A J Conway

A rich and powerful family, struck by tragedy, gathers in a lawyer's office to hear the announcements of their late father's will. Of the five candidates in the room, it seems perfectly obvious who will inherit the company and be named the sole successor of a substantial fortune. But instead of cheques, the potential heirs are each given envelopes. Instead of the keys to an empire, they are handed cryptic clues pertaining to a bizarre and twisted treasure hunt, designed by their father to test them. This trial of brotherhood and sisterhood will likely end in bloodshed. Travis Madden, a mathematical prodigy, did not expect to find himself caught up in a rat-race, but his expertise in codes and number patterns makes him the unlikely key to finding a dead man's lost fortune. Driven by the need to protect a young heiress from her murderous family, Travis must follow the clues and solve the puzzles before this dangerous game of greed and power consumes them all. There can only be one successor.

A bizarre and otherworldly storm bears down onto the outback town of Wyndham, a storm unlike any seen before. Ned, a local schoolboy, finds himself trapped in a refrigerator during the chaos, only to emerge and find every living thing on Earth, human or otherwise, has vanished into the sky. While Ned bunkers down in what shelter he can find, surviving off the resources of an abandoned town, he soon notices the unsettling changes taking form around him: odd plant and animal life are emerging in place of those that were lost, and in place of humans comes these new, taller, nameless beings that Ned dubs Skyquakers. Ned's survival relies on him finding other humans; others like him who managed to outrun and outsmart the storm. But this country is big, dry, and unforgiving: his search for companionship across bushland and deserts cannot come without a few sacrifices. As the Skyquakers approach, he runs.