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Kate Delaney #2
Shellybanks
A novel of buried secrets, unimaginable trauma and how the love of family can pull you through to a brighter future from Louise Milligan, bestselling author of Pheasants Nest.
'So much more than a crime novel. I loved it.' Chris Hammer, author of Legacy
On the sands of Shellybanks, where tides can quickly turn treacherous, journalist Kate Delaney once nearly drowned. Years later, reeling from a violent crime that has upended her life in Melbourne, she returns to Dublin to comfort her beloved aunt Dolores—only to discover Dolores has her own buried trauma.
As a teenager, Dolores was drawn into a disturbing religious movement that stole her youth, her freedom, and so much more. With Kate's help, she is determined to confront the powerful network that made her suffer years of silence and shame.
Shellybanks is a haunting tale of secrecy and survival, charting how two women find strength in each other as they reckon with Ireland's hidden histories and the scars that endure across generations.
Praise for Shellybanks:
'So much more than a crime novel. I loved it. Beautiful. The humanity shines through. A stunning dive into Ireland's dark past.' Chris Hammer, author of Legacy
'Taut, atmospheric and deeply human, Milligan masterfully weaves tension, truth and place into every page.' Brigid Delaney, author of The Seeker and the Sage
'The chaos and fervour of an Irish homecoming, a town dense with secrets, and a seemingly unsolvable crime - Shellybanks has it all. I was captivated at first by the prose; I could hear the singing, I could feel the cold press of the Dublin fog. But it's the characters who ultimately carry the novel, and Kate Delaney is particularly unforgettable. After just two books she feels like an old friend, I just want to head to the pub with her, order a double Jameson, and solve the world's problems. I love this series and Louise Milligan has proven once again that she is the real deal.' J.P. Pomare, author of 17 Years Later
Praise for Pheasants Nest:
'A compelling story, written with tautness and wit.' Annabel Crabb
'A gripping, sinister—yet also wryly funny and realistic—crime thriller.' Jane Caro
'A crime novel that could only be written by a fine journalist—so original, funny and true.' David Marr
'Wry observations of popular culture and Australian foibles ... I simply didn't want the book to end given the sheer delight of the storytelling.' The Age
'So much more than a crime novel. I loved it.' Chris Hammer, author of Legacy
On the sands of Shellybanks, where tides can quickly turn treacherous, journalist Kate Delaney once nearly drowned. Years later, reeling from a violent crime that has upended her life in Melbourne, she returns to Dublin to comfort her beloved aunt Dolores—only to discover Dolores has her own buried trauma.
As a teenager, Dolores was drawn into a disturbing religious movement that stole her youth, her freedom, and so much more. With Kate's help, she is determined to confront the powerful network that made her suffer years of silence and shame.
Shellybanks is a haunting tale of secrecy and survival, charting how two women find strength in each other as they reckon with Ireland's hidden histories and the scars that endure across generations.
Praise for Shellybanks:
'So much more than a crime novel. I loved it. Beautiful. The humanity shines through. A stunning dive into Ireland's dark past.' Chris Hammer, author of Legacy
'Taut, atmospheric and deeply human, Milligan masterfully weaves tension, truth and place into every page.' Brigid Delaney, author of The Seeker and the Sage
'The chaos and fervour of an Irish homecoming, a town dense with secrets, and a seemingly unsolvable crime - Shellybanks has it all. I was captivated at first by the prose; I could hear the singing, I could feel the cold press of the Dublin fog. But it's the characters who ultimately carry the novel, and Kate Delaney is particularly unforgettable. After just two books she feels like an old friend, I just want to head to the pub with her, order a double Jameson, and solve the world's problems. I love this series and Louise Milligan has proven once again that she is the real deal.' J.P. Pomare, author of 17 Years Later
Praise for Pheasants Nest:
'A compelling story, written with tautness and wit.' Annabel Crabb
'A gripping, sinister—yet also wryly funny and realistic—crime thriller.' Jane Caro
'A crime novel that could only be written by a fine journalist—so original, funny and true.' David Marr
'Wry observations of popular culture and Australian foibles ... I simply didn't want the book to end given the sheer delight of the storytelling.' The Age
315 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 3, 2026
25 people are currently reading
147 people want to read
About the author
Louise Milligan
4 books101 followersLouise Milligan is a multi-award-winning investigative journalist for ABC TV's Four Corners, the Australian national broadcaster's flagship current affairs documentary program. She is the author of two bestselling non-fiction books: Cardinal, The Rise and Fall of George Pell and Witness, An Investigation into the Brutal Cost of Seeking Justice. Her books have been awarded multiple prizes, including the Walkley Book Award, the Davitt Awards Best Non-Fiction Crime Book, the Melbourne Prize for Literature People's Choice Award, the Victorian Premier's Literary Award's People's Choice prize, the Sir Owen Dixon Chambers Law Reporter of the Year Award, a Press Freedom Medal and a shortlisting for the Stella Prize. Louise's journalism, particularly her coverage of historical institutional child abuse and the experience of women in the criminal justice system and parliament, has broken national and international news, sparked government inquiries and led to profound cultural change and law reform. She started her career in newspapers and is a former High Court correspondent and political reporter. Born in Ireland to an Irish mother and Scottish father, Louise moved to Australia as a child. She lives in Melbourne with her husband and two children. Pheasants Nest is Louise's first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
4.5★, happily rounded up for reasons I'll get to.
