Quirky and quite witty.

Wally Flannagan is a retired farmer from Victoria, Australia, and a veteran of the Vietnam War. He goes on a holiday to Indonesia to fulfill a life-long ambition to experience the blooming of a rare flower.

“… Rick turned off the bright lights. After a night of enervating illumination, the darkness was absolute darkness. There were no sounds but those of the captives’ breathing, or words if they spoke. Yet for some time, they didn’t say a word. They had guessed – something horrifying was about to happen (how insightful).”

“Had Meredith not been coming to the airport the day of his departure, he would have stuffed it [the man bag] in the rubbish bin on the train on the way down. Yep, then he could have bought a cheap footy bag or canvas tool bag, and met his mates bragging about his wise choice. Sorry, Wally, you’re stuck with the man bag, mate!”

~Quotes from “The Operators” by Barry Heard

• Canberra Weekly: ‘This quirky thriller mixes touches of humour with sharp social commentary, interesting dollops of information and a brisk plot that takes the reader down some unexpected paths.” … “An off-beat and surprising thriller that builds to a good climax.”

Author’s website: Barry Heard