Will Adira outwit the dark horse? Adira Cazon grew up with her parents in Mira, an unsympathetic empire, fuelled by the wealth of its silk trade. In a world of long held resistance against empirical power, Adira discovered that she was a desired asset for the dangerous dark horse. After witnessing her own family tragedy, Adira was assisted by her mother to seek safe refuge. Now 23, Adira is a trained private detective, who has built her life in Redbank. As the presence of the dark horse pervades the industrial city's society, Adira swears to protect Girl, a silk merchant from Mira, who is hiding in Redbank. News soon arrives that Adira's mother has been declared a missing person and that significant heritage silk apparel have been stolen from Mira. As she investigates an evolving illegal trade operation, Adira is determined to outwit the dark horse who is hunting her down. Interweaving the narrative of Adira's journey with the secrets kept by other courageous women who also confronted the dangerous powers dominating the silk trade routes of past and present, Adira and the Dark Horse by award-winning Susan Marshall, is an atmospheric and gripping page turner in search of the truth.