The Drowning

With sales of over 16,000 copies of Sweet Jimmy, Bryan Brown's distinctive storytelling voice continues in this unflinching, gripping novel.


'A work of rattling and serpentine suspense … gripping and sinuous and so, so good.' Trent Dalton


The body of a local teenage boy is found on the beach of a sleepy northern New South Wales town. David went for an evening swim and got into trouble . . . at least, that's what it looks like. 


Three weeks before, Leila, a young backpacker, didn't turn up for her shift at the local cafe. Benny, the owner, isn't worried. It happens - backpackers are always on the move. There'll be another one. 


One of the locals, Adrian, has been a help to Benny. He's found him a nice little sideline. Not exactly legal. Is that all Adrian is arranging on the coast? He once was a cop but has he gone bad?

And in the backblocks outside town, a bikie gang is gearing up for a large consignment from South America.


Murder, drugs, liaisons and lies are stirring up this small coastal town.


With Bryan Brown's characteristic laconic storytelling - humorous, tough and suspenseful - the secrets of this seemingly idyllic town slowly come to the surface.


Praise for Sweet Jimmy


'Uniquely Australian and uncommonly good, I could hear the author's voice in every spare, haunting line. More please.' - Michael Robotham


'My friend Bryan Brown, quite apart from his other manifold talents, turns out to be an excellent writer. An authentic voice; highly imaginative yet completely believable, with a flair for fully realised characters and a gripping narrative … a great storyteller. This is utterly baffling. I'm furious.' - Sam Neill