Fenceless Asylum follows on from Rag Doll, a tale that found our protagonist, James Bergen happy in his rural environment with his hard-fought-for love, Nakita. Sadly for James, but happily for the reader, his bucolic contentment is short-lived. Ghosts from the past rear their evil heads to collide with many of the endearingly flawed characters we've come to know from McKinnon's previous books. This work of adventure fiction, ostensibly set in the scenic Coal River Valley in Tasmania, also ripples through stages of global proportions. The story aims to touch upon environmental and social issues that affect us all, here and now and potentially, in the future. Daniel McKinnon's easy-to-read and flowing narrative and his ability to build suspense early on in the story, coupled with the earthy dialogue from the effortlessly relatable characters that is seamlessly strewn through the story, means McKinnon doesn't miss a beat in the tale. This is an adventure that encompasses espionage, violence and conspiracy-themes we know McKinnon is very comfortable with.