Cirrus@Austlit

'It is 1914, and the storm clouds of war are building on the horizon.

'In Sydney, Josiah Steele is the new head of the family and grappling with his two very different sons - David, upstanding, decent and heir to the family enterprises; and Benjamin, wayward, restless and a magnet for trouble. To give Ben some responsibility, Josiah sends him on a trade mission straight into the territory of their soon-to-be enemy.

'As war erupts across Europe, its repercussions are felt in the Pacific. Ben and David find themselves caught up in the first Australian action of World War I - the fight to take possession of German New Guinea.

'But that is only the start. The brothers will see desperate action across Egypt, Palestine, and the terrible killing fields of the Western Front, and the years of war, mud and bloody battlegrounds will forever change the Steele family ...'  (Publication summary)

 (Publication summary)

'Danger, passion and bravery in nineteenth-century Australia, Europe and onto the battlefield of Kandahar.

'As the son of 'the Colonial', legendary Queen's Captain Ian Steele, Josiah Steele has big shoes to fill. Although his home in the colony of New South Wales is a world away, he dreams of one day travelling to England so he can study to be a commissioned officer in the Scottish Regiment.

'After cutting his teeth in business on the rough and ready goldfields of Far North Queensland's Palmer River, he finally realises his dream and travels to England, where he is accepted into the Sandhurst military academy. While in London he makes surprising new acquaintances - and runs into a few old ones he'd rather have left behind.

'From the Australian bush to the glittering palaces of London, from the arid lands of Afghanistan to the newly established Germany dominated by Prussian ideas of militarism, Josiah Steele must now forge his own path.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'In October 1863, Ian Steele, having taken on the identity of Captain Samuel Forbes, is fighting the Pashtun on the north-west frontier in India. Half a world away, the real Samuel Forbes is a lieutenant in the 3rd New York Volunteers and is facing the Confederates at the Battle of Mission Ridge in Tennessee. Neither is aware their lives will change beyond recognition in the year to come.

'In London, Ella, the love of Ian's life, is unhappily married to Count Nikolai Kasatkin. As their relationship sours further, she tries to reclaim the son she and Ian share, but Nikolai makes a move that sees the boy sent far from Ella's reach.

'As 1864 dawns, Ian is posted to the battlefields of the Waikato in New Zealand, where he comes face to face with an old nemesis. As the ten-year agreement between Steele and Forbes nears its end, their foe is desperate to catch them out and cruel all their hopes for the future...' (Publication summary)

'It is 1857. Colonial India is a simmering volcano of nationalism about to erupt. Army surgeon Peter Campbell and his wife Alice, in India on their honeymoon, have no idea that they are about to be swept up in the chaos.

'Ian Steele, known to all as Captain Samuel Forbes, is fighting for Queen and country in Persia. A world away, the real Samuel Forbes is planning to return to London - with potentially disastrous consequences for Samuel and Ian both.

'Then Ian is posted to India, but not before a brief return to England and a reunion with the woman he loves. In India he renews his friendship with Peter Campbell, and discovers that Alice has taken on a most unlikely role. Together they face the enemy and the terrible deprivations and savagery of war - and then Ian receives news from London that crushes all his hopes...'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Sometimes the fate for which you are destined is not your own...

'1845, a village outside Sydney Town. Humble blacksmith Ian Steele struggles to support his widowed mother. All the while he dreams of a life in uniform, serving in Queen Victoria's army.

'1845, Puketutu, New Zealand. Second Lieutenant Samuel Forbes, a young poet from an aristocratic English family, wants nothing more than to run from the advancing Maori warriors and discard the officer's uniform he never sought.

'When the two men cross paths in the colony of New South Wales, they are struck by their brotherly resemblance and quickly hatch a plan for Ian to take Samuel's place in the British army.

'Ian must travel to England, fool the treacherous Forbes family and accept a commission into their regiment as a company commander. Once in London, he finds love with an enigmatic woman, but must part with her to face battle in the bloody Crimean war.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'A century-old curse comes full circle...

'For a hundred years they have never forgiven, never forgotten. Now, the war between the Duffy and Macintosh dynasties will be brought to its stunning conclusion.

'Private Patrick Duffy was forced to flee Malaya as a child, and left orphaned when his mother died in Changi prison. Now, returning to fight a fearless enemy, he must confront the ghosts of his past if he is to find any hope for the future.

