In 1894, at the loneliest pub on the River Murray, four women are hiding from the truth – and it’s threatening to find them.
Biddy’s the landlady at The Resolution Hotel, taking the reins from her fierce aunt Dot. Biddy’s finally starting to feel like herself again – like who she was before she lost everything. But now she’s accused of a crime she didn’t commit, and the constable is hinting her aunt isn’t innocent either.
When a man arrives offering Biddy an alibi, her surprise turns to shock when she realises who it is, someone she never expected to see again.
In the chaos, new guests arrive: Freya and Clara, both seeking refuge, and both desperate to conceal what they’re running from.
There are plenty of secrets and past traumas among the women – and men – at The Resolution Hotel, but their ordeals aren’t over yet. A cold-blooded murderer is in the area, and he’s taken an interest in the isolated hotel.
Hunted by a killer, haunted by their pasts, they will need all their strength, courage and resilience to survive. But one of them will go too far…
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.
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?
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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?
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
Released December 2020
Released May 2020
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