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Table of Contents
About The Book
A corpse on a dry lakebed. A father presumed dead. One deadly secret connects them both.
From the bestselling author of Smoke comes a gripping new crime thriller set in a town where nothing is as it seems.
Lake Heddon is dying. Once a thriving community, it now sits in the shadow of a nearly vanished lake, its future evaporating with every passing day.
When Aaron Love discovers a fresh corpse on the cracked lakebed, the murder sends shockwaves through the struggling town. But among the evidence lies an even more disturbing revelation: proof that Aaron's father—a man believed dead for years—may still be alive.
Driven to uncover the truth, Aaron is drawn into a dangerous world of organised crime, corruption, and betrayal. Teaming up with haunted detective Martyn Kravets, he follows a trail of secrets that reaches far beyond the town's dusty streets and into a conspiracy powerful enough to silence anyone who gets too close.
As the body count rises and long-buried lies begin to surface, Aaron must discover what really happened to his father before he becomes the next victim.
Dark, atmospheric, and packed with twists, Dust is a compelling Australian crime thriller about family secrets, corruption, and the relentless pursuit of truth.
From the bestselling author of Smoke comes a gripping new crime thriller set in a town where nothing is as it seems.
Lake Heddon is dying. Once a thriving community, it now sits in the shadow of a nearly vanished lake, its future evaporating with every passing day.
When Aaron Love discovers a fresh corpse on the cracked lakebed, the murder sends shockwaves through the struggling town. But among the evidence lies an even more disturbing revelation: proof that Aaron's father—a man believed dead for years—may still be alive.
Driven to uncover the truth, Aaron is drawn into a dangerous world of organised crime, corruption, and betrayal. Teaming up with haunted detective Martyn Kravets, he follows a trail of secrets that reaches far beyond the town's dusty streets and into a conspiracy powerful enough to silence anyone who gets too close.
As the body count rises and long-buried lies begin to surface, Aaron must discover what really happened to his father before he becomes the next victim.
Dark, atmospheric, and packed with twists, Dust is a compelling Australian crime thriller about family secrets, corruption, and the relentless pursuit of truth.
About The Author
credit to come
Michael Brissenden was a journalist and foreign correspondent with the ABC for 35 years. He was posted to Moscow, Brussels and Washington, and worked in Canberra for many years in various roles, including as the political editor for ABC-TV's 7.30 and as a reporter with the ABC's investigative television documentary program Four Corners. Michael has published four books, including his highly successful 2024 release Smoke and the number one bestseller Dust, published in 2025.
Product Details
- Publisher: Affirm Press (August 26, 2025)
- Length: 320 pages
- ISBN13: 9781761637124
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Raves and Reviews
'One of the best books I’ve read this year.'
– Good Reading
'A deeply human, timely and utterly compelling crime novel, one of the very best to come out of Australia in recent years'.
– The NZ Herald
'Heartbreakingly good.'
– The Age/The Sydney Morning Herald
‘Masterful. A new classic of Australian crime fiction.’
– Chris Hammer
‘Atmospheric, dark. Brissenden takes us to dangerous worlds we never want to escape.’
– Candice Fox
‘Beneath the surface of a gripping thriller, Brissenden shows how the powerful, if left unchecked, can be too willing to exploit the powerless. Dust is a disturbing, yet utterly compelling portrayal of the growing fractures in our modern society. You won’t want to put it down.’
– Mark Brandi
‘Dust is a story about what we leave behind, how far we’ll go, and what it takes to rise up. Brissenden always reaches for just the right detail. This is smart, thoughtful, raw: rural crime done right. Brissenden is a must-read!’
– Hayley Scrivenor
‘In the well-serviced market of Australian rural noir, it takes something exceptional to stand out: Michael Brissenden’s Dust has that X-factor in spades. As timely as a social media news feed, Dust’s hyper-contemporary plot taps the vein of present-day Australia’s deepest anxieties and presents them here in a vivid, page-turning thriller. Brissenden’s sparse, hard-edged prose crackles with authority, his skills as a celebrated journalist obvious in the ultra-sharp descriptions and genuinely fresh subject matter. Dust heralds an exciting new phase in the career of one of Australia’s finest reporters and cements Brissenden as a crime heavyweight.’
– James McKenzie-Watson
'Michael Brissenden always delivers. Great characters, layered plots - every story a thrilling ride into the darkest corners of our world. It’s why he’s one of Australia’s most bankable crimes writers.’
– Tim Ayliffe
‘Searing and raw, beautiful and tender for its profound humanity, Dust ventures where few dare – to the true, blistered Australian climate-changed outback, and to the desperate lives and brutal deaths that unfold on its margins. A superb novel, confronting and oh-so real.’
– Paul Daley
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