Iraqi Icicle

"Readers will appreciate the author's ability to render colorful characters and understated witty prose." — Publishers Weekly

Meet Steele Hill. He's an unlicensed de facto PI navigating the murky underworld of gamblers, alt-rock musicians, and bad decisions. He's pursuing a case he never wanted, frustrated by official advice he can't use, and tracked by a dangerous femme fatale he certainly can't trust.

Welcome to Brisbane, 1986–1992. Set against the distant rumblings of the U.S. invasion of Panama and the first Gulf War, this sharp, satirical neo-noir captures a changing Australia. Moving from the gritty streets of Brisbane to the high-rolling glitz of the Gold Coast and the more demure Sunshine Coast, Hill finds himself caught in a web of corporate greed, illegal gambling, murder, and political shadow-plays.

To survive, he'll have to outsmart a bizarre lineup of local oddballs:

• A multi-millionaire corporate lawyer pulling strings from a fortified mansion.
• A teenage mathematics prodigy tripping on magic mushrooms while channeling Jimi Hendrix to hack prohibited military software—all to back winning racehorses.
• A washed-up Russian horse trainer who renamed himself Bill Smith, risking his daughter's life on a final, desperate gamble for fame and fortune.

For fans of the dark absurdity of Joseph Heller's Catch-22 and the local rhythms of classic Australian indie pop-rock, Iraqi Icicle is a fast-paced, bleakly hilarious ride through the intersections of global geopolitics and local crime.

You bet your life, baby, baby, it's a wild ride.

Includes exclusive bonus content: Features an eight-page local slang glossary.