Cover art for The Brownout Murders
Published
Scribe Publications, June 2025
ISBN
9781925849585
Format
Softcover, 160 pages
Dimensions
23.3cm × 17.9cm × 1.3cm

The Brownout Murders

Not yet released
Due June 3, 2025.
Fast $7.95 flat-rate shipping!
Only pay $7.95 per order within Australia, including end-to-end parcel tracking.
100% encrypted and secure
We adhere to industry best practice and never store credit card details.
Talk to real people
Contact us seven days a week – our staff are here to help.

They blamed alcohol. They blamed men. But they blamed women most of all.

The year is 1942, the place Melbourne. A brownout is in effect to dim the night-time lights of the city, and thousands of American GIs are based in Royal Park. As the latter make plans to defend the Pacific, the women of Australia have stepped up to support the war effort at home. Beatrice is doing her part. She's enlisted as an air raid warden, preparing the city ahead of a possible Japanese attack. Her sister June is an operator at the telephone exchange, while her other sister, Lizzie, works as a shopgirl by day and parties with the Americans by night.

But the times are about to change again, and the three sisters will have to navigate the consequences of a new threat as a series of grisly murders are committed in the eerie half-light of the brownout. Inspired by true events, The Brownout Murders tells a story of fear, fortitude, and social change - and how the independence of all women is too often set against the violence of a single man.

'The Brownout Murders is a rich, satisfying read. It's moving, funny, and tense. The text is taut, and the illustrations are stunning.'

-Robert Gott, author of The Holiday Murders

Praise for Two-Week Wait-

'In this lovely volume, you'll encounter heartache, hope, humour, and a very true and personal exploration of the physical, emotional, and financial rollercoaster of IVF. You'll also see the graphic novel form at its finest- where every dot and line has nuance and meaning, and where big ideas and feelings are conveyed with great subtlety through spare, elegant illustrations working hand-in-hand with great dialogues.'

-Nicki Greenberg

'Compelling, harrowing ... proof that comics can be much more than superhero stories - they are a dexterous art form that can effectively communicate complex, serious topics.'

-Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen, The Guardian

Related books