The Shark
On sale
25th March 2027
Price: £10.99
Genre
Every monster has a weakness.
As a serial killer nicknamed The Shark terrorises a beachside suburb at the height of Australian summer, two girls hell-bent on revenge abduct and imprison the prime suspect. Do they think they can save the day, or are their motives darker? And when another young woman goes missing, what keeps them from going to the police?
Both are keeping secrets, and as their questioning takes a brutal turn, it becomes clear the real killer may be closer to home than they think.
As a serial killer nicknamed The Shark terrorises a beachside suburb at the height of Australian summer, two girls hell-bent on revenge abduct and imprison the prime suspect. Do they think they can save the day, or are their motives darker? And when another young woman goes missing, what keeps them from going to the police?
Both are keeping secrets, and as their questioning takes a brutal turn, it becomes clear the real killer may be closer to home than they think.
Reviews
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
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
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
PRAISE FOR NO COUNTRY FOR GIRLS
Totally original. A taut and unpredictable thriller
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!
Thelma and Louise - turbocharged. My heart was racing from the first page to the last of this tense and stylish Australian thriller
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
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
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
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
A thrilling cross-country chase through remote Australia
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
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