A Bec Whitfield Mystery

1925. Elspeth Valentine dreams of leaving Strathallyn Station to pursue an equestrian career in England. Instead, a fateful decision ties her to World War I veteran Thomas Delaney, setting off a series of events that ripple through generations. Present day. When policewoman Bec Whitfield accepts a transfer to Bowen River in remote Northern Queensland, she braces for a challenging return to her hometown and the strained relationship with her father.

When four backpackers vanish on Dunk Island in the wet tropics of North Queensland, Detective Bec Whitfield is thrust into a chilling search mission. The island’s natural beauty masks a dark reality, and as the days pass, the hunt grows desperate. Two bodies are discovered, but the others remain missing, and suspicions of foul play rise. As Bec digs deeper, she uncovers a disturbing connection—each of the missing women had a relationship with a well-known resident of the small town.

Detective Bec Whitfield thought she'd found paradise in tropical Mission Beach—and maybe even love with charming local developer Jake Morrison. But when Cyclone Meredith threatens the coast, emergency preparations uncover a twenty-year-old secret buried in concrete. The skeletal remains belong to Marcus "Moondog" Sullivan, a former Sydney property developer turned environmental activist who vanished in 2004 during heated battles over coastal development. Marcus had made powerful enemies on both sides of the conservation debate, and someone wanted him silenced permanently.

When investigative reporter Dominic Davidson is found floating beside his yacht at Dunk Island, the initial ruling is accidental drowning during a solo night dive. But Detective Bec Whitfield notices what others miss — the dive computer shows he never went deep, the bruising is all wrong, and his laptop has disappeared. Davidson was days away from exposing a corruption scandal that would destroy some of Far North Queensland's most powerful reef tour operators.