The Mistress of Dara Island

The captivating new novel from the author of Those Hamilton Sisters and The Girls of Lake Evelyn for readers of Lucinda Riley.

A tropical paradise is her birthright ... but will its dark secrets destroy her dreams?

In the 1960s, a tropical island in the Coral Sea hides dark secrets behind its primordial beauty.

Thalia - Tally - Ramsey has grown up barefoot, wild and free on the island purchased by her maternal grandfather. It is a paradise with two faces: an idyllic honeymoon resort for the rich and famous; and an untamed coastline with steeply rising peaks covered in impenetrable jungle.

Tally has always known she will one day become the Mistress of Dara Island in her mother Nerissa’s stead. A belief founded on her mother’s promise. But as she matures, her determination and wilfulness bring her into conflict with her ruthless father, ’Bullshark’ Richard Ramsey, a powerful figure feared by everyone, including his wife. Ultimately, Tally must face the heartbreaking realisation that her promised future is slipping from her grasp.

After a sudden disappearance from the island, Tally embarks on a desperate search that leads her deep into Dara’s treacherous wilderness, a journey that will challenge all her assumptions about herself, her home and the people she loves.

Praise for Averil Kenny

’[A] fresh, original and evocative coming-of-age story’ Tea Cooper, author of The Woman in the Green Dress on Those Hamilton Sisters

’This novel is an intelligent, assured family saga which packs an emotional punch’ Meg Keneally, author of Fled and The Wreck on Those Hamilton Sisters

Averil Kenny grew up on a dairy farm and began work in the tourism industry at a young age. She studied Education at James Cook University, before completing a Bachelor of Journalism at the University of Queensland. She currently lives in Far North Queensland with her husband and four children. When not dreaming up stories, she can be found nestled in her favourite yellow wingback chair reading and sipping tea, in her library overlooking the rainforest.