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The Sandstone Series #2
Unshackled
Step back in time to the heart of Sydney’s gold rush era with an unfiltered glimpse into the city’s bustling construction scene. Immerse yourself in the vivid historical backdrop transporting your senses to the hustle and noise of the burgeoning Sydney in 1855Meet John Leary again, a man whose dreams of a construction dynasty are finally materialising. With his beloved wife Clarissa expecting their first child and a successful partnership with Sean Connaire, they left an indelible mark on the townscape. But with success comes envy, as an enigmatic rival seeks to thwart Leary’s progress by sabotaging a crucial project of his. To regain control of his company, John navigates a complex buyout leading to unexpected strains on his marriage due to a silent partner.Amidst the chaos, an unexpected twist emerges as an ex-convict Gerry Gleeson reveals himself as John’s uncle and offers his assistance in identifying the saboteur. This tale is steeped in raw ambition, concealed secrets, and clandestine dealings leaving you wondering whether these elements will lead the young builder to ruin or triumph.Step into the gripping world of The Australian Sandstone Series and immerse yourself in this vivid tale of ambition, betrayal, and redemption. Don't miss out on the second instalment of this captivating series – order now and embark on a journey through Sydney's rich history unlike any other!"
330 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 1, 2021
110 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
About the author
Michael Beashel
16 books16 followersMichael Beashel is an International Best Selling Australian Historical Fiction Writer
Sydney born to Irish forebears who immigrated to New South Wales in the 1860s and settled in Millers Point. He is married and lives in Sydney’s inner west having spent his youth in Bondi. Beashel was head of Asset Development for a global accommodation services company registered on the NY Stock Exchange and has struck a blow at senior levels in some of Australia's iconic construction companies including a ten-year stint at Lend Lease. In Sydney, Government restorations to Customs House and the Town Hall accompany commercial buildings completed in the private sector. In South East Asia, Beashel managed a construction division building apartments and hotels in Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City.
This industry, its characters, clients, trades people, designers and bureaucrats, have provided a rich material for his writing. He has an eye for the emergence of Sydney’s built form, from the early days of the colony to the present, and a love of construction. He says about his writing, “it’s a passion and I revel in using the building industry as a tapestry to weave a great tale seasoned with historic facts and with memorable characters.”
Beashel’s seven published novels and two novellas in The Australian Sandstone Series showcase 19 century Sydney from the ground up and have garnered critical review. Unbound Justice the first novel has won No 1 In Amazon Rankings in three countries. A contributor to The Last Post and Afloat Magazines and he has appeared on ABC National Radio celebrating his novels. He holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (Building) from Sydney’s UTS and is a member of Writing NSW.
Beashel is currently working on his next projects, more novels in The Australian Sandstone Series set in the 19 century.
...
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Sydney born to Irish forebears who immigrated to New South Wales in the 1860s and settled in Millers Point. He is married and lives in Sydney’s inner west having spent his youth in Bondi. Beashel was head of Asset Development for a global accommodation services company registered on the NY Stock Exchange and has struck a blow at senior levels in some of Australia's iconic construction companies including a ten-year stint at Lend Lease. In Sydney, Government restorations to Customs House and the Town Hall accompany commercial buildings completed in the private sector. In South East Asia, Beashel managed a construction division building apartments and hotels in Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City.
This industry, its characters, clients, trades people, designers and bureaucrats, have provided a rich material for his writing. He has an eye for the emergence of Sydney’s built form, from the early days of the colony to the present, and a love of construction. He says about his writing, “it’s a passion and I revel in using the building industry as a tapestry to weave a great tale seasoned with historic facts and with memorable characters.”
Beashel’s seven published novels and two novellas in The Australian Sandstone Series showcase 19 century Sydney from the ground up and have garnered critical review. Unbound Justice the first novel has won No 1 In Amazon Rankings in three countries. A contributor to The Last Post and Afloat Magazines and he has appeared on ABC National Radio celebrating his novels. He holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (Building) from Sydney’s UTS and is a member of Writing NSW.
Beashel is currently working on his next projects, more novels in The Australian Sandstone Series set in the 19 century.
...
see more
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 5, 2018
After reading book one, Unbound Justice in this Sandstone trilogy I was really keen to continue reading to find out how the story progressed and immediately purchased it on kindle to begin right away!
I was not disappointed...
It is now 1855 and John Leary and his wife Clarissa are expecting their much longed for first child.
