Cirrus@Austlit

'[A] riveting novel of Australia's brutal past from master storyteller Peter Watt. It is the tale of two families, the Macintoshes and the Duffys, who are locked in a deadly battle from the moment squatter Donald Macintosh commits an act of barbarity on his Queensland property. Their paths cross in love, death and revenge as both families fight to tame the wild frontier of Australia's north country.'

Source: Publisher's website

'Soldier of fortune Michael Duffy returns to colonial Sydney on a covert mission and with old scores to settle, still enraged by a bitter feud between his family and the ruthless Macintoshes.

'The Palmer River gold rush lures American prospector Luke Tracy back to Australia's rugged north country in his elusive search for riches and the great passion of his life, Kate O'Keefe.

'From the boardrooms and backstreets of Sydney to the hazardous waters of the Coral Sea, the sequel to Cry of Curlew confirms the exceptional talent of master storyteller Peter Watt..'

Source: Publisher's blurb (2013 ed.).

'A deadly family curse holds two families in its powerful grip.

'Captain Patrick Duffy's passions are inflamed by the mysterious Irishwoman Catherine Fitzgerald, further pitting him against his father, Michael Duffy, and his adoring but scheming grandmother, Lady Enid Macintosh.

'On the rugged Queensland frontier, Native Mounted Police trooper Peter Duffy is torn between his loyal bond with Gordon James, the love of his sister, Sarah, and the blood of his mother's people, the Nerambura tribe.

'Two men, the women who love them and a dreadful curse that still inextricably links the lives of the Macintoshes and the Duffys culminate in a stunning addition to the series featuring Cry of the Curlew and Shadow of the Osprey.'

Source: Publisher's blurb (2013 ed.)

'When Major Patrick Duffy's beautiful wife Catherine leaves him for another, he is propelled out of the Sydney Macintosh home and into yet another bloody war. However the battlefields of Africa, fighting the Boers, bring him in contact with one he thought long dead and lost to him.

'Back in Australia, the mysterious Michael O'Flynn mentors Patrick's youngest son, Alex, and takes him on a journey to the Queensland property, Glen View. But will the terrible curse that has inextricably linked the Duffys and Macintoshes for generations ensure that no true happiness can ever come to them?

'Through the dawn of a new century in a now federated nation, To Chase the Storm charts an explosive tale of love and loss, from South Africa to Palestine, from Townsville to the green hills of Ireland.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'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 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)

'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 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)

'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)

'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.

'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)