WINNER 2026 OF THE CHRISTIAN EXCELLENCE BOOK AWARD RECOGNISED FOR ECEPTIONAL CONTRIBUTION TO CHRISTIAN FICTION LITERATURE

Faith Hidden in Plain Sight

A Review of Haighs Flat by Colin Williams

Haighs Flat is an ambitious thriller that pulls off the seemingly impossible: it functions simultaneously as exceptional fiction, creationist apologetics, Reformation theology, and unashamed Christian witness. Williams has dressed a profound theological argument in the coat of an Australian mystery novel, where the reader finds themself gripped by a disappeared brother, a creature in the bush, and a brewing romance, only to discover they have also sat through a richly handled Bible study, a compelling sermon on justification by faith, and one of the most accessible defences of young-earth creationism you are likely to encounter in fiction!

The theological architecture is bold and deliberate. Williams opens with four Scripture passages from Genesis and Job and makes no apology for where this story is going. His author's note affirms a literal Adam and Eve, the unity of the human race through Noah, the image of God in every person regardless of ethnicity, and the exclusive sufficiency of Christ for salvation. This doctrinal foundation is not background information; the entirety of the book’s exciting narrative is built upon it.

At the heart of the novel's Christian philosophy is the question of origins, and Williams handles it with genuine theological rigour. In a Bible study scene woven through several chapters, the study leader Ray walks the group through Genesis one to eleven, addressing the Fall, the first blood sacrifice as type and shadow of Christ, and the presence of dinosaurs on Noah's Ark. When he turns to Job forty and forty-one to identify the Behemoth and Leviathan as creatures co-existing with humanity, the reader has already been primed by the narrative’s central mystery to receive this not as fantasy but as live evidence. Williams constructs his plot specifically to make that case persuasive, and it is a remarkable piece of fiction engineering. The Christology deepens toward the novel's close with a sermon unpacking Romans eight and First John one with pastoral clearness, received by Bryan and Sara, both sceptics on a journey, with the hunger of people who have been through trial. Ray's handling of the atonement during the Bible study is among the finest moments in the book, distilling the logic of the cross with disarming simplicity: “God, in His mercy had to allow for death to come so that in dying, those of us who have placed their trust in Jesus and received His gift of Salvation will spend eternity with Him. The Bible says there is no remission of sin without the shedding of blood, and if death didn’t come Jesus could never have paid for our sin upon the cross. It was either death or be eternally separated from God. That is how deep His love and mercy is for us.”

Williams' greatest strength as a writer is his command of place and atmosphere. The Drysdale River valley, the old Sawyers Track, the cave with its underground cavern, the eerie bush silence just before the creature appears: all of it accumulates into a vivid and believable world. The pacing is assured, and the character-building is careful and patient. George Bowman is the novel's most theologically significant figure, the man the town calls a crank whose stubborn biblical faithfulness is ultimately vindicated by the evidence, and I found him quite impossible not to love.

Haighs Flat is the right book for the thinking Christian who loves a well-told story, and an ideal gift for anyone wrestling with questions of science and Scripture. Colin Williams has built a mystery that points beyond itself, toward the One in whom every mystery finds its resolution: Christ Jesus, in whom, as Paul declares, are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, and who is Himself the mystery now revealed—God among us, the hope of glory.

Bravo, Colin, for a book well done!

HAIGHS FLAT

I really loved this story. It turned out better than any preconceived ideas I had about it. For a debut novelist, Williams has a well-constructed and engaging novel. It has a steady pace, one event builds on the next and all the story arcs are well-placed and further the plot, leading to a very satisfying ending.

There is a lot to like in this novel. A minor story arc of romance between the two main characters, Bryan and Sara. A mysterious ancient creature from Aboriginal lore, the town's secret relating to this creature, missing tourists and town's folk, corrupt police, business, politicians, and local council. How are all these tied together? And where did this creature come from? What is the connection between this creature, dinosaurs, and the Bible?

While reading this novel, I wondered if Williams was going to confirm what I was suspecting, that this creature was the banib (or bunyip in English) of Aboriginal lore that I grew up with in school. Turned out, I was correct. But Williams has tied this in with the Bible and dinosaurs. May not sound feasible or plausible to some, but once you study the Bible and its related topics, it does make sense. Williams does a great job of this as well. He seems to have quite the talent in this regard.

