Pip Fioretti - Skull River - Gritty Australian Historical Crime Novel

A gripping historical mystery set in outback New South Wales.

In Skull River, Pip Fioretti delivers a taut, atmospheric novel that drops us into the autumn of 1912, where former Boer War soldier Augustus Hawkins arrives in the fading gold town of Colley. By the end of his first day, his station is in flames, his partner is dead, and he’s become the target of a town full of secrets.

With only inexperienced troopers and a drunk detective at his side, Gus must lead the investigation. But as he digs deeper into Colley’s past, he discovers more than just murder lurking beneath the surface.

Told with black humour and sharp insight, this is a page-turning Aussie crime novel for fans of historical fiction, gritty small-town settings, and flawed but compelling detectives. Think Jane Harper meets True History of the Kelly Gang.