Cirrus@Austlit

'James Fairfax was one of the nation's greatest philanthropists, collectors and champions of Australian art. Chairman of what was then known as John Fairfax Ltd, he put together one of the country's most important collections of European Old Masters, and was a generous benefactor to the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney.

'In this evocative biography his nephew, Alexander Gilly, pieces together Fairfax's life through the prism of his art collection. Through a long-case clock built by Fairfax's grandfather and given to his parents as a wedding gift, a painting by Rubens, a sculpture by Robert Klippel, a mural created for his country home by Donald Friend and other treasured objects, Gilly reveals the complex private and public lives of a man at the centre of a media dynasty.'  (Publication summary)

'With heart-stopping thrills, a Walter White–esque villain, and a fascinating hero, Alex Gilly's Devil's Harbor is a thriller unlike any you have read before

Nick Finn and his partner and brother-in-law, Diego Jimenez, are used to rough water. As Marine Interdiction Agents for Customs and Border Protection, the two hunt drug smugglers, human traffickers, and other criminals who hide in the vastness of the waters surrounding southern California.

'One night, Finn and Diego track a phantom boat off the Los Angeles coast, but it disappears before they can intercept it. They find a dead body in its wake, ravaged by sharks. Their investigation into the floater stalls when Finn is accused of using excessive force following the death of a suspected drug smuggler.

'Then Diego is murdered—and Finn is the number-one suspect. As he races to find the real killer and save his marriage, Finn is forced to partner with Linda Blake, the desperate captain of the Pacific Belle and mother of Lucy, a very sick little girl, to attempt the one thing he has devoted his life to stopping.

'In order to clear his name and save a child's life, Finn must smuggle narcotics by sea into the United States…and avoid the net that his CBP colleagues have cast for him.' (Publication summary)