Description
GOLD. THEFT. MURDER. A ROAD TRIP TO DIE FOR.
Winner of the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize
Shortlisted for the CWA New Blood Dagger Award
Shortlisted for the Davitt Award for Best Adult Crime Novel
Shortlisted for the ACWA Ned Kelly Award for Best Debut Crime Fiction
Longlisted for the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award
Longlisted for the Polari First Book Prize
'An unrelenting page-turner' CHRIS WHITAKER, author of WE BEGIN AT THE END
'A triumph' THE i
'The real star is the desolate Outback' THE TIMES
'Thrilling . . . It left me breathless' ALEX MARWOOD, author of THE WICKED GIRLS
'Perfectly paced' SCOTSMAN
'Razor-sharp wit meets pumping action' FEMI KAYODE, author of LIGHTSEEKERS
'Beautifully done' LITERARY REVIEW
'A thrilling cross-country chase through remote Australia' SUNDAY POST
____________
Charlie and Nao are strangers from different sides of the tracks. They should never have met, but one devastating incident binds them together forever.
A man is dead and now they are unwilling accomplices in his murder there's only one thing to do: hit the road in the victim's twin cab ute, with a bag of stolen gold stashed under the passenger seat.
Suddenly outlaws, Nao and Charlie must make their way across Australia's remote outback using only their wits to survive. They'll do whatever it takes to evade capture and escape with their lives . . .
Thelma & Louise for a new generation, No Country for Girls is a gritty, twisty road-trip thriller that follows two young women on the run across the harsh, unforgiving landscape of Australia.
__________
What readers are saying about No Country for Girls
'What an incredible, high octane, thrilling ride this book is!'
'I desperately wanted to know what happens next'
'I loved the characters and the setting, which was described with vivid and rich imagery'
'Incredibly well plotted'
'Tense and thrilling . . . Highly recommended, there are absolutely no slow bits to this story'
About the Author
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 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.
Reviews
Bold and badass, No Country For Girls is the kind of searingly stylish, unrelenting page-turner I just adore. I burned through the twisting plot almost as fast as Charlie and Nao light up the Australian outback' -- CHRIS WHITAKER, author of WE BEGIN AT THE END
A thrilling cat-and-mouse pursuit through West Australia's Badlands . . . It left me breathless -- ALEX MARWOOD, author of THE WICKED GIRLS
As the two leave a trail of destruction in their wake, each of their heartbreaking stories unravels as their pasts catch up with them, and they bond over life and death . . . A triumph * The i *
An impressive first novel . . . Styles describes the terrifying emptiness of the Outback and the drilling heat with absolute conviction. The ending is beautifully done * Literary Review *
Fresh as hell with two strikingly original protagonists who blaze a thrilling trail through the outback. Not just a terrific debut, a terrific book full stop -- TREVOR WOOD, author of THE MAN ON THE STREET
No Country for Girls expertly captures the protagonists' grit and tenacity in a thrilling cross-country chase . . . Introducing two memorable literary heroines. A perfectly paced thriller * Scotsman *
Razor-sharp wit meets pumping action, with twists and turns to keep the pages turning! No Country for Girls is the road trip for our time; relevant, powerful and unrelentingly entertaining . . . Welcome Emma Styles. We didn't know how much we needed you until you came -- FEMI KAYODE, author of LIGHTSEEKERS
A thrilling cross-country chase through remote Australia and a gipping yarn about two heroines that masterfully interlaces dark humour and tension with poignant familial drama. Wonderful! * Sunday Post *
A taut, evocative and utterly absorbing road-trip thriller about two young women on the run for their lives, both caught up in a landscape as full of threat and danger as the people who are after them. Unputdownable -- JACOB ROSS, author of BLACK RAIN FALLING
Emma Styles' thriller perfectly captures the pulse-pounding chaos of life on the run . . . Gripping * Woman's Own *
A unique voice, compelling protagonists, and a dizzyingly wild and gripping ride that grabs you by the throat - this is outback Australia like you've never seen it and you will not soon forget it -- PETER PAPATHANASIOU, author of THE STONING
I LOVED THIS BOOK. Thelma & Louise meets The Tourist in this pacey, surprising and relentlessly tense Aussie road trip thriller. With No Country for Girls Emma Styles is not playing around - she's staking her claim as the new queen of Outback Noir -- LIZZIE POOK, author of MOONLIGHT AND THE PEARLER'S DAUGHTER
A fast-moving, cinematic debut by a new Australian author . . . Violent, picturesque and a barrel full of twists along the way, this high-octane road movie of a novel delivers on all counts * Crime Time *
Every now and then you open a book, and you know immediately that here is something fresh and new and exciting. This novel is all of that, with extra . . . No Country for Girls is both original and brilliant, and it is hard to believe that this first-class novel by Australian-born Emma Styles, now living in the UK, is a debut * Crime Review *
An edge-of-your-seat, high-octane, thrilling road trip across the Oz Outback, in the company of three unforgettable women -- LOUISE MORRISH, author of OPERATION MOONLIGHT
The grit and harshness of [Australia] runs in her writer's bloodstream. This is a two-fisted road trip adventure . . . One action twist after another. Terrific fun! 10/10 * Peterborough Telegraph *
You'll be gripped from the first page of this perfectly-paced thriller. Styles masterfully interlaces dark humour with tension by the bucketload, and poignant familial drama, introducing two new literary heroines for modern fiction. 10/10 * Breaking News *
No Country For Girls lives up to its title and Emma Styles is to be lauded for an exceptional debut crime novel . . . Wonderful * SHOTS *
Aussie noir is another on-trend fashion in publishing, and with debuts as flinty and suspenseful as Emma Styles' No Country For Girls, it's easy to see why. This is a breathless outback chase novel sparked by a violent crime . . . Styles takes familiar tropes and energises them with a sense of escalating dread. The book's billed as an outback Thelma & Louise, though it's closer in tone to the Cormac McCarthy referenced in the title * The Age *
The vast expanses of Western Australia provide the backdrop for an exciting tale . . . Styles ratchets up the tension as we ride through vivid settings with two strong personalities who don't trust each other . . . An intense, fascinating, female-centred read * NZ Listener *
Riveting . . . There's a fabulous rawness to Styles' debut crime tale; strong voices and viewpoints that aren't polite or prettied up. Gritty and gripping, No Country for Girls marks the emergence of a talented new crime voice * Good Reading Magazine *
Awards
Winner of The Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize 2023 (UK). Short-listed for CWA Daggers: John Creasey (New Blood) 2023 (UK).
