The Switchback - by Peter Papathanasiou (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Located deep in the Australian highlands, the sleepy rural town of Bunyip Hill is home to a small but hardened population of long-term residents. But it undergoes somewhat of a renaissance as a mecca for mountain biking. The local council applies for a tourism grant to build proper, sanctioned trails. And then, on the very first day of construction, a dead body is unearthed - a local child named who recently went missing.

Suspicion immediately falls on the mountain bikers, but there are other suspects too: - wary landowners, reclusive farmers and fervent environmentalists, who regularly clash with the local daredevils over land use and the culling of feral horses. DS Manolis and Constable Kate Kerr lead the investigation with Manolis grilling the townsfolk and Kerr infiltrating the bikers. As the truth emerges, loyalties are tested, and the line between justice and vengeance blurs against the backdrop of the wild Australian high country.

About the Author

Peter Papathanasiou was born in northern Greece and adopted as a baby to an Australian family. His writing has been published internationally by The New York Times, Guardian, Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, The Canberra Times, Daily Telegraph, The ABC, SBS, Huffington Post. He also holds an MA in Creative Writing from City University, London, and a PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the Australian National University. His first book, a memoir Son of Mine was published in 2019 by Salt.