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The Shark
Not yet published
Expected 12 Mar 26Every monster has a weakness.
At the height of Australian summer, a serial killer dubbed The Shark stalks a beachside suburb, targeting young female swimmers whose bodies are later found on the shoreline.
Disempowered and angry at the failures of the police to protect them, two young women are hell-bent on revenge. Raych has lost someone and will go to any length to discover what happened to her, while Carmen suspects her own disturbing connection to the killer.
Together they form an uneasy alliance and, in a moment that changes the trajectory of their lives, Carmen and Raych abduct and imprison the prime suspect. Do they think they can save the day, or are there intentions darker? Can they trust one another's agenda? And when another young woman goes missing, what stops them from going to the police?
A dark and voice-led serial killer thriller that subverts the tropes of crime fiction at every turn, The Shark is an unforgettably propulsive novel about victimhood, power and autonomy from Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize-winner Emma Styles.
_____________
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
Reader reviews of No Country for Girls
'What an incredible, high octane, thrilling ride this book is!'
'I desperately wanted to know what happens next'
'I loved the characters and the setting, which was described with vivid and rich imagery'
'Incredibly well plotted'
'Tense and thrilling . . . Highly recommended, there are absolutely no slow bits to this story'
At the height of Australian summer, a serial killer dubbed The Shark stalks a beachside suburb, targeting young female swimmers whose bodies are later found on the shoreline.
Disempowered and angry at the failures of the police to protect them, two young women are hell-bent on revenge. Raych has lost someone and will go to any length to discover what happened to her, while Carmen suspects her own disturbing connection to the killer.
Together they form an uneasy alliance and, in a moment that changes the trajectory of their lives, Carmen and Raych abduct and imprison the prime suspect. Do they think they can save the day, or are there intentions darker? Can they trust one another's agenda? And when another young woman goes missing, what stops them from going to the police?
A dark and voice-led serial killer thriller that subverts the tropes of crime fiction at every turn, The Shark is an unforgettably propulsive novel about victimhood, power and autonomy from Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize-winner Emma Styles.
_____________
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
Reader reviews of No Country for Girls
'What an incredible, high octane, thrilling ride this book is!'
'I desperately wanted to know what happens next'
'I loved the characters and the setting, which was described with vivid and rich imagery'
'Incredibly well plotted'
'Tense and thrilling . . . Highly recommended, there are absolutely no slow bits to this story'
311 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication March 12, 2026
3 people are currently reading
55 people want to read
About the author
Emma Styles
2 books38 followersEmma Styles writes contemporary Australian noir about young women taking on the patriarchy. She grew up on Whadjuk Noongar Country in Perth, Western Australia and now lives in London where she was born. Emma loves a road trip and once sat out a cyclone on the north west coast of WA in a LandCruiser Troop Carrier. She is less afraid of great white sharks than she should be, and hopeless at surfing.
Emma has an MA in crime fiction from the University of East Anglia. Her debut novel, No Country for Girls, won the Little, Brown UEA Crime Fiction Award in 2020 and will be published by Sphere in the UK in July 2022, and by Hachette in Australia and New Zealand in September.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
review to come
November 18, 2025
The Shark is a sun-drenched noir with salt in its lungs and fury in its heart. Set against the scorched coastline of an Australian summer, Emma Styles delivers a thriller that’s as much about power and grief as it is about crime.
When young women begin washing up on the shore, two others—Raych and Carmen—refuse to wait for justice. What follows is a tense, morally tangled descent into obsession, revenge, and uneasy alliance. Styles writes with a lean, propulsive rhythm, but there’s poetry in the heat haze and heartbreak in the silences.
Raych is all raw nerve and grit, while Carmen simmers with secrets. Together, they’re electric—flawed, fierce, and unforgettable. Their choices are messy, their motives murky, and that’s what makes them feel so real.
This isn’t your typical serial killer thriller. It’s a story about what happens when women stop waiting to be saved—and start rewriting the rules. Gritty, atmospheric, and quietly devastating, The Shark leaves bite marks long after the final page.
My thanks to Emma Styles, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC.
When young women begin washing up on the shore, two others—Raych and Carmen—refuse to wait for justice. What follows is a tense, morally tangled descent into obsession, revenge, and uneasy alliance. Styles writes with a lean, propulsive rhythm, but there’s poetry in the heat haze and heartbreak in the silences.
Raych is all raw nerve and grit, while Carmen simmers with secrets. Together, they’re electric—flawed, fierce, and unforgettable. Their choices are messy, their motives murky, and that’s what makes them feel so real.
This isn’t your typical serial killer thriller. It’s a story about what happens when women stop waiting to be saved—and start rewriting the rules. Gritty, atmospheric, and quietly devastating, The Shark leaves bite marks long after the final page.
My thanks to Emma Styles, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This twisty thriller very much calls back to the Claremont Serial Killer, who for those not from Perth Australia, targeted young women between 1996 and 1997 and was only apprehended in 2016.
This novel captures the thoughts and feelings of the community at the time (and since honestly), the way the police investigation appeared to play out and the similarities of the main person of interest both in real life and the character in this book. It is an interesting fictional take on a similar event, though Emma Styles definitely takes it and makes it her own.
If you like a serial killer whodunnit, with twists and turns, unreliable narrators, revenge plots - you'll love this one!
As a side note, while i loved the familiarity of the places mentioned and the similarity of the Claremont case, it certainly didn't take away from this novel in any way.
This novel captures the thoughts and feelings of the community at the time (and since honestly), the way the police investigation appeared to play out and the similarities of the main person of interest both in real life and the character in this book. It is an interesting fictional take on a similar event, though Emma Styles definitely takes it and makes it her own.
If you like a serial killer whodunnit, with twists and turns, unreliable narrators, revenge plots - you'll love this one!
As a side note, while i loved the familiarity of the places mentioned and the similarity of the Claremont case, it certainly didn't take away from this novel in any way.
February 5, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of The Shark by Emma Styles.
The Shark delivers a tense, morally complex thriller set in coastal Australia. When young swimmers go missing, grieving friends Raych and Carmen take matters into their own hands, abducting and confronting a suspected serial killer. Both girls have a shared history of vulnerability which makes their plans to stop the killer even more gut churning. The novel skillfully blends suspense, psychological tension, and ethical dilemmas, though occasional pacing shifts slightly disrupt the momentum. A gripping, thought-provoking read that keeps you turning pages.
The Shark delivers a tense, morally complex thriller set in coastal Australia. When young swimmers go missing, grieving friends Raych and Carmen take matters into their own hands, abducting and confronting a suspected serial killer. Both girls have a shared history of vulnerability which makes their plans to stop the killer even more gut churning. The novel skillfully blends suspense, psychological tension, and ethical dilemmas, though occasional pacing shifts slightly disrupt the momentum. A gripping, thought-provoking read that keeps you turning pages.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews