The Midlands

In The Midlands 1916 by Kim Mahood, a spirited Australian historical fiction mystery unfolds in Tasmania’s stark Midlands, where war feels both distant and uncomfortably close. Eleven-year-old Lorna Whittle and her four sisters are meant to behave while their father is “away at the front”, but the paddocks and wide skies around their grandparents’ farmhouse invite rebellion instead.

The Whittle girls fill their days with daring pranks and small acts of freedom, even as their mother’s chill presence presses in. When a letter arrives that doesn’t quite add up, Lorna starts asking questions no one wants answered. Then a new governess appears—French, polished, and strangely interested in the family—turning suspicion into something sharper.

Perfect for readers who love Tasmanian settings, family secrets, and stories of sisterhood with a teasing edge of suspense.

Step into the Midlands and see what the Whittles have been hiding.