Cirrus@Austlit

'She enters the empty bar without a sound. Loose black dress and soft sandals, a neat handbag under her arm. Outside it is the last of Sydney’s summer – blinding sunshine and scorching heat – but Michaela McGuire looks cool and readily composed.' (Introduction)

'Australia’s contribution to the Second Gulf War has not proved a fertile subject for literary fiction. Of the 75 books nominated for the Miles Franklin Award since 2003 there’s almost nothing about Iraq, Saddam Hussein or weapons of mass destruction.' (Introduction)