Aoife Clifford

All These Perfect Strangers

Second Sight

'It isn't strangers you need to worry about here. Blood lines run deep and in unexpected places. Every victim, every accused, we'll know. The past runs alongside us all the time. Some days it spills into the open.' In the wild, coastal town of Merritt, Alex Tillerson and her mother make a shocking find on the beach. The police claim it's an accidental death but there are whispers of murder and that it is not the first. Bella Greggs was found dead at the bottom of a ravine but drowned in salt water. Maxine McFarlane was pulled from the ocean but with no water in her lungs. Black feathers were found with both bodies but what do they mean? As Alex fights for answers to honour the dead, and to discover why her mother fled town as a teenager, good people keep looking the other way, memories become unreliable and secrets threaten to reveal the past. Alex discovers the truth never dies but it can kill... Praise for When We Fall: 'A vivid, twisting story that keeps you guessing to the end. This is top-shelf Australian crime.' - Mark Brandi, author of Wimmera and The Others 'Atmospheric and absorbing, When We Fall is an absolute page-turner.' - Sara Foster, author of The Hush 'A wonderful storyteller. The combination of art, death and small town secrets makes for a sinister, complex tale that I could not put down. I've loved all of Aoife's books but I think this is the best yet.' - Sarah Bailey, author of The Housemate

When We Fall

When the biggest legal case of her career brings Eliza Carmody back to Kinsale, the hometown she thought she had left forever, she witnesses an old friend commit a crime that sends her on a dangerous quest to uncover the mysteries of her childhood that the rest of the town seems willing to ignore.With her friend on the run and the police investigating the bones of an unidentified dead body at a historic homestead near town, Eliza becomes convinced that the truth lies in her memories of the New Year’s Eve years ago when her friend Grace disappeared from Kinsale forever.While Eliza desperately explores the connections between the crimes of the present and those of the past, she begins to suspect that no one — even her own family — is telling the truth.

A Novel

The truth is never black and white ‘This is about three deaths. Actually more, if you go back far enough. I say deaths but perhaps all of them were murders. It’s a grey area. Murder, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. So let’s just call them deaths and say I was involved. This story could be told a hundred different ways.’ University life is full of perfect strangers, charismatic academics and instant best friends. Pen Sheppard fits in by reinventing herself and wiping away her past, never thinking that others might be doing the same thing. But keeping secrets can become obsessive and betrayal deadly. Within six months three students are dead. Should Pen remain silent? Or will she be compelled to talk, to excuse, to explain … or perhaps confess?

'A vivid, twisting story that keeps you guessing to the end. This is top-shelf Australian crime.' – Mark Brandi, author of The Others 'The combination of art, death and small town secrets makes for a sinister, complex tale that I could not put down.' – Sarah Bailey, author of The Dark Lake In the wild, coastal town of Merritt, Alex Tillerson and her mother make a shocking find on the beach. The police claim it’s an accidental death but there are whispers of murder and that it is not the first. 'It isn’t strangers you need to worry about here. Blood lines run deep and in unexpected places. Every victim, every accused, we’ll know. The past runs alongside us all the time. Some days it spills into the open.' Bella Greggs was found dead at the bottom of a ravine but drowned in salt water. Maxine McFarlane was pulled from the ocean but with no water in her lungs. Black feathers were found with both bodies but what do they mean? As Alex fights for answers to honour the dead, and to discover why her mother fled town as a teenager, good people keep looking the other way, memories become unreliable and secrets threaten to reveal the past. Alex discovers the truth never dies but it can kill...

