Jack of Diamonds (106 page)

A Vietnam Vet returns to an Australia that regards him as a mercenary guilty of war crimes.

Thommo begins to develop all kinds of physical and mental problems, and thinks it must only be him until he finds that he is not alone. Ten mates, all ‘who remain of his platoon’, are affected in the same way.

Now Thommo and his mates are eleven angry men out for revenge. They rope in an ex-Viet Cong with ‘special skills’and his own secret agenda. They’re the ‘Dirty Dozen’, just like the movie. Only it’s real life, and they’re so screwed up they couldn’t fight their way out of a wet paper bag.

That is, until a woman of character steps in. Wendy’s infant daughter is dying and needs a transplant. She set out to mould this bunch of ex-jungle fighters into a unit that will fight for justice, by fair means or foul.

Hell hath no fury . . .

This is the story of two families – branches of the Solomons – transported to an alien land, both of whom eventually grow rich and powerful but who, through three generations, never for one moment relinquish their hatred for each other. It is also the story of our country from the beginning until we came of age as a nation.

I have learned a great deal about Australia and those things which concern us as a people and make us, in many ways, who we are today. To write this book, I visited Gallipoli and came away deeply saddened by the terrible waste of our young blood. We would never be quite the same again. It has been a grand adventure and I hope that you will find Solomon’s Song a good and powerful story. No writer can possibly hope for more.

Bryce Courtenay

Jessica is based on the inspiring true story of a young girl’s fight for justice against tremendous odds

A tomboy, Jessica is the pride of her father, as they work together on the struggling family farm. One quiet day, the peace of the bush is devastated by a terrible murder. Only Jessica is able to save the killer from the lynch mob – but will justice prevail in the courts?

Nine months later, a baby is born . . . with Jessica determined to guard the secret of the father’s identity. The rivalry of Jessica and her beautiful sister for the love of the same man will echo throughout their lives – until finally the truth must be told.

Set in the harsh Australian bush against the outbreak of World War I, this novel is heartbreaking in its innocence, and shattering in its brutality.

Bryce Courtenay has created an unforgettable story of the enduring bond between two brothers.

Brutally kidnapped and separated in childhood, Tommo and Hawk are reunited at the age of fifteen in Hobart Town. Together they escape their troubled pasts and set off on a journey into manhood. From whale hunting in the Pacific to the Maori wars of New Zealand, from the Rocks in Sydney to the miners’ riots in the goldfields, Tommo and Hawk must learn each other’s strengths and weaknesses in order to survive.

Along the way, Hawk meets the outrageous Maggie Pye, who brings love and laughter into his life. But the demons of Tommo’s past return to haunt the brothers. With Tommo at his side, Hawk takes on a fight against all odds to save what they cherish most.

An epic tale of adventure and romance from Australia’s bestselling author.

Mrs Moses is a small woman with a big heart and enormous courage.

The only survivor of a Cossack raid on her village, she takes with her a big cast-iron frying pan, so heavy that she can only sling it over her back. Yet this is no ordinary frying pan – it’s The Family Frying Pan, blessed with a Russian soul.

From this frying pan Mrs Moses manages to feed the various refugees who are travelling with her across Russia to freedom. In return, each of the group must tell a story around the campfire at night – stories of compassion and bravery, of human frailty and, above all, of hope.

The Family Frying Pan
is Bryce Courtenay at his storytelling best.

Ikey Solomon’s favourite saying is also his way of doing business. And in the business of thieving, he’s very successful indeed. Ikey’s partner in crime is his mistress, the forthright Mary Abacus, until misfortune befalls them. They are parted and each must make the harsh journey from thriving nineteenth-century London to the convict settlement of Van Diemen’s Land.

In the backstreets and dives of Hobart Town, Mary learns the art of brewing and builds the Potato Factory, where she plans a new future. But her ambitions are threatened by Ikey’s wife, Hannah, her old enemy. The two women raise their separate families, one legitimate and the other bastard. As each woman sets out to destroy the other, the families are brought to the edge of disaster.

A Recipe for Dreaming
is a little treasure of wise words and beautiful images. With insight, humour and a deep sense of humanity, Bryce Courtenay inspires us to become dreamers and questioners, creators of lives that are rich and rewarding. Illuminating these musings are the superb visual poems of Anie Williams.

In the end, love is more important than everything and it will conquer and overcome anything. Or that’s how Damon saw it, anyway. Damon wanted a book that talked a lot about love.

Damon Courtenay died on the morning of April Fool’s Day. In this tribute to his son, Bryce Courtenay lays bare the suffering behind this young man’s life. Damon’s story is one of lifelong struggle, his love for Celeste, the compassion of family, and a fight to the end for integrity.

A testimony to the power of love,
April Fool’s Day
is also about understanding: how when we confront our worst, we can become our best.

This life-affirming book will change the way you think.

Tandia sat waiting anxiously for the fight to begin between the man she loved the most and the man she hated the most in the world.

Tandia is a child of Africa: half Indian, half African, beautiful and intelligent, she is only sixteen when she is first brutalised by the police. Her fear of the white man leads her to join the black resistance movement, where she trains as a terrorist.