Fifteen-year-old Paul Blake wants more time to study the supernatural, but under the terms of his grandmother's will, he has to attend his dull and ordinary, local school. However, the supernatural is never far away, and he discovers a hidden cellar beneath wasteland set aside for a new school extension. As Paul investigates the mystery of the cellar, he becomes convinced that an ancient scourge of mankind is preparing to return. Will Paul be able to stop it or will he be the first among the millions to die?

The Amber Rat is the fourth book in the Sinister Sydney Series: stories where the supernatural pierces the thin skin of modern life in Sydney.