![]() Seventy-year-old Gabe Ahern was a loner, especially now after his wife had died four years prior. This is Michael Trant’s second novel and places him firmly amongst the new crop of talented Australian thriller writers. The author shines the light on many contemporary Australian issues including racism and prejudice, people smuggling and the treatment of refugees, the issues facing Aboriginal communities as well as the politics around the baiting of wild dogs. ![]() He’s conflicted about getting involved in Amil’s problems but his innate kindness and sense of justice prevents him from turning a blind eye to what is going on in his back yard. Also careful and crafty, he is able to look after himself when faced with violence. Gabe is a terrific character old and crusty and a loner since his wife died in an unfortunate accident. He doesn’t trust the police and enlists Gabe’s help to rescue his family along with a young Aboriginal man and a community nurse who become caught up in the plan to evade the violent men searching for Amil. Amil knows it won’t be long before others find out he has escaped and start looking for him and his family may be in danger. One day laying an illegal trap for wild dogs on an Aboriginal land, Gabe rescues Amil, an Afghan refugee from two men intent on killing him. Any that resist are taken out into the bush and never seen again. This is an exciting, fast paced thriller about a network of people smugglers supplying Afghan refugees brought in by boat to work for local farmers as slave labour. The sights and sounds of the parched red soil, the shimmering heat, Gabe the rugged old dogger (wild dog trapper), local Aboriginal community and the illegal refugees all rang so true. I loved the authenticity of this gritty thriller set in outback north Western Australia.
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