Cirrus@Austlit

'Twin babies separated at birth who grow up on opposite sides of the country, are unaware of the other's existence, until one of them, Joe, goes searching for answers. A divorced academic and parent of a feisty teenage daughter, Joe discovers at his father's funeral the reason behind his miserable, unloving childhood, when a family secret is revealed. He sets out on a journey to discover his true identity, and along the way, he comes to a better understanding of himself.

'Joe's long-lost twin, Pammie, has had a happy childhood in Bethesda, a closed religious community in rural South Australia, but like Joe, is confronted by startling news about her identity. Joe's search takes him from Melbourne, to the Outback and to Lismore in NSW, before finally arriving at Bethesda. Constrained by obligations to his newly-found sister, and his needy daughter, Joe is conflicted by his feelings. As he unravels the mystery surrounding his birth, and the separation of the twins, Joe makes peace with himself. But can he find a way to unite all the threads of his life to find true happiness?

'Finding each other is as liberating for Joe and Pammie, as it is for the people they love. Cheese-making, troublesome teenagers, dick pics and cult life, combine with midwives, family life, love and belonging, to create a heart-warming story celebrating the complexity of modern life in Australia.'  (Publication summary)

'When a body is found in a lake, soon-to-be retired Detective Sergeant Ben Phelps is called to investigate. The victim is found to have been murdered twenty-five years earlier, and when retrieved DNA is linked to registered nurse Misty Dawn Finch, her life is turned upside down. As she questions her place in the family in which she grew up, relationships are challenged. She and her sister Romy provide the central focus of the story as they come to terms with the implications of the identity of the body in the lake.

'As the detective closes in on the one person who he hopes knows the truth, he is tormented by memories from the past. His investigation takes him not only to the heart of Australia, but back over forty years in time, to a case that involved the possible perpetrator of his current investigation. It is not until Ben finds himself in one of the most remote parts of the country that he is able to make peace with himself and find the answers he seeks.

'Misty Dawn fears that her journey of self-discovery threatens the very things that matter most, until finally, old loves are transformed and lost family is reclaimed.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Stephanie Marshall is a nurse with a passion for baking, who has reached a turning-point in her life. Her grown-up sons have left home, her ex-husband wants to sell their house and then her beloved mother Sarah Jane dies, leaving Stephanie on her own for the first time in her life.

'While packing up the family home, Steph finds some photos of her youthful parents, and realising how little she knows of her mother's past and unsure what to do with the rest of her life, she sets off on a quest to find some answers.

'Quitting her job and leaving Melbourne behind, the trail takes her to Woolshed Bay, a small coastal town in rural South Australia, where she finds more questions than answers. Why is the elderly Anne Benson, matriarch of the pioneering Pascoe family, hell-bent on driving her out of town? Why did her mother lie about her background? And why was she written out of her family's history? Steph's feeling of belonging helps her overcome the hostility she encounters, as she embraces new opportunities and a chance at true love. When her son, Liam joins her in Woolshed Bay, his physical resemblance to one of the Pascoe clan is impossible to ignore.

'As Anne Benson's secret unravels, a tragedy more than half a century old is revealed and the power of her bitter regrets to influence the present is exposed. Stephanie and Liam are not the only ones set free by the truth, as they are embraced by the community. As they find friends and family, a future and true love, Stephanie feels an abiding sense of having found home.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.