The Cane (Maryrose Cuskelly, A&U)

Award-winning nonfiction writer Maryrose Cuskelly’s first leap into fiction is set in a small Australian town where an unsolved crime turns the community upside down. It’s the 1970s and it doesn’t take much to create outrage and scandal—like a new, suspiciously anti-establishment teacher at the local high school giving students copies of the banned Little Red Schoolbook. Sixteen-year-old Janet McClymont disappears without a trace, her handbag and its contents found strewn in the cane fields. Was she kidnapped? Murdered? Or did she simply run away to Brisbane? After two months, the residents of Quala can still find no explanation and continue to search for clues of her whereabouts, while police investigate all leads, including the decade-old death of another teenage girl, which may or may not be related. The Cane is an evocatively written, atmospheric novel of landscape and rural life where everyone knows each other’s business. One can feel the humidity and searing heat of Far North Queensland, its isolation and uniqueness. As we are introduced to the plethora of townsfolk, potential suspects and subplots, the story’s pace quickens and tensions rise, particularly as we reach the denouement when the cane fields are burnt for harvesting. The action on multiple fronts becomes palpable as the narrative heats up—literally—towards the conclusion. Reminiscent of Jane Harper’s The Dry and Chris Hammer’s Scrublands, The Cane is perfect for fans of taut outback mysteries. 

Scott Whitmont is the business development & relationship manager for Booktopia Publisher Services, having previously owned and operated Sydney’s Lindfield Bookshop for over 20 years. 

Category: Reviews