Re-issued in 2015
When a mysterious cannibal pot is discovered by Steven Messenger, it is only one of the many bizarre clues that lead to the truth behind an age-old murder mystery
On 4 June 1629, the Dutch vessel Batavia struck uncharted rocks off the West Australian coast. By the time help arrived, over 120 men, women and children had met their deaths not in the sea, but murdered by two fellow survivors, Wouter Loos and Jan Pelgrom.
In 1986, Steven Messenger discovers gruesome relics from that wreck. Four months later he disappears without a trace. Where is Messenger? Is his disappearance linked to the relics? Someone knows… somewhere…
- Winner of the CBC Book of the Year Award
- Winner of the 1991 Victorian Premier s Literary Award
- Winner of the NSW State Literary Award
- Shortlisted for the Edgar Allan Poe Mystery Fiction Award (Crime Writers of America)