The Prospect
The fresh and exciting new crime series from the bestselling author of the Detective Dave Burrows series, for all fans of Jane Harper, Dinuka McKenzie and Chris Hammer
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4.1 • 210 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
When you dig, will you strike gold ... or unearth dangerous secrets? An exciting new series from the queen of rural crime.
Longlisted for the Davitt Awards 2026
No matter how much or how little you find, you will never, ever own the gold. It will always own you.
After a scandal, investigative reporter Zara Ellison and her partner, policeman Jack Higgins, have moved to Kalgoorlie but they are each struggling with this fresh start. The wild mining town has its own rules, and its inhabitants - drawn by the lure of gold and riches - guard their secrets carefully.
Zara feels adrift in the swirling red dust of the lawless bush city, without sources or any leads for the hard-hitting stories she's known for. Jack is out of the detective squad and trying to find his feet back in uniform.
On an isolated stretch of highway, a pair of grey nomads is involved in a devastating accident which leaves more questions than answers. Zara starts digging for her own kind of gold, while Jack's investigation sends him on a parallel path towards a dangerous smuggling ring.
In the wide open spaces of the outback, some secrets are buried deep.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Fleur McDonald knows the Australian bush from back to front. After working in the Outback for decades, she took to writing novels set very much amongst the country’s distinctive landscape. And with The Prospect, she takes a turn towards harder crime storytelling. The first in a series set in Kalgoorlie, the book introduces reporter Zara Ellison and police officer Jack Higgins, a jaded couple hoping to start anew in that well-trodden mining destination. Both find themselves drawn to local secrets that others don’t want to see revealed, putting the pair in increasing danger as they follow their professional instincts. From stubborn corrugated iron to desolate dirt tracks, McDonald captures all the everyday details of this evocative backdrop—with a compelling mystery at the centre.
