One-eyed Captain Jack Falconer is a man with many secrets. It's 1938, the eve of World War II, and a pearling lugger in the Torres Strait is the place he chooses to hide. But Jack's demons follow him out to sea and rise to the surface just as surely as the pearl shell his divers collect from the dangers of the deep.
Embittered, intelligent and self-destructive, Jack's only way to prove himself is to compete with, defeat and destroy the very weaknesses he fears.
Set in the expansive and beautiful Coral Sea, this bold combination of the claustrophobia of a small boat, its young crew and their dangerous Captain holds the reader breathless until the last page is turned. Judy Johnson is an award-winning poet with a special interest in bringing to life little known but fascinating aspects of Australia's history. Prizes for her historical narratives include the Banjo Paterson Award, which she won three years in a row, and the Val Vallis Award. She has been the recipient of three New Work Grants from the Literature Board of the Australia Council, is currently working on another historical novel. Judy Johnson lives on the NSW Central Coast.
