First published 2026
Arlo Hackett steps off the bus in Yulara after serving twelve years behind bars. The small Australian town on the Great Southern Road hasn't forgotten him. Neighbors emerge from their houses to stare. They watch from doorways and windows. Back in 1988, Arlo's brother Luke faced charges for a terrible crime. The town found Arlo guilty by association. Now residents want him gone, or dead. Each insult and threat drives Arlo deeper into the past. He remembers the people he loved and couldn't protect. The town's anger cracks open like a time capsule filled with violence and old hatred. But Arlo won't run again. He needs to uncover what really happened during that brutal summer. The truth about his brother's case lies buried beneath years of small town secrets and lies.
Genres: drama, crime, contemporary, adult-fiction, psychological-thriller, mystery-thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, brooding, dark, emotionally-intense, gritty, suspenseful
Tropes: family-betrayal, mystery-unraveling, returning-home, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Yulara, Great Southern Road, Australia
Period: 1988, contemporary
400 pages · Paperback
Content warnings: abuse, murder, violence