Cirrus@Austlit

'The Suez Canal, 1956. The world teeters on the brink of nuclear war and the Middle East is a tinderbox.

Conversely, redeemed archaeologist Benedict Hitchens is enjoying a peaceful existence after years in the professional and personal wilderness. His recent discoveries in western Turkey secured him a place in history and the smart thing to do would be to ignore his growing fear that Britain, France and Israel's imminent invasion of Egypt to liberate the Suez Canal is only a diversion. Ben suspects the truth is that malevolent forces are in search of an ancient treasure hidden deep in the Sinai Desert.

Ben's natural inclination towards self-sabotage is never far below the surface. When a ghost from his past reappears, he puts everything on the line to find answers from the woman who betrayed him and have revenge on the man who tried to destroy him.

Forced to face his personal demons, Ben enters the race to unearth a secret that will, in the wrong hands, mean the annihilation of humankind.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

Achilles? Because...?'
'Obsession of mine. Half man, half god - and his own worst enemy.
My kind of man.' He laughed.

'Istanbul, Turkey 1955

'Benedict Hitchens, once a world-renowned archaeologist, is now a discredited - but still rather charming - shell of his former self.

'Once full of optimism and adventure, his determination to prove that Achilles was a real historical figure led him to his greatest love, Karina, on the island of Crete and to his greatest downfall, following the disappearance of an enigmatic stranger, Eris.

'He has one last chance to restore his reputation, solve the mystery of Eris and prove his Achilles theory. But it is full of risk, and possibly fatal consequences...'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'When the Great War ends, Joshua Connor, a grieving farmer and sometime water diviner from the Mallee in Victoria, sets out to fulfil his wife's dying wish - to travel to Gallipoli to recover the bodies of his three sons and bury them in consecrated ground. Crescent collides with cross, and hope with reason as he discovers that his eldest son, Art, may still be alive. When Connor makes a desperate dash into the perilous heart of Anatolia one question haunts him: If Art is alive, why hasn't he come home?

'This is not a war novel, not even an anti-war novel. Instead it focuses on the battles that go on inside the hearts and minds of a small group of Australians and Turks as they struggle to bury their dead and rebuild their lives after the First World War. The story is based on first-hand resources, diaries and official records.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.