The Tattooed Arm

A romantic thriller set in Sydney, Australia in the nineteen-thirties. Dark and atmospheric, with an intriguing premise, the novel is pacey and tightly structured. A degree of psychological depth gives added interest. It’s nineteen thirty-five and Australia is emerging from the Great Depression. In Sydney, nightclubs and casinos are filling again. To fuel the good times, the demand for booze and drugs is on the rise. Emma is feeling pleased with herself. She’s achieved her life’s ambition, a comfortable marriage with two children and a wealthy boatyard owner husband. But her world of privilege and respectability is shattered when she discovers her husband, Paul, has gambled away all their money, and is smuggling cocaine to support their lifestyle. Emma struggles to present a reputable front to society, as her family is targeted by gangsters, her husband’s gay lover is uncovered as a police informant, and she is drawn into the arms of a charismatic murderer. When a captured shark regurgitates the informant’s tattooed arm, her husband is targeted, and Emma must fight a killer to save her family. The Tattooed Arm is a story of lust and love, of selfishness and sacrifice, and the search for honour in a world where none exists.