Bone Country
(2025)(The third book in the Kate Hayes Australian Outback Thriller series)
A novel by Phillip Strang
A decade of drought reveals what water once hid. A family's darkest secret surfaces with the bones.
When the eastern dam on Kanyaka Station dries completely after ten years of unprecedented drought, station hand Jack Morrison discovers human remains in the mud. Detective Sergeant Kate Hayes is called to investigate what appears to be a decades-old murder in one of South Australia's most remote regions.
The skeleton belongs to Tom Brennan, the youngest son of the powerful Brennan pastoral dynasty, who disappeared without a trace in March 1998. His family reported him missing, his car was found abandoned, and police concluded he'd left voluntarily—just another young man escaping the isolation of outback life.
But bones don't lie.
Tom died violently, killed by blunt force trauma and buried when the dam was full. Someone wrapped his body, weighted it down, and watched it sink into six metres of water where it would never be found.
Until the drought exposed the truth.
Kate faces a family closing ranks. The Brennans have ruled Kanyaka Station for four generations. They're wealthy, politically connected, and determined to protect their legacy. Matriarch Maggie Brennan insists Tom left—that her family would never harm him. David Brennan, who now runs the property, claims ignorance. But their stories don't match the evidence.
As Kate digs deeper, cracks appear. Tom wanted to sell his share of the station, which would have forced the liquidation of the entire property. The family had everything to lose. Helen Brennan, David's wife, heard arguments the night Tom disappeared. Rob Brennan, Tom's middle brother, suspected something was wrong but stayed silent for twenty-seven years.
When Kate finds blood evidence in the machinery shed and recovers the probable murder weapon, the family's secrets begin to unravel. Someone killed Tom that night. Someone helped hide the crime. And everyone in the family knows more than they're saying.
But exposing the truth means destroying a legacy built over four generations. As political pressure mounts and the family fights back, Kate must decide how far she'll go to give Tom Brennan justice—even if it means tearing apart one of rural Australia's most prominent families.
Set against the harsh beauty of the drought-stricken Flinders Ranges, THE BONE COUNTRY is a gripping investigation of family loyalty, buried secrets, and the price of truth.
Perfect for fans of Jane Harper, Chris Hammer, and Outback Noir mysteries that explore the darkness beneath Australia's remote communities.
Genre: Mystery
When the eastern dam on Kanyaka Station dries completely after ten years of unprecedented drought, station hand Jack Morrison discovers human remains in the mud. Detective Sergeant Kate Hayes is called to investigate what appears to be a decades-old murder in one of South Australia's most remote regions.
The skeleton belongs to Tom Brennan, the youngest son of the powerful Brennan pastoral dynasty, who disappeared without a trace in March 1998. His family reported him missing, his car was found abandoned, and police concluded he'd left voluntarily—just another young man escaping the isolation of outback life.
But bones don't lie.
Tom died violently, killed by blunt force trauma and buried when the dam was full. Someone wrapped his body, weighted it down, and watched it sink into six metres of water where it would never be found.
Until the drought exposed the truth.
Kate faces a family closing ranks. The Brennans have ruled Kanyaka Station for four generations. They're wealthy, politically connected, and determined to protect their legacy. Matriarch Maggie Brennan insists Tom left—that her family would never harm him. David Brennan, who now runs the property, claims ignorance. But their stories don't match the evidence.
As Kate digs deeper, cracks appear. Tom wanted to sell his share of the station, which would have forced the liquidation of the entire property. The family had everything to lose. Helen Brennan, David's wife, heard arguments the night Tom disappeared. Rob Brennan, Tom's middle brother, suspected something was wrong but stayed silent for twenty-seven years.
When Kate finds blood evidence in the machinery shed and recovers the probable murder weapon, the family's secrets begin to unravel. Someone killed Tom that night. Someone helped hide the crime. And everyone in the family knows more than they're saying.
But exposing the truth means destroying a legacy built over four generations. As political pressure mounts and the family fights back, Kate must decide how far she'll go to give Tom Brennan justice—even if it means tearing apart one of rural Australia's most prominent families.
Set against the harsh beauty of the drought-stricken Flinders Ranges, THE BONE COUNTRY is a gripping investigation of family loyalty, buried secrets, and the price of truth.
Perfect for fans of Jane Harper, Chris Hammer, and Outback Noir mysteries that explore the darkness beneath Australia's remote communities.
Genre: Mystery
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