Ilsa Evans

Two women abduct and hide out with their four-year-old granddaughter Avery, who they suspect is being harmed. They both love Avery ... shame they can't stand each other. A wise and witty novel for readers of Sophie Green and Brooke Davis. What would you do to protect a child? Beth's daughter Cleo and Shirley's son Daniel used to be married. Now Cleo is in gaol for supposedly contravening a family violence order, and Daniel has full-time care of their four-year-old daughter, Avery. When Shirley suspects that Daniel is harming Avery, she enlists Beth to abduct their own granddaughter, even though the two women can't stand each other. They are joined on the run across country Victoria by Winnie, Shirley's own 89-year-old tech-savvy mother, and Harthacnut, Beth's miniature schnauzer. The abduction gives rise to crises both personal and social, as Shirley's large and interfering family - including her toxic son - struggle to come to terms with her actions, amid a whirl of police investigation and media excitement. This heartfelt, wise, witty and wholly original novel explores of the lengths we may go to for those we love, and the unintended damage folded into daily life.

The Unusual Abduction of Avery Conifer

Everybody has a book in them, or so the saying goes. For Kate Painter – wife, mother, freelance editor and aspiring writer – it's just a matter of finding a spare five minutes, a little peace and quiet... and something to write about. When her cousin Angie announces she has a room to let, Kate's spur of the moment decision to move temporarily out of the family home and in with Angie takes everyone, not least her husband and teenage children, by complete surprise. Yet Kate's sure that in this room of her own, she'll finally be able to write the novel she's always wanted to. But it doesn't happen so easily. Writer's block, dirty laundry and emergency babysitting duties all conspire against her. Amid the endless distractions, Kate is drawn into exploring the story of her family: her less than normal childhood with Angie on the family farm, her father's recent death, and the mystery behind Angie's enigmatic, absent mother.

The Family Tree

Packing up her mother's life, George instead unpacks her own... A deeply insightful and wryly funny story perfect for readers of Meredith Jaffe and The Weekend by Charlotte Wood. Things you might be surprised to find when cleaning out your deceased mother's house: a secret diary a family mystery a new lease on life. Grief-stricken middle-aged sisters George, Kat and Annie give themselves a week to pack up their childhood home and divide their mother's belongings. Beloved items are contested: an Eames chair, a collection of war medals, a learn-to-read book. The sisters - bossy Kat, mediator George and petulant Annie - are hampered by sibling rivalry, the prickly demands of their own offspring, the needs of their disabled younger brother and, in George's case, the after-effects of a spot of adultery. The discovery of a decades' old diary divides the women further: not only do they learn what their mother really thought of them, they learn that she had a life entirely of her own. They are not the family they thought they were - and their mother was so much more. This revelation might be the key to George's freedom ... PRAISE FOR ILSA EVANS: 'The Unusual Abduction of Avery Conifer is a heartfelt and thought-provoking read, which will appeal to lovers of family dramas while also providing some laughs along the way.' - Weekend Australian 'A heartfelt and very witty novel that explores in an entertaining, and occasionally amusing way, some very real and poignant issues in today's society. Recommended.' - Canberra Weekly 'This is such a clever novel ... a terrific and heart-warming read.' - Tasmanian Bibliophile 'A compelling read that is hard to pin down to one genre, as it is entertaining whilst touching on serious themes ... It's great to see older female protagonists absolutely lead this novel and shake it up.' - Better Reading

Family Baggage

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. "What a ridiculous saying." Jenny nodded. "Bruises heal, eventually, but the words - they're there forever." "Actually the words are like sticks and stones," said Fiona quietly. "Sharp and spiky and painful. Like little missiles." Maddie had thought the support group might help her. But with a sense of almost giddy relief she can't identify at all with these women. She knew what Jake would say - sad, sorry bunch of females... drowning in bitterness and the inability to move on. And she felt relieved that she didn't belong. But she had been wrong about so much lately. Wrong to think that everything was over, wrong to think that the law would protect her, and wrong to think that after six long years she could finally drop her guard and enjoy family life free of fear. Because now Jake's found them. And he's taken the children. And he's going to make Maddie pay.

