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Waterfall Village

By Matt Francis
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Brief Description
A gripping crime mystery in the heart of the Pacific — murder, kastom, and diplomacy collide in this compelling new instalment of 'Murder in the Pacific'.Clare Roberts, an American volunteer living on Pentecost Island in Vanuatu, is found dead at the base of one of the... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
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A gripping crime mystery in the heart of the Pacific — murder, kastom, and diplomacy collide in this compelling new instalment of 'Murder in the Pacific'.

Clare Roberts, an American volunteer living on Pentecost Island in Vanuatu, is found dead at the base of one of the island’s iconic land-diving towers. With her death threatening to become an international incident, Sergeant George Long and Constable Jayline Oli of the Vanuatu Police Force are called in to investigate — and keep the situation contained.

When the son of a senior politician confesses to the crime, the local authorities are eager to close the case. But George and Jayline suspect otherwise. As they dig deeper, secrets emerge. Clare’s life unravels as they probe: a secret pregnancy, and her housemates each had reason to resent her.  Meanwhile, local kastoms, cultural complexities, and political interference threaten to derail their search for the truth.

From lush inland villages to windswept cliffs, George and Jayline confront language barriers, entrenched power and secrets someone will kill to protect.

'Ifira Point' the first book in the series won 2025 Ned Kelly Award, for, Best Debut Crime Fiction.

Praise for the Series
'A tour de force' – Colin Cotterill
'Twist and turns throughout and suspenseful.' – Beauty and Lace
'The place setting is an integral ‘character’ of the book – Emily Webb

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781923514126

Publisher: Big Sky Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 30 December 2025

Country: Australia

Imprint: Big Sky Publishing

DIMENSIONS

Width: 153.0mm

Height: 230.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 337

Collections

Classic Crime & Mystery Fiction Classic Fiction Crime & Thriller Fiction General Fiction Matt Francis

About the Author

Matt Francis is an Australian based academic with a love of Vanuatu and the Pacific. He has spent the last two decades researching and writing about this part of the world. Matt Francis began his career working for an international aid agency and has undertaken development-based work across Asia and the Pacific. In this award-winning crime novel series set in Vanuatu, Matt Francis introduces Sergeant George Wong and Constable Jayline Oli of the Vanuatu Police Force. George and Jayline travel across the six provinces of Vanuatu solving murders that involve international geopolitics, local kastoms, colonial legacies and natural hazards. Solving crimes in resource-poor Vanuatu relies on basic policing and building trust and relationships with local communities. While George is masterful at the first,  it is up to Jayline to provide the later. 

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  • Murder in the Pacific: Ifira Point
    Murder in the Pacific: Ifira Point was shortlisted for the 2024 Ned Kelly Awards, Best Debut Crime Fiction. Esther Paul is 12 years old. She is reported missing on Vanuatu local radio. Two days later her body is found floating in the sea. Senior Constable George Wong of the Vanuatu National Police Force drops his current case to investigate her...
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    Book 1 in the series was Shortlisted for the 2024 Ned Kelly Awards, Best Debut Crime Fiction In the heart of Vanuatu's Tanna island, Hu Lee, the leader of an aid agency, meets a tragic end, fatally stabbed amidst a tsunami evacuation drill. With no witnesses, Sergeant George Long, visiting for the wedding of Constable Jayline Oli, is thrust into...
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    On Ambrym, the volcano is waking — and so is a killer. Sergeant George Long and Constable Jayline Oli arrive in Craig Cove during an island-wide evacuation, tasked with finding Isabelle Morris, the widow of a Ni-Vanuatu worker killed in Australia. But as Benbow volcano rumbles and villages empty, their mission is derailed by the discovery of a body. Dutch...
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