Milligan has done it again! In my review for Pheasants Nest I wrote that I hoped she hadn't used up all her ideas, but I should have known that her profession as an investigative journalist would give her a more than generous supply. The main idea that is slowly revealed to be at the heart of this story is a real doozy.
Recovering from the events detailed in the previous book, Irish-Australian journalist Kate Delaney and her partner Liam Carroll are both taking time out from their demanding jobs in Australia to live a simple, island life in Greece for a while. Soon they will travel to Ireland for Aunt Dolores' mid-life wedding, but Greece is where they will heal and think about what the future holds for them. At least, that's the plan.
When a distressed Aunt Dolores calls and asks them to come sooner, Kate and Liam drop everything to be by her side. Family is everything. Under a pall of sadness, something that has been simmering under Dolores' happy-go-lucky surface breaks through, and for the first time, a huge family secret is aired. The middle of the book is devoted to Dolores' story, and let me just say - it's pretty wild. There were times when I thought it was just too far-fetched. But remember what Milligan does for a living!
Even at a surface level, this is a very topical story. We are familiar with all sorts of heartbreaking stories coming out of many different places, but especially Ireland, where organised religion has torn families apart and made lives miserable. This book has a hefty dose of that, but it goes further. If you can resist the Acknowledgements section until the very end, there is an enormous payoff waiting - set aside an hour or so after turning the final page, because you'll want to immediately watch one of Milligan's 4 Corners reports. That's the extra half star right there.
Many thanks to Allen & Unwin and NetGalley for an uncorrected digital advance copy to read and review.
Milligan has done it again! In my review for Pheasants Nest I wrote that I hoped she hadn't used up all her ideas, but I should have known that her profession as an investigative journalist would give her a more than generous supply. The main idea that is slowly revealed to be at the heart of this story is a real doozy.
Recovering from the events detailed in the previous book, Irish-Australian journalist Kate Delaney and her partner Liam Carroll are both taking time out from their demanding jobs in Australia to live a simple, island life in Greece for a while. Soon they will travel to Ireland for Aunt Dolores' mid-life wedding, but Greece is where they will heal and think about what the future holds for them. At least, that's the plan.
When a distressed Aunt Dolores calls and asks them to come sooner, Kate and Liam drop everything to be by her side. Family is everything. Under a pall of sadness, something that has been simmering under Dolores' happy-go-lucky surface breaks through, and for the first time, a huge family secret is aired. The middle of the book is devoted to Dolores' story, and let me just say - it's pretty wild. There were times when I thought it was just too far-fetched. But remember what Milligan does for a living!
Even at a surface level, this is a very topical story. We are familiar with all sorts of heartbreaking stories coming out of many different places, but especially Ireland, where organised religion has torn families apart and made lives miserable. This book has a hefty dose of that, but it goes further. If you can resist the Acknowledgements section until the very end, there is an enormous payoff waiting - set aside an hour or so after turning the final page, because you'll want to immediately watch one of Milligan's 4 Corners reports. That's the extra half star right there.
