Cover

About the Book

IF YOU ENCOUNTER THE BLACK WIND WHILE OUT THERE AT SEA, ALL YOU CAN DO IS RACE BACK TO SHORE. THERE’S NO PREDICTING IT, NO SAILING IT, NO LIVING WITH IT. AND IF YOU’RE A DEMPSEY, IT CAN PLAY TRICKS ON YOUR MIND . . .

On the Tasman Peninsula, nestled amidst the largest sea-cliffs in the southern hemisphere, is Shacktown. Here the Dempsey family have run a drug ring for generations, using the fishing industry and the deadly Black Wind as cover. But when thirteen-year-old Forest Dempsey walks out of the ocean, bruised and branded, everything is at risk – because Forest has been presumed dead for the last seven years.

Mackerel Dempsey, out of jail on strict bail conditions, is trying to change his fate, doing his best to keep out of trouble. His cousin Ahab has renounced the family altogether, in favour of working to keep the town and its fragile tourism economy safe. But in their search for answers about Forest, both Mackerel and Ahab can’t help but be drawn back into the underworld. What happened to the boy all those years ago? And does it have anything to do with the infamous drug kingpin Blackbeard, who is rumoured to be moving in on Shacktown?

When secrets long thought buried at sea wash up on shore, generations of the Dempsey family must stand up for what they believe in, even if it means sacrificing everything. But in the gritty fight between right and wrong, blood isn’t always thicker than water, and everyone is at risk of being pulled under . . .

From the bestselling author of The Bluffs comes a heart-stopping new thriller set on the rugged coast of Tasmania about modern-day pirates, family bonds and betrayals, and the hidden dangers that lurk in the deep.

Dedication

Ryan Barber,
wouldn’t have made it without you.

I pay my respects to the traditional custodians of country, the Paredarerme, who are the custodians of Teralina and Turrakana – also known as Eaglehawk Neck and the Tasman Peninsula. I pay my respects to elders past, present and emerging.

I acknowledge today’s Aboriginal community on all Lutruwita, who are the custodians of this island, and I recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture.

Epigraph

Black Wind at morning, sailors take warning.

Black Wind at night, death is in sight.

Maritime saying of the Tasman Peninsula

The sirens of the Tasman Peninsula are known to be evil creatures who lure sailors to their deaths . . . Their songs were reported to be haunting and beautiful, sweeping many people into the deep . . .

From Folktales of Tasmania, by Cheryl Stirling

When first I heard the sirens’ song,

’twas out upon the sea.

Their gaze was hot, their hunger high.

A coward, I did flee –

terror, I flew, to my domain.

But she did follow me,

far from that misty bounding main,

the Black Wind of the sea.

Now ever I must flee,

there is no peace for me.