Cirrus@Austlit

'Joe Dolan wakes with a 'headful of hornets', a warning that today's going to bring something bad. He attends the funeral of an innocent and tries to work out if his wife has been kidnapped. Father Millar makes an appearance, we step inside the Blue Frog Tavern, and we meet a new character, an artist...'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'A young man escapes the strange town of Refuge for the day, to avoid the funeral of a murdered girl, and a confrontation between his gay partner and his ex-wife. He goes for a 'walk in the park' - how easy is that? But like many of us, he takes the wrong path which leads to a terrifying encounter.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'A young man escapes in an 'asylum seekers boat', but it gets sunk by pirates. And that's when the nightmare begins.

'"He wouldn’t look down. That was too frightening. He looked up at the stars, the horizon, the foam on top of the waves as they rose and fell with the ocean’s swell. The tiny red boat must be more refugees, mustn't it?"'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'A keen crossword puzzler is puzzled even more by disturbing news about the crossword's creator. A tale for the armchair sleuth and anyone who is following the goings on in the strange little town of Refuge.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Barbara's husband thinks of her as 'just a housewife', and that's just how she feels. A life of bullying has made her a shadow of her former self. Can her new 'pet' help her find new meaning to her life? Meanwhile Father Millar, Refuge's Priest of ill-repute has an intriguing conversation with her husband.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Joe Dolan continues his search for his missing wife Elspet. Retracing his steps from yesterday, the hornets are still around and he learns more of the mysterious shadow. He also overhears some surprising information from father Millar and the mayor of Refuge, and meets some interesting people. It all seems connected, but how?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Little Alex isn't yet 4 years old, so when Mummy hears from Alex that "Next door's Noisy" keeps moaning at night and tapping on the wall, Alex's mum thinks it's the result of an imaginative 4-year old. But the house next door is boarded up.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'When the Mayor’s bodyguard, Marty Hayseed calls into Refuge's notorious Blue Frog Tavern, our narrator knows that trouble looms and attempts to flee unseen. There's no deceiving Marty, though, and an abduction and drive into the countryside is going to lead to disaster. Plato’s Cave explores the themes of identity, change, perception and relationships gone sour.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Father Millar is not what he seems: he abandons his clothes and his faith and tries to abandon Refuge, a town that's "Going to hell in a handcart", with him as its frontrunner.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Joe finally learns what's happened to his wife. A reunion with his brother leaves him reeling. He learns more about Refuge's politics and history, and that he's not the only one to have supernatural powers. Political intrigue and an Egyptian goddess form part of this tale, and we begin to thread together some of the other tales from Refuge.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'A small car is discovered at a local bazaar in Refuge. It's recognised as a child's toy from a long time ago. It shouldn't exist. The mystery takes the narrator on a quest for the truth. But does she really want to know?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Abram Akim is the 'IT guy' at the Refuge Reporter. He lives according to the rules. Best practices. Everything running smoothly. And on time. But what happens when he sees a woman stabbed on the train? Again. And is it connected with his obsession over the Reporter's glamour photographer?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Joe learns of the Hellbreed and the Configuration puzzle-box. A strange dream makes him wonder about Refuge's past, and his brother Frank makes him worry for its future. They meet Bastet, the cat-headed Egyptian Goddess, who reveals the reason for Joe's powers and his role in the war that's coming to Refuge.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Three displaced men share secrets in the comfort of the Blue Frog Tavern, but when talk turns to Refuge's secrets, they're compelled to go on a journey together. Where are they headed? “Out through the wall, to the marshes.” Not exactly happy, one asks "What’s out there that we need to see in the middle of the night?”'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'"Checking in at the Kraken Hotel, I’d had a niggling feeling I’d wound up in Innsmouth instead of Refuge."

'A small and secret group who called themselves the Voice of the Thorn were the fosters and guardians of an uncatalogued breed of rose.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'This is the story of The Black Shuck, a legendary beast that stalks Refuge every 20 years. It's also Darren Marsh's story. It's also the story of a mysterious figure who rolls into Refuge with four crows for company. How do these things all relate? And what lies beneath Refuge anyway?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Joe and Frank Dolan return to Refuge, seek refuge in The Blue Frog. Frank is escorted to a secret meeting of The Marsh-folk, to discuss their future relations with the Humani. Joe learns something more about his feelings for Ashwar, the baby-sitter. Continuing from the Thief's Tale, Whitney is back, but she's changed... and she's pissed!'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Gerald is his Mother's precious one, but his father doesn't share her opinion and neither do his school friends. He is both pampered and bullied until he discovers a unique telepathic skill. Aged seven, he wonders what if everyone were a house, and what type of house would they be? These two moments eventually come together in adulthood, with frightening consequences...'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'It's Halloween in the mysterious town of Refuge. Not your typical Halloween story, although there is a strong tie-in, this one is all about a bank job...'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'When The Blue Frog Tavern collapses, the noise of the timber splintering and collapsing on itself is enough to wake the dead.

'Mayor Emeritas is aware of this possibility, and eager to have the tavern demolished as quickly as possible. With him are four other people, one of them dead on the ground—the sacrifice. The building appears to collapse of its own accord, aided by the thing beneath it, deep underground.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'The climax to this six-part novella. Will the Gods Hydra and Bastet join forces to exact their revenge on the mayor of Refuge? Will Frank and Joe Dolan prevent the war that's coming? And what will happen when the people of Refuge stop believing in these powers, gods, demons and angels?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Vanessa, her mum and daughter are escaping from Refuge. But is a trip to the past, and to people and places from the past, really such a great idea?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'This is about 'Two ladies who lunch' and how they despise the cats that have recently 'swamped' Refuge. One of the ladies is in for a surprise, as she encounters one of Refuge's 'undesirables.' Beneath the surface, there is another story of racism, bigotry, and complicity in a a campaign on the part of the mayor that intends to do more than sweep away 'the cat problem'.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Matty Taylor's festering artistic imagination has finally been fully unleashed with his first literary effort for 'The Refuge Collection,' a story that peels back the true face of Refuge's police force, and gives another worrying insight into the plight of the homeless people of Refuge.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Detectives Dickson and Garrett stumble upon strange old man who thrusts a leather-bound package into Garrett's hands, beginning a convoluted generational tale of a story-within-a-story, each layer peeling back to reveal older and more macabre levels to the puzzle...'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Concluding 'The Priest's Tale,' this short story also concludes the tales from Refuge... for now. The Sacrorum Sacerdos, Egocentia, has flown to Refuge to recover the seventh book of Esdras before it can be used to bring about the end of days. But is he too late?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.