FICTION

Some secrets are too big to keep hidden. Neva Bradley, a third-generation midwife, is determined to keep the details surrounding her own pregnancy - including the identity of the baby's father - hidden from her family and co-workers for as long as possible. Her mother, Grace, cannot let this secret rest, even while her own life begins to crumble around her. For Floss, Neva's grandmother and a retired midwife, Neva's situation thrusts her back 60 years in time to a secret that eerily mirrors her granddaughter's - a secret which, if revealed, will have life-changing consequences for them all. Praise for The Secrets of Midwives 'A wonderfully satisfying story . . . touching, tender, and meticulously researched' - Liane Moriarty 'Enchanting . . . Hepworth's skilful storytelling means past and present fl ow seamlessly . . . it's easy to lose yourself in the lives of the three, strong female protagonists' - Daily Telegraph

Sally Hepworth is the New York Times bestselling author of nine novels, including The Good Sister and The Soulmate. Drawing on the good, the bad and the downright odd of human behaviour, Sally writes incisively about family, relationships and identity. Her domestic thriller novels are laced with quirky humour, sass and a darkly charming tone. They are available worldwide in English and have been translated into twenty languages. Sally lives in Melbourne, Australia, with her family and one adorable dog.

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Good Sister and The Mother-in-Law with new novel Darling Girls out soon. The moment she laid eyes on Heather Wisher, Tully knew this woman was going to destroy their lives. Tully and Rachel are murderous when they discover their father has a new girlfriend. The fact that Heather is half his age isn't even the most shocking part. Stephen is still married to their mother, who is in a care facility with end-stage Alzheimer's disease. Heather knows she has an uphill battle to win Tully and Rachel over, while carrying the burden of the secrets of her past. But, as it turns out, they are all hiding something. The announcement of Stephen and Heather's engagement threatens to set off a family implosion, with old wounds and dark secrets finally being forced to the surface. A garage full of stolen goods. An old hot-water bottle, stuffed with cash. A blood-soaked wedding. And that's only the beginning . . . SHORTLISTED FOR THE ABIA GENERAL FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022 LONGLISTED FOR THE AUSTRALIAN BOOK DESIGN AWARDS 2022 BEST DESIGNED COMMERCIAL FICTION COVER PRAISE FOR THE YOUNGER WIFE 'Smart, suspenseful, brimming with secrets. This is Sally Hepworth at her unputdownable best.' - Kate Morton 'At once familiar, wonderfully unpredictable and riveting. My kind of story.' - Rosalie Ham 'Completely compulsive. Sally Hepworth delivers with this stay-up-late one-more-chapter gem.' - Jane Harper 'Totally absorbing, brilliantly written and thoroughly enjoyable. An addictive, unputdownable read.' - Herald Sun 'Thrilling family drama' - Who WeeklyÂ

Prepare to be bewitched by Iceland and the book that has enchanted readers for decades – and imprisoned one of them. Longlisted for the Indie Book Awards 2024 Elva loves Iceland for many reasons – the epic landscape of gods and volcanoes, weather that’s the polar opposite of her home in Australia, and the fact that it’s where her mother might have gone back to when she disappeared. Iceland is where Elva’s beloved grandfather – the famous children’s book author – lives in a remote village and where the beings that haunt her imagination reside. Elva is interested in the odd things people make – Victorian collectibles, old spells, taxidermy, fairy tales. The weird, the wonderful and the sometimes macabre. She’s got a few quirks of her own that she’s (mainly) keeping under control. Except one. Working in a shop of curiosities, studying at an Icelandic language school, Elva begins to explore her obsessions, and when her grandfather suffers a stroke, they threaten to overtake her. Then she meets Remy, a painter who’s got some secrets of his own … In her captivating debut, Rijn Collins has created a beautifully evocative portrait of an enchanted mind in an enchanting place – a story of everyday magic, both dark and light; of families and the shadows they can cast; of the delights and dangers of the imagination. Fed to Red Birds will transport you to remote corners of both the world and the human heart. ‘Intensely evocative and beautiful.’ Hannah Kent, author of Burial Rights 'Rijn Collins is a writer of great humanity and intelligence who has fashioned a vividly realised portrait of a young woman trying to make a life for herself in the shadow of familial trauma and dysfunction.' Simon McDonald, Kill Your Darlings ‘Fed to Red Birds is dreamy and immersive … both travelogue and beautifully written literary fiction. It is for readers who loved the insightful prose and armchair travel of Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au and the brooding, fairytale-esque feelings of Hydra by Adriane Howell.’ Books+Publishing '[T]he sense of place in this novel is spellbinding – as is Collins’s prose in describing it.' Australian Book Review '[L]ost in this book, I have only put it down for long enough to write this column, and am already missing Iceland and Elva terribly ... I feel I am typing this with frost-bitten fingers while being watched by trolls.' The Canberra Times 'Fed to Red Birds is a quietly haunting novel that leads us to ponder our histories and genealogies, and how we hold onto the past through our obsessions and compulsions.' Better Reading