The Year of the Farmer by Rosalie Ham

In a quiet town somewhere in country New South Wales war is brewing.

The last few years have been punishingly dry, especially for the farmers, but otherwise, it's all Neralie McIntosh's fault. If she'd never left town then her ex, the hapless but extremely eligible Mitchell Bishop, would never have fallen into the clutches of the truly awful Mandy, who now lords it over everyone as if she owns the place.

So, now that Neralie has returned to run the local pub, the whole town is determined to reinstate her to her rightful position in the social order. But Mandy Bishop has other ideas. Meanwhile the head of the local water board - Glenys 'Gravedigger' Dingle - is looking for a way to line her pockets at the expense of hardworking farmers already up to their eyes in debt. And Mandy and Neralie's war may provide just the chance she was looking for...

A darkly satirical novel of a small country town battling the elements and one another, from the bestselling author of The Dressmaker.