Many thanks to Allen & Unwin and NetGalley for an uncorrected digital advance copy to read and review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
(3.5 stars)
Shellybanks continues on from where Pheasants Nest left off. As the lead character, journalist Kate Delaney has PTSD from what happened in the previous book, you're better to have read it, lest you find the frequent back references annoying. They're mostly about unwanted and intrusive memories of sexual violence, which author Louise Milligan describes reasonably accurately: "These are the sort of maddening rabbit holes her brain takes her down all the time. It's pointless, and she knows it's pointless, but she does it anyway."
However the follow-up book is not set in Australia. It starts in Greece and move to Ireland, the author's home country, to uncover a story about baby snatching from an unwed Irish teen combined with slavery and sexual abuse. It's not a new story, and you can see Milligan was influenced by the investigative journalism she did in this area with Four Corners.
I find the prose in both books a bit stiff, and when you add an Irish flavour to that, sometimes I found myself having to read sentences over to ensure I caught their meaning. It prevented me from relaxing into the book and the story of Dolores Murphy. I still didn't really like the lead protagonist. The final chapter jumping around in third person perspective does a lot of telling rather than showing: "There are so many loose threads for Christy Redmond and John Barry to tie up." I would have preferred it to have been told from the lead protagonist's perspective. It's an almost but not quite from me.
With thanks to NetGalley and Allen & Unwin for sending me a copy to read.
Shellybanks continues on from where Pheasants Nest left off. As the lead character, journalist Kate Delaney has PTSD from what happened in the previous book, you're better to have read it, lest you find the frequent back references annoying. They're mostly about unwanted and intrusive memories of sexual violence, which author Louise Milligan describes reasonably accurately: "These are the sort of maddening rabbit holes her brain takes her down all the time. It's pointless, and she knows it's pointless, but she does it anyway."
However the follow-up book is not set in Australia. It starts in Greece and move to Ireland, the author's home country, to uncover a story about baby snatching from an unwed Irish teen combined with slavery and sexual abuse. It's not a new story, and you can see Milligan was influenced by the investigative journalism she did in this area with Four Corners.
I find the prose in both books a bit stiff, and when you add an Irish flavour to that, sometimes I found myself having to read sentences over to ensure I caught their meaning. It prevented me from relaxing into the book and the story of Dolores Murphy. I still didn't really like the lead protagonist. The final chapter jumping around in third person perspective does a lot of telling rather than showing: "There are so many loose threads for Christy Redmond and John Barry to tie up." I would have preferred it to have been told from the lead protagonist's perspective. It's an almost but not quite from me.
With thanks to NetGalley and Allen & Unwin for sending me a copy to read.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Pheasants Nest by Louise Milligan was one of my top reads of 2024. The extraordinary novel introduced journalist Kate Delaney and her terrifying ordeal after spurning the advances of a man in a bar. Shellybanks picks up several months after Kate’s miraculous survival.
Kate, struggling with PTSD, and her boyfriend Liam are on an extended holiday of sorts in Greece when Kate receives news that tragedy has befallen her Aunt Dolores in Ireland. Kate and Liam immediately fly to Dublin to offer comfort and support, but what Dolores really wants—now that she realises time is running out—is Kate’s help to finally tell the story she has kept hidden for decades: the abuse and trauma she endured as a vulnerable teenager, and the search for the infant stolen from her.
Written in three parts, the first reacquaints the reader with Kate, while the second focuses on Dolores’s heartbreaking story. One of eleven children, Dolores’s overwhelmed parents enrolled her in a residential “Cookery School for Young Ladies” when she was fourteen. It appeared to be a promising opportunity, offering a nationally recognised qualification under the supervision of trained instructors. Instead, the students were subjected to indoctrination, assault, and exploitation by women who professed righteousness and piety.
The school delivered none of what it promised. Instead, it groomed the girls to become “Help”—effectively indentured servants for a cult calling themselves the Group, hiding under the banner of the Catholic faith.
Shellybanks does not make for comfortable reading. At various times I felt desperately sad and deeply angry about the trauma Dolores suffered, and about the misogyny and corruption that allowed the Group to thrive. Ireland in the 1970s was a period when women and girls had almost no agency over their own lives, and the dictates of the Church—particularly the Catholic Church—were largely unquestioned.
