Book launch: Michael Trant’s outback action thriller Blood And Gold set in Mid West mining town of Cue

Set in the outback town of Cue, Michael Trant’s third novel, Blood And Gold, is set to be released later this month, with the author touring Geraldton and Dongara to launch the country action thriller. Trant will be touring regional towns in WA over the next two months following the January 21 release of his third book in the Gabe Ahern series. Set in the Murchison town of Cue, Blood And Gold sees Trant’s stoic hero Ahern return to his roots to confront ghosts from his past, find his gold prospector friend who went missing after bragging about his gold discovery at the Murchison Hotel, and stop a killer responsible for a pattern of disappearances and deaths. It follows on from Trant’s 2022 and 2023 novels, Wild Dogs and No Trace, both of which are set in the Australian outback and explore themes of isolation and survival. Trant grew up on a family farm in Eneabba, before moving to Walkaway to farm sheep. He said living in rural Mid West towns enabled him to describe the setting in detail. “The theme is gold prospecting, prospectors and something dodgy going on there, so Cue is a great setting given it’s history. It’s a nice little town. All the old stone buildings always catch your eye, and it’s in a section of the country that I’m reasonably familiar with,” he said. “The whole rangelands is a good setting for the type of stories I write because there’s generally no one around and no mobile phone coverage, so it makes things a bit easier as far as suspense and people trying to get themselves out of trouble.” The book aims to explore the vast seasonal changes in the Murchison, from the wet and muddy winters and dry, arid summers to the lush colours of the wildflowers in spring — with Trant moving away from the stereotypical drought conditions that often feature in outback genres. He has confirmed visits to Geraldton and Dongara to launch the book, and plans to lock in dates in Three Springs, Carnamah and Mingenew in the coming weeks. Find Trant at his book launch Port Dension Sea Search and Rescue on Friday January 31, and the Geraldton Regional Library on Saturday, February 1. To register attendance, visit Eventbrite or find more information on the author’s website at michaeltrant.com.au.