Sticks and Stones

Welcome to the sleepy town of Majic, where neighbourhood watch is a killer ... For Nell Forrest, life in the little town of Majic is not going smoothly. One of her five daughters has just swapped university for fruit-picking, another is about to hit puberty, while a third keeps leaving aggrieved messages on the answering machine. On top of all this, her mother is infuriating and it's only been a matter of months since Nell lost her husband of twenty-five years. It's no surprise, then, that she is even struggling to write her weekly column. But the floodgates of inspiration are about to swing open, almost knocking her out in the process. Murder and mayhem, arson and adultery, dungeons, death threats and disappearances are just around the corner. Despite Nell's abysmal aptitude for investigative work, she manages to shine the light on the local Richard III Society and that's when things really start to heat up. Throw in some suspicious widows, nosy neighbours, a canine witness, plus a detective who is getting a little closer than he should, and it's clear that nefarious doings are well and truly afoot. "Nefarious Doings "is the first book in Ilsa Evans' new Nell Forrest Mystery series. The second is "Ill-Gotten Gains." "Funny and heartwarming, Nefarious Doings kept me turning the pages until its surprising but entirely satisfying conclusion, when I found myself sad to leave Nell and the town. I'm eagerly looking forward to the next instalment." - Di Blacklock Nominated for the Best Adult Novel in the 14th Davitt Awards for the best crime books!

Nefarious Doings

She'd worn white to her wedding. Huge clouds of frosted white that billowed around her in the wind like fairytale snow. But now the fairytale has ended and Mattie Hampton's marriage is over, or so she thinks. In this extraordinary novel, Ilsa Evans expertly draws the reader into a searing, realistic portrayal of the complexities of relationships, and shows us why some things can never be fixed, once they are broken.

Broken

Ever had one of those weeks when you've been soaked, put through the ringer & hung out to dry? On Monday morning, this twice-divorced mother of three was bemoaning her boring life that left her feeling deflated and unhappy. By the end of the week she wishes that was all she had to worry about. In the space of seven days her life is picked up and spun around when she discovers her mother's getting married again (for the fourth time), her older sister is pregnant again (for the fifth time), her younger sister lands the perfect boyfriend (who is very fanciable), her sister-in-law is running a brothel, her new next-door neighbour is going to be her ex-ex husband. Oh, and she's been arrested, her best friend's gone missing and the pets keep dying. All in the same week she sacks her therapist because she thinks she can work it all out for herself. But can she? And how can she work it all out if she doesn't even know what it is she wants to work out?

Spin Cycle

"Because sometimes coffee isn't nearly enough and you have to take a deep breath, maintain control, and assess the situation...or just reach for the scotch." The twice-divorced mother of three is back. New, improved and stronger than ever–but still struggling to keep her head above water, even in the bath. And what a week it is in the Riley/Brown/McNeill household. There's one wedding, two babies, three engagements and four birthdays. Then ex-ex-husband Alex's long-awaited return from overseas heralds unexpected results, which in turn heralds the arrival of a most unwanted guest. Meanwhile, Sam wants to join the armed forces, Ben is setting up embarrassing money-making schemes and CJ's wreaking havoc with sharp fairy wands. Along the way there's an infectious disease outbreak, a mysterious death in the family, a broken nose, a bruised rump and several bruised egos. Can life get more frenetic than this?

Drip Dry

Once upon a time Chris Beggs and her husband had a dream – to one day own a farm, with cows and poultry and a white fence surrounding a quaint cottage. So what could possibly be wrong with fulfilling that dream 15 years later as a 38-year-old divorced mother of two?Chris says goodbye to her city life and hello to dawn egg collections, strange noises in the night, a feisty alpaca and poultry named after political figures. Meanwhile, her teenage daughter is bent on world domination, the bookkeeper is out for revenge and the tractor has a mind of its own. And soon Chris realises that the least of her worries is dressing in a chicken suit and learning how to waddle.With the enthusiastic help of her family, old friends, new neighbours, and a stranger on the end of daily emails, can Chris succeed in making this spur of the moment decision revitalise her life, or has she put all her eggs in the wrong basket?

Ilsa Evans

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