Jingera Trilogy Series

1957. After the death of her husband, pianist Ilona Talivaldis and her nine-year-old daughter Zidra travel to the remote coastal town of Jingera in New South Wales. Ilona, a concentration camp survivor from Latvia, is searching for peace and the opportunity to start anew. In her beautiful vine-covered cottage on the edge of the lagoon, she has plans to set herself up as a piano teacher._x000D_ The weeks pass, and slowly mother and daughter get to know the townsfolk: kind-hearted butcher George Cadwallader, who is forever gazing at the stars; his son, Jim, a boy wise beyond his years; Peter Vincent, former wartime pilot and prisoner-of-war; and Cherry Bates, the publican's wife, who is about to make a horrifying discovery . . ._x000D_ For Jingera is not quite the utopia Ilona imagines it to be - and the one thing she holds dear is at risk.

It is the spring of 1961, and the sleepy little town of Jingera is at its most perfect with its clear blue skies, pounding surf and breathtaking lagoon. Yet all is not so perfect behind closed doors. George Cadwallader - butcher by day and stargazer by night - is loved by everyone, except his wife. He only wants the best for his family, yet it's all falling apart. Philip Chapman is a sensitive young boy, a musical prodigy - and a target for bullies. But with his wealthy parents indifferent to his cries for help, his entire future is at risk. Then there's Ilona Vincent and her daughter Zidra, former refugees, now fully-fledged 'Jingeroids'. When a voice from the past reaches out to them, they're soon in a race against time to reunite a family that has been cruelly torn apart . . .

Back in 1957, nine-year-old Zidra Vincent met Jim Cadwallader for the first time. Fourteen years later, their bond of friendship - forged during childhood in the beautiful coastal town of Jingera - is still strong. But is friendship all they dream of? Jim is now a respected war correspondent in Cambodia. Meanwhile, Zidra is an ambitious reporter at the SYDNEY MORNING CHRONICLE, and the seeds of a major story have just landed in her lap. Life is looking good - if only she could share it with the man who knows her best . . . Then, while at work in the newsroom one morning, Zidra catches sight of a wire service bulletin. A story out of Cambodia. The body of a Western journalist has been discovered near Phnom Penh. And her world begins to collapse around her.