In a magazine interview, Milligan explains that she drew not only from her own investigative work but also from the experiences of real women, including her own beloved aunts, to bring authenticity to her characters and their circumstances.
As Kate and Dolores grapple with their respective trauma, they find strength in each other’s resilience. And as the darkness of the past is finally exposed, the future becomes just a little brighter.
Haunting and powerful, Shellybanks is compelling fiction.
Kate, struggling with PTSD, and her boyfriend Liam are on an extended holiday of sorts in Greece when Kate receives news that tragedy has befallen her Aunt Dolores in Ireland. Kate and Liam immediately fly to Dublin to offer comfort and support, but what Dolores really wants—now that she realises time is running out—is Kate’s help to finally tell the story she has kept hidden for decades: the abuse and trauma she endured as a vulnerable teenager, and the search for the infant stolen from her.
Written in three parts, the first reacquaints the reader with Kate, while the second focuses on Dolores’s heartbreaking story. One of eleven children, Dolores’s overwhelmed parents enrolled her in a residential “Cookery School for Young Ladies” when she was fourteen. It appeared to be a promising opportunity, offering a nationally recognised qualification under the supervision of trained instructors. Instead, the students were subjected to indoctrination, assault, and exploitation by women who professed righteousness and piety.
The school delivered none of what it promised. Instead, it groomed the girls to become “Help”—effectively indentured servants for a cult calling themselves the Group, hiding under the banner of the Catholic faith.
Shellybanks does not make for comfortable reading. At various times I felt desperately sad and deeply angry about the trauma Dolores suffered, and about the misogyny and corruption that allowed the Group to thrive. Ireland in the 1970s was a period when women and girls had almost no agency over their own lives, and the dictates of the Church—particularly the Catholic Church—were largely unquestioned.
In a magazine interview, Milligan explains that she drew not only from her own investigative work but also from the experiences of real women, including her own beloved aunts, to bring authenticity to her characters and their circumstances.
As Kate and Dolores grapple with their respective trauma, they find strength in each other’s resilience. And as the darkness of the past is finally exposed, the future becomes just a little brighter.
Haunting and powerful, Shellybanks is compelling fiction.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Oh my goodness I loved this story.
Shellybanks tells a story that is tragic and confronting but has glimmers of hope and rejuvenation for those involved.
Kate Delaney, who we met in Pheasants Nest under rather horrific circumstances, is on holiday with her boyfriend Liam when they are called to Dublin earlier than expected to help Kate's Aunt Dolores.
Dolores Murphy, reeling from the death of her betrothed, opens up to Kate and recounts a tale full of tragedy about her teenage years when she was beholden to a sect like branch of the Catholic church.
The emotions I felt reading the story Dolores was telling were a mixture of anger, horror, sadness and disbelief that people could be so cruel. While everything that Dolores experienced was awful, there was one thing in particular that had never left her thoughts.
When Kate convinces Dolores to go to the gardai and report what happened to her, I found that the story just became utterly fascinating. The respect and care shown by the officers was heartwarming and their determination to help and bring those responsible to justice was amazing.
I loved how this was written and you could feel the care taken to give the story the respect it deserved. There were times it felt like the movie Spotlight as details were uncovered. In a story that was hard to read sometimes there was also some light and hope for the future.
This is a story that won't leave my heart for a while.
Many thanks to Allen & Unwin and #netgalley for an ARC of this before publication.
Shellybanks tells a story that is tragic and confronting but has glimmers of hope and rejuvenation for those involved.
Kate Delaney, who we met in Pheasants Nest under rather horrific circumstances, is on holiday with her boyfriend Liam when they are called to Dublin earlier than expected to help Kate's Aunt Dolores.
Dolores Murphy, reeling from the death of her betrothed, opens up to Kate and recounts a tale full of tragedy about her teenage years when she was beholden to a sect like branch of the Catholic church.
The emotions I felt reading the story Dolores was telling were a mixture of anger, horror, sadness and disbelief that people could be so cruel. While everything that Dolores experienced was awful, there was one thing in particular that had never left her thoughts.
