Cutler

Written by David Whish-Wilson

Paul Cutler is a former undercover operative, now working off the books for his handler, Malik Khalil. When Cutler is tasked with investigating the disappearance of an Australian marine scientist on a Taiwanese distant water fishing vessel, Cutler realises that the apparent murder he’s investigating points to a slew of much darker crimes.

Onboard, Cutler discovers that the vessel’s crew members are kept as slaves, subject to brutal punishment and forced to work long hours with little rest. And when he learns of the recent massacre of the crew of an Indonesian fishing vessel in the same waters, he realises his quest for the truth will be meaningless if he cannot escape with his life.

Praise for Cutler

‘A ripping page-turner about shameful secrets just across the horizon – the subsidised rape of our oceans and the enslavement of the mariners who labour in the ravenous maw of industrial fishing.’ Tim Winton

‘Sharp and insightful, Cutler is a highly charged slow-burn thriller and an unflinching portrayal of the perilous state of our oceans and the dark side of the fishing industry. A prescient, urgent story for our times.’ Sara Foster

Book cover of Cutler, a crime novel by David Whish-Wilson

More books by David Whish-Wilson

David Whish-Wilson is the author of ten novels and three creative non-fiction books. He was born in Newcastle, NSW but raised in Singapore, Victoria and WA. He left Australia aged eighteen to live for a decade in Europe, Africa and Asia, where he worked as a barman, actor, streetseller, petty criminal, labourer, exterminator, factory worker, gardener, clerk, travel agent, teacher and drug trial guinea pig.

David’s first novel in the Frank Swann crime series, Line of Sight (Penguin Australia) was shortlisted for a Ned Kelly Award in 2012. He has since written three more in the series – the first three being published in Germany by Suhrkamp Verlag. David wrote the Perth book in the NewSouth Books city series, which was short-listed for a WA Premiers Book Award.

David also teaches in the prison system in Perth and previously in Fiji, where he started the countries first prisoner writing program.

He currently lives in Fremantle, Western Australia with his partner and three kids, where he teaches creative writing at Curtin University.