Shelley Burr

For fans of Jane Harper’s The Dry or Gillian Flynn’s Sharp Objects, a searing debut crime novel set in the Australian outback, where the grief and guilt surrounding an unsolved disappearance still haunt a small farming community…and will ultimately lead to a reckoning.

The tiny outback town of Nannine lies in the harsh red interior of Australia. Once a thriving center of stockyards and sheep stations, years of punishing drought have petrified the land and Nannine has been whittled down to no more than a stoplight, a couple bars, and a police station. And it has another, more sinister claim to fame: the still-unsolved disappearance of young Evelyn McCreery nineteen years ago.

Mina McCreery’s life has been defined by the intense public interest in her sister’s case—which is still a hot topic in true-crime chat rooms and on social media. Now an anxious and reclusive adult, Mina lives alone on her family’s sunbaked destocked sheep farm.

Enter Lane Holland, a young private investigator who dropped out of the police academy to earn a living cracking cold cases. Before she died, Mina’s mother funded a million-dollar reward for anyone who could explain how Evelyn vanished from her bed in the family’s farmhouse. The lure of cash has only increased public obsession with Evelyn and Mina—but yielded no answers.

Lane wins Mina’s trust when some of his more unconventional methods show promise. But Lane also has darker motivations, and his obsession with the search will ultimately risk both their lives—and yield shocking results.

Compulsively readable, with an unforgettable setting and cast of characters, WAKE is a powerful, unsparing story of how trauma ripples outward when people’s private tragedies become public property, and how it’s never too late for the truth to come out.

A Novel

WAKE

Murder Town

'Will have you hooked from start to finish . . . Exceptional . . . An amazing and addictive plot loaded with numerous brilliant twists' CANBERRA WEEKLY 'A masterclass in pace, plot, character and creeping unease' THE BOOKSELLER, Book of the Month 'Gripping, surprising . . . fascinating . . . Ripe for devourers of Sarah Thornton, Jane Harper and Sarah Bailey' BOOKS+PUBLISHING Gemma Guillory has lived in Rainier her entire life. She knows the tiny town's ins and outs like the back of her hand, the people like they are her family, their quirks as if they were her own. She knows her once-charming town is now remembered for one reason, and one reason only. That three innocent people died. That the last stop on the Rainier Ripper's trail of death seventeen years ago was her innocuous little teashop. She knows that the consequences of catching the Ripper still haunt her police officer husband and their marriage to this day and that some of her neighbours are desperate - desperate enough to welcome a dark tourism company keen to cash in on Rainier's reputation as the murder town. When the tour operator is killed by a Ripper copycat on Gemma's doorstep, the unease that has lurked quietly in the original killer's wake turns to foreboding, and she's drawn into the investigation. Unbeknownst to her, so is a prisoner named Lane Holland. Gemma knows her town. She knows her people. Doesn't she? PRAISE FOR RIPPER: 'Startling, filmic and haunting' ALLIE REYNOLDS 'Shelley Burr proves herself a master of the modern Australian crime novel' ROSE CARLYLE 'Unveiling one richly layered character after another, RIPPER has plenty of tricks up its sleeve and crackles with tension throughout' JACK HEATH 'Shelley Burr's legion of fans are sure to enjoy the twists and turns of this small-town Australia murder thriller' SALLY BOTHROYD 'Shelley Burr is a rural crime force to be reckoned with . . . Burr's plotting is meticulous - as in almost mind-blowing . . . Just when you think you have the mystery solved, she'll throw in something you never saw coming . . . a heart-pounding and relentlessly tense page-turner' BETTER READING PRAISE FOR SHELLEY BURR'S DEBUT NOVEL, WAKE 'Politically savvy, cleverly plotted . . . the kind of book that invites the ravenous language of binge reading: compulsive, propulsive, addictive' NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW 'One of the year's best debuts. Intriguing and compelling. Shelley Burr is a bright new talent in Australian crime fiction' CHRIS HAMMER 'It is hard to believe WAKE is a first novel. Plot, pacing and characterisation are so finely judged that it feels more like the work of a past master' THE TIMES 'A yarn that feels so plausible and terrifying, it stays with you' THE AUSTRALIAN WOMEN'S WEEKLY 'Outstanding . . . This is both a well-plotted, gripping mystery and a sensitive exploration of the aftermath of trauma' THE GUARDIAN 'My crime novel of the year . . . Intense and evocative, it tears at the heart-strings' DAILY MAIL

