The Trap
Australia

The Trap

by Fiona Kelly McGregor

Freedom & Resistance Historical Fiction Fiction 2026

Summary

Sydney, October 1942. As the Second World War transforms the city, blackouts, curfews, thriving black markets, and an influx of American servicemen create an atmosphere of opportunity and danger. Beneath the respectable surface of wartime society, nightclubs and underground bars offer refuge to people living outside conventional social norms. Among them is Ray Sayles, a nightclub manager whose encounter in the Domain, a public park in central Sydney, brings him to the attention of the police.

Detectives Thomas Carney and William Grigg are conducting a campaign against homosexual men, using entrapment in public toilets to manufacture arrests. As Ray becomes caught in their scheme, a scandal begins to expose the corruption and hypocrisy of those entrusted with upholding the law. Journalists, lawyers, and influential establishment figures become entangled in a struggle over truth, reputation, and justice.

Inspired by a real historical scandal, this compelling novel brings to life Sydney’s marginalised communities during wartime. Blending crime fiction with social history, McGregor examines institutional homophobia, police corruption, and the resilience of people forced to conceal their identities to survive. At its heart, The Trap asks who gets to define morality—and what happens when the law itself becomes an instrument of persecution.

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Country
Australia
Oceania
About the author
Fiona Kelly McGregor
Fiona Kelly McGregor

Fiona Kelly McGregor is an Australian novelist, essayist, art critic, and performance artist based in Sydney. Writing under her full name since 2020, she has developed a distinctive literary career exploring urban life, social marginalisation, queer culture, and the complexities of Australian history. Her work spans fiction, nonfiction, art criticism, and experimental performance. McGregor first attracted attention with her early novels and short fiction before achieving wider recognition with Indelible Ink (2010), which won the Age Book of the Year Award. Her later novel Iris (2022), set in Sydney’s criminal underworld during the Great Depression, received nominations for several major Australian literary prizes, including the Miles Franklin Award and the Stella Prize. Her other publications include the essay collection Buried Not Dead, the photo essay A Novel Idea, and the travel and performance memoir Strange Museums. Alongside her writing, McGregor has been active in Sydney’s independent arts and queer communities, curating events and creating experimental performance works. Her novel The Trap (2026), a companion to Iris, revisits Sydney during the Second World War to explore police corruption and the persecution of queer communities. Her work is recognised for its historical research, stylistic experimentation, and attention to people whose experiences have often been excluded from mainstream narratives.

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Details
Published
2026
Author
Fiona Kelly McGregor