Albany, Western Australia 1881
Stifled by English society, Molly Bentley has always yearned for adventure. When her father offers to send her to the bustling port town of Albany in Western Australia, Molly readily agrees, even if it means assuming a secret identity. With only her chaperone Mrs Caldicott to answer to, her life of freedom can finally begin.
Until Molly is knocked down in the streets, nearly trampled, and a threatening letter is slipped into her hands.
Suddenly, Molly and Mrs Caldicott must reckon with the darker motives behind their move to these southern shores. The women have no choice but to put their safety into the hands of the enigmatic colonial Leo McRae and his cousin Alistair who seem to know exactly who Molly and Mrs Caldicott are, and why they’re in the colonies. But from whom has Mr McRae sourced his information? And why has Molly’s father stopped replying to her messages?
Attempts are made on their lives, and their motley crew must undertake a dangerous journey from Albany to Adelaide and into rural Victoria to evade capture. As secrets are revealed and loyalties tested, will Molly ever be able to find the freedom she so desperately craves?
Welcome to the world of
Darry Fraser
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Best-selling Australian author, Darry Fraser, has a passion for writing empowering, feminist-driven narratives. She brings to life the courage, resilience, and spirit of women in her gripping stories and masterfully weaves fictional tales around the rich backdrop of Australian history. Whether you're familiar with her work or discovering it for the first time, get ready to be captivated by her vivid characters and the rich landscapes of a past era, where adventure and empowerment intertwine.
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Thank you to Dion Cavallaro, Paul Thomas for filming, and Brittney O'Loghlen for 'Tess'
Amid the rising flood waters of the Murray River and shearers’ strike violence, can one brave woman reclaim her future? From an Australian bestselling author comes a riveting historical adventure about one woman’s journey from a life of isolation to one of love and acceptance.
1894, Echuca, Victoria
Tess Hawthorn is a woman on the run from her abusive husband. All she has to do is get on the riverboat Victor and she will be free.
But with tensions at an all-time high between unionist shearers and Scabs, Tess isn’t the only person trying to board a boat under the cover of night. When a brawl erupts between the union and non-union men, Tess is mistaken as a fellow Scab and in the chaos pulled aboard the PS Rodney — the same boat her husband was headed for.
The last person Bram Kempster expects to see on board is Tess Hawthorn, the girl he’s loved from afar since they were young. But he can’t afford to get distracted, not when he’s on an urgent trip to Renmark. Tess didn’t want him back then and, if her haughty behaviour is anything to go by, she certainly doesn’t want him now.
But childhood hurts are the least of their problems. The continent is a tinderbox of violence and bloodshed waiting to ignite, and at home the Murray River is rising fast. Can they overcome their past in time to work together and survive?
Trouble with the law, a missing sister - Evie Emerson has a dangerous path ahead of her
1898: Bendigo, Victoria
Evie Emerson has worked hard to build a fashionable clientele for her hats in the booming city of Bendigo. But when an ex-paramour employs underhanded tactics after his attempt to coerce an engagement fails, Evie’s reputation is in tatters. On the heels of having to put a case together to defend herself in court, Evie’s life is thrown into further turmoil when the disappearance of her sister takes her to Cobram.
Roving reporter Fitzmorgan O’Shea has troubles of his own: his involvement in uncovering police corruption has placed a target on his back. And while Fitz is hunting a new story in Cobram his problems collide with Evie’s when his research exposes malicious intimidation and threats designed to make local landholders give up their properties.
For Raffety Dolan, he accepted long ago it’s Fitz Evie loves – and his feelings will remain unrequited. But when a disgraced ex-policeman comes searching for revenge, Raff is ready to step in and save his friends.
There, on the banks of the mighty Murray, with so much misunderstood history and secrets between the three friends plus the legitimate threat of being shot at – will they survive long enough to discover the truth?
View The Milliner of Bendigo Trailer
Thank you to Four Point Films for this videography masterpiece.
Darry's Book Collection
Fiction set in Australian history. Empowering, feminist adventure.
"From the very earliest I can remember, I was transfixed by stories. Those would have been the ones Mum read to me when I was a little kid. My imagination had been fired and soon I became a storyteller, not just an avid listener (and eventually, reader)."
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Released December 2021
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Released May 2020
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