An island lost

When Vilia Lea's estranged mother dies she leaves her an intriguing inheritance-a remote island on the tip of Papua New Guinea, and a series of tantalising clues to the disappearance of her father 30 years ago. Thus begins an enthralling family mystery that sweeps Vilia from the streets of Manhattan to the wilds of the Pacific. Along the journey she discovers what true love and family really mean ... Sipping latté in a NY café, Vilia is not surprised to hear that her mother has drowned herself back home in Australia, but she is shocked to learn she has now inherited a tropical island on the tip of Papua New Guinea, and it's from this remote region that her father disappeared mysteriously when she was just three. Suddenly, reluctantly, Vilia is swept out of her fastidious Manhattan lifestyle and into the wild unpredictability of the Pacific. From the crowded streets of New York city to the remote Tubu Island and beyond, Vilia follows a series of clues to uncover the truth about her father's vanishing. Did he run off with the missing hausgirl? Fall foul to a tragic accident? Or was there something darker, more sinister at play? Along her journey of discovery, Vilia encounters the ancestors of proud headhunters, eccentric expatriates and an elusive witchdoctor with a story to tell. But is it a story she is willing to hear?