Beyond the Mirage is a sweeping saga that spans over 100 years. Set in central Australia, the story transports you back to the 1800's, when laborers worked to build the Oodadatta rail line to connect the southern ports to the central inland of red desert and vast arid cattle country. Ewan and Anne Evans relocate from Wales to Australia to build a life for themselves. Soon after, a baby girl is born, but tragedy strikes when Ewan is killed while working on the rail line. Devastated, Anne and her baby wander out into the sweltering, red desert believing Ewan is just over the horizon. Their bodies are never found...Fast forward to 2002 when a group of paleontologists travel to central Australia on an expedition. Ellen Talbot, an Oxford professor unearths more than just fossils and bones; she encounters old loves -- and startling old truths about herself. In the tradition of the Thorn Birds, Gambold creates rich, unforgettable characters using vivid, descriptive prose and sharp dialogue. The men and women contained in her pages spring to life under Gambold's skillful direction.