Nail-biting, atmospheric, and unputdownable, the brilliant new thriller for fans of Wimmera and The Dry.
ONE MISSING GIRL.
NO SUSPECTS.
A TOWN ABOUT TO IGNITE.
Quala, a north Queensland sugar town, the 1970s.
Barbara McClymont walks the cane fields searching for Janet, her sixteen-year-old daughter, who has been missing for weeks. The Police have no leads. The people of Quala are divided by dread and distrust. But the sugar crush is underway and the can must be burned.
Meanwhile, children dream of a malevolent presence in the cane, a schoolteacher yearns to escape, and history keeps returning to remind Quala that the past is always present.
As the smoke rises and tensions come to a head, the dark heart of Quala will be revealed, affecting the lives all those who dwell beyond the cane.
The Cane is an evocative and atmospheric thriller, and announces an exciting new voice in Australian crime writing.
'A fine, brave, perceptive writer.' - Mark Dapin, journalist and author of Public Enemies
'A stunning piece of Australian rural noir.' - Mark Brandi, bestselling author of Wimmera and The Rip
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An thought provoking story of one mothers love for her daughter and her battle to save her from an abusive relationship. With the law unable to protect her family, will Miriam take the law into her own hands? Would she kill to protect them? A gripping story, set in Australia, that you will think about long after the last page has been read. - Julie (QBD)
Guest, 26/02/2022
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Sixteen-year-old Janet McClymont has gone missing while on a short walk through the cane fields, and no one has seen her for weeks. Tensions are high amidst the small town of Quala with no leads from police, save for her lone backpack in the field, as foul play is suspected. The sugar crush is coming and the cane must be burnt soon, but Janet - dead or alive - must be found.
A must read for sure! - Mars (QBD)
Guest, 25/02/2022
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A thriller set in 1970's Queensland, Cuskelly weaves a complex tale of a small town divided by tragedy and the ghosts of its past.
Barb MClymonth searches for her missing daughter admidst the fields of sugar cane as the yearly burn begins, but far more than scorched earth will be exposed by the flames. - Caitlin (QBD)
Guest, 25/02/2022
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Inspired by the 1972 disappearance of fourteen-year-old Marilyn Wallman, Melbourne author Cuskelly delves into the realm of rural noir. Set in rural north Queensland The Cane explores the mystery surrounding the disappearance of a young teenager, Janet and its collision with her community. Cuskelly's tense thriller is a crime novel we have been waiting for since The Dry. - Imogen (QBD)
Guest, 07/02/2022
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They're lighting the cane and Janet McClymont has not been found.
The Cane is an atmospheric slow-burn thriller that burrows deep into the heart of small-town Australia. The ever present cane fields loom over the characters and the ticking countdown of the inevitable burn is palpable as the people of Quala come apart after the suspicious disappearance of a teenage girl. - Jessica (QBD)
Guest, 02/02/2022
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Diving straight into this Queensland based thriller had me exhilerated from start to finish! This was a very 'Jeepers Creepers' eerie murder mystery. Barbara is a very determined mother hunting for her daughter in a quiet town of Quala, but where there is quiet there are always secrets. Beware of the smoke... - Jacqueline (QBD)
Guest, 02/02/2022
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Fans of Jane Harper and Christian White are in for an absolute treat with this one!
This thrilling mystery set in outback Queensland in the 1970's
will keep you guessing right until the very end as you strive to discover what happened to missing 16 year old Janet.
A brilliant new voice in Australian Crime Fiction. - Tayla (QBD)
Guest, 01/02/2022
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Set in a small Australian town, The Cane depicts the nature of 1970's small town life where everyone knows each other's business - until they don't! Written amongst the searing heat and humidity of Far North Queensland, the mystery of 16 year old Janet McClymont's disappearance divides the residents of Quala. Beautifully written, fans of Jane Harper and Kyle Perry will thoroughly enjoy this story. - Tracey (QBD)
Guest, 31/01/2022
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Another new amazing voice for Aussie fiction.
A girl missing, police with no leads, and a town filled with people who are pointing the finger at their own neighbours. But as they come closer to the time when all the cane must be burnt, will any answers be burnt away with it?
As someone who grew up thinking about what the vast fields of suger cane could hide, this book was gripping from page one. - Jazmin (QBD)
Guest, 30/01/2022
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In rural Queensland a sixteen year old girl has disapeared amongst the sugar cane.
With history repeating itself and the entire town a suspect the clock is ticking down until the cane must burn.
