The Mazemaster

Melbourne, 1960. One Saturday morning, in the middle of busy Richmond, the Blayney kid's brand new brother is kidnapped right out of his pram, setting off a train of events that couldn't possibly have been anticipated. First, the Blayney family, who are a very mysterious crowd with dubious connections all over town, decide to take matters into their own hands. Then, the kid himself decides to conduct his own enquiries, knowing that this is probably a very bad idea, but driven as he might himself be a target for the kidnappers.

Adopting the guise of The Mazemaster, he mobilises his friends, some of whom come from the dodgiest of families, and swings into action, collecting evidence all over the place, getting involved in a shooting, another kidnapping, an unwelcome hospitalisation, the theft of a train, being chased down into the maze of drains and tunnels beneath Richmond - territory he regards as his own - all in spite of dire warnings from his grandfather, who is a very scary bloke in his own right, a man from ASIO, and a beautiful gypsy lady who knows a lot more than she's telling, finally getting into the stickiest mess you can possibly imagine.

A brilliantly daring, touching and downright funny novel about loss, discovery and the kid in all of us. The Mazemaster is a crazy ride.