The Orphans

<p><b>Two lost souls. One fateful meeting. A love story twenty years in the making.</b></p><p>In the harsh desert country of South Australia in 1914 ten-year-old Tom Catchlove's world is torn apart by a family tragedy. At the funeral home he meets eight-year-old Fleur Appleby whose kindness during his darkest hour leaves an indelible mark. Twenty years later their paths unexpectedly cross again at a dance hall in Port Adelaide.</p><p>Fleur now a talented mortician working alongside her widowed father dreams of opening doors for women in the male-dominated funeral industry. But she must battle with her manipulative stepmother who schemes to marry Fleur off to a coffin-maker's son and seize control of the family business. When Tom emerges from the isolation of the desert to find work at the port woolstores Tom and Fleur's paths cross again - only to become entangled in a murder investigation where they can trust no one but each other.</p><p><b>From the million-copy bestselling author comes an unforgettable tale of two lives forever changed by a childhood encounter as they navigate family obligations buried truths and the courage to forge their own destinies in a world determined to decide their fate for them. If you love Kristin Hannah Julianne MacLean or <i>Where the Crawdads Sing</i> you must read this book.</b></p><p></p>