Mates to Men: The Silver Link Story Hardcover – February 28, 2026

Two boys. One bridge. A promise that would shape their lives in ways neither could imagine.In 1950, on Fifteenth Street in Home Hill, Queensland, five-year-old Bill Lawson meets his new neighbour, seven-year-old Jim Rourke. United by adventure and bound by loyalty, they explore Kidby Gully, race bikes across the Silver Link bridge, and make the kind of promises only children believe will last forever.But forever is harder than it looks.In 1962, Jim carves their initials into the steel of the Silver Link and leaves for military service. It's a vow between brothers: no matter where life takes us, the bridge will hold us together.By 1970, both men are serving in Vietnam. Jim, an infantry officer, leads his platoon through the bloodiest year of Australia's involvement. Bill, a naval intelligence operative, conducts classified missions deep behind enemy lines. They are fighting the same war on different fronts, connected only by sporadic letters and the memory of a bridge spanning the Burdekin River half a world away.Then something happens in the jungles of Vietnam, something that will remain classified for decades. Something that creates an invisible thread between them, a connection neither man understands but both somehow feel.For the next 44 years, they live with a strange sense of displacement, as if something fundamental shifted in Vietnam, but they can't remember what. They drift apart, their friendship stretched thin by distance and silence, held together only by the fading promise carved into steel.Until 2014.When a dying Jim Rourke discovers a manilla folder of declassified military documents, he uncovers a truth so profound, so impossible, it redefines everything - their friendship, their sacrifice, the war that marked them, and the bridge that held them.Some secrets are worth keeping. Some truths are worth waiting for.This is the story of both.Perfect for readers who loved The Things They Carried, All the Light We Cannot See, and The Nightingale—this powerful debut will break your heart and restore your faith in the enduring power of friendship.When two mates finally discover what truly binds them, everything changes.A tribute to the unbreakable bonds of mateship and the Australian servicemen who served in Vietnam.Content advisory: Contains depictions of war, combat situations, and mature themes. Recommended for ages 16+ Read more