CRAIG COVE

On Ambrym, the volcano is waking — and so is a killer.

Sergeant George Long and Constable Jayline Oli arrive in Craig Cove during an island-wide evacuation, tasked with finding Isabelle Morris, the widow of a Ni-Vanuatu worker killed in Australia. But as Benbow volcano rumbles and villages empty, their mission is derailed by the discovery of a body.

Dutch volcanologist Helmut Klein has been found strangled near a remote monitoring site. He was part of an international scientific team using new technology to predict the eruption — a team riddled with rivalry, jealousy and secrets. Yet on Ambrym, science is not the only way to understand a volcano. Kastom, nakaemas and old grievances run deep, and George soon finds that every explanation comes with its own danger.

Trapped on a near-deserted island with six suspects, no forensic support, and the last evacuation flight fast approaching, George and Jayline must solve a murder before Benbow erupts — and the truth disappears beneath ash and fire.

Ifira Point, the first book in the award-winning Murder in the Pacific series, won the Ned Kelly Award for Best Debut Crime Fiction.

‘An island is being evacuated. A killer is staying behind.’

Praise for the series:
‘… a tour de force both in its vivid descriptions of warts-and-all Vanuatu and its ability to suck the reader into the frustrating investigation of its likeable detective. A thoroughly enjoyable read.’ – Colin Cotterill, best-selling crime fiction author

I was hooked from the beginning ... It’s easy to imagine this adapted for TV.
Rowan MacDonald

‘I was really intrigued because the place setting is an integral “character” of the book’. – Emily Webb, best-selling author