Publication Date: December 1, 2024
Amid the rising flood waters and shearers’ strike violence, can one brave woman reclaim her future? From an Australian bestselling author comes a riveting historical adventure about one woman’s journey from a life of isolation to one of love and acceptance.
1894, Echuca, Victoria
Tess Hawthorn is a woman on the run from her abusive husband. All she has to do is get on the riverboat Victor and she will be free.
But with tensions at an all-time high between unionist shearers and Scabs, Tess isn’t the only person trying to board a boat under the cover of night. When a brawl erupts between the union and non-union men, Tess is mistaken for a fellow Scab and in the chaos pulled aboard the PS Rodney – the same boat heading up the Darling River that her husband was bound for.
The last person Bram Kempster expects to see on board is Tess Hawthorn, the girl he’s loved from afar since they were young. But he can’t afford to get distracted, not when he’s on an urgent trip to Renmark. Tess didn’t want him back then and, if her haughty behaviour is anything to go by, she certainly doesn’t want him now.
But childhood hurts are the least of their problems. The continent is a tinderbox of violence and bloodshed waiting to ignite, and at home the Murray River is rising fast. Can they overcome their past in time to work together and survive?
For 15 years, Tess Hawthorn has tried to deal with a loveless marriage, but when her husband becomes abusive, she knows it’s time to leave.
At the end of the 19th century in Echuca, Victoria, part of Australia, it was a dangerous time with the shearers on strike. Author Darry Fraser uses this setting to help build the suspense for The Night on the Darling River.
Tess plans to slip aboard a boat and disappear. However, she fails to take into account the discord between the union and the scab workers, both of whom happen to be at the docks. Not only does she get on the wrong boat, but she finds two familiar faces on board.
The last time Bram came to Tess’s rescue, he got a beating. Even though he has his own mission to take care of, he refuses to abandon her. Their shared history as childhood friends is evident, which is one of the reasons Tess turns to him for refuge later in the story during a massive flood.
As primary characters, both Tess and Bram are well-developed and relatable. Told from the perspective of multiple characters, the pace is solid. The author does a phenomenal job of integrating Australian historical events to build depth to the storyline. Take the violence surrounding the strike, add in a devastating flood, and then drop in a woman desperate for her freedom.
The Night on the Darling River takes readers back to a chaotic time filled with danger from both nature and human causes.
Currently. Darry Fraser writes empowering, feminist adventure fiction set in Australian history including Daughter of the Murray, Where the Murray River Runs, The Milliner of Bendigo, and her latest release, The Night on the Darling River. She has been published annually with HarperCollins Australia since 2016. Visit her at www.darryfraser.com.
