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The Shark

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What to expect

'Totally original. A taut and unpredictable thriller' CHRIS HAMMER


'A compulsively gripping twist . . . Terrific' VASEEM KHAN


'A propulsive and utterly compelling story' PETER PAPATHANASIOU


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Every monster has a weakness.

At the height of Australian summer, a serial killer known as The Shark stalks a coastal suburb, hunting young female swimmers.

Afraid and furious at the failure of the police to protect them, two women fight back. Raych is grieving someone she'd have died to save, while Carmen hides her own disturbing connection to the murders.

In desperation, they form an uneasy alliance. And when another girl vanishes, they take matters into their own hands - by kidnapping the prime suspect. But as their interrogation spirals, horrifying truths surface on both sides of the table.

The clock is ticking to save the missing girl. And in their quest for justice, Raych and Carmen must face the darkest question of all: have they caught a monster - or become one?

The Shark is a propulsive psychological thriller about fear, vengeance and the thin line between predator and victim.
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Reader reviews of No Country for Girls

'What an incredible, high octane, thrilling ride this book is!'
'I desperately wanted to know what happens next'
'I loved the characters and the setting, which was described with vivid and rich imagery'
'Incredibly well plotted'
'Tense and thrilling . . . Highly recommended, there are absolutely no slow bits to this story'

Critics Review

Totally original. A taut and unpredictable thriller
Chris Hammer, author of LEGACY
Vividly written and darkly atmospheric, The Shark takes the serial killer novel apart and puts it back together again with a compulsively gripping twist. A terrific serial killer thriller
VASEEM KHAN, author of MIDNIGHT AT MALABAR HOUSE
A ferociously intense, white-knuckle thriller . . . Emma's a shining star of Australian crime fiction, she's subversive and unflinching, and she's done it again here - delivered a propulsive and utterly compelling story that is so tense and atmospheric, it will stay with you long after the last page
PETER PAPATHANASIOU, author of THE BOLTHOLE
Uniquely Australian and packed with atmosphere, The Shark follows Raych and Carmen, both affected by loss and guilt, as they track down a serial killer in their community. Bursting with tension, this is riveting reading
SAM HOLLAND, author of THE COUNTDOWN KILLER
No one does girl power like Emma Styles. In The Shark she takes the serial-killer novel apart, dragging it, kicking and screaming, into a tale of discovery and redemption. If you want strong female characters who do their best to kick the patriarchy's arse then this is the writer you've been looking for!
Trevor Wood, author of THE SILENT KILLER
Emma Styles has perfected the art of creating kick-ass female characters that you can't help but love. A hugely original and sometimes shocking tale of friendship and revenge. Emma has a brilliantly unique voice
EMMA CHRISTIE, author of WATCH YOUR BACK
Blindingly tense and perfectly nuanced, The Shark is an absolute triumph. Styles creates vivid and complex characters in Carmen and Raych, upending serial killer tropes and taking the reader on a terrifying ride as they confront and imprison a man suspected of slaughtering young female swimmers. A thriller with serious depth - you won't read anything else like this in 2026
HEATHER CRITCHLOW, author of UNBURIED
Thelma and Louise - turbocharged. My heart was racing from the first page to the last of this tense and stylish Australian thriller
ELISSA SOAVE, author of GINGER AND ME
PRAISE FOR NO COUNTRY FOR GIRLS
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Bold and badass, No Country For Girls is the kind of searingly stylish, unrelenting page-turner I just adore. I burned through the twisting plot
CHRIS WHITAKER, author of ALL THE COLOURS OF THE DARK
Styles's first novel starts with a bang . . . There are decided echoes of films such as Shallow Grave and Thelma & Louise in this bumpy road trip . . . The real star is the desolate outback
THE TIMES
A thrilling cross-country chase through remote Australia
SUNDAY POST
Razor-sharp wit meets pumping action, with twists and turns to keep the pages turning! No Country for Girls is the road trip for our time; relevant, powerful and unrelentingly entertaining . . . Welcome Emma Styles. We didn't know how much we needed you until you came
FEMI KAYODE, author of LIGHTSEEKERS
Rachel and Carmen's alternating and perhaps unreliable narratives offer insight into grief turned into obsession and the temptations of a psychopath who's spotted one of their own. Despite its beachy setting, the Shark's Perth is dark, filtered through the loss and vengefulness that fuel its tense hunt and twisty face-off. Styles' compassionate portrayal of raw emotions and young adult perspectives make a strong, subversive undercurrent here. Readers will likely find themselves rooting for both highly flawed narrators
Booklist
Author Emma Styles
Narrator Nicolette Chin
Duration 9 hours and 21 minutes
Release Date
ISBN 9781405564731
Format Audiobook
Publisher Little, Brown Book Group
Genre Crime and mystery: women sleuths, Psychological thriller, Thriller / suspense fiction
Availability AU, GB, IE

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