We’re delighted to be sharing Laura’s thoughts about The Shark by Emma Styles.
A gripping revenge story where trauma, flawed choices, and danger collide.
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- Category : Crime & Mystery/Thriller
- Publisher : Sphere
- Publication date : 12 Mar. 2026
- Language : English
- Print length : 352 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1408722410
- ISBN-13 : 978-1408722411
Every monster has a weakness.
At the height of Australian summer, a serial killer known as The Shark stalks a coastal suburb, hunting young female swimmers.
Afraid and furious at the failure of the police to protect them, two women fight back. Raych is grieving someone she’d have died to save, while Carmen hides her own disturbing connection to the murders.
In desperation, they form an uneasy alliance. And when another girl vanishes, they take matters into their own hands – by kidnapping the prime suspect. But as their interrogation spirals, horrifying truths surface on both sides of the table.
The clock is ticking to save the missing girl. And in their quest for justice, Raych and Carmen must face the darkest question of all: have they caught a monster – or become one?
The Shark Review
The Shark is a dark thriller set in Western Australia, where a series of murders shocks a coastal community. Young women are being stalked and killed while swimming at the beach, and the unknown killer becomes known as “The Shark.”
At the centre of the story are two women whose lives have already been shaped by trauma. Raych is still grieving the loss of her friend a year earlier, while Carmen is the woman who discovered the first victim. Both carry the weight of their past experiences, and their pain influences many of the decisions they make throughout the story.
These are not easy characters to warm to. Both Raych and Carmen have their flaws, and their actions can sometimes be difficult to understand. However, I thought they were written well and felt believable in the context of what they have been through.
Determined to uncover the identity of The Shark, the two women join forces. Their plan quickly becomes risky and extreme—going as far as using themselves as bait and even abducting their prime suspect. It’s a bold and dangerous idea, especially while a serial killer is still on the loose.
At times I found parts of the story a little difficult to follow, but overall I still found it an interesting read.
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Author Info
Emma 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. No Country for Girls is her debut novel; it won the Little, Brown UEA Crime Fiction Award 2020.