from the author of mega-bestseller WAKE

RIPPER

For fans of Jane Harper and true crime, a dark and gripping thriller set in a small town in the Australian Outback, by the author of the international bestseller WAKE. Gemma Guillory has lived in the Australian Outback enclave of Rainier her entire life. She knows the tiny, red-dust town's ins and outs by heart, the people like they are her family, their quirks as if they were her own. She also knows her once charming town is now remembered for one reason and one reason only: three innocent people died there at the hands of a serial killer. The last stop on the Rainier Ripper's trail of deaths fifteen years ago was her picturesque little tea shop. She knows that the consequences of catching the Ripper still haunt her policeman husband and their marriage to this day, and some of her neighbours are desperate enough to welcome a dark tourism company keen to cash in on Rainier's notoriety as the "murder town." When the tour operator is killed by a Ripper copycat on Gemma's doorstep, the unease that has lurked quietly in the original killer's wake turns explodes into the light, and Gemma is drawn into the investigation. Unbeknownst to her, so is a prisoner named Lane Holland, a former private investigator who earned a living cracking cold cases before he ran afoul of the law. Gemma knows her town. She knows her people. Doesn't she?

WINNER OF THE DEBUT CRIME ACWA NED KELLY AWARD 2023 WINNER OF THE ABIA'S MATT RICHELL AWARD FOR NEW WRITER OF THE YEAR 2023 SHORTLISTED FOR THE DEBUT FICTION INDIE BOOK AWARD 2023 'Politically savvy, cleverly plotted . . . the kind of book that invites the ravenous language of binge reading: compulsive, propulsive, addictive' NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW 'It is hard to believe WAKE is a first novel. Plot, pacing and characterisation are so finely judged that it feels more like the work of a past master' THE TIMES 'WAKE is blazing its own trail. A yarn that feels so plausible and terrifying, it stays with you' AUSTRALIAN WOMEN'S WEEKLY A Top Ten bestseller, WAKE is a searing debut crime novel where the grief and guilt surrounding an unsolved disappearance still haunt a small farming community . . . and will ultimately lead to a reckoning. Evelyn simply vanished. The small town of Nannine lies in the harsh red interior of New South Wales. Once a thriving outback centre, this ghost town now has one sinister claim to fame: the still-unsolved disappearance of Evelyn McCreery nineteen years ago from the bedroom she shared with her twin sister. Mina McCreery's life has been defined by the intense and ongoing public interest in her sister's case. Now a reclusive adult, Mina lives alone on her family's sunbaked, destocked sheep farm. The million-dollar reward her mother established to solve the disappearance has never been paid out. Enter Lane Holland, a private investigator who dropped out of the police academy to earn a living cracking cold cases. Lane has his eye on the unclaimed money, but he also has darker motivations. WAKE is a powerful, unsparing story of how trauma ripples outward when people's private tragedies become public property, and how it's never too late for the truth to set things right. 'Outstanding . . . This is both a well-plotted, gripping mystery and a sensitive exploration of the aftermath of trauma' THE GUARDIAN 'One of the year's best debuts. Intriguing and compelling. Shelley Burr is a bright new talent in Australian crime fiction' CHRIS HAMMER 'My crime novel of the year . . . Intense and evocative, it tears at the heart-strings' DAILY MAIL 'We devoured this stunningly drawn, deeply compelling mystery in one day' CRIME MONTHLY (UK) 'Burr brings a piercing psychological acuity, creating a nuanced examination of the emotional and reputational stakes of a murder investigation' CANBERRA TIMES 'WAKE is a stunning, masterfully written novel . . . Thought-provoking and intense, it is Aussie noir at its finest and marks Shelley Burr out as a rising star' SUNDAY EXPRESS 'There is a complexity and depth to the characters. WAKE will appeal to fans of Jane Harper, Christian White and Chris Hammer' BOOKS+PUBLISHING WAKE includes a bonus extract from Shelley Burr's highly anticipated second novel RIPPER.

The second novel from the award-winning author of international bestseller WAKE, picked as a Guardian Book of the Year in 2022. Gemma Guillory has lived in Rainier her entire life. She knows the tiny town's ins and outs like the back of her hand, the people like they are her family, their quirks as if they were her own. She knows her once charming town is now remembered for one reason, and one reason only. That three innocent people died. That the last stop on the Rainier Ripper's trail of deaths fifteen years ago was her innocuous little tea shop. She knows that the consequences of catching the Ripper still haunt her policeman husband and their marriage to this day and that some of her neighbours are desperate - desperate enough to welcome a dark tourism company keen to cash in on Rainier's reputation as the murder town. When the tour operator is killed by a Ripper copycat on Gemma's doorstep, the unease that has lurked quietly in the original killer's wake turns to foreboding, and she's drawn into the investigation. Unbeknownst to her, so is a prisoner named Lane Holland. Gemma knows her town. She knows her people. Doesn't she? PRAISE FOR WAKE: 'Politically savvy, cleverly plotted . . . the kind of book that invites the ravenous language of binge reading: compulsive, propulsive, addictive' NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW 'It is hard to believe WAKE is a first novel. Plot, pacing and characterisation are so finely judged that it feels more like the work of a past master' THE TIMES 'So plausible and terrifying, it stays with you' THE AUSTRALIAN WOMEN'S WEEKLY 'Outstanding . . . This is both a well-plotted, gripping mystery and a sensitive exploration of the aftermath of trauma' THE GUARDIAN

the gripping and terrifying new thriller from the author of international bestseller WAKE