When Kate convinces Dolores to go to the gardai and report what happened to her, I found that the story just became utterly fascinating. The respect and care shown by the officers was heartwarming and their determination to help and bring those responsible to justice was amazing.
I loved how this was written and you could feel the care taken to give the story the respect it deserved. There were times it felt like the movie Spotlight as details were uncovered. In a story that was hard to read sometimes there was also some light and hope for the future.
This is a story that won't leave my heart for a while.
Many thanks to Allen & Unwin and #netgalley for an ARC of this before publication.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
In this novel, Kate Delaney is trying to come to terms with the trauma she experienced in ‘Pheasant’s Nest’. She and her partner Liam have taken time off from their jobs in Melbourne and have travelled to Greece. They plan to travel to Dublin, where Kate was born, to attend the wedding of her Aunt Dolores. But Dolores’s fiancé dies suddenly weeks before the wedding and Kate and Liam travel to Dublin to try to help her.
Kate discovers that Dolores has her own long hidden trauma which the death of her fiancé brings to the surface. Dolores, as a young teenager who is a member of a large family, was drawn into a religious movement which enslaved and exploited her. Dolores was never able to speak of what happened to her or to try to find answers to the many questions she has. With Kate’s help and a sympathetic police investigation, Dolores may be able to face a more positive future.
It took me a little while to be fully drawn into this story. While I felt great sympathy for Kate, it was Dolores’s story which captured my attention. Ms Milligan covers several difficult and uncomfortable issues in this novel. While this is a work of fiction, it reflects the lived experience of far too many women.
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Allen & Unwin for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Kate discovers that Dolores has her own long hidden trauma which the death of her fiancé brings to the surface. Dolores, as a young teenager who is a member of a large family, was drawn into a religious movement which enslaved and exploited her. Dolores was never able to speak of what happened to her or to try to find answers to the many questions she has. With Kate’s help and a sympathetic police investigation, Dolores may be able to face a more positive future.
It took me a little while to be fully drawn into this story. While I felt great sympathy for Kate, it was Dolores’s story which captured my attention. Ms Milligan covers several difficult and uncomfortable issues in this novel. While this is a work of fiction, it reflects the lived experience of far too many women.
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Allen & Unwin for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
(it is actually more like a 3.7 star rating)
My thoughts: I wasn't entirely sure where this novel would go in terms of pace, feel and it's hold on me.
But I soon found out it is a book that definitely gripped me.
Kate has endured so much more than any person should, and after helping Dolores through the death of a loved one, Kate is shocked to hear of Dolores's traumatic history.
Wanting to help her as much as she can, they are both faced with the harrowing and cruel history of Aunt Dolores.
This story will surely have readers shocked at the cruelty Dolores and others faced as young women within a religious movement that sold itself as a cooking school.
The mystery woven into the cruelty of Dolores's history is quite gripping and knowing the torment the investigation brings up for Dolores and Kate brings another element to this story.
I found myself eager to learn more about Dolores and the others involved and felt that it was a good story and as much as I liked the tidying up that occurs in the last few chapters, I finished the book wanting more grit.
However, it's primarily about secrets hidden, trauma uncovered, survival, and allowing yourself to heal and find a way forward, even if you have to confront the horrible past that lingers.
My thoughts: I wasn't entirely sure where this novel would go in terms of pace, feel and it's hold on me.
But I soon found out it is a book that definitely gripped me.
Kate has endured so much more than any person should, and after helping Dolores through the death of a loved one, Kate is shocked to hear of Dolores's traumatic history.
Wanting to help her as much as she can, they are both faced with the harrowing and cruel history of Aunt Dolores.
This story will surely have readers shocked at the cruelty Dolores and others faced as young women within a religious movement that sold itself as a cooking school.
The mystery woven into the cruelty of Dolores's history is quite gripping and knowing the torment the investigation brings up for Dolores and Kate brings another element to this story.
I found myself eager to learn more about Dolores and the others involved and felt that it was a good story and as much as I liked the tidying up that occurs in the last few chapters, I finished the book wanting more grit.
However, it's primarily about secrets hidden, trauma uncovered, survival, and allowing yourself to heal and find a way forward, even if you have to confront the horrible past that lingers.
