The author Bill Swiggs has written a fantastic story, and I found the book difficult to put down. The year is 1853 in Victoria, Australia. A gang of brutal bushrangers raid a small homestead. When they ride away, the mother and father of Toby O,Rourke are murdered and his life is changed forever. This is a story about the hardship during the goldrush in 1853 and the author paints a brilliant picture in your mind of that time. Forced into adulthood so quickly Toby and his brother Patrick will seek to restore the family fortunes by outwitting the corrupt rich business men who robbed them of their birth right and find the brutal men who murdered their parents. The pace of the story keeps you fixed to the book. I would highly recommend this to anyone.