A suspenceful novel full of twists and turns, Cuskelly takes her true crime expertise to craft a brand new aussie crime thriller!!
Imogen - Strathpine - Imogen (QBD)
Guest, 29/01/2022
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Get ready for the next, great Aussie debut thriller! If you loved Jane Harper's 'The Dry' or Chris Hammer's 'Scrublands', this is the book for you! Packed full with atmospheric suspense, 'The Cane' will keep you guessing until the very last page! - Alyssa (QBD)
Guest, 28/01/2022
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In this family-driven thriller Maryrose Cuskelly has fantasticallly captured the heart of 1970s North Queensland whilst simultaneously spinning the evocative, gripping and heart-wrenching tale of a mother's search for her daughter and the unraveling of a town's dark past. Perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn and A.J. Finn who are looking for a more intimate story told closer to home. - Georgina (QBD)
Guest, 26/01/2022
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The Cane is the first crime fiction book by Non-fiction crime author Maryrose Cuskelly(Wedderburn).A Darkly intriguing, mystery thriller set in the canefields of QLD. When a young girl goes missing presumed dead, we follow the towns inhabitants as they deal with the loss, and anxiety this brings out. A well written mystery that I had to know the answer to. - Vanessa (QBD)
Guest, 25/01/2022
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The Cane is a tale full of twists and turns that will have you guessing until the end. It’s a well-told, well put together story about the search for 16-year-old Janet who’s disappeared into the cane fields. The cane has to be harvested, but they need to find her before they burn the fields for harvesting.
This story is a wonderfully suspenseful novel in a similar vein to Chris Hammer and Jane. - Joshua (QBD)
Guest, 25/01/2022
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With the beautiful descriptons sweeping over canefields in North Queensland, Maryrose Cuskelly lures you into the mysterious disappearance of a young girl. Excellent thriller - Karina (QBD)
Guest, 25/01/2022
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If you loved 'The Dry' then this crime thriller is for you!
Set in North Queensland, this tale of a missing girl is full of tension and suspicion. Told from various perspectives of the town members, you will find it hard to put down! - Kylie (QBD)
Guest, 25/01/2022
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Brimming with tension,the scent of smoke and dust is palpable on your tongue in this gripping Australian thriller.
Into rural Quala, Queensland, is thrust detective Carmel Maitland who must wade through decades of brewing distrust, prejudices and whispered suspicions before the cane starts to burn and any hope of finding Janet McClymont vanishes with the cinders. - Jenna (QBD)
Guest, 25/01/2022
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Set against a backdrop of 1970s QLD, Maryrose Cuskelly delivers an stunning read with The Cane: Australian rural noir at its best. Teenager Janet goes missing in a sugar cane, and an entire town is on edge with one burning question: is this disappearance somehow linked to one decades ago? Watch as the town of Quala unravels and suspiscions are strewn, much like the contents of Janet's bag! - Dion (QBD)
Guest, 24/01/2022
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What does a mother do when everyone stops looking for her child? Barbara's daughter was lost in the North Queensland cane fields. The police have no answers. But Barbara is running out of time. The sugar crush is coming. And all that cane has to be burned. An evocative thriller set in the unforgiving Australian outback where the only thing more dangerous than the people is the truth. - Katrina (QBD)
Guest, 23/01/2022
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In her debut novel, Maryrose Cuskelly makes her mark in rural aussie crime. A tense and atmopsheric thriller of a mother trying to solve the mystery of her missing 16 year old daughter who disappears in the cane fields. Set in the 1970's in a small fictional town of Northern Queensland and written from multiple perspectives, this is one book filled with suspense that can't be missed? - Deanne (QBD)
Guest, 23/01/2022
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A great read for lovers of the Aussie crime thriller. Set in a small 1970's outback Queensland town - Sixteen year old Janet goes missing in the local cane fields, with no leads. As the town heads towards the sugar cane harvesting - will they have the answers to Janet's disappearance before the cane burns?
Fans of Jane Harper and Chris Hammer will love this! - Ann (QBD)
Guest, 23/01/2022
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Great Aussie crime thriller in the mould of Scrublands and The Dry.
A sleepy rural town ignites when a local girl goes missing. There are no suspects but plenty of people keeping secrets. But you know what happens to secrets, they don't stay secret forever. Fantastic read for all crime lovers but especially those who love Jane Harper and Chris Hammer. - Peter (QBD)
Guest, 21/01/2022
