Books@Stones event: Two Islands by Ian Kemish

Join us at Books@Stones on Thursday 16 April for a special event with author Ian Kemish in-conversation with Sally Piper discussing Ian's latest novel, Two Islands.

A race against time for justice at the edge of the world...

When a desperate young man arrives on an isolated Scottish isle, the locals view him with suspicion. But Niko is there for a reason – he’s running for his life, pursued by those who want him silenced for what he has seen in the Balkan War. His neighbour is a recluse known to the villagers as ‘Slow Fergus’. As the two men circle each other, Australian war crimes investigator Anita Costello races against sinister forces to locate her key witness.

Against this rugged landscape, where the tight-knit island community holds painful memories close, Niko must weigh his loyalties to his family, his country and himself.

Written with compassion and insight, Two Islands explores how the ripples of distant conflicts can wash up on the most remote shores.

Ian Kemish AM is a former Australian diplomat who served as ambassador to Germany, high commissioner to Papua New Guinea, international adviser to the Prime Minister, and head of the consular and crisis management service. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in recognition of his leadership of the emergency response to the 2002 Bali bombings. An adjunct professor at the University of Queensland, he continues to work as a strategic advisor and as a volunteer director in the homelessness and international humanitarian sectors. Ian’s first book, The Consul (UQP, 2022), offered a personal perspective on Australia’s foreign affairs challenges over two decades − spanning hostage diplomacy, natural disasters and evacuations from war zones. Two Islands is his first work of fiction, drawing on both his diplomatic work in the Balkans in the mid-1990s and his strong family links with the western isles of Scotland.

Sally Piper is the author of three novels: Grace’s Table, The Geography of Friendship, which was shortlisted for the ABIA Small Publishers’ Adult Book of the Year; and Bone Memories, a finalist in the Queensland Literary Awards for a Work of State Significance and the People’s Choice Book of the Year Award, and longlisted for the Dublin Literary Award and a Davitt Award. Her short fiction and non-fiction have been published in Australia and the UK. Sally is an active member of the Queensland writing community, where she presents workshops, leads in-conversations and mentors other writers. Her new novel, People Like Us, will be out on 30 June 2026.

Sign up to our Books@Stones newsletter to stay up to date.

All our events are free to attend, but bookings are required as seats are limited.