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A gripping Autobiographical Novel that seamlessly meshes fact with fiction, providing readers with a spine-tingling story and a glimpse into what it was really like for the early female police officers in Australia.
In the 1980s Tess is transferred to a country station with all male colleagues and whilst battling the boys’ club at work, she is also dealing with being stalked in her private life. With the stalker becoming more threatening, she must face her fears and work outside the law to put a stop to him. Her actions change his and her lives forever.
Hoping that 29 years is long enough for him to have let go, Tess ventures into the world of online dating after her divorce. She finds the online exposure daunting and is plagued by the question and the fear - Is he still out there seeking revenge?
Readers of Crime Fiction, Thriller or Memoir will all find this story a compelling read.
The story follows Tess, who now retired from the police runs her own business as a florist and is looking at exploring the world of online dating – but an online presence makes her nervous that someone might track her down, someone in particular that was responsible for a harrowing experience as a female police officer in a small rural town in Queensland.
I loved reading it... For fans of thrillers, crime fiction and those looking for some insight into the lives of women in the police force. (tk.reads review)
It was hard to put your book "Rank" down. The way you devised your chapters with the story in the present and then the story in the past drove the motivations, memories and context of the whole narrative forward. I particularly liked your chapter endings. You nailed the development of suspense!
Sometimes one story became so scary that I would breathe a sigh of relief to be back in the other story at a much calmer point.
This was a frightening and alarming story that had me in suspense...
Highly recommended
(@bianca_mal_)
In a place and a time where most choices are taken from you, Jemma has a big decision to make. Stay in the confines of Cherbourg Aboriginal Community and look after her Nan, or run away to begin a new life with Syd. Nan has always been her rock, but Syd is the love of her life.
At midnight on the full moon Jemma must make her choice.
In the 1970s the Queensland police have a poor reputation for their interactions with Indigenous people, but young policewoman Tess is new to town and as yet uninfluenced by the pervasive racism. On her first visit to Cherbourg she finds a whole world she never knew existed and questions that she had never imagined. But finding the right answers really comes down to who you ask.
A unique perspective on life in and around Cherbourg—a small Queensland town with a big history.
RED DIRT BLUE LIGHTS (AndAlso Books 2025) is a slim novel by ex-policewoman Tess Merlin that provides an important insight into life in the community of Cherbourg in the 1970’s.
The novella is prefaced by a Foreword from Uncle Eric Law AM and informed by Merlin’s past experience as a Queensland police officer, and her knowledge-gathering visit to the Ration Shed Museum at Cherbourg (which sounds fascinating). As Uncle Eric says, to learn about the history of Cherbourg is ‘to change trauma into wisdom’...
With themes of aging, passion, longing, Home, Country, conflict, intergenerational trauma and familial responsibility, this book explores the tragic history of this country’s treatment of our First Nations’ people, the terrible conditions and racism that existed in the 1970’s (a precursor to what continues today in many places), and the remarkable connection the characters have to their land, their ancestors, and their history.
While the book traverses uncomfortable and complex themes (even in such a short novella), it also offers understanding and a story of hope and optimism, demonstrating that even in the most difficult circumstances, the human spirit can overcome momentous hurdles, and to show the courage and unrelenting commitment to self-determination of First Nations’ people. (Cass Moriarty)
It's not often I read a book and then drive three hours to see where it's set but I was utterly compelled to visit The Ration Shed Museum at Cherbourg and learn more after reading the beautiful and confronting Red Dirt Blue Lights by Tess Merlin... (Poppy Gee)
A story that puts the human into humanity. Reiterating that respect and compassion alongside empathy can make a difference and build bridges... Heartfelt moments adorned this beautiful story that has a clear and loud message... (Happy Valley Book Reviews)