Cul-de-Sac

There’s only one exit from a cul-de-sac.

In the manicured suburbs of Northern Virginia, Jacquie is living the dream: a beautiful neighbourhood, a successful American husband, Brandon, and two happy children. But behind the doors of their family home, all is not as picturesque as it seems.

A trip home to her mother’s alpaca farm on the rugged South Coastof New South Wales was supposed to be a simple holiday. Instead, the salt air clears her vision. Away from Brandon’s shadow and controlling behaviours, Jacquie and her children finally begin to breathe—and she realises she can never go back.

But Brandon is a man who refuses to lose. With the threat of international parental abduction charges hanging over her like a guillotine, Jacquie is trapped. If she stays, she’s a criminal. If she returns, she’s his prey.

How far will a mother go to save her children from a picture-perfect life?

PRAISE FOR CUL-DE-SAC:

‘Tense, propulsive and deeply affecting.’ —Shankari Chandran, bestselling and award-winning author of Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens and Safe Haven

‘This is a lusciously rendered account of a woman’s fight to save herself and her children. From its first pages, this book gripped me and would not let go. Populated by characters who live and breathe and are guaranteed to linger long after the last page, Cul-de-Sac is yet more proof (as if we needed it) that Eleanor Limprecht is a master storyteller. Clear your schedule before starting this finely observed and impossibly taut book. My read of the year!’ —Hayley Scrivenor, internationally bestselling author of Dirt Town and Girl Falling

‘This is a powerful novel that moves with assurance between the inner worlds of its characters and the hard facts of their daily lives.’ —Miriam Sved, author of A Universe of Sufficient Size and Illuminated Ruins

‘Limprecht is a master of tension and control, inviting us into the wonder and grit of two worlds in two hemispheres while quietly, almost imperceptibly, ratcheting up the stakes. In this way, Cul-de-Sac mirrors the mounting claustrophobia of its central character and performs a remarkable feat of embodied storytelling. Limprecht has an eye for everyday beauty, an ear for taut and sumptuous prose and a mind that delivers both to the reader with distinction. Cul-de-Sac re-affirms her many talents.’ —Rick Morton, author of One Hundred Years of Dirt and Mean Streak

About the Author

Eleanor Limprecht is an author, constant reader and creative writing teacher. She was born and raised in the US, Germany and Pakistan but now lives in Sydney, Australia. Her first novel, What Was Left, came out in 2013 with Sleepers Publishing. Her second novel, Long Bay, was released in 2015, followed by The Passengers in 2018 and The Coast in 2022. She has had short fiction, book reviews, feature articles and essays published widely. Cul-de-Sac is her latest novel, coming from Ultimo Press in 2026.