Dark Desert Road

Dark Desert Road

by

 Tim Ayliffe 

Kit McCarthy hasn't seen her identical twin sister, Billie, in more than a decade.

The sisters don't see eye to eye, which is understandable, considering Kit's a police officer and Billie followed their violent father into a life of crime.

Kit is no angel. Burnt out by years working in child protection, she has been accused of using excessive force in the arrest of a violent drunk. Kit has just been ordered to take time off work when she gets a frantic message from Billie, telling her she has a young son and that somebody is trying to kill her.

And then Billie disappears.

Determined to find her estranged sister, Kit's only lead comes after visiting their father in prison. Malcolm McCarthy claims Billie married a former United States Marine and has been living with a group of sovereign citizens in the desert country of the New South Wales Riverina.

Kit's journey to find Billie takes her through shuttered towns destroyed by drought, where everybody owns guns, nobody talks to cops, and people get lost for a reason.

Out here a war is brewing between a ruthless bikie gang and a separatist community that is re-engaging with society in the most violent way.

Kit will risk everything to find her sister and the nephew she never knew she had.

But does Billie really want to be saved?

This was my first Tim Ayliffe novel, and it definitely won’t be my last. It delivers all the excitement and tension you’d expect from a sharp, fast‑paced crime thriller.

The story dives into the dangerous world of sovereign citizens and bikie gangs—an explosive mix plotting violent action to broadcast their message. At the heart of it all are twin sisters: one a police officer, the other drawn into a life of crime. When a desperate call for help forces their paths to cross, the collision is intense.

The writing is strong, the pacing tight, and the narrative kept me fully engaged right to the final page.

Thank you to Echo Publishing and NetGalley for providing an ARC.