Just Like the Night by Michael Caleb Tasker

Out on parole after serving over eight years in prison, Sera Olin can’t shake her past. As a child travelling around America, her charismatic father introduced her to a life of crime, easy cons and fixed card games before they escaped to Australia to go straight — but walking the line isn’t that easy for Sera. As she tries to settle into an honest life in Sydney all she wants is to see her estranged daughter, Lena. But Lena is grown up now, and involved with people far worse than Sera understands.

When Sera is drawn further into the quagmire of Lena’s choices, she is forced to confront the possibility that a mother’s sacrifice might not be enough.

Set in the bleak underbelly of Sydney, Just Like the Night is a gripping exploration of loneliness, conscience, and the ties that bind.

‘Michael Tasker writes lean and crisp, perfect for the shifting and dangerous and unsettled world inhabited by Sera in Just Like the Night. It is a tumultuous tale of hard choices, shifting ideals, and the weight that must be carried to scrap your way toward redemption.’ Michael Farris Smith, author of Lay Your Armour Down and Desperation Road

‘Sydney’s bright, indifferent edges frame this controlled and inescapable noir. This is lean, exacting prose with teeth. A belter.’ Robert Lukins, author of Loveland and Somebody Down There Likes Me

‘A propulsive, searing portrayal of one woman’s desperate attempt to turn her life around. Tasker writes with an honest, unwavering eye and razor-sharp prose in this compelling tale of Sydney’s underworld. Just Like the Night shows just how dangerous life can be when you’re close to the edge.’ Mark Brandi, author of Wimmera

‘Tasker’s deep dive into Sydney’s underworld is also a forensic examination of the perilous lengths to which familial bonds can be stretched. A gripping, dark tale of desperation.’ Michelle Wright, author of Good Boy

‘There is an irresistible momentum to Tasker’s storytelling. It’s like an undertow that doesn’t let go of you until it’s done. The man knows how to write. A book that will stay with you a long time, from one of the most talented writers on the contemporary literary scene today.’ Michael Sala, author of The Restorer

‘It’s rare to find a new angle in Australian crime fiction but Michael Tasker has achieved this. No historic unsolved disappearance in an outback town, instead Tasker delivers a tale of a family of grifters and con-artists alternately looking for a score, or the telltale signs that it’s time to run. Character-driven crime in a style as spare and crisp as the felt on a Blackjack table. Double down on this one and win big.’ Dave Warner, author of When It Rains

When is it time to stop protecting family, and time to start running?

About the Author: Michael Caleb Tasker was born in Montreal, Canada and has lived in New Orleans, Buenos Aires, Sydney and elsewhere. He earned a PhD from Newcastle University, focusing on the existential roots of noir, and has worked as a journalist, ranch-hand, lecturer, and currently manages an art supplies store. Author of the short-story collection All Gone Now, he currently lives in Adelaide, with his daughter.

04 Aug 2026
 

Just Like the Night by Michael Caleb Tasker ISBN 9781761473678