One man's search for the quickest road to wealth...

Patricia Shaw's Valley of Lagoons is a gripping saga of the pioneering men and women who pushed back the frontiers of Australia. The perfect read for fans of Tamara McKinley and Tricia McGill.

'Like Storm Bay, Valley of Lagoons is well-researched and compulsive reading' - Launceston Examiner

In 1825 the square-rigger Emma Jane sets sail from England, carrying on board convicts bound for the penal colonies and a handful of paying passengers determined to brave the perilous journey to a new land of opportunity - Australia. The settlers discover that the quickest road to wealth lies in laying claim to vast tracts of cattle-grazing land - though this soon brings them into conflict with fierce Aborigine tribes.

Aristocratic Jasin Heselwood, forced to flee England to avoid gambling debts, will stop at nothing to join the elite ranks of cattle kings. Double-crossing friend and foe alike, he starts a feud with the Irish squatter Pace MacNamara that has tragic consequences for both their families. But it is the women who are the true pioneers: Jasin's spoilt wife, Georgina, who refuses to be crushed by his ruthlessness or by his infidelities; and the convict girl Dolour, who is to be his Nemesis...

What readers are saying about Valley of Lagoons:

'Fascinating - a real page-turner'

'Wonderful story... landmarks were vivid and made one feel you were there with them'

'Grabbed me right from the start'