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The Cane

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The Cane

By: Maryrose Cuskelly
Narrated by: Taylor Owynns, Duncan Wass
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About this listen

Nail-biting and atmospheric, the brilliant thriller for fans of Wimmera and The Dry.

ONE MISSING GIRL. NO SUSPECTS. A TOWN ABOUT TO IGNITE.

Quala, a North Queensland sugar town, the 1970s.

Barbara McClymont walks the cane fields searching for Janet, her sixteen-year-old daughter, who has been missing for weeks. The police have no leads. The people of Quala are divided by dread and distrust. But the sugar crush is underway and the cane must be burned.

Meanwhile, children dream of a malevolent presence, a schoolteacher yearns to escape, and history keeps returning to remind Quala that the past is always present.

As the smoke rises and tensions come to a head, the dark heart of Quala will be revealed, affecting the lives of all those who dwell beyond the cane.

The Cane is an evocative and atmospheric thriller, and announces an exciting new voice in Australian crime writing.

'A fine, brave, perceptive writer.' - Mark Dapin, journalist and author of Public Enemies

'A stunning piece of Australian rural noir.' - Mark Brandi, bestselling author of Wimmera and The Rip

©2022 Maryrose Cuskelly (P)2022 Allen & Unwin Pty Ltd
Crime Fiction Suspense Thriller & Suspense

Critic Reviews

"A fine, brave, perceptive writer." (Mark Dapin, journalist and author of Public Enemies)

"A stunning piece of Australian rural noir." (Mark Brandi, best-selling author of Wimmera and The Rip)

All stars
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Really enjoyed this. The story is told through the many towns people and is a slow burn ( pardon the pun). The plot is great and in the end it doesn't really matter who killed the girl....and you won't guess how she died. Thoroughly recommend this audio, the narrators were perfect as well.

Great Yarn told in an interesting manner

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Loved the setting, atmospherics of far North Queensland and the cane farming life really well evoked. Interesting characters. Outstanding narration!

Recommended!

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The book brings to light some real and disturbing biases we all have. Thought provoking, informative and a really good story. Couldn't put this book down!

Great story, well narratored

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I loved how the language narrates tropical north Queensland. Also, teaches you not to jump to conclusions about people

Its a detailed insight to a small community in north Qld

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The characters were finely described and believable. I also enjoyed the details about cane farming and the beautiful descriptions of the North Queensland country side.

A very engrossing story, well told.

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