Cirrus@Austlit

'In a city gripped by recession and shattered by violent bank robberies, three lives collide in a web of corruption, ambition, and revenge.

'Detective Bruno Karras, haunted by past secrets, receives mysterious photos of a blood-stained house. Amy Owens, a reluctant investigator entangled with the underworld, digs into the dark dealings of a wealthy businessman. Mike Nichols, a backroom player with big dreams, finds himself caught in the crossfire.

'As the glittering façade of the Gold Coast crumbles during the 1982 Commonwealth Games, Bruno, Amy, and Mike uncover a sinister plot that threatens to consume them all. In a world where power and deception reign supreme, they must confront their own demons while navigating a labyrinth of danger and betrayal.'  (Publication summary)

'You can’t hide in the shadows in a city of neon lights.

'When a local doctor is brutally murdered, Detective Constable Lana Cohen joins Strike Force Diablo on the notorious Gold Coast, where she finds herself navigating a world of chaos and corruption.

'As she delves deeper into the case, Lana reluctantly pairs up with Henry Loch, a detective with a tarnished reputation who sees an opportunity to redeem himself amidst the mayhem.

'But as Lana and Henry unravel the threads of violence and deceit, they uncover a dark side to the Gold Coast that shocks them to the core. With six unsolved murders already haunting them, will they be able to untangle the web of lies before it's too late?' (Publication summary)

'Erma Bridges' life is far from perfect, but entirely ordinary. After years of dedication to academic research, her career is falling apart, all because of a mysterious workplace complaint. So, when she is shot twice by Jenny – a vindictive colleague who has seemingly disappeared – her quiet existence is shattered in an instant.

'With her would-be murderer dead, no one can give Erma the answers she needs to move on from her trauma. Why her? Why now?

'Panicked, overworked and on the verge of a nervous breakdown, Erma begins her quest for the truth – and a dangerous, thrilling journey into the heart of darkness. As a web of brutality unfurls around her, Erma uncovers a dark series of crimes on campus and discovers a side of herself unimaginable within the polite world of academia.'

'A serial killer on the loose. A dark history rising up. Two cops on the brink.

'A rich businessman is found dead on Tunnel Island. Constable Laura Romano immediately recognises a pattern: a serial killer is on the loose, killing tourists. With help from Jim Harris — a local heavy — Romano sets off in pursuit. But as the bodies pile up and political pressure mounts, Tunnel Island falls into disastrous disarray.

'In a gritty tale of guilt, corruption and dangerous alliances, Civil Twilight showcases Iain Ryan's fast-pace style and heralds the arrival of a new voice in hardboiled crime.

'Civil Twilight is the third book in a new series of crime mysteries. If you like hardboiled female protagonists, gritty crime mysteries, and a dash of tropical paradise, then you’ll love Iain Ryan’s fast-paced page-turner.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'A high-paced, hardboiled regional noir: fresh, gritty, unnerving, with a stark and lonely beauty.

'Do bad people look like good people, like friends and brothers and boyfriends and students, until they have their hands around your throat? All of these men standing around me, drinks in hand, backs to this screen… smiling, laughing, flirting, and they look harmless. But any one of them could be something else now: rapist, murdered, spree shooter, torturer, paedophile. I try to picture them sprayed with blood and gore and it’s easy. I can do it, mentally. All of these guys could be him because all of these guys were just like him, right up until he…

'Gatton, Queensland. 1994. Nate is a student, dealing weed on the side. A girl called Maya Kibby is dead. No one knows who killed her. Nate needs to refresh his supply, but Jesse, his friend and dealer, is missing. Nate is high. He is alone. Being hunted for the suitcase he’s found and haunted by its contents. And as things turn from bad to worse, Nate uncovers far more than he bargained for.' (Publication summary)

Two cops in recovery. A brutal murder on a dangerous island. A secret history that threatens everything.

Laura Romano is in recovery for drug and alcohol addiction and her partner - Jim Harris - is her sponsor. Both of them are stationed on Tunnel Island, a tropical paradise with a dark, seedy underbelly. When a dead body washes up on the island: Harris springs into action. Meanwhile, Romano follows the trail of a mysterious parcel sent to her house.

As the clues start to bring each of these two cases together, Romano and Harris find themselves implicated, falling on opposing sides of powerful island politics, organized crime and corrupt police officials. Forced to confront their own checkered pasts, they must face-off under threat of dire consequences.

Source: Author's Blurb

A disgraced cop. A case gone wrong. A danger she never saw coming.

Laura Romano is a dishonored cop and an addict. After being sold out by her biker boyfriend, she’s reassigned to Tunnel Island, a tropical paradise with a dark, seedy underbelly. When the son of an influential politician turns up dead, Romano teams up with a hard-nosed sheriff to investigate.

As the clues point to a pair of junkies from the island’s south side, Romano knows there are too many loose ends to let the case go. What she doesn’t realize is that someone on the island knows the truth about the case. Someone who will stop at nothing to keep the truth a secret…

Source: Publisher's Blurb

'BRISBANE, 1984. Jim Harris is a hard-drinking Australian detective on his way to a nervous breakdown. Every day, he works alongside corrupt cops and dangerous crooks. That is, until a brutal murder case unravels his career, bringing past indiscretions to light. Alone, afraid, and out of control, Harris makes a pact with himself: Four days to locate the killer. Four days to take revenge. Four days to find redemption.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.