A powerful tale of glory, betrayal, and redemption, Gifted launches a sweeping novel series rooted in the heartland of Australia and played out on the grand stage of Melbourne. Every so often, a debut arrives that doesn’t just tell a story—it commands attention. Gifted: A Quintessential Australian-World Story is rich with emotional depth, national pride, and cinematic storytelling.

This first instalment chronicles the rise, fall, and resilience of the Manifold family. Australia clings fiercely to its legends—especially when they come from the bush and conquer multiple arenas. One such man is Jackson Manifold, grand-nephew of the legendary Man from Snowy River. Gifted with the same spectacular horsemanship, Jack is humble, resolute, and unmistakably Australian. His marriage to the daughter of English aristocrats—her parents lifelong servants of the Crown—unites tradition with grit. Together, they raise five children, a family forged not in arrogance but in quiet determination, empathy, and the fierce spirit of achievement.

Jack carved his path beneath the national spotlight. Now, his children rise too—across business, music, fashion, and the arts. They don’t live in his shadow. They illuminate it.

And then—it all begins to unravel.

Duped by an Argentine drug cartel, Jack sees his hard-earned fortune seized by the Australian Federal Police as alleged proceeds of crime. Cracks appear in the family’s armour. Reputations teeter. Loyalties are tested. Will love and purpose be enough to rescue the faltering child?

At his father’s side stands Freddy, Jack’s 28-year-old son with Down syndrome—a national treasure known simply as “our perfect imperfection.” In his gentle presence, Australia learns to love more deeply, live more kindly, and believe more boldly.

Stripped of everything, Jack must begin again. And the one thing he can still do—at sixty-two—is command horses. Enter Gai Waterhouse, a legend in her own right, who invites Jack to train Power and Purpose, Australia’s premier stallion, for a Melbourne Cup run.

In the stables, alongside Freddy, a bond forms between Freddy and “Mrs Gai.” Hope flickers. But when tragedy strikes, Jack faces the question every fallen hero must answer:

Will he vanish—numbed into nothingness?
Or will the true Jackson Manifold rise once more?