In this intimate debut thriller in the vein of Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, an award-winning mystery writer delves into the mind of a young woman who’s closer to murder than she’d like to admit. “This is about three deaths. Actually more, if you go back far enough. I say deaths but perhaps all of them were murders. It’s a grey area. Murder, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.” Within six months of her arrival at a university campus, three of Penelope Sheppard’s new friends are dead. And only Pen knows why. This isn’t Pen’s first encounter with violence, and she’s an expert at keeping secrets—especially ones as dark and dangerous as her own. Reputations have a way of haunting you—they’re easy to make, hard to shake. After Pen leaves her isolated hometown to escape the judgmental stares of her neighbors and carve out a new identity for herself, she’s free from the stigma of her past mistakes. At school, Pen is anonymous, surrounded by an eclectic collection of perfect strangers. But when someone begins to uncover the deadly secrets she thought she’d left behind, how far will Pen go to protect her new life? Six months later, Pen is back home, the victim of a violent trauma and a pariah once again. Now, reluctantly, she must recount her story from start to finish: to her shrink, to the police, even to herself. Because until she tells the whole truth, there will be no escaping the past. Praise for All These Perfect Strangers “Best book I’ve read this year. Fabulous writing.”—Fiona Barton, New York Times bestselling author of The Widow “All These Perfect Strangers gripped me and didn’t let go until the last page. Aiofe Clifford creates a disturbing but compelling cast of characters, leaving the reader constantly guessing what’s around the corner. It’s a cleverly woven plot, a wonderful, compelling read that lingers long after the book is closed.”—Jane Harper, award-winning author of The Dry “Unputdownable.”—Marie Claire (Australia) “A picture of death and betrayal across the sexually charged canvas of a first year on a university campus . . . tense, sparse . . . The gripping plot challenges and subverts the notion of innocence until the very last page.”—Monocle “A compulsively readable mystery set on a college campus, with one girl at the heart of it all, All These Perfect Strangers is a seething conflagration of lies and betrayal that explodes to a shocking conclusion. I couldn't put it down!”—Carla Buckley, author of The Good Goodbye “Aoife Clifford has given us one terrific yarn. All These Perfect Strangers is tender and cruel, naïve and complex, hopeful and crushing. In other words, real to the broken and bloody bone. A phenomenal debut novel that will make you forget you have other things to do. Read this book and spend the next week captivated by our hero, Pen Sheppard.”–T. E. Woods, author of the Justice series “Intrigue, betrayal and murder . . . deliciously dark.”–T.R. Richmond, author of What She Left “Aoife Clifford’s debut novel twists and turns and twists again. All These Perfect Strangers is really a perfect blend of storytelling and psychological suspense. I can’t wait to see what Clifford does next.”—Nichole Christoff, author of The Kill List

‘It isn’t strangers you need to worry about here. Blood lines run deep and in unexpected places. Every victim, every accused, we’ll know. The past runs alongside us all the time. Some days it spills into the open.’ In the wild, coastal town of Merritt, Alex Tillerson and her mother make a shocking find on the beach. The police claim it’s an accidental death but there are whispers of murder and that it is not the first. Bella Greggs was found dead at the bottom of a ravine but drowned in salt water. Maxine McFarlane was pulled from the ocean but with no water in her lungs. Black feathers were found with both bodies but what do they mean? As Alex fights for answers to honour the dead, and to discover why her mother fled town as a teenager, good people keep looking the other way, memories become unreliable and secrets threaten to reveal the past. Alex discovers the truth never dies but it can kill… Praise for When We Fall: 'A vivid, twisting story that keeps you guessing to the end. This is top-shelf Australian crime.' – Mark Brandi, author of Wimmera and The Others ‘Atmospheric and absorbing, When We Fall is an absolute page-turner.’ – Sara Foster, author of The Hush 'A suspenseful, rattling thriller with an ending that will have you gnawing your fingernails to the bone.' – Fiona Hardy, Readings ‘A wonderful storyteller. The combination of art, death and small town secrets makes for a sinister, complex tale that I could not put down. I’ve loved all of Aoife’s books but I think this is the best yet.’ – Sarah Bailey, author of The Housemate

When Eliza Carmody returns to her hometown after a destructive wildfire, she witnesses a crime that draws her back into the mysteries of a childhood she thought she’d left behind for good. When the biggest legal case of her career brings Eliza Carmody back to Kinsale, the hometown she thought she had left forever, she witnesses an old friend commit a crime that sends her on a dangerous quest to uncover the mysteries of her childhood that the rest of the town seems willing to ignore. With her friend on the run and the police investigating the bones on an unidentified dead body at a historic homestead near town, Eliza becomes convinced that the truth lies in her memories of the New Year’s Eve years ago when her friend Grace disappeared from Kinsale forever. With the town still reeling from the devastating fire and powerful local families determined to protect young men from the consequences of their actions, Eliza begins to suspect that no one – even those she needs to trust the most – is telling the truth. Praise for Second Sight ‘This brilliantly crafted crime novel takes a plunge into driving thriller territory. A writer to watch.’ Starred review, US Publishers Weekly ‘Fans of Jane Harper’s mysteries will feel right at home.’ Booklist ‘The tension is high, the pace rapid and the plot primed to keep the pages turning.’ The Australian ‘Incisive prose that establishes Clifford as something of a stylist. Trouble and teenagers are at the heart of this fine crime novel that introduces us to Melbourne lawyer Eliza Carmody ... Nice work.’ Sydney Morning Herald ‘You won't put this book down until the final page is done.’ Adelaide Advertiser ‘I read Second Sight like I was on fire. I couldn't get enough of Eliza Carmody.’ Sarah Bailey, bestselling author of The Dark Lake ‘A compelling story about secrets, small town loyalties, and lies.’ Emma Viskic, author of Resurrection Bay

Aoife Clifford

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