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Two Islands

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Two Islands

By: Ian Kemish
Narrated by: Henry Nixon
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About this listen

When a desperate young man arrives on an isolated Scottish isle, the locals view him with suspicion. But Niko is there for a reason – he’s running for his life, pursued by those who want him silenced for what he has seen in the Balkan War. His neighbour is a recluse known to the villagers as ‘Slow Fergus’. As the two men circle each other, Australian war crimes investigator Anita Costello races against sinister forces to locate her key witness.
Against this rugged landscape, where the tight-knit island community holds painful memories close, Niko must weigh his loyalties to his family, his country and himself.
Written with compassion and insight, Two Islands explores how the ripples of distant conflicts can wash up on the most remote shores.

©2026 Ian Kemish (P)2026 Audible Australia Pty Ltd Crime Fiction Espionage International Mystery & Crime Mystery Spies & Politics Thriller & Suspense
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Set in the immediate aftermath of the breakup of the former Yugoslavia and the civil wars and massacres that followed,Two Islands follows four points of view: a young Croatian named Nico, who is to be a witness at a war crimes trial in The Hague and has been given refuge in London; an Australian investigator at The Hague named Anita who has been working with Niko, preparing him to testify; a British ex-soldier, Ferguson, living rough and suffering severe PTSD, and a kind Hebridean villager named Ronnie. On the run after he realises a Serbian gangster hit squad has been dispatched to silence him, Niko vanishes to the Western Isles of Scotland, where he plans to hide.Encountering both suspicion and sympathy from the locals, he also comes across Fergus, living as a paranoid hermit on a much smaller island. After a shaky start, Niko slowly starts to relax, but he knows that those hunting him won't give up....and meanwhile, he is missed by those, like Anita, who want to protect him and have no idea where he is.
It's an accomplished, compelling debut novel which deftly manages both to be a suspenseful thrillers and an immersive portrayal of Hebridean life, with engaging characters and good narrative pace, and I really enjoyed it.
It's also really well-produced as an audio book, with an excellent narrator who propels the story along, warmly conjuring also the atmosphere and accents of the remote island setting. Highly recommended.

compelling and immersive

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.