Unstoppable anti-heroine on the rampage across Australia in sequel to smash hit The Hunted

His blood-soaked debut is being turned into a movie; now Gabriel Bergmoser has a sequel featuring bikies, conflicted cops and action all the way from Port Douglas to gangland Melbourne.

He’s waiting to share some “massive” news about the movie adaptation of his 2020 breakthrough Aussie thriller The Hunted; and in the meantime GABRIEL BERGMOSER has served up a stunning sequel starring unstoppable anti-heroine Maggie. Are you ready for your Inheritance?

From weaselly student to unstoppable action hero, via a few really nasty thugs ... and that’s just Gabriel Bergmoser’s breakout characters. Pic: Jack Dixon-Gunn

I don’t think I’ll ever forget the moment, halfway through writing what would become The Hunted, when I realised exactly who my main character was. Up to that point I’d been fairly sure the protagonist was weaselly uni student Simon. But when I first switched to the perspective of laconic drifter Maggie, I was hit with such an overwhelming sense of personality that the book was immediately wrenched into a different direction.

Even after finishing The Hunted I knew I had barely scratched the surface of who this person was. Maggie just kept revealing new layers. Simmering intensity hid depths of violent rage and animal ruthlessness, but beneath even that I caught glimpses of a bruised, vulnerable humanity so at odds with what she was forced to do to survive. Maggie didn’t give up her secrets easily; it would take more than one book to fully figure out who she was.

That question sits at the heart of The Inheritance. Where The Hunted jumped around in time and perspectives, The Inheritance is all Maggie, staying with her as she is forced to confront the demons of her past and in the process decide exactly what kind of person she wants to be.

Give this inheritance to your loved ones ... if they are old enough.

I knew from the start that there would be no point in trying to repeat The Hunted, and as such The Inheritance works as a standalone with its own identity; a little more introspective and character driven but with plenty of action to (hopefully) get the pulse racing. Where the previous book borrowed from blood-drenched horror films, this is closer in tone to something like John Wick or Nobody; a rollicking chase thriller about a lone antihero up against impossible odds. My favourite book series are the ones where every instalment is a little bit different, where each can be read by themselves but taken together they enrich the whole. That’s what I’m trying to achieve in Maggie’s story.

As such I’ve left the other survivors of The Hunted to their hard-earned peace. Which, of course, means that Maggie needs new allies and enemies to contend with, and I cannot wait for readers to meet the rogues gallery that populates the pages of The Inheritance.

Fast-paced thrills ... The Inheritance is influenced by John Wick (played by Keanu Reeves) among other stories.

Creating the knotty histories between these characters and others has been part of the thrill of this novel, delving into how our pasts can fixate and form us, how the sins of the father become the daughter’s to absolve – or, this case, avenge.

The book is enormously screen influenced; apart from the aforementioned John Wick I also drew a lot on the absurd yet heartfelt pulp mythology of the TV show Banshee along with Quentin Tarantino’s ability to muddy his heroes and humanise his villains. Parallel to the writing process of this book was the ongoing development of The Hunted’s screen adaptation, and that helped when it came to finding exciting, visual action cues to keep things rollicking along. At this point there still isn’t much I can say about the film, apart from that it’s in a really exciting place and hopefully some massive announcements will be arriving very soon.

Movie news .... screen legend Quentin Tarantino is one of Gabriel Bergmoser’s heroes. The author is waiting to reveal “exciting” updates about the film adaption of The Hunted.

The Inheritance was a challenging book to bring together and even now it’s hard to view it with any clarity. But what I think it is, is a wild ride from start to finish, a non-stop, pulse pounding blast of bone-crunching pulp. With a little bit more on its mind than might be immediately obvious.

Maggie will be up against a whole new rogue’s gallery in The Inheritance. Here are some of the characters you can expect to meet …

Jack Carlin is a rogue ex-cop with a dark past. He’s wily with a dangerous charisma and a ruthless streak. Once upon a time he worked with Maggie’s father and is now hellbent on finding something his old colleague left behind. But whose side is he really on?

Harrison Cooper is another of Maggie’s father’s old friends, someone Maggie once looked up to as the parent she wished she had. But Cooper’s seeming nobility hides secrets that, if revealed, will threaten everything he has worked to protect.

Did we mention Tarantino? ... Bergmoser does his research as a teenager.

Len Townsend is a small-time gangster who’s recently stumbled into a big promotion. He’s petty, reckless and won’t hesitate to murder anyone who wrongs him. Only problem is, the person who’s wronged him this time is Maggie: meaning Townsend has one hell of a fight on his hands.

Julie Marsden is a gruff, no nonsense country vet never seen anywhere without her shaggy dog Argos. She’s got a mysterious past and a side business in stitching up vigilantes who’ve ended up on the wrong side of the bad guys. To Maggie, she’s a much-needed ally – albeit one who won’t hesitate to dole out harsh truths.

Rook Gately is the ageing President of the Scorpions Motorcycle Club. He sees himself as a criminal gentlemen, but Rook has blood on his hands and, when pushed, won’t hesitate to add more.

The Inheritance, by Gabriel Bergmoser, published by HarperCollins Australia, is on sale now. It’s our Book of the Month, which means you get it for 30 per cent off the RRP of $29.99 at Booktopia by entering code INHERITANCE at checkout. Drop by the Sunday Book Club group on Facebook to tell us what you think.