Cirrus@Austlit

'Lost in time, he finds his feet but loses his heart…

'Badly beaten Australian rookie cop Mike Harker emerges from a coma with no history, no job, and no self-respect.  While convalescing with a kooky bibliophile, a time portal opens in her bookstore and Mike is hurled into the past.

'Faced with another beating, he is rescued from a mob by the charming impresario of The Palace of the Stars, a magnificent music hall. 

'There Mike falls for the beautiful and beguiling stage magician, Mae Belle, who begs him to solve a series of gruesome murders of itinerant miners and their families.  Mike learns that Mae's magic is more than an act, and, stung by jealousy, he must team with her onstage, and possibly offstage partner, the creepy Chan Li, to discover and trap the killer.

'With his own life in danger,  Mike seizes his one chance at redemption and winning the woman he loves, but the justice of the day disgusts him. He must make a horrible choice.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Swearing, nudity, rude dancing , women dressed as men, car crashes, no horses, no music hall entertainment…  myriad disappointments prove too much for Mae Belle.

'Horrified by modern times and desperate to avenge her Palace friends, Mae implores Mike to return with her to the past.  The trail leads them to Kalgoorlie, boomtown of the gold rush days. Mari assists from the present, but she has her own troubles.  

'As Mike battles with his strange turns, Mae battles to assist him, despite his pride.

'While he searches for the killer, she  joins a dance hall review, using her magic to get the troupe respect and better conditions.  When dancers start disappearing,  Mae learns of a fiendish plot. 

'But can it be stopped…in time?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Will love conquer all or will all be lost?

'Mike begs Mae to live with him in the present with all its benefits. Mae insists they live in the past, at her beloved Palace, the time and place she knows and loves.

'She is also adamant in her resolve to find her missing magic partner and must decipher Chan Li's notes to discover the frightening and desperate truth of his disappearance.

'Torn by jealousy and a need to prove himself, Mike heads south to search for Lan Wei, the apparent victim of soul stealers. The trail leads to mysterious goings on under the sea.

'Mike is kidnapped by pirates, realising too late that Mae is all he needs.  Can he ever return?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.