‘Fleur McDonald is a formidable talent in the field of Australian rural fiction … Without fail, I encounter stories from McDonald that are rich, real and deeply authentic.’ Mrs B’s Book Reviews

Ten years ago, thirty-year-old Chelsea Taylor left the small country town of Barker and her family’s property to rise to the top as a concert pianist. With talent, ambition and a determination to show them all at home, Chelsea thought she had it made.

Yet here she was, back in Barker, with her four-year-old daughter, Aria, readying herself to face her father, Tom. The father who’d shouted down the phone ten years ago never to come home again.

With an uneasy truce developing, Chelsea and Aria settle into the rhythm of life on the land with Tom and Cal, the farmhand, who seems already to have judged Chelsea badly. Until a shocking discovery is made on the riverbed and Detective Dave Burrows, the local copper, has to tear back generations of family stories to reveal the secrets of the past.

‘Highly recommended … drama, mystery, family, friendship and forgiveness - this delightful cast of characters delivers a cracking story from start to finish.’ Theresa Smith Writes