Williams shines in explaining Biblical theology of the story arcs and themes. He has depicted the spiritual aspects of this novel very well and it brings the Bible to life and confirms that it supports science and not what secular society wants to hear, that science disproves the Bible. I applaud him for this. I continue this applause with his presenting the Gospel just as it is in the Bible, with no holes barred and even the inclusion of prayer. Now prayer was not just mentioned as being offered by the Christian characters but said in its entirety. So many times, Christian authors get criticised by Christian readers for including the actual prayer as they find it detracting from the story and pace, but I find this a sad indictment of them as all the author is doing is depicting realistically what the Christian life is. For a Christian fiction story such as this, so it should be. Williams shows how Christianity and a relationship with God should be and can be in the life of the Christian.  Williams also discusses why some topics are not discussed in Church and how this then leads to confusion, disillusionment, and a stronghold of disbelief in the Christian or the secular person and how they can develop a distorted view of Christianity and the Bible. No wonder there are so many divisions among Believers alike! I remember being cautioned by an elder of the church I was attending if I continued to discuss a topic relating to Genesis 6: 4 concerning the subject of the Nephilim! If it is in the Bible, why cannot it be discussed? Hasn't stopped me though! 

Some of what I have outlined here can be found in Williams' blog on his website. I add it here to support my impressions of the novel: 

To read more go to https://christianfictionreviewguru.blogspot.com/2023/03/novel-review-and-christian-redemptive.html?m=1

Haighs Flat

A creature from your nightmares, only this is all too real. The horrifying screech and roar are enough to make your blood run cold in fear. Lurking in the Australian bush – something terrifying. Something the myths and legends of the indigenous people of Australia, from stories they told around the campfire at night. A creature they called “Banib” – in our tongue the word means “Devil”.

When Bryan Morgan started investigating his brother’s disappearance, little did he know the can of worms that he would be opening. Town secrets that date back to the 1800’s which still haunt the people today.

Sara Whitney has only lived in Haighs Flat for three months, having moved there to investigate her uncle’s disappearance. Why is it that no-one even remembers him living or working there?

Could these disappearances be connected? Could the ramblings of an old farmer be the only ones that make any sense? Could it even be scientifically plausible?

Haighs Flat is the debut novel of Colin Williams and what a debut it is! This story is about Bryan, a young man determined to find out what happened to his brother, Joshua, who visited, but never returned from Haighs Flat. It is also about Sara, a young lady, who came to Haighs Flat three months ago to find out what happened to her Uncle Roy. As each search for answers, their paths cross and they begin to spend time together and share what they discover.

But this answer dates back to the 1800s and is something more frightening than they could have imagined, and they aren’t sure they can even believe. Haighs Flat is a story filled with secrets, conspiracies, mystery and danger. Men in high places are hiding things and people are disappearing. One man in town may have the answers, but everyone thinks he’s crazy.

Included in the mystery and suspense of Haighs Flat are also Scriptures from the Christian Bible, prayer, mention of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. This becomes a second storyline, as several characters involved trying to figure out what happened to the missing people are drawn to believers in Christ and to church. Therefore, there is quite a bit of Christianity and Biblical references, but Mr. Williams did such a good job of weaving it into the story that I did not find it distracting or overdone. It flowed smoothly through the story line and involved several of the characters.

There are some mature themes in this novel, but they do not cross the line between clean and unclean. They simply show how imperfect humans are and how we learn and change as we mature and gain wisdom and, in the story, and as in real lives of some, the characters learn about the Lord.

Colin Williams lives on the mid-north coast of New South Wales and so quite a few of the words and some of the dialogue style may be unfamiliar to Americans, as, especially the characters dialect is written in Australian dialect, as is some of the narrative sentence structure. However, I had no problem understanding the story, having only to seek the definition of one word. Most is fairly easy to figure out according to context.

I thoroughly enjoyed Haighs Flat by Colin Williams and continued turning pages from start to finish as I just had to know what was happening to the people in the bush town of Haighs Flat.