'Michael Macintosh is forging his own path to escape his mother's obsessive control. Sailor, soldier and mercenary, he will soon face war again, in the brutal jungles of Vietnam.

'Sarah Macintosh ruthlessly crushes anyone who gets in her way, and has vowed to destroy her sister-in-law, Jessica Duffy-Macintosh. Fixated on her own legacy, she has ignored her family's inheritance - a century-old curse, to be paid in blood...' (Publication summary)

'From the jungles of the Pacific to the boardrooms of Sydney, the stakes have never been higher when you're fighting for love and survival. And while the Duffy and Macintosh families may fight on the same side in one war, the battle between these two families is far from over.

'For Tom Duffy, the purchase of his ancestral property Glen View means his daughter will have a home to return to after the war and, hopefully, for the next generation of Duffys. But the Macintosh family won't let this land go without a fight and when Sarah Macintosh, the daughter of his old nemesis, challenges his ownership, he knows he's in for one hell of a fight.

'Meanwhile in Sydney, Sarah has taken over from her father as the head of the Macintosh firm and, while the Nazi investments she made might be in tatters, she has big plans for herself and the family business. And Sarah she isn't afraid of playing dirty.'

Source" Publisher's blurb.

'As the Allied forces fight to repel invaders in the Pacific, the Duffy and Macintosh clans face their greatest challenges at home. Sergeant Jessica Duffy relishes her work as a code breaker in MacArthur's headquarters but is also secretly reporting on the Americans to the Prime Minister. When she uncovers treason at the highest levels, neither duty nor dishonour will stop her getting justice. Captain James Duffy, a decorated fighter pilot with the United States Marine Corps, is expected to wait out the war assisting the bond effort, helping to make movies that gloss over the tragic realities of combat. Despite his scars, he is desperate to return to the cockpit ... until a chance meeting gives him something new to fight for. Major David Macintosh has survived prison camps, torture and countless battles, but can he endure the machinations of his obsessive cousin, Sarah? Sarah is prepared to do anything to take over the family companies, and will destroy anyone who gets in her way. From the frontlines of the Pacific to the back lots of Hollywood, a new generation faces deadly missions, impossible choices and an inescapable family legacy. ' (Source: TROVE)

'It is 1942 and the war in the Pacific is on Australia's doorstep, changing the lives of the Duffy and Macintosh families as never before. In Sydney, siblings Donald and Sarah Macintosh battle for their father's approval, and control of his empire, while their cousin David fights the enemy across the continents. US Marine Pilot James Duffy defies his grandfather's wishes, and, a number of times, death, protecting Australian skies from the Japanese. Below, trapped in the jungles of Malaya, Diane Duffy is caught between saving the lives of hundreds of orphaned children, or that of her son. While Tom Duffy finds himself enlisting in yet another world war, his daughter Jessica narrowly escapes slaughter at a mission station, causing her to revoke her vows and follow in her father's footsteps. Nearly a century after the Aboriginal curse that forever tied these two families, and amidst the most devastating conflict in history, the Duffys and Macintoshes will find a way to endure... and perhaps even thrive.' (Publication summary)

'In War Clouds Gather, the epic saga of the Macintosh and Duffy families continues. It's 1936. While Europe is starting to feel the shadow of the upcoming political turmoil, George Macintosh is determined to keep control of his own empire. Threatened by David Macintosh, the son of Giselle and Alexander, George takes extreme measures to stop David from reaching his majority and taking his seat on the Board. George sends his own son, Donald, to Glen View in an effort to curb Donald's excesses. Sean Duffy continues to fight George on David's behalf. In Iraq, Captain Matthew Duffy doesn't escape the stain of growing fanaticism either. Recruited by British Intelligence, he once more faces a German enemy, although this one has a more pleasing aspect. Matthew is confused by his attraction to Diane and finds himself having to make a hard decision. And just as he is coming to terms with this choice, he meets his estranged son, James Barrington Jnr. In the middle of all this upheaval, the two families experience loss, love, greatness and tragedy, and find themselves brought both closer together and pulled further apart. Romance blooms in the unlikeliest of hearts under the gathering clouds of war. In War Clouds Gather, the epic saga of the Macintosh and Duffy families continues. It's 1936. While Europe is starting to feel the shadow of the upcoming political turmoil, George Macintosh is determined to keep control of his own empire. Threatened by David Macintosh, the son of Giselle and Alexander, George takes extreme measures to stop David from reaching his majority and taking his seat on the Board. George sends his own son, Donald, to Glen View in an effort to curb Donald's excesses. Sean Duffy continues to fight George on David's behalf. In Iraq, Captain Matthew Duffy doesn't escape the stain of growing fanaticism either. Recruited by British Intelligence, he once more faces a German enemy, although this one has a more pleasing aspect. Matthew is confused by his attraction to Diane and finds himself having to make a hard decision. And just as he is coming to terms with this choice, he meets his estranged son, James Barrington Jnr. In the middle of all this upheaval, the two families experience loss, love, greatness and tragedy, and find themselves brought both closer together and pulled further apart. Romance blooms in the unlikeliest of hearts under the gathering clouds of war. ' (Publisher's blurb)

