River of Salt

From the winner of the Ned Kelly Award for Best Crime Novel

1961, Philadelphia. After having to betray his brother to save his own life, hitman Blake Saunders flees the Mob and seeks refuge on the other side of the world. Though the ghosts of the past still haunt him, the tiny Australian town of Coral Shoals is paradise. Blake surfs, plays guitar and runs his own bar, the Surf Shack.

But then the body of a young woman is found at a local motel , and evidence links her to the Surf Shack. It soon becomes clear to Blake — who knows a thing or two about murder — that the only way for him to protect paradise is to find the killer.

“Part Goodfellas and part love letter to Australian coastal towns, this wonderfully imagined crime novel is like riding the perfect wave.” MICHAEL ROBOTHAM

"Dave Warner captures the heyday and spirit of the surf music scene perfectly. This is a pitch-perfect crime thriller of epic twists and turns." JIM SKIATHITIS , COMPOSER, GUITARIST, THE ATLANTICS