March 7, 2026
I read Shellybanks without realising it’s essentially a companion or adjacent sequel to The Pheasant’s Nest, which definitely helps explain some of the emotional weight carried by the main character, Kate. After the ordeal of the first book, Kate returns to her ancestral Ireland to support her Aunt Dolores, who is grieving the loss of her fiancé.
From the start this was completely unputdownable for me. The tension sits just beneath the surface and the story slowly pulls you in, revealing family history, grief, and the long shadows cast by the past. It’s a book that absolutely needs a fair few trigger warnings, as it deals with some deeply confronting and unimaginable circumstances, but it’s also a genuinely moving read.
What really worked for me was the historical fiction vibe running through the story. The sense of place, the weight of history, and the way past events shape the present gave the book a depth that lingered long after I finished it. It’s heavy, but in a thoughtful and powerful way. If you’re prepared for the darker themes, it’s a compelling and emotional read.
From the start this was completely unputdownable for me. The tension sits just beneath the surface and the story slowly pulls you in, revealing family history, grief, and the long shadows cast by the past. It’s a book that absolutely needs a fair few trigger warnings, as it deals with some deeply confronting and unimaginable circumstances, but it’s also a genuinely moving read.
What really worked for me was the historical fiction vibe running through the story. The sense of place, the weight of history, and the way past events shape the present gave the book a depth that lingered long after I finished it. It’s heavy, but in a thoughtful and powerful way. If you’re prepared for the darker themes, it’s a compelling and emotional read.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This is the follow up to Louise Milligan's novel, Pheasants Nest, where Kate is trying to deal with the trauma of her kidnapping.
However, it is not necessary to have already read Pheasant's Nest to get the full impact of this hard-hitting novel of secrets, survival, grief, an ultimately... hope of new beginnings.
There are so many layers to this story. Both Kate and Dolores find themselves in the position of needing to deal with past trauma before being able to move on with their lives.
This is an at times uncomfortable read, but all the more necessary because of that.
Thanks to Allen & Unwin and Netgalley for the review copy of this book
However, it is not necessary to have already read Pheasant's Nest to get the full impact of this hard-hitting novel of secrets, survival, grief, an ultimately... hope of new beginnings.
There are so many layers to this story. Both Kate and Dolores find themselves in the position of needing to deal with past trauma before being able to move on with their lives.
This is an at times uncomfortable read, but all the more necessary because of that.
Thanks to Allen & Unwin and Netgalley for the review copy of this book
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Dublin, Ireland. Kate Delaney was a child collecting shells when she nearly died due to the dangerous tides at Shellybanks, and an unknown man saved her. Years later Kate and her boyfriend Liam Carroll are on holidays in Greek Islands when her Auntie Delores calls with bad news and they hop on a plane.
Kate and her parents moved to Melbourne, she was recently a victim of a terrible crime and she discovers her aunt has been hiding a secret for decades and the trauma it caused. Dolores Murphy was one of eleven children and she felt like a nuisance and her escape was to visit the library and read. When her mother suggested she attend a cooking school for young ladies, a fifteen year old Dolores jumped at the chance to leave home and despite not caring about learning domestic skills.
Dolores travelled to the countryside near Galway and to The Big House a Georgian manor. In charge was the directress, two teachers, it was linked to a branch of the Catholic Church and they held conferences. What happens here is shocking, it stole her youth, freedom, dignity and she was not the only one and it can only be described as a cult?
Dolores is ready with Kate’s help to report the historic crime, hopefully get justice, for herself and the other victims who have not been able to tell anyone what happened due to the shame and guilt.
I received a copy of Shellybanks (Kate Delaney #2) from NetGalley and Allen & Unwin in exchange for an unbiased review. Louise Milligan is an award winning TV journalist, like Kate she moved from Ireland to Australia as a child and it shows.
It follows on from her debut novel Pheasants Nest and I had no trouble grasping the storyline, my mum is Scottish and so I understood some words that other readers might not be familiar with.
A narrative about young women not being paid for work they did and treated like slaves, adversity, abuse, neglect and forced adoption, while we might not enjoy reading about these topics it’s important for books like Shellybanks to be written, to make people think and be aware it still happens and five stars from me.
