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 Kedalak and Malkar, 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 little do they know that the Whistling Man is hunting them too.

Details

Meg Caddy

Meg Caddy is a West Australian YA novelist with three published novels. Their first novel, a standalone YA fantasy titled Waer, was shortlisted for the CBCA Book of the Year Award. Their second novel, Devil’s Ballast, was longlisted for the CBCA Book of the Year Award and shortlisted for the Readings Young Adult Book Prize (2020), and their third, Slipping the Noose, was longlisted for both the CBCA Book of the Year Award (2023) and the ARA Historical Novel Prize (2022). Meg identifies as nonbinary and asexual. In 2015 they completed an Honours degree in English/History, writing on the Golden Age of Piracy. They completed their PhD in Creative Writing in 2025. When they're not writing, elbows-deep in archives or chasing around their toddler, Meg plays an unhealthy amount of Dungeons & Dragons.