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Maya Thorne Australian Outback Thriller Series #2
Forgotten Bones: A Maya Thorne Australian Outback Thriller
Eight years buried. A drought that broke families. A killer who got away with it.
When preserved remains surface at a luxury resort development in rural Australia, Detective Maya Thorne finds herself back in the region she fled as a teenager. The body belongs to Elaine Mercer, an environmental consultant who vanished while investigating how some properties were destroyed by drought — while others mysteriously thrived.
Elaine had been following the water. Now Maya is too.
The trail leads to a generations-old feud between two powerful families who've controlled this land for over a century. They've fought over water before. People died then, and the truth was buried. Now someone is ensuring it stays that way.
With a drought-breaking storm bearing down on the region, Maya is running out of time. Rising floodwaters will destroy the evidence she needs — and whoever killed to protect these secrets isn't finished yet.
Some feuds don't end. They just wait for the next drought.
For fans of Jane Harper, Chris Hammer, and Garry Disher.
Book 2 in the Maya Thorne series.
When preserved remains surface at a luxury resort development in rural Australia, Detective Maya Thorne finds herself back in the region she fled as a teenager. The body belongs to Elaine Mercer, an environmental consultant who vanished while investigating how some properties were destroyed by drought — while others mysteriously thrived.
Elaine had been following the water. Now Maya is too.
The trail leads to a generations-old feud between two powerful families who've controlled this land for over a century. They've fought over water before. People died then, and the truth was buried. Now someone is ensuring it stays that way.
With a drought-breaking storm bearing down on the region, Maya is running out of time. Rising floodwaters will destroy the evidence she needs — and whoever killed to protect these secrets isn't finished yet.
Some feuds don't end. They just wait for the next drought.
For fans of Jane Harper, Chris Hammer, and Garry Disher.
Book 2 in the Maya Thorne series.
168 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 3, 2025
About the author
Phillip Strang
229 books83 followersPhillip Strang is a crime fiction writer with over 150 novels published across multiple series. Born in Sydney, Australia, he has spent much of his life travelling extensively — installing telecommunication networks across remote regions of Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. That experience of working in difficult, culturally complex environments shapes his writing: his books are grounded in real places, real tensions, and believable characters under pressure.
His main series are DI Keith Tremayne (Salisbury and rural Wiltshire), DCI Isaac Cook (London), DI Sarah Lynch (Scottish Highlands), Natalie Campbell, Alex Harlan, and Maya Thorne. Between them, they span village murders, urban homicide, remote Highland crime, and beyond — all with the same focus on detectives who don't give up, whatever the politics thrown at them.
He is married and lives in Australia.
Find him on Facebook: facebook.com/PhillipStrangWriter and Instagram: instagram.com/phillipstrangauthor
His main series are DI Keith Tremayne (Salisbury and rural Wiltshire), DCI Isaac Cook (London), DI Sarah Lynch (Scottish Highlands), Natalie Campbell, Alex Harlan, and Maya Thorne. Between them, they span village murders, urban homicide, remote Highland crime, and beyond — all with the same focus on detectives who don't give up, whatever the politics thrown at them.
He is married and lives in Australia.
Find him on Facebook: facebook.com/PhillipStrangWriter and Instagram: instagram.com/phillipstrangauthor
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 28, 2025
Forgotten Bones is written by Phillip Strang. The title is Book #2 in the Maya Thorne
Australian Outback Thriller series.
“When construction workers uncover preserved human remains at Kingfiaher Station -
a luxury resort development in rural Australia - Detective Maya Thorne is called
back to the hometown she fled as a teenager.”
Taut, tense writing makes this book a good read. ****
Australian Outback Thriller series.
“When construction workers uncover preserved human remains at Kingfiaher Station -
a luxury resort development in rural Australia - Detective Maya Thorne is called
back to the hometown she fled as a teenager.”
Taut, tense writing makes this book a good read. ****
August 4, 2025
Enjoyed this book. Really find out a lot about the outback with great characters
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews