Murder in the Pacific: Ifira Point

Author(s): Matt Francis

Location(s): Vanuatu

Genre(s): Crime, Fiction, Mystery

Era(s): Contemporary

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‘Shortlisted for 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 off Ifira Point in Vanuatu. Limited forensics means Sergeant George Long and Constable Jayline Oli do not know if they are investigating a murder or accident. A head wound would suggest Esther was murdered.

Who would want to kill a young school girl? What secrets is she hiding?

Given the precarious state of the Vanuatu Police Force, George and Jayline have their work cut out, being transported in Port Vila’s most decrepit and unsafe taxi van driven by Jayline’s aspiring boyfriend. George’s own unrequited love for a Vanuatu radio newsreader also impacts the investigation.

From Mele Beach at one end of Port Vila to Pango at the other, George and Jayline are challenged by Vanuatu’s broken roads, empty restaurants, confusing cultural norms as well as the extravagances and corruption of foreign aid as they attempt to solve the mysterious death.

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