In a near-future, climate-ravaged Sydney, Detective Sadiya Azad races to find a missing girl before a catastrophic storm hits, uncovering a web of corruption and social unrest shaped by rising sea levels, extreme weather, and deepening class divides. The novel blends a tense police procedural with urgent themes of climate change, displacement, and the struggles of refugees in a fractured society.

Reader Review Summary

Set in a near-future Sydney transformed by climate catastrophe, the novel follows Senior Detective Sadiya Azad as she investigates the disappearance of a five-year-old girl in a city beset by rising sea levels, extreme weather, and deepening social divides. The narrative unfolds against the backdrop of an impending mega-storm, with the search for the missing child intersecting with a murder, corruption, and the struggles of climate refugees. The story weaves together multiple perspectives, including Sadiya’s partner Detective Sergeant Paul Findlay, her father Arman who suffers from dementia, and Tasim, a refugee whose own experiences of displacement echo the broader themes of the book. The setting is marked by flooded neighborhoods, makeshift communities, and a society grappling with the consequences of environmental collapse and political neglect.

Readers praised the book’s world-building, describing the depiction of a climate-ravaged Sydney as vivid, unsettling, and immersive. The atmosphere of unease and urgency created by the looming storm and the city’s precarious state was frequently highlighted as a strength. Many found the integration of climate change themes with the police procedural format compelling, noting the exploration of issues such as migration, class divides, and the treatment of refugees. The emotional depth of characters like Arman, whose dementia is sensitively portrayed, and the harrowing flashbacks to Tasim’s journey as a refugee, were also singled out as memorable aspects. Several reviewers appreciated the book’s ability to provoke reflection on current environmental and social issues.

Some readers expressed dissatisfaction with the character development, finding it difficult to connect with the main cast or describing them as lacking depth. The pacing was another point of criticism, with comments about a slow middle section and a rushed or overly tidy conclusion. The crime plot itself was seen by some as predictable or lacking in surprise, with the investigative process described as meandering or disorderly. A few reviewers felt that certain narrative threads, such as Arman’s story, were not fully integrated into the main plot, and questioned the necessity of the futuristic setting given the real-world relevance of the depicted issues. There were also isolated remarks about the writing quality and an unsatisfying resolution.

The book is categorized as fiction, science fiction, climate change fiction, and mystery, and is scheduled for publication in April 2025. It has received an average reader rating of 3.71 out of 5 from 97 ratings and 13 full reviews. The author, James Bradley, is noted for his previous work in climate fiction, and the marketing describes the novel as both a crime thriller and a vision of a possible future shaped by environmental disaster. The narrative incorporates themes of corruption, social inequality, and the personal impacts of climate change, with the city’s transformation serving as both setting and commentary. The book has generated discussion about the blending of genres and the relevance of its speculative elements to contemporary events.