Tim Connors

Bali to Bombay Tim Connors

Sebastian is a hard-bitten, fifty-something Australian private detective who needs a break. There's no reason why a fifty-something can't be a backpacker again, so he dons the old pack and returns to his beloved India and Nepal, via Indonesia. Seb figures he's too apathetic for reinvention, so he's heading back to some of his favourite old haunts: Dharamshala, Varanasi, Kathmandu, Rajasthan and Goa to name a few. The unexplored is not completely beyond him, however, so he adds a spectacular trek through the Indian Himalayas to the mystical town of Leh, along with a laidback start in Bali and Lombok. But the old pack is not Seb's only baggage. Five years before he'd helped some Indian copper mates break up an illegal gem trade, and the criminal survivors are now involved in drugs. Seb is soon spotted on the road, and before too long is sucked back into the fray by not only old colleagues, but also old enemies, including a certain Arkash. Seb's extended break could just be his last.