Mysteries from the past resurface here, a woman vanishes from a Cape York cattle station during World War Two (The Disappearance of Christine Holmes), and a struggling trainer wins a town's premier race with a horse that everyone considers only third-rate (Mum's Secret Revealed). Court transcripts reveal how a lawyer defends a young man accused of murder (The Trial of Peter Halvorsen).Most of the stories in this collection are contemporary, and women are prominent, Annabelle, a wealthy social lioness, receives a lesson in humility from her niece (Queen of the Ball), Patricia, admired and respected as a community leader, had first to endure a lonely and deprived childhood (The Mayor), and Isobel uses all her wits to defend her job at a State Art Gallery against her enemies (Taking a Position).