The Shark

A Novel

Emma Styles

In this captivating new crime thriller, a serial killer is stalking the beaches of Western Australia, as two teenage girls dead-set on revenge take matters into their own hands.

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—Raych and Carmen—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 find and capture the prime suspect. Do they think they can save the day—or are their intentions darker? Can they trust one another's agenda? And when another young woman goes missing, do they start suspecting each other of something more devious?

Emma Styles writes contemporary noir about young women taking on the patriarchy. She grew up in Perth in Western Australia and now lives in London, where she was born. Emma has an MA in crime fiction from the University of East Anglia. No Country for Girls was her debut novel; it won the Little, Brown UEA Crime Fiction Award. You can find Emma on Twitter @emstylesauthor, Instagram @emmastylesauthor, and learn more about her road trip influences at emmastylesauthor.com.

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Endorsements & Reviews

"Thelma and Louise – turbocharged. My heart was racing from the first page to the last of this tense and stylish Australian thriller. Serial killer 'The Shark' has met his match in the complicated but magnificent duo of Raych and Carmen." Elissa Soave, author of Common Ground

"Emma 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. Loved it." Emma Christie, author of Watch Your Back

"A ferociously intense, white-knuckle thriller, The Shark plunges you into a sun-scorched Western Australian summer where two fearless young women are drawn into a deadly game of cat and mouse with a coastal serial killer. 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." Peter Papathanasiou, author of The Bolthole

"In this profoundly unsettling story, Styles exposes the dark underbelly of a picture-perfect Australian coastal town. As a serial killer lurks beneath the surface, The Shark chews up the tropes of crime fiction, giving us a cast of proactive women who refuse to be victims. Stylish and tense, this is a thriller with extra bite!" — Jo Furniss, author of DEAD MILE Jo Furniss, author of Dead Mile

“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!” Trevor Wood, author of The Silent Killer

"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." Heather Critchlow, author of Unburied

"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." Vaseem Khan, author of The Girl in Cell A

“Edgy and gritty and compelling. Combines Perth’s two great fears – sharks and serial killers – to telling effect. A serial killer is on the loose – and two traumatized girls are determined to hunt him down. Emma Styles has created two totally original protagonists. A taut and unpredictable thriller.” Chris Hammer, author of Legacy

"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