In de schaduw van Shelly Burr is een onheilspellende thriller over een coldcase set in de outback van Australië die al voor verschijnen de CWA Debut Dagger Award won. Voor de lezers van Jane Harper In de schaduw van Shelley Burr is een beklemmende thriller over een verdwijning voor de fans van Jane Harper, die zich afspeelt in de Australische outback. Winnaar van de CWA Debut Dagger Award. iedereen denkt mina mccreery te kennen. en iedereen heeft een theorie over wat er met haar zus is gebeurd. eindelijk wordt de waarheid onthuld... Negentien jaar geleden verdween haar zus Evelyn zonder een spoor achter te laten. Mina McCreery is nog steeds bezig met het verwerken van die ingrijpende gebeurtenis. Destijds was de publieke belangstelling voor de zaak enorm, maar die is helemaal weggeëbd, ook al staat er nog een geldbedrag van 1 miljoen dollar open voor de gouden tip. Mina leidt een teruggetrokken bestaan op de boerderij waar ze is opgegroeid, in een afgelegen dorp in Australië. de waarheid zal bovenkomen Dan biedt privédetective Lane aan de zaak opnieuw te onderzoeken, maar Mina weigert omdat ze uit ervaring weet dat dat weer veel ongewenste aandacht met zich zal meebrengen en omdat ze er weinig vertrouwen in heeft. Toch weet Lane haar zover te krijgen toestemming te geven, al verzwijgt hij dat hij zijn eigen duistere redenen heeft om de zaak te heropenen... 'Lees! In de schaduw is een van de sterkste misdaaddebuten van de voorbije jaren.' - De Standaard ‘In de schaduw is een geweldige, prachtig geschreven debuutthriller. De afgelegen setting voegt nog meer sfeer toe aan de onderhuidse spanning. Onmogelijk weg te leggen.’ – The Sunday Times In de schaduw van Shelley Burr won al voor verschijnen de CWA Debut Dagger Award, de meest prestigieuze thrillerprijs in de Angelsaksische wereld.

In de schaduw

Evelyn simply vanished.The small town of Nannine lies in the harsh red interior of New South Wales. Once a thriving outback centre, years of punishing drought have whittled it down to no more than a couple of pubs and a police station. And its one sinister claim to fame: the still-unsolved disappearance of Evelyn McCreery nineteen years ago from the bedroom she shared with her twin sister.Mina McCreery's life has been defined by the intense and ongoing public interest in her sister's case. Now an anxious and reclusive adult, Mina lives alone on her family's sunbaked destocked sheep farm. The million-dollar reward her mother established to solve the disappearance has never been paid out.Enter Lane Holland, a private investigator who dropped out of the police academy to earn a living cracking cold cases. Lane has his eye on the unclaimed money, but he also has darker motivations for wanting to solve the case.Compulsively readable, with an unforgettable setting and cast of characters, WAKE is a powerful, unsparing story of how trauma ripples outward when people's private tragedies become public property, and how it's never too late for the truth to set things right.'It is hard to believe WAKE is a first novel. Plot, pacing and characterisation are so finely judged that it feels more like the work of a past master. The tension builds, and the revelations keep coming, right until the final page where a thrilling climax combines horror, relief and hope. If I wore an Akubra I'd doff it.' THE TIMES (UK)'Shelley Burr's WAKE is blazing its own trail. For this gripping drama boasts all the energy of a true-crime podcast with a cast of wounded characters you desperately want to protect. A complex and tightly wrought plot pulsates with intrigue. The starkness of Shelley's prose echoes the parched land, while her atmospheric descriptions draw you in to a town that quickly feels so familiar you could walk into the pub, pull up a stool and order a beer. The result is a yarn that feels so plausible and terrifying, it stays with you.' AUSTRALIAN WOMEN'S WEEKLY'[An] outstanding debut . . . With a slow build and complex characters, this is both a well-plotted, gripping mystery and a sensitive exploration of the aftermath of trauma.' THE GUARDIAN (UK)'My crime novel of the year . . . Intense and evocative, it tears at the heart-strings.' DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA'Burr brings a piercing psychological acuity, creating a nuanced examination of the emotional and reputational stakes of a murder investigation.' CANBERRA TIMES'We devoured this stunningly drawn, deeply compelling mystery in one d

Shelley Burr

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