Cirrus@Austlit

'Cotton Trash is the gripping third installment in the eco-thriller series featuring investigative journalists Jack Miller and Sharon Davis.

'Set in rural Australia, the duo receives an anonymous tip about unusually high cancer rates in their community. Their relentless investigation uncovers a web of corruption involving politicians, bureaucrats, and a powerful multinational pharmaceutical corporation. At the heart of the scandal is a dangerous herbicide used in cotton farming, leading to a deadly cover-up that puts Jack and Sharon in grave danger.

'Inspired by the documentary "The Monsanto Papers," this thrilling tale of David versus Goliath echoes the spirit of "Erin Brockovich," as the journalists face increasing threats while fighting for the truth.'  (Publication summary)

'A fire in August 1991 at the Coode Island Hazardous Chemicals Storage Facility in inner Melbourne is the inspiration for this roller coaster of political manoeuvrings, corruption and violence—all designed to see the facility relocated to a site which just happens to be home for a critically endangered species—the Orange-bellied Parrot—of which there are less than fifty left in the wild.

'The agenda is simple—relocate the hazardous chemicals facility and use that site to build Australia's mega-stadium—the sporting mecca of the Southern hemisphere, ready and waiting to host the World Cups of cricket, rugby and soccer. 

'The stakes are high and so is the determination of investigative journalist Jack Miller and his friends as they fight an increasingly desperate sports media mogul, his political puppets and their henchmen.
'Will big business triumph and another species perish? Or will Jack and his friends find a way to outsmart them?' (Publication summary)

'Water theft, corruption, intrigue... at the height of a ten year drought in Australia's outback

'Jack Miller, former Sydney Morning Herald journalist, follows his instincts to rural Dawson to do a followup piece on a headline that read ‘Angry farmer accuses bureaucrat of corruption‘.

'Little did he know what he was about to unleash as he set about helping the feisty old cattle farmer to expose corruption in the water industry—blatant water theft at the height of a ten year drought crippling the Australian farming landscape. As Jack and his friends slowly unravel the web of deceit and corruption, which extends through the bureaucracy and into the corridors of political power and big business, they are confronted by an increasingly desperate enemy willing to do anything to stay above the law. ' (Publication summary)