Blades

This four-part novel follows the life of a teenage boy over five years, taking him from Darwin, in Australia's tropical north, to California's wilderness.

In "Street Kid," we meet 12-year-old Julian Moreland and his widowed father, Craig, a military helicopter pilot. Craig's decision to retire from the army and accept employment south in Melbourne as a civilian pilot turns to tragedy. Julian finds himself alone and homeless, until he saves the life of a baby girl and is taken in by her wealthy family.

At age 17, and newly qualified as a helicopter pilot, Julian saves the lives of three more children, including two American boys lost in the mountains of southeastern Australia, in "High Country." He also meets the love of his life, Alison, the missing boys' sister.

Invited to visit Los Angeles by the parents of the rescued boys, Julian finds himself flying helicopter missions during a wildfire emergency in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, saving even more lives. Meanwhile, love continues to blossom between him and Alison, his American sweetheart, in "California Dreaming."

When Julian returns to Australia, his world begins to fall apart, as the traumas of his past catch up with him. It is only after a serious act of violence against a close friend, that Julian starts the long road back to controlling his life in "Aftermath."

Author J. William Turner was born in England and migrated to Australia as a child in the mid-1960s. Blades is his third published novel.