Kate and her parents moved to Melbourne, she was recently a victim of a terrible crime and she discovers her aunt has been hiding a secret for decades and the trauma it caused. Dolores Murphy was one of eleven children and she felt like a nuisance and her escape was to visit the library and read. When her mother suggested she attend a cooking school for young ladies, a fifteen year old Dolores jumped at the chance to leave home and despite not caring about learning domestic skills.
Dolores travelled to the countryside near Galway and to The Big House a Georgian manor. In charge was the directress, two teachers, it was linked to a branch of the Catholic Church and they held conferences. What happens here is shocking, it stole her youth, freedom, dignity and she was not the only one and it can only be described as a cult?
Dolores is ready with Kate’s help to report the historic crime, hopefully get justice, for herself and the other victims who have not been able to tell anyone what happened due to the shame and guilt.
I received a copy of Shellybanks (Kate Delaney #2) from NetGalley and Allen & Unwin in exchange for an unbiased review. Louise Milligan is an award winning TV journalist, like Kate she moved from Ireland to Australia as a child and it shows.
It follows on from her debut novel Pheasants Nest and I had no trouble grasping the storyline, my mum is Scottish and so I understood some words that other readers might not be familiar with.
A narrative about young women not being paid for work they did and treated like slaves, adversity, abuse, neglect and forced adoption, while we might not enjoy reading about these topics it’s important for books like Shellybanks to be written, to make people think and be aware it still happens and five stars from me.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This is so much better than Pheasants Nest. Although the main character from that book is also in this one, the story mainly concerns the story of Kate’s aunt, Dolores and is mostly set in Ireland. When Dolores was a teenager she was sent to a supposed cookery school run by the ‘Directress’ but it was more like a religious cult. I found this story compelling and hard to put down once it gets to Dolores, it takes a while to get going as the early part focuses on Kate and her ongoing trauma.
March 10, 2026
Compelling. Redemptive. Compassionate. Atmospheric. Powerful.
I loved the return of Irish-Australian journalist Kate Delaney, following her traumatic experiences in Pheasants Nest. This time she is in Dublin, comforting her aunt Delores, who discloses her own traumatic past.
I devoured this story, as I really enjoy how Louise Milligan tackles complex topics with courage, kindness, nuance and a dash of dark humour. I loved the Irish setting, the unravelling of long-held secrets and how this story captured me with all the deep feelings.
The story is told in three parts, and it works very well with the storyline and characters.
I loved the return of Irish-Australian journalist Kate Delaney, following her traumatic experiences in Pheasants Nest. This time she is in Dublin, comforting her aunt Delores, who discloses her own traumatic past.
I devoured this story, as I really enjoy how Louise Milligan tackles complex topics with courage, kindness, nuance and a dash of dark humour. I loved the Irish setting, the unravelling of long-held secrets and how this story captured me with all the deep feelings.
The story is told in three parts, and it works very well with the storyline and characters.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This book continues on from Pheasants Nest, but can easily be read as a stand alone. Journalist Kate Delaney is recovering from the horrific events of Pheasants Nest, and heads to Dublin to support her aunt Delores who has just lost the her beloved partner.
We learn that Delores has a hidden past, and she's endured years of silence after her time as a naïve teenager in a disturbing religious cult.
A totally addictive read revealing horrors that leave permanent scars.
We learn that Delores has a hidden past, and she's endured years of silence after her time as a naïve teenager in a disturbing religious cult.
A totally addictive read revealing horrors that leave permanent scars.
March 3, 2026
I can’t even begin to express how much I loved this book. It was harrowing, but hopeful (even when it felt hopeless), love and loss. Ms Milligan proves once again that her journalist skills translate to gripping and hauntingly realistic characters, events and dialogue.
If I could give 6⭐️, I would.
If I could give 6⭐️, I would.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This was a follow up from Pheasants Nest where we follow Kates’ struggle to normalise her life after what happened. Shellybanks is about Kates’ aunt Dolores past and her story which captivated me. It was a great read .Thank you NetGalley and to the publisher Allen & Unwin for the ARC.
Review of advance copy
Compelling.
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