MIDNIGHTSUN PUBLISHING HAS acquired world rights for Dirt Trap, the sequel to my rural noir debut Tank Water.

Publisher Anna Solding recently announced the news in Books + Publishing, Australia and New Zealand’s book trade paper.

“Fans of Michael’s Tank Water will be delighted with Dirt Trap as all the signature tension and intrigue continues, two decades on from the year that his debut was set,” she said.

“Dirt Trap will no doubt also attract new fans to the rural setting where prejudice lingers against anyone slightly different. 

“Michael has spun a new story that works as a standalone crime thriller and an exploration of justice for the loved ones left waiting after gay-hate crimes were swept under the rug.

“Readers who encounter Dirt Trap first can then read Tank Water as a prequel,” Solding said.

“The inimitable wry voice of main character, journalist James Brandt, is juxtaposed with two strong female voices in Sergeant Therese Lin and podcaster Rita Dillon.  

“We can’t wait to share this exceptional new novel with you.”

Edgy Books

Described by crime novelist R.W.R. McDonald as, “Crime fiction at its most vital,” the award-winning author of The Nancys said Dirt Trap is, “A fearless reckoning with queer history and institutional failure.”

I’m very grateful to Rob. It’s a wonderful validation to get such a supportive early endorsement for a novel, and I’m always fired-up about working with MidnightSun.

Anna and her team create beautiful, edgy books that tell important stories.

Her company is a truly independent outfit that punches well above its weight, and I’m elated to be continuing the storytelling cycle we started with Tank Water.

The inspiration behind Dirt Trap came from a Tank Water reader’s question, about how the rural Brandt family of my first novel would have coped with the long-running NSW special commission of inquiry into LGBTIQ+ hate crimes.

I started to type my answer when it struck me that there was a novel in it.

While reporting on that world-first inquiry into gay-hate crimes, I’d interviewed surviving family of some of the men caught up in the crime wave, and I’d witnessed their resilience and grief first-hand. It felt critical to explore these themes in fiction, which allows an emotional depth that’s not often possible in journalism.

Dirt Trap is set for a November release, distributed by NewSouth Books