Sydney is booming and his dreams of running his own successful construction business with his best friend and partner Sean Connaire are being realized.
Together they have acquired some of Sydney's most elite clients and proved themselves to be expert builders of stylish and beautiful architecture in and around the Sydney business district.
They are making a name for themselves, and, as often happens when rival business companies vie for contracts in the same contest, toes get trodden on.
As Leary undercuts his rivals to secure these much sought after contracts he finds himself being the focus of unwanted attentions.
Competition takes on new levels of contention and things start to get dangerous as rivals scheme against one another.
But John has other concerns restricting his urge to forge forward...he can't fully realize his ambitions while his father in law holds a majority share of the business.
John has to figure out how to buy out his father in law's share, but he doesn't have the capital.
He comes up with a scheme that just might work to secure these shares, but could also backfire on him if he is not careful...and discreet.
The plot thickens as all this scheming and rivalry begin to take a toll at every level.
I really enjoyed this second book, maybe even slightly more than the first as the story evolves into a bigger story with more and more tension building.
So much so that I have immediately invested in the the third book in order to follow through and sate my inquisitive mind.
I gave this 4*s
October 16, 2022
‘Leary’s has to grow. It has to be bigger to be stronger.’
I first read this novel in 2020 and have just reread it as I work my way through Mr Beashel's historical novels.
Sydney, 1855. The second book in ‘The Sandstone Trilogy’ follows immediately after the first. John Leary is realising his dream: he and wife Clarissa are expecting their first child, and his construction firm is making a name for itself.
But an act of sabotage, resulting in the death of workers, is disastrous. John, already driven to succeed, is motivated even further. He wants to know the truth about the sabotage, he wants to grow Leary’s even further. But he has a problem. His father-in-law has a majority share in the company. John Leary solves that problem when he arranges for a silent partner buys his father-in-law’s share. But who is the silent partner, and why is John determined to withhold that information for as long as he can?
‘It wasn’t knowledge or skills that made you powerful but the highly placed people you knew, and more importantly, what they could do for you.’
Leary’s moves from one success to the next. But it comes at a cost. Leary’s wins contracts by undercutting rivals (which causes other problems). John Leary himself is caught between past and present, insecurity making him difficult to work and live with.
I have very mixed feelings about John Leary. As in the first book, I didn’t care for some of his actions. But I loved reading about the development of Sydney, about the challenges of building during the 19th century. For me, while there are some memorable characters in this trilogy, it is the setting and the building activity that have held my attention. How will it end? As soon as I finished, I moved straight onto the third book.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
I first read this novel in 2020 and have just reread it as I work my way through Mr Beashel's historical novels.
Sydney, 1855. The second book in ‘The Sandstone Trilogy’ follows immediately after the first. John Leary is realising his dream: he and wife Clarissa are expecting their first child, and his construction firm is making a name for itself.
But an act of sabotage, resulting in the death of workers, is disastrous. John, already driven to succeed, is motivated even further. He wants to know the truth about the sabotage, he wants to grow Leary’s even further. But he has a problem. His father-in-law has a majority share in the company. John Leary solves that problem when he arranges for a silent partner buys his father-in-law’s share. But who is the silent partner, and why is John determined to withhold that information for as long as he can?
‘It wasn’t knowledge or skills that made you powerful but the highly placed people you knew, and more importantly, what they could do for you.’
Leary’s moves from one success to the next. But it comes at a cost. Leary’s wins contracts by undercutting rivals (which causes other problems). John Leary himself is caught between past and present, insecurity making him difficult to work and live with.
I have very mixed feelings about John Leary. As in the first book, I didn’t care for some of his actions. But I loved reading about the development of Sydney, about the challenges of building during the 19th century. For me, while there are some memorable characters in this trilogy, it is the setting and the building activity that have held my attention. How will it end? As soon as I finished, I moved straight onto the third book.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
January 11, 2020
‘Leary’s has to grow. It has to be bigger to be stronger.’
Sydney, 1855. The second book in ‘The Sandstone Trilogy’ follows immediately after the first. John Leary is realising his dream: he and wife Clarissa are expecting their first child, and his construction firm is making a name for itself.
But an act of sabotage, resulting in the death of workers, is disastrous. John, already driven to succeed, is motivated even further. He wants to know the truth about the sabotage, he wants to grow Leary’s even further. But he has a problem. His father-in-law has a majority share in the company. John Leary solves that problem when he arranges for a silent partner buys his father-in-law’s share. But who is the silent partner, and why is John determined to withhold that information for as long as he can?
