The Vortex

by Graham Wilson

The man at centre of Crocodile Dreaming Series. Awful events drive a search for vengeance and destroy his life and others around him, leading to ever darker places. In the shadows an ancient crocodile spirit feeds his rage. Then new love arrives. His path walks in bright sunshine. Can it survive or will the avenging spirit win?

261 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 22, 2025

About the author

Graham Wilson lives in Sydney, Australia.
He has completed and published twelve novels and a memoir.

His most recent novel is 'Mysteries', set in early Sydney about an old house and a mother and child missing for 30 years. His other standalone novel is, 'The Glitter''.

Other novels comprise two series,
1. Old Balmain House Series - 3 books of historic fiction set in early Sydney
2. Crocodile Dreaming Series - 7 books. 5 books (The Visitor, The Victim, The Void, The Vanished and The Invisible) are in the main series which follows English backpacker, Susan, as she travels across remote Australia with a charming outback man. It tells how this idyllic trip becomes a nightmare as she discovers terrifying secrets about this man. It also includes a 2-book Prequel, The Vertigo and The Vortex, which give insights into her travelling companion, Mark.

Graham's family memoir, 'Arnhem's Kaleidoscope Children' tells of his family's life in an aboriginal community the Northern Territory's remote Arnhem Land. It chronicles an idyllic childhood, 50 years of change with aboriginal land rights and discovery or uranium. It also tells of his surviving an attack by a large crocodile and of his work over two decades in the outback of the NT.

Graham's career was first as a veterinarian in a mixed practice treating farm animals and people's pets, before following his love for wildlife through working at a range of Australian Zoos. He also spent two decades working on large cattle and buffalo properties in the Northern Territory before moving to Sydney where he now lives in one of Sydney's oldest houses in the Rocks. He has continued to follow his joint passions working with animals, wildlife conservation and writing stories.

Books are published as ebooks by major ebook publishers. Some books are also available in print online and through selected local bookshops.

Reviews

[Paul Hartford · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t expect The Vortex to hit me this hard emotionally, but from the very first chapter I felt a heaviness in my chest. There’s something raw about the way isolation, fear, and memory are written, like the story is whispering truths people rarely say out loud. I found myself slowing down several times just to sit with what I was feeling.

As the chapters progressed, the shifts between survival and self-reflection kept pulling me deeper. The moments of silence, the inner questions, the ache of not knowing what’s coming, they all stayed with me after I stopped reading. I felt like I was carrying some of the characters’ burdens with me.

By the time I reached the middle chapters, I realized I wasn’t just reading a story. I was experiencing something, something about trauma, resilience, and the strange power of hope.

[Florence J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Vortex pulled me straight into Mark’s broken world from the opening pages. The hospital scene alone made me pause, the clinical details, the confusion, the fragments of identity all felt painfully real. I love how the book doesn’t rush; it lets you sink into his disorientation. Then the shift to Susan’s voice gives the story a haunting emotional frame that made everything feel even heavier. The writing captures the outback’s harshness just as strongly as the inner turmoil of MB. Every chapter feels like peeling back another layer of someone’s soul. It’s raw, messy, and strangely beautiful.

[Jonathan G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I particularly enjoyed how the story never forgets its roots in the Crocodile Dreaming series. Even though this is a prequel, it maintains the same atmosphere, rugged landscapes, mysterious dangers, inner battles. Existing fans will recognize the tone immediately. Overall, the book leaves you with a sense of bittersweet completeness. It answers questions from the earlier prequel while raising new emotional reflections. The blend of adventure, pain, loyalty, danger, and love creates a story that feels both intimate and epic. When I finished, I felt like I’d traveled with Mark through every triumph and mistake and that’s the mark of a powerful story.

[Mamie Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

What struck me most was the symbolic layering in each chapter. The shifting environment felt like a reflection of the character’s internal state.
The chaos outside mirrored the chaos inside and that connection was powerful. I found myself rereading whole paragraphs because of how beautifully they tied physical danger with emotional truth.
The way nightmares, memories, and reality blend together created a dreamlike tension that I really loved. Every chapter carried a question beneath the surface, and I could feel it nudging me, asking what I would do in the same situation. It’s rare to find a story where every scene feels purposeful like that.

[cheryl Pauline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn’t a light read. It’s gritty, emotional, violent in parts, and honest in a way fiction rarely dares to be. Wilson doesn’t glamorize the outback, he reveals its teeth, its silence, its ghosts.
If you like character-driven stories with moral complexity, this book delivers.
I don’t know how Wilson does it, but the man can describe a place so vividly you can smell the dust and feel the heat shimmer off the rocks.
The rodeo chapters? Incredible. The hospital chapters? Terrifying and intimate.
Susan’s perspective in the prologue is what truly sold it for me, her pain, her obsession, her need for the truth… it all grounded the book perfectly.

[Aisha Rahman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This NEEDS to be a series. The scenes are so vivid, the pacing so tight, and the stakes so high that I honestly pictured the whole thing on screen. The international rodeo section alone could be a season. And the emotional fallout in the later chapters left me staring at the wall afterward.
A masterpiece of setting and character. And there were moments when I had to put the book down because the tension was too much, especially during the crocodile-site flashbacks. But each time, I came right back.
MB is a character who’s hard to judge, and I love that. Most authors spoon-feed morality. Wilson lets you wrestle with it yourself.

[Hary Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’ve read The Visitor or the main series, this is a must. It fills in emotional blanks I didn’t even realize I needed answered. The moral question, Is MB a monster or simply a man broken by impossible circumstances?
Also: the entire section about the hidden notebook gave me chills. One of the smartest structural choices I’ve seen in a long time. This isn’t a light read. It’s gritty, emotional, violent in parts, and honest in a way fiction rarely dares to be. Wilson doesn’t glamorize the outback, he reveals its teeth, its silence, its ghosts.
If you like character-driven stories with moral complexity, this book delivers.

[Damien Margot · Rating 5 out of 5]

There were moments when I had to put the book down because the tension was too much, especially during the crocodile-site flashbacks. But each time, I came right back.
MB is a character who’s hard to judge, and I love that. Most authors spoon-feed morality. Wilson lets you wrestle with it yourself. I don’t know how Wilson does it, but the man can describe a place so vividly you can smell the dust and feel the heat shimmer off the rocks.
The rodeo chapters? Incredible. The hospital chapters? Terrifying and intimate.
Susan’s perspective in the prologue is what truly sold it for mE her pain, her obsession, her need for the truth… it all grounded the book perfectly.

[Visionary Impart · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Vortex is a haunting and emotionally powerful installment in the Crocodile Dreaming series. Graham Wilson masterfully explores vengeance, love, and the cost of rage through a deeply layered protagonist whose inner darkness is both human and mythic. The presence of the ancient crocodile spirit adds a chilling, symbolic intensity that elevates the story beyond a standard revenge tale. As hope and new love offer a fragile path toward redemption, the tension between light and darkness keeps the narrative gripping. Thought-provoking, atmospheric, and richly written, The Vortex is a compelling read that lingers long after the final page.

[Jack Morisset · Rating 4 out of 5]

One thing I loved was the emotional honesty in Susan’s search for the missing notebook. Her guilt, her hope, her confusion, the author makes every moment human. The discovery of the crocodile totem hit me hard because it symbolized everything Mark valued. When she finds the oilskin-wrapped notebook, it felt like closure but also the start of something heartbreaking. The blend of love, regret, and unfinished stories made this feel more like a lived experience than fiction. The pacing is deliberate, and that suits the story because nothing here is simple or clean.

[Dorothy C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chapter 1 was a masterclass in tension. Being trapped in a body you can’t move, hearing people talk about you like an object, it’s terrifying. I caught myself imagining how it would feel. The author writes with such clarity that the emotions become physical. The slow return of sensation and memory felt incredibly immersive. And the mystery around his identity, the “MB” tattoo, the money in the backpack, everything creates a slow-burning suspense. It’s the kind of writing that stays with you after you close the book.

[Steve K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark’s journey through identity and trauma is the heartbeat of the book. The way he pieces his life back together, not just physically but mentally, is powerful. The writing balances action and introspection well. The author doesn’t just want you to follow Mark, he wants you to feel him. His self-doubt, his quiet intelligence, his complicated past… everything adds depth. I especially liked how the outback itself becomes a character. The landscapes are described with the kind of familiarity only someone who lived there could write.

[Marie B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Susan’s perspective in the prologue makes the whole story feel personal. She’s not a narrator, she’s a grieving witness trying to make sense of a man who was both broken and brilliant. When she admits she might have thrown the notebook unknowingly, that guilt is crushing. I really appreciated how the author lets her examine the past with honesty instead of dramatics. Her relationship with Mark feels real because it’s imperfect. Their love isn’t romanticized, it’s scarred, complicated, and unfinished.

[Joshua J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the international scope of the story. When it shifted to Chile, I expected it to feel disconnected, but it didn’t. The descriptions of the mountains, the ranch, the culture, all of it was stunning and grounded. Meeting Enrico added a new emotional layer. His friendship with Paddy, his love of the sport, and his quiet loneliness made him a fascinating character. The world-building in Chile felt as rich as the Australian sections, showing the author’s talent for capturing different landscapes and cultures authentically.

[Ashbly Flint · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read a lot of outback fiction, but nothing prepared me for how raw, haunting, and strangely beautiful this story is. Wilson writes the Northern Territory like someone who didn’t just live there, he bled there. The atmosphere, the moral ambiguity, the sense of loneliness… it all just gets under your skin. MB is one of the most complicated characters I’ve ever followed. Some chapters made me angry at him; others made me ache for him. When Susan’s voice finally ties everything together, it hits like a punch to the chest. Brilliant, unsettling, unforgettable.

[Anthony Brianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

There were chapters that genuinely made my chest tighten, especially the reflections on past violence and lost innocence. But there were also moments of pure tenderness, unlikely friendships, loyalty between riders, unexpected hope. A challenging but rewarding read and it’s been two days and I’m still thinking about the final chapters. The blend of personal tragedy, harsh outback reality, Indigenous presence, rodeo culture, and psychological depth is exceptional.
If you like stories where every character, even the flawed ones feels painfully human, read this.

[Ray Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read a lot of outback fiction, but nothing prepared me for how raw, haunting, and strangely beautiful this story is. Wilson writes the Northern Territory like someone who didn’t just live there, he bled there. The atmosphere, the moral ambiguity, the sense of loneliness… it all just gets under your skin.
MB is one of the most complicated characters I’ve ever followed. Some chapters made me angry at him; others made me ache for him. When Susan’s voice finally ties everything together, it hits like a punch to the chest. Brilliant, unsettling, unforgettable.

[Jane Brind · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I appreciated most about this book is how it handles survival, not just the physical kind, but emotional survival. The characters aren’t just fighting outside force, they’re fighting themselves, their doubts, their fears, their ghosts.
Every chapter pushed the main character into a deeper conflict, and the emotional stakes felt just as high as the physical ones. It made me think about what survival really means. By the end, I felt like I understood the character on a deeper level.

[Patricia D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paddy becomes one of the most memorable characters in the book. His sharp intelligence, his fighting spirit, his love for the sport, he leaps off the page. I loved how he’s equal parts mentor, troublemaker, strategist, and lost soul. His backstory, especially the years in Chile and the loss of his wife, gives him depth beyond the typical rodeo veteran trope. His partnership with Mark forms one of the book’s emotional anchors.

[Ginger Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

The combination of rodeo culture, mystery, and emotional healing is unique. This isn’t just a story about riding, it’s about identity, trauma, brotherhood, and redemption. The author blends action, introspection, and adventure so smoothly that the book feels cinematic. The stakes rise gradually as Mark becomes involved in the international circuit. Even the behind-the-scenes planning of events is interesting because of the personalities involved.

[KATE CHERIE · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book feels like standing in the desert at night, cold, huge, and echoing with things you can’t quite name. The opening hospital sequence alone hooked me instantly. The whole mystery around MB’s identity, his past, his pain… I couldn’t stop turning pages.
The rodeo arc in Chile surprised me, I didn’t expect to love that part as much as I did, but the brotherhood, the details, the danger… wow. This author knows how to balance action with soul.

[Hellen Vibrant · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t expect an emotional journey when I started this book, but that’s exactly what I got. The quiet moments were some of the most powerful those scenes where nothing “big” happens on the outside but everything shifts on the inside.

The author understands human emotion in a way that feels authentic. The vulnerability in some scenes caught me off guard. This book made me sit in my own feelings longer than I intended to, It’s not just a story, it’s an experience.

[Henry Rich · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’ve read The Visitor or the main series, this is a must. It fills in emotional blanks I didn’t even realize I needed answered. The moral question, Is MB a monster or simply a man broken by impossible circumstances?, stays with you.
Also: the entire section about the hidden notebook gave me chills. One of the smartest structural choices I’ve seen in a long time.

[Fabien Florence · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book starts quietly, almost like a whisper, then builds into this storm of revenge, memory, trauma, and fate.
By the time MB’s full story comes out, you feel like you’ve lived every dusty mile with him.
Not a book for someone who wants fluff. This one demands emotional attention.

[Sacco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice Releas

[Patti R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

wanted so long but deserved it