The Great Divide

Twisted Secrets. Hidden Victims. Monstrous Crimes.

A city detective hunts a killer through a fog of lies in small town Tasmania.

In the rural Tasmanian town of Dunton the body of a former headmistress of a children's home is discovered, revealing a tortured life and death.

Detective Jake Hunter, newly-arrived, searches for her killer among past residents of the home. He unearths pain, secrets and broken adults. Pushing aside memories of his own treacherous past, Jake focuses all his energy on the investigation.

Why are some of the children untraceable? What caused such damage among the survivors?

The identity of the murderer seems hidden from Jake by Dunton's fog of prejudice and lies, until he is forced to confront not only the town's history but his own nature...

The Great Divide is a new, darker tale from the author of the popular Dr Pimms, Intermillennial Sleuth mysteries: Olmec Obituary (2015), Mayan Mendacity (2016), and Egyptian Enigma (2018).

This is gripping, atmospheric, rural Australian crime fiction at its best.

For fans of Jane Harper, Val McDermid, Kathy Reichs and Emma Viskic.

Dr L.J.M. Owen drew on her own childhood in small town Australia to explore the shared experiences of children becoming adults in a world that has cast them aside. The novel explores the lingering impacts of being deemed 'less than' by one's own community, reflecting the silent anguish of many.

L.J. holds a PhD in genetics, speaks five languages, and directs the Tasmanian Crime Writers Festival.

The Great Divide
Echo Publishing
Author: Dr L.J.M. Owen
RRP: $29.99