'It is 1918, a year when War will end, but an even greater killer arises.

'On the bloody fields of the Western Front and the battle-scarred desert plains of the Middle East, Tom and Matthew Duffy are battling the enemy. Even as they are trapped on the front lines, they must also find the courage to fight for the women they love when all hope is lost.

'Back in Australia, George Macintosh is outraged by the stipulations of his father's will that provide for his despised nephew, and is determined to eliminate any threats to his power. And in a sacred cave in the far Outback, old Wallarie foresees a tide of unspeakable death sweeping through his homeland.

'As all nations come to terms with the devastating consequences of the Great War, a new world will be born. But not everyone will live to see it.

'Beyond the Horizon continues the much-loved saga of the Duffys and Macintoshes, told with Peter Watt's trademark mastery of grand scope, family drama and enthralling adventure. ' (Publication summary)

'As a war correspondent covering the Second World War, Ilsa Stahl isn't afraid to be on the front line. But when her plane goes down in a terrible storm over Papuan waters and she is taken prisoner by the Japanese, she has every reason to be terrified. Particularly as they plan to hand her over to the Nazis.

When Jack Kelly discovers that his only daughter has fallen into the hands of the enemy, he will stop at nothing to save her. Even if it means risking the life of his only son, Lukas. No one knows Papua the way they do; they may be Ilsa's only hope but time is running out. Meanwhile, Major Karl Mann is sent on a secret mission to Indo China that will see him embroiled in Ilsa's rescue mission in ways he could never have imagined.

This sweeping saga continues the story of the Kellys and Manns, following Peter Watt's much-loved characters as they fight to survive one of the most devastating conflicts in history - the war on Australia's backdoor step.' Source: www.panmacmillan.com.au/ (Sighted 14/11/2011).

'They had all forgotten the curse... Except one... Until it touched them. I will tell you of those times when the whitefella touched the clouds and lightning came down on the earth for many years.

'In 1914, the storm clouds of war are gathering. Matthew Duffy and his cousin Alexander Macintosh are sent by Colonel Patrick Duffy to conduct reconnaissance on German-controlled New Guinea. At the same time, Alexander's sister, Fenella, is making a name for herself in the burgeoning Australian film industry. But someone close to them has an agenda of his own - someone who would betray not only his family but his country to satisfy his greed and lust for power. As the world teeters on the brink of conflict, one family is plunged into a nightmare of murder, drugs, treachery and treason. To Touch the Clouds is a powerful continuation of Peter Watt's much-loved saga of the Duffy and Macintosh clan, begun in The Cry of the Curlew.' (Publisher's blurb)

'It is the turn of the 20th century - an era of tumultuous change. What is it that draws Tung Chi, a former Shaolin priest in the service of the Chinese emperor, to the Australian colony of Queensland?

'This mystery ensnares local businessman John Wong, who fears for his daughter, living across the world in Peking at a time when a revolutionary force known as the Boxers is on the rise. Together Tung and John, with his son, Andrew, embark on a dangerous journey that will lead them into a conflict in which everything is at stake, but allegiances uncertain. The sleeping dragon of China is awakening...

'From the tropics of Queensland to the heart of the Chinese empire, The Stone Dragon is a gripping tale of rebellion, survival and the powerful influence of loyalty and love.' (Publisher's blurb)