Hero

The new unmissable instalment in the DS Walker series! Coming May 2026.

A sporting legend. A brutal death. A dark legacy.

DS Lucas Walker is back home in Queensland, following the dramatic fallout from his last case. He is just getting to grips with his new role in the small outback town of Katima, when the body of an unknown young man is found hanging from a tree in the park.

What at first looks like a tragic suicide soon has Walker's detective instincts on alert, and he and his young partner throw themselves into the case - discovering a connection with an unsolved death.

And then a brutal murder changes everything. The victim is Caden Conroy, national cricketing hero, and the dark nature of his death leads to an unparallelled media frenzy.

When Walker is sidelined by Brisbane Homicide after being first on the scene, he must go his own way to unpick the deceit and corruption at the heart of these cases. Only then will he know if they are connected, and how - but at what cost?

Still reeling from Berlin, and with his own family in freefall, DS Lucas Walker faces one of his toughest cases yet in the fifth instalment of this gripping, bestselling Aussie Noir series - for fans of Jane Harper, Cara Hunter and Chris Hammer.

Readers can't get enough of Patricia Wolf:

'Tense, atmospheric and gripping. I adore Australian crime fiction and Outback doesn't disappoint. I eagerly await the next DS Walker thriller' Chris Whitaker, author of We Begin at the End

'Nail-biting thriller!... From the beginning I was hooked!... A thrilling ride that had me holding my breath through its finale. Highly recommended' Reader review, 5 stars

'Finished this book within a day... I honestly loved it, really had you guessing who the murderer was 'til the last minute' Reader review, 5 stars

'Just so damn good! I read the whole thing in one sitting, cursing myself, putting it down to try to make it last but then picking it straight back up again to find out what happens next. Addictive stuff!!' Reader review, 5 stars

'DS Lucas Walkers series just gets better and better and she's quickly earned a place on my favourite authors list... An excellent read' Reader review, 5 stars

'Strong characters, a carefully constructed plot with unexpected twists and a shocking conclusion... This is a must read and an excellent choice for any book club. 5 stars' Reader review, 5 stars