cover image Seven Mile Beach

Seven Mile Beach

Tom Gilling, . . Grove/Black Cat, $14 (207pp) ISBN 978-0-8021-7059-0

Australian author Gilling (The Adventures of Miles and Isabel ) explores the perils of remaking oneself in this beguiling, darkly humorous tale. Nick Carmody’s status as a scholarship student and Danny Grogan’s wealthy background bonded them as “an alliance of outsiders” at boarding school. Nick’s now a journalist on a Sydney tabloid; Danny’s a drug-addicted nightclub owner. When Danny wrecks his sports car, Nick accepts a hefty sum from Danny’s father to claim he was the driver. But this was no ordinary accident—a man who may have been Danny’s drug dealer was killed. Rather than face jail, Nick flees, assuming the identity of a stranger. His new life has a good start, complete with a dog and a girlfriend, until he learns that other men who share his new name are ending up dead. Coincidence? Or is Nick being hunted by the drug dealer’s pals or Danny’s father? Gilling delivers a taut, suspenseful reflection on identity that never pauses for a breath. (June)