‘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