The Shark

Reviews / Votes

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 * - * 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 -- starred review * Booklist *