Pheasants Nest
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
A gripping, propulsive and brilliantly original debut by award-winning investigative journalist and writer Louise Milligan.
'A gripping, sinister – yet also wryly funny and realistic – crime thriller.' – Jane Caro
'A rollercoaster ride of peril and nail-biting tension.' – Vikki Petraitis
'Pheasants Nest is simply unmissable.' – Hayley Scrivenor
'An all-too-real thriller that had me on the edge of my seat.' – Sarah Bailey
'A story as addictive as Gone Girl but with a distinctive Australian voice.' – Patricia Karvelas
'A page-turning novel that examines the ripple effects of a devastating crime in real time.' – Jacqueline Bublitz
'A compelling story, written with tautness and wit.' – Annabel Crabb
'A crime novel that could only be written by a fine journalist - so original, funny and true.' – David Marr
She wonders if they have discovered her missing yet. Has it broken in the news? Who has been assigned to cover her story? Have they started spooling through her social media and pulling out photographs? Constructing a narrative about who she is and what possible reason any person has to kidnap or (let's be frank) kill her? She tries not to let out the whimper that's building in her sternum, at the thought that he might. Kill her, that is. He might kill her.
Kate Delaney has made the biggest mistake of her life. She picked the wrong guy to humiliate on a girls' night out and now she is living every woman's worst nightmare. Kate finds herself brutalised, bound and gagged in the back of a car being driven god knows where by a man whose name she doesn't know, and she is petrified about what's in store for her.
As a journalist who is haunted by the crimes she's had to report over her career, Kate is terrifyingly familiar with the statistics about women who go missing—and the fear and trauma behind the headlines. She knows only too well how those stories usually end.
Kate can only hope the police will find her before it's too late, but she's aware a random crime is hardest to solve. As the clock ticks down, she tries to keep herself sane by thinking about her beloved boyfriend and friends, escaping into memories of love and happy times together. She knows she cannot give way to despair.
As the suspense escalates, Kate's boyfriend Liam is left behind, struggling with his shock, fear and desperation as the police establish a major investigation. The detectives face their own feelings of anguish and futility as they reflect on the cases they didn't solve in time and the victims they couldn't save. They know Kate's chances of survival diminish with every passing hour.
Acclaimed and award-winning writer and journalist Louise Milligan has written a stunning and surprising thriller with a gigantic heart: a gripping, propulsive and brilliantly original debut.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Acclaimed investigative journalist Louise Milligan makes her fiction debut with the exceptional Pheasants Nest. When journalist Kate Delaney doesn't come home after a night out with her girlfriends, her disappearance quickly becomes the biggest news story in Australia. Abducted and alone while her boyfriend, friends and the police search for her, Kate tries to remain calm under pressure while her mind is awash with all the gruesome tales she's reported on and crime scene photos she’s seen. Milligan delivers a realistic portrayal of a gripping tragedy, as well as a weighty reflection on the ethics of crime journalism and why some news stories become a part of our collective conscience and others don't. Her writing style is immersive, sinking you slowly into its darkest themes while making you think about what you're reading in the news. If you're after a crime story with depth, this is the one.
Customer Reviews
Book of the year so far
Couldn’t put it down! Loved the characters and the pace
Finished in 24 hrs
I must be getting old. I listened to Louise the author speak about this novel on ABC Radio National. I needed a holiday read and It was everything it promised to be... had me captivated until the last chapter.