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Editorial Content for Murder Town

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Reviewer (text)

Ray Palen

Australian author Shelley Burr, whose first novel WAKE was an international bestseller, returns with MURDER TOWN. Once again, the story is set amidst the less popular areas of Australia and is ideal for readers who have enjoyed the work of Jane Harper and Candice Fox. Read More

Teaser

Gemma Guillory has lived in the Australian Outback enclave of Rainier her entire life. Her once charming town is now remembered for one reason and one reason only: three innocent people died there at the hands of a serial killer. The last stop on the Rainier Ripper’s trail of deaths 15 years ago was her picturesque little tea shop. She knows that the consequences of catching the Ripper still haunt her policeman husband and their marriage to this day, and some of her neighbors are desperate enough to welcome a dark tourism company keen to cash in on Rainier’s notoriety as the “Murder Town.” When the tour guide is killed by a Ripper copycat on Gemma’s doorstep, the unease that has lurked quietly in the original killer’s wake explodes into the light, and Gemma is drawn into the investigation.

Promo

Gemma Guillory has lived in the Australian Outback enclave of Rainier her entire life. Her once charming town is now remembered for one reason and one reason only: three innocent people died there at the hands of a serial killer. The last stop on the Rainier Ripper’s trail of deaths 15 years ago was her picturesque little tea shop. She knows that the consequences of catching the Ripper still haunt her policeman husband and their marriage to this day, and some of her neighbors are desperate enough to welcome a dark tourism company keen to cash in on Rainier’s notoriety as the “Murder Town.” When the tour guide is killed by a Ripper copycat on Gemma’s doorstep, the unease that has lurked quietly in the original killer’s wake explodes into the light, and Gemma is drawn into the investigation.

About the Book

For fans of Jane Harper and true crime, a dark and gripping thriller set in a small town in the Australian Outback, by the author of the international bestseller WAKE.

Gemma Guillory has lived in the Australian Outback enclave of Rainier her entire life. She knows the tiny, red-dust town’s ins and outs by heart, knows the people like they are her family, their quirks as if they were her own.

She also knows her once charming town is now remembered for one reason and one reason only: three innocent people died there at the hands of a serial killer. The last stop on the Rainier Ripper’s trail of deaths 15 years ago was her picturesque little tea shop. She knows that the consequences of catching the Ripper still haunt her policeman husband and their marriage to this day, and some of her neighbors are desperate enough to welcome a dark tourism company keen to cash in on Rainier’s notoriety as the “Murder Town.”

When the tour guide is killed by a Ripper copycat on Gemma’s doorstep, the unease that has lurked quietly in the original killer’s wake explodes into the light, and Gemma is drawn into the investigation. Unbeknownst to her, so is a prisoner named Lane Holland, a former private investigator who earned a living cracking cold cases before he ran afoul of the law.

Gemma knows her town. She knows her people. Doesn't she?

Audiobook available, read by Jacquie Brennan

November 8, 2024

When we left off last week, I was trying to figure out how to spend the extra hour that Standard Time brought. I confess that I slept. Then I spent a whirlwind couple of hours cooking, making a double helping of butternut squash soup, as well as pumpkin muffins. And I roasted a batch of poblano chili peppers. I am not sure where this fever to cook and bake came from! Did I feel like November meant that it was time to gear up for the holidays with kitchen time?

Like Mother, Like Mother by Susan Rieger

November 2024

Mothers! They are the subject of Susan Rieger’s terrific novel, LIKE MOTHER, LIKE MOTHER. Here we get a look at three generations of mothers.

Lila Pereira is the first mother we meet in a section called “Lila.” She has spent her life in the limelight as the renowned executive editor of The Washington Globe. She’s been a rather absentee mother --- the kind who bore three daughters and seems to drop in and out of their lives, there when summoned but perhaps in body only and ready to zip off to another program or event. For the steadying force in their lives, her children rely on their father, Joe. He nurtures them and is their main rudder.

What to Give, What to Get 2024

We at Bookreporter.com know that readers crave ideas for gift-giving --- and getting --- at the holidays. With this in mind, we are offering a "What to Give, What to Get" Guide with four "Reader Perfect" suggestions.

