The Maya Thorne Australian Outback Series: Books 7-12
(2025)(A book in the Maya Thorne Australian Outback Thriller series)
An omnibus of novels by Phillip Strang
In Warragulla, the powerful don't just bury their secrets—they kill to keep them that way.
Detective Maya Thorne has made her peace with the town that broke her. She's back for good, navigating the treacherous currents of a community where founding families control everything from council chambers to morning tea gossip. But when corruption runs this deep, every investigation becomes personal.
From race-fixing schemes that fund entire operations to historical land fraud that shaped the district, from medical negligence protected by desperate officials to wool industry deceptions spanning generations—Maya confronts crimes where the real criminal enterprise isn't hidden in shadows. It's embedded in Warragulla's power structure itself.
Six investigations. Six environmental catastrophes. One detective is determined to expose the rot.
A dust storm isolates a murder scene at the annual races. Drought reveals property fraud dating back decades. Bushfire smoke provides cover for staged accidents. In each case, nature strips away the careful facades, forcing Maya to choose between the town's stability and the truth.
But Warragulla's founding families didn't maintain control for a century by playing fair. They've perfected the art of protection: manipulated records, convenient silences, witnesses who suddenly remember things differently. And when investigation threatens their carefully constructed legacy, they respond with the same ruthlessness that built their empires.
Maya isn't just fighting murderers—she's dismantling the systems that enabled them. Each case pulls her deeper into a web that connects corrupt officials, corporate interests, and historical crimes that everyone has agreed to forget. With Sergeant Luke Carver watching her navigate loyalties he's never questioned, Maya discovers that challenging Warragulla's power structure means confronting her own family's place within it.
Because in a town where drought has stripped away everything but secrets, the most dangerous people aren't the ones who commit murder—they're the ones who decide it never happened.
This collection includes:
Detective Maya Thorne has made her peace with the town that broke her. She's back for good, navigating the treacherous currents of a community where founding families control everything from council chambers to morning tea gossip. But when corruption runs this deep, every investigation becomes personal.
From race-fixing schemes that fund entire operations to historical land fraud that shaped the district, from medical negligence protected by desperate officials to wool industry deceptions spanning generations—Maya confronts crimes where the real criminal enterprise isn't hidden in shadows. It's embedded in Warragulla's power structure itself.
Six investigations. Six environmental catastrophes. One detective is determined to expose the rot.
A dust storm isolates a murder scene at the annual races. Drought reveals property fraud dating back decades. Bushfire smoke provides cover for staged accidents. In each case, nature strips away the careful facades, forcing Maya to choose between the town's stability and the truth.
But Warragulla's founding families didn't maintain control for a century by playing fair. They've perfected the art of protection: manipulated records, convenient silences, witnesses who suddenly remember things differently. And when investigation threatens their carefully constructed legacy, they respond with the same ruthlessness that built their empires.
Maya isn't just fighting murderers—she's dismantling the systems that enabled them. Each case pulls her deeper into a web that connects corrupt officials, corporate interests, and historical crimes that everyone has agreed to forget. With Sergeant Luke Carver watching her navigate loyalties he's never questioned, Maya discovers that challenging Warragulla's power structure means confronting her own family's place within it.
Because in a town where drought has stripped away everything but secrets, the most dangerous people aren't the ones who commit murder—they're the ones who decide it never happened.
This collection includes:
- Final Stretch - Race-fixing, murder, and a dust storm that buries evidence
Shotgun Council - A staged suicide exposes seventy years of land fraud and manipulation
Broken Fences - Agricultural sabotage and corporate interests worth killing for
The Sheep's Back - Wool industry corruption and systematic betrayal
Last Orders - A publican's memoir threatens powerful families
Prescription for Murder - Medical negligence is protected by those who value convenience over lives
Perfect for fans of Jane Harper, Tana French, and atmospheric crime fiction where the landscape is as unforgiving as the criminals.
Genre: Mystery
Used availability for Phillip Strang's The Maya Thorne Australian Outback Series: Books 7-12