Retribution

Retribution

by Richard Anderson
published 2018
Ligature finest
genre Crime · Noir

‘This powerful novel has thrills and emotions to spare … the evocation of dust and heat all come together for a tense tale of human emotions at their rawest. A genuine discovery and a unique voice.’
—Maxim Jakubowski, Crime Time

‘[A] slow-burning thriller that reads like a neo-Western…vividly captures the vast, rugged landscape and the brutal intensity of the heat in the back country.’
—Declan Burke, The Irish Times

‘Retribution is a ripping thriller, deeply Australian, and an absolute must-read for all crime fans.’
—Better Reading

Graham Sweetapple is down on his luck and full of righteous grievance. Chased from the land that should be his inheritance, he balances the ledger by stealing horses from more fortunate neighbours. It’s nothing personal.

Until a local mining magnate hires him to steal Retribution, a fabled racehorse who captivates Sweetapple with her spirit and her perfection. Will he really be able to deliver the horse to the venal and undeserving Statham?

He’s not the only one with a bone to pick with the bush tycoon. There’s Carson, the shopgirl who’s attracted his unwelcome attention. Luke, who’s been hung out to dry by his mining company. Even his wife resents his philandering.

As their paths intertwine, they find themselves in an uneasy alliance that could punish Latham and set them all free — including Retribution — or lead them into ruin.

Retribution is a thrilling story of rural noir, as spare and evocative as the outback and all its buried secrets.