical Fiction Book of the Month

'The villainous inspector Edward Noone... is one of the most compelling antagonists in recent historical fiction... It is testament to Howarth's skill as a writer that his narrative both engages and challenges in its accomplished depiction of a brutal and violent age' - Observer

'A tale of violence and redemption in the Australian Outback... Fast-paced and brimming with colorful, realistic detail... A classic cowboy saga is transformed into a complex, sophisticated morality play' - Kirkus (starred review)

Author Bio

Paul Howarth is a British-Australian author and former lawyer who holds an MA in creative writing from the University of East Anglia, where he was awarded the Malcolm Bradbury Scholarship. His debut novel Only Killers and Thieves was published to international acclaim, winning the Barnes & Noble Discover Award for fiction, and appearing on numerous other awards and books-of-the-year lists. Dust Off the Bones is his second novel.