‘It wasn’t knowledge or skills that made you powerful but the highly placed people you knew, and more importantly, what they could do for you.’
Leary’s moves from one success to the next. But it comes at a cost. Leary’s wins contracts by undercutting rivals (which causes other problems). John Leary himself is caught between past and present, insecurity making him difficult to work and live with.
I have very mixed feelings about John Leary. As in the first book, I didn’t care for some of his actions. But I loved reading about the development of Sydney, about the challenges of building during the 19th century. For me, while there are some memorable characters in this trilogy, it is the setting and the building activity that have held my attention. How will it end? As soon as I finished, I moved straight onto the third book.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Sydney, 1855. The second book in ‘The Sandstone Trilogy’ follows immediately after the first. John Leary is realising his dream: he and wife Clarissa are expecting their first child, and his construction firm is making a name for itself.
But an act of sabotage, resulting in the death of workers, is disastrous. John, already driven to succeed, is motivated even further. He wants to know the truth about the sabotage, he wants to grow Leary’s even further. But he has a problem. His father-in-law has a majority share in the company. John Leary solves that problem when he arranges for a silent partner buys his father-in-law’s share. But who is the silent partner, and why is John determined to withhold that information for as long as he can?
‘It wasn’t knowledge or skills that made you powerful but the highly placed people you knew, and more importantly, what they could do for you.’
Leary’s moves from one success to the next. But it comes at a cost. Leary’s wins contracts by undercutting rivals (which causes other problems). John Leary himself is caught between past and present, insecurity making him difficult to work and live with.
I have very mixed feelings about John Leary. As in the first book, I didn’t care for some of his actions. But I loved reading about the development of Sydney, about the challenges of building during the 19th century. For me, while there are some memorable characters in this trilogy, it is the setting and the building activity that have held my attention. How will it end? As soon as I finished, I moved straight onto the third book.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
October 15, 2021
Well Worth Staying With
After reading and enjoying the first book in this series, I had trouble with this one. The writing is still wonderful, the building of Australia is still fascinating, and the characters are still vivid. Maybe too vivid because as John Leary evolved
from the man he was at the end of the first book into the man he he became by the middle of this one, I lost respect for him and began to worry about the fallout to his family and friends. I'm glad I kept the faith and stuck to the book. I'll definitely be finishing the trilogy.
After reading and enjoying the first book in this series, I had trouble with this one. The writing is still wonderful, the building of Australia is still fascinating, and the characters are still vivid. Maybe too vivid because as John Leary evolved
from the man he was at the end of the first book into the man he he became by the middle of this one, I lost respect for him and began to worry about the fallout to his family and friends. I'm glad I kept the faith and stuck to the book. I'll definitely be finishing the trilogy.
October 1, 2021
The second installment of the Australian Sandstone Trilogy continues the story of John Leary and his efforts to become the top builder in New South Wales.
The characters are fully-developed, three-dimensional and totally realistic. The author's attention to detail in describing the scenes made me feel as if I were standing right beside them.
Highly recommended to all those who love historical fiction and/or the history of Australia!
The characters are fully-developed, three-dimensional and totally realistic. The author's attention to detail in describing the scenes made me feel as if I were standing right beside them.
Highly recommended to all those who love historical fiction and/or the history of Australia!
August 2, 2021
Once again I was drawn into this tale of a man consumed by being the best builder in Sydney, Australia in the mid-nineteen century. The book continues the story of John Leary whose ambition leads him to the temptation of success at the expense of integrity, values, loyalty, friendship and love. The depth of this novel makes you want to love and hate him at the very same time. It is a vivid telling of walking that line between good and evil, and the repercussions of those choices.
October 1, 2021
The final installment in the Australian Sandstone Trilogy brings the saga of the Leary family to a close.
The three novels in the trilogy are so well-written, I didn't want the story to end! The historic details and fully-developed characters are so engaging it was hard to put the book down.
I can't wait for the author's next novel which will further explore one of the characters in the trilogy.
Highly recommended!
The three novels in the trilogy are so well-written, I didn't want the story to end! The historic details and fully-developed characters are so engaging it was hard to put the book down.
I can't wait for the author's next novel which will further explore one of the characters in the trilogy.
Highly recommended!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews