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Table of Contents
About The Book
The accused women are already as good as dead.
The only thing standing between them and an angry outback town is a British diplomat who has no idea what he's walked into.
When Benedict Fotheringham-Gaskill arrives in the remote town of The Leap, he expects a difficult assignment.
Instead, he finds a community consumed by grief, rage and a thirst for revenge.
A young woman is dead. Two local women stand accused of her murder. The townspeople have already decided they're guilty—and they're demanding blood.
But Benedict has been sent to do the unthinkable: secure mercy for the accused.
Far from home and hopelessly out of his depth, Benedict soon discovers that The Leap is a place built on buried secrets, simmering prejudice and generations of violence. Every question he asks makes him another enemy. Every step towards the truth puts him in greater danger.
Because in The Leap, justice is the last thing anyone wants.
As the town closes ranks and the threats grow darker, Benedict finds himself fighting not only for the future of the accused women, but for his own sanity—and ultimately, his life.
A gripping outback thriller packed with dark humour, unforgettable characters, blistering historical truths and a stunning final twist you won't see coming.
Perfect for fans of Chris Hammer, Jane Harper, Garry Disher and Trent Dalton.
The only thing standing between them and an angry outback town is a British diplomat who has no idea what he's walked into.
When Benedict Fotheringham-Gaskill arrives in the remote town of The Leap, he expects a difficult assignment.
Instead, he finds a community consumed by grief, rage and a thirst for revenge.
A young woman is dead. Two local women stand accused of her murder. The townspeople have already decided they're guilty—and they're demanding blood.
But Benedict has been sent to do the unthinkable: secure mercy for the accused.
Far from home and hopelessly out of his depth, Benedict soon discovers that The Leap is a place built on buried secrets, simmering prejudice and generations of violence. Every question he asks makes him another enemy. Every step towards the truth puts him in greater danger.
Because in The Leap, justice is the last thing anyone wants.
As the town closes ranks and the threats grow darker, Benedict finds himself fighting not only for the future of the accused women, but for his own sanity—and ultimately, his life.
A gripping outback thriller packed with dark humour, unforgettable characters, blistering historical truths and a stunning final twist you won't see coming.
Perfect for fans of Chris Hammer, Jane Harper, Garry Disher and Trent Dalton.
About The Author
Photograph © Mike Bowers
Paul Daley is an author, journalist, essayist and short story writer. His books have been shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s History Prize and ACT Book of the Year. He has won two Walkley Awards and the National Press Club Award for Excellence in Press Gallery Journalism. His essays have appeared in Meanjin and Griffith Review, and he writes ‘Postcolonial’, a column for The Guardian about Australian national identity, history and Indigenous culture. His literary novel Jesustown was published to great acclaim in 2022. Author website pauldaleywrites.com and Instagram @pauldaleywrites
Product Details
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Australia (July 29, 2025)
- Length: 352 pages
- ISBN13: 9781761632532
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Raves and Reviews
‘Propulsive, confronting, compelling. A masterpiece.’
– Chris Hammer, author of The Valley
'The Leap is a modern Wake in Fright. Confronting, tragic, brutal, compassionate and funny. A brilliant examination of the prejudice and violence that lies at the heart of this country. A novel that speaks truth about crimes past and present.'
– Michael Brissenden, author of Smoke
‘This novel is an explosion of truth-telling about Australia’s bloody past, taking us on a tumultuous outback crime adventure, sometimes hilarious and often outrageous.’
– Julie Janson, author of Benevolence
‘Paul Daley's vivid rendering of an outback town ruled by fear, alcohol and barely suppressed violence, damned by a malevolent and unspoken past, is unforgettable. It will disturb your nights.’
– Tony Wright, journalist
‘Paul Daley shatters the great Australian silence with a penetrating story that reveals the truth and trauma of Country. From his elegant and excavating pen comes another important and revelatory work.’
– Nick Bryant, journalist and author of The Forever War
A Wake in Fright for the 21st century. Savage, hilarious and ultimately profound, The Leap hurtles into Australia’s heart of darkness with exhilarating results.’
– James Bradley, author of Landfall
‘Unflinching, razor-edged and raw. Another tour de force by Paul Daley.’
– Joanna Jenkins, author of The Bluff
‘Paul Daley continues his ongoing examination of the frontier's lasting effects, repainting Wake in Fright's Bundanyabba hellmouth with a twenty-first century understanding of dispossession and racial division. Here are the drinking culture, the unconcealed bloodlust and the deluded squattocracy, all seen through the baffled eyes of a post-empire Briton. Only a writer of Daley's quality could bring empathy and nuance to the canon of Australian bush noir.’
– Jock Serong, author of Cherrywood
‘Propulsive, confronting, compelling. A masterpiece.’
– Chris Hammer, author of The Valley
'The Leap is a modern Wake in Fright. Confronting, tragic, brutal, compassionate and funny. A brilliant examination of the prejudice and violence that lies at the heart of this country. A novel that speaks truth about crimes past and present.'
– Michael Brissenden, author of Smoke
‘This novel is an explosion of truth-telling about Australia’s bloody past, taking us on a tumultuous outback crime adventure, sometimes hilarious and often outrageous.’
– Julie Janson, author of Benevolence
‘Paul Daley's vivid rendering of an outback town ruled by fear, alcohol and barely suppressed violence, damned by a malevolent and unspoken past, is unforgettable. It will disturb your nights.’
– Tony Wright, journalist
‘Paul Daley shatters the great Australian silence with a penetrating story that reveals the truth and trauma of Country. From his elegant and excavating pen comes another important and revelatory work.’
– Nick Bryant, journalist and author of The Forever War
A Wake in Fright for the 21st century. Savage, hilarious and ultimately profound, The Leap hurtles into Australia’s heart of darkness with exhilarating results.’
– James Bradley, author of Landfall
‘Unflinching, razor-edged and raw. Another tour de force by Paul Daley.’
– Joanna Jenkins, author of The Bluff
‘Paul Daley continues his ongoing examination of the frontier's lasting effects, repainting Wake in Fright's Bundanyabba hellmouth with a twenty-first century understanding of dispossession and racial division. Here are the drinking culture, the unconcealed bloodlust and the deluded squattocracy, all seen through the baffled eyes of a post-empire Briton. Only a writer of Daley's quality could bring empathy and nuance to the canon of Australian bush noir.’
– Jock Serong, author of Cherrywood
Resources and Downloads
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Book Cover Image (jpg): The Leap
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Author Photo (jpg): Paul Daley Photograph © Mike Bowers(0.1 MB)
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