Diana of Kara-Kara

In a sun‑baked Australian city, a meticulous solicitor named Mr. Collings spends his days arranging settlements rather than fighting battles in court. Behind his calm demeanor lies an almost pathological fascination with orphaned children, a fixation that colors every conversation about trusts, guardianship and the fine print of wills. When his longtime partner, the sharp‑tongued Mr. Cathcart, mentions a teenage heiress who has been an orphan for a decade, Collings is drawn into a quiet moral tug‑of‑war.

The girl at the centre of the dispute is Diana Ford, a sixteen‑year‑old who inherited a small fortune from her late aunt and now courts a theology student despite a scandalous rumor of a violent incident involving a mysterious Mr. Dempsi. As Collings sifts through legal precedents and the aunt’s last wishes, he must decide whether generosity toward a vulnerable youth is a breach of professional duty or a chance for redemption. The novel balances witty courtroom banter with the simmering tension of a secret that could upend both the law and the lives of everyone involved.