The Sharp End, by Gabrielle Lord (Coronet, £5.99 in UK)

Lord is Australian and is well-known there as a writer of psychological thrillers. This is my introduction to her and I must say I'm impressed. Her story begins in the middle of the last century with a massacre, an aboriginal family shot to death by a deranged white man. The only survivor is a child, Wanda. Switch to modern times and Harry Doyle is sitting down to dinner with his family. He is Wanda's descendent, a pale-skinned aboriginal, a former homicide detective and now a member of the Dog Squad - those policemen who handle tracker dogs. His family is dysfunctional, his two daughters in continual conflict with their mother. Soon Harry becomes involved in a case that contains unhealthy reverberations from his own past, with the result that he gets further alienated from his wife and daughters. Thus the scene is very well set for a tale dark and complex, with true-to-life characters, a furious pace, an exotic locale, and a satisfying climax. One to watch out for, this Gabrielle Lord.