A Flash in the Dust
by Meg Caddy

A gripping historical YA thriller, with a dash of queer romance. Think the bushranger version of Fingersmith by Sarah Waters.

Recommended age: 14+

A$21.99

(Paperback)

Ships on 2/06/2026

Overview

1899, Fremantle Asylum, Western Australia. For three years now, Gilberta Brady has kept quiet and stayed out of trouble, hoping to soon be released. But when Norah Devaney screams into the ward with revenge in her heart and a story no-one believes, Brady’s carefully guarded peace is shattered.

On the run and out of options, they collide with Malkar and Kedalak, Nyungar brothers on their own journey home. They form an unlikely gang of bushrangers and embark on a dangerous mission: track down the man who killed Norah’s mum.

But the Whistling Man is hunting them too.

Details

Rhiannon Wilde

‘Lyrical and thrilling with a singular, insistent voice and cast of characters. This is a carefully woven, gorgeous story of identity, found family and self-determination that heroes historical queerness and gently lifts it from the margins of the archive to plant it firmly in the Oz YA canon.’

Lili Wilkinson

‘Brutal, brave, beautiful – a gripping story of adventure, escape and queer love.’

Meg Caddy

Meg Caddy is a West Australian YA novelist with three published novels. Their first three novels, Waer, Devil's Ballast and Slipping the Noose, have been short- and longlisted for awards including the CBCA Book of the Year Award, the Readings Young Adult Book Prize and the ARA Historical Novel Prize. Meg is nonbinary and asexual. They have completed an Honours degree in English/History, writing on the Golden Age of Piracy, and a PhD in Creative Writing. When they're not writing, elbows-deep in archives or chasing around their toddler, Meg plays an unhealthy amount of Dungeons & Dragons.