New fiction for December 2021
by Brandon King
Take a look at our latest fiction titles for December 2021.
Darkness falls, by Robert Bryndza
Kate Marshall's detective agency takes off when she and her partner Tristan are hired to investigate a cold case from over a decade ago. Twelve years previously, a determined young journalist called Joanna Duncan exposed a political scandal that had major repercussions. In the fallout she disappeared without trace and was never found. When Kate and her partner Tristan examine the case files, they find the trail long cold, but they discover the names of two young men who also vanished at that time.
As she begins to connect their last days, Kate realizes that Joanna may have been onto something far more sinister than anyone first believed: the identity of a serial killer preying on the people who few will ever miss. But the closer Kate comes to finding the killer, the darker things become.
The newcomer, by Laura Elizabeth Woollett
Paulina is the captivating newcomer on a sleepy Pacific island, known for her hard drinking, disastrous relationships, and habit of walking alone. But now, in a hotel room on the island, her mother Judy Novak waits. And worries. She can't ignore the island's jagged cliffs and towering pines - or the dread that Paulina has finally acted on her threats to take her own life. So when Paulina's body is discovered, Judy's worst fears are confirmed.
Only, Paulina didn't kill herself. She was murdered. So begins a thorny investigation, wherein every man on the island is a suspect yet none are as maligned as Paulina. But even death won't stop Judy Novak from fighting for her daughter's life.
Find her first, by Emma Christie
Paramedic Billy King is no stranger to emergency calls. But when he gets home to find police ramming down his door, his world starts fracturing along with it. They'd received an anonymous claiming a woman's body was in the flat and, sure enough, his wife - an artist - is found alive but bleeding heavily in their bathroom.She survives and says she'd just slipped on some wet tiles - but her behavior becomes increasingly erratic and by the time she sets off for an artists' retreat a few weeks later, Billy's convinced she's lying about where she's going - and with whom.
It's only when he starts following his wife that he makes a terrible realization. He's not the only one observing her. And when he discovers drawings of his wife's mutilated body, he desperately hopes he can reach her before the horrors of the sketchbook become a reality.
The couple on Maple Drive, by Sam Carrington
Isla barely leaves the house after her brutal mugging. Her boyfriend Zach moved in with her after the attack to look after her - but something else has happened now. Right on their doorstep. Is someone out to get her? The secrets they're hiding from each other are now close to the surface. Will the truth reveal itself before it's too late?
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Hide, by Nell Pattison
The Boxing Day hike is meant to bring their nature group together. Emily, the sister who never lets her hearing loss hold her back. Lauren, the sister who always feels a step behind. Morna, who doesn't get on with Lauren. Ben, whose feelings for Emily border on obsession. Dan, the quiet newcomer to the group. Kai, who isn't just on the hike to enjoy the wildlife. And Alec, the one who knows all their secrets. As the sun sets, a gunshot rings out on the nature reserve.
One of the seven is dead. And one of their number killed them.
The secrets of Bridgewater Bay, by Julie Brooks
England, 1919: Rose and Ivy board a ship bound for Australia. One is travelling there to marry a man she has never met.One is destined never to arrive. Australia, 2016: Amongst her late-grandmother's possessions, Molly uncovers a photograph of two girls dressed in First World War nurses' uniforms, labelled 'Rose and Ivy 1917', and a letter from her grandmother, asking her to find out what happened to her own mother, Rose, who disappeared in the 1960s.
Compelled to carry out her grandmother's last wish, Molly embarks on a journey to England to unravel the mystery of the two girls whose photograph promised they'd be 'together forever'.
Borrow The secrets of Bridgewater Bay →
Looking for something new to read? Take a look at our recommendations.