Week of November 25, 2024

Paperback releases for the week of November 25th include NEVER GIVE UP, a moving story from Tom Brokaw that chronicles the values and lessons he absorbed from his parents and other people who worked hard to build lives on the prairie during the first half of the 20th century; BETRAYAL by Phillip Margolin, a twisty thriller in which attorney Robin Lockwood finds herself defending her old nemesis in a multiple murder case with too many suspects; THE KINGDOM OF SWEETS, Erika Johansen's gloriously transportive reimagining of "The Nutcracker" that tells the tale of twin sisters, divided by envy and magic, set against each other one fateful Christmas Eve; and Sam Wasson's THE PATH TO PARADISE, the definitive account of Academy Award-winning director Francis Ford Coppola’s decades-long dream to reinvent American filmmaking, if not the entire world, through his production company, American Zoetrope.

Week of November 18, 2024

Paperback releases for the week of November 18th include HELLO BEAUTIFUL by Ann Napolitano, a poignant and engrossing family story that asks: Can love make a broken person whole?; BAUMGARTNER, a taut yet expansive novel of love, memory and grief from the late Paul Auster; Katherine Howe's A TRUE ACCOUNT, a daring first-hand account of one young woman's unbelievable adventure as one of the most terrifying sea rovers of all time; DEAD MAN'S HAND, a propulsive and topical edge-of-your-seat thriller from former special forces officer Brad Taylor, whose protagonist, Pike Logan, goes head-to-head with Vladimir Putin’s henchmen; and the paperback original SHELL GAMES by Bonnie Kistler, a dazzling work of psychological suspense about a young woman whose fabulously wealthy mother might be the victim of an elaborate con or might be losing her mind --- and the daughter can’t tell where the truth lies.

Week of November 11, 2024

Paperback releases for the week of November 11th include GREENLIGHTS, the life-changing memoir that has inspired millions of readers through Matthew McConaughey's unflinching honesty, unconventional wisdom, and lessons learned the hard way about living with greater satisfaction; A GAME OF LIES, a gripping suspense novel from Clare Mackintosh that finds seven reality show contestants stranded in the Welsh mountains with no idea what they've signed up for; OPINIONS, an exhilarating collection of Roxane Gay's essays on culture, politics and everything in between; Armando Lucas Correa's THE SILENCE IN HER EYES, a bold and suspenseful psychological thriller about a young woman with a rare neurological condition who is convinced that her neighbor is going to be murdered; and UFO by Garrett M. Graff, the first comprehensive and eye-opening exploration of our government’s decades-long quest to solve one of humanity’s greatest mysteries: Are we alone in the universe?

Week of November 4, 2024

Paperback releases for the week of November 4th include THE ATLAS MANEUVER by Steve Berry, a Cotton Malone adventure in which the retired Justice Department operative unravels a mystery from World War II involving a legendary lost treasure known as Yamashita’s Gold; Ariel Lawhon's THE FROZEN RIVER, a gripping mystery inspired by the life and diary of Martha Ballard, a renowned 18th-century midwife who defied the legal system and wrote herself into American history; THE HEIRESS, a twisted Gothic suspense from Rachel Hawkins about an infamous heiress and the complicated inheritance she left behind; INDEPENDENCE SQUARE, the 10th entry in Martin Cruz Smith's series starring Detective Arkady Renko, who risks his life when he heads to Ukraine shortly before the Russian invasion to find an anti-Putin activist who has mysteriously disappeared; and the paperback original DOUBLE BARREL BLUFF by Lou Berney, which marks the long-awaited return of former mob wheelman Shake Bouchon.

November 2024

November's Books on Screen roundup includes the series premieres of "Cross" on Prime Video, "The Day of the Jackal" on Peacock, "Dune: Prophecy" on HBO, and "FX's Say Nothing" on Hulu; the season premieres of STARZ's "Outlander" and Apple TV+'s "Silo"; the series finales of "My Brilliant Friend" on HBO, "Three Women" on STARZ, and "Disclaimer" on Apple TV+; the season finale of "The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol" on AMC; the films Wicked and Small Things Like These in theaters, as well as Debbie Macomber's Joyful Mrs. Miracle on Hallmark Channel; and the DVD releases of It Ends with Us and Someone Like You.

November 5, 2024

In this newsletter, you will find books releasing the weeks of November 4th and November 11th that we think will be of interest to Bookreporter.com readers, along with Bonus News, where we call out a contest, feature or review that we want to let you know about so you have it on your radar.

This week, we are calling attention to our Favorite Monthly Lists & Picks feature for November, which includes Indie Next, LibraryReads, the Barnes & Noble Book Club, the "Good Morning America" Book Club, the PBS Books Readers Club, the "Read with Jenna" Today Show Book Club, Reese's Book Club, and the Target Book Club.