Book Information
ISBN 9780751583861
Author Emma Styles
Format Paperback
Page Count 352
Imprint Sphere
Publisher Little, Brown Book Group
Weight(grams) 244g
Dimensions(mm) 196mm * 126mm * 30mm
Winner of the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize
Shortlisted for the CWA New Blood Dagger Award
Shortlisted for the Davitt Award for Best Adult Crime Novel
Shortlisted for the ACWA Ned Kelly Award for Best Debut Crime Fiction
Longlisted for the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award
Longlisted for the Polari First Book Prize
'An unrelenting page-turner' CHRIS WHITAKER, author of WE BEGIN AT THE END
'A triumph' THE i
'The real star is the desolate Outback' THE TIMES
'Thrilling . . . It left me breathless' ALEX MARWOOD, author of THE WICKED GIRLS
'Perfectly paced' SCOTSMAN
'Razor-sharp wit meets pumping action' FEMI KAYODE, author of LIGHTSEEKERS
'Beautifully done' LITERARY REVIEW
'A thrilling cross-country chase through remote Australia' SUNDAY POST
____________
Charlie and Nao are strangers from different sides of the tracks. They should never have met, but one devastating incident binds them together forever.
A man is dead and now they are unwilling accomplices in his murder there's only one thing to do: hit the road in the victim's twin cab ute, with a bag of stolen gold stashed under the passenger seat.
Suddenly outlaws, Nao and Charlie must make their way across Australia's remote outback using only their wits to survive. They'll do whatever it takes to evade capture and escape with their lives . . .
Thelma & Louise for a new generation, No Country for Girls is a gritty, twisty road-trip thriller that follows two young women on the run across the harsh, unforgiving landscape of Australia.
__________
What readers are saying about No Country for Girls
'What an incredible, high octane, thrilling ride this book is!'
'I desperately wanted to know what happens next'
'I loved the characters and the setting, which was described with vivid and rich imagery'
'Incredibly well plotted'
'Tense and thrilling . . . Highly recommended, there are absolutely no slow bits to this story'
About the Author
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 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.
Reviews
Bold and badass, No Country For Girls is the kind of searingly stylish, unrelenting page-turner I just adore. I burned through the twisting plot almost as fast as Charlie and Nao light up the Australian outback' -- CHRIS WHITAKER, author of WE BEGIN AT THE END
Styles's first novel starts with a bang . . . There are decided echoes of films such as Shallow Grave and
Thelma & Louise in this bumpy road trip . . . The real star is the desolate outback. And, refreshing for a summer read, there isn't a luxury villa in sight
A thrilling cat-and-mouse pursuit through West Australia's Badlands . . . It left me breathless -- ALEX MARWOOD, author of THE WICKED GIRLS
As the two leave a trail of destruction in their wake, each of their heartbreaking stories unravels as their pasts catch up with them, and they bond over life and death . . . A triumph * The i *
An impressive first novel . . . Styles describes the terrifying emptiness of the Outback and the drilling heat with absolute conviction. The ending is beautifully done * Literary Review *
Fresh as hell with two strikingly original protagonists who blaze a thrilling trail through the outback. Not just a terrific debut, a terrific book full stop -- TREVOR WOOD, author of THE MAN ON THE STREET
No Country for Girls expertly captures the protagonists' grit and tenacity in a thrilling cross-country chase . . . Introducing two memorable literary heroines. A perfectly paced thriller * Scotsman *
Razor-sharp wit meets pumping action, with twists and turns to keep the pages turning! No Country for Girls is the road trip for our time; relevant, powerful and unrelentingly entertaining . . . Welcome Emma Styles. We didn't know how much we needed you until you came -- FEMI KAYODE, author of LIGHTSEEKERS
A thrilling cross-country chase through remote Australia and a gipping yarn about two heroines that masterfully interlaces dark humour and tension with poignant familial drama. Wonderful! * Sunday Post *
A taut, evocative and utterly absorbing road-trip thriller about two young women on the run for their lives, both caught up in a landscape as full of threat and danger as the people who are after them. Unputdownable -- JACOB ROSS, author of BLACK RAIN FALLING
Emma Styles' thriller perfectly captures the pulse-pounding chaos of life on the run . . . Gripping * Woman's Own *
A unique voice, compelling protagonists, and a dizzyingly wild and gripping ride that grabs you by the throat - this is outback Australia like you've never seen it and you will not soon forget it -- PETER PAPATHANASIOU, author of THE STONING
I LOVED THIS BOOK. Thelma & Louise meets The Tourist in this pacey, surprising and relentlessly tense Aussie road trip thriller. With No Country for Girls Emma Styles is not playing around - she's staking her claim as the new queen of Outback Noir -- LIZZIE POOK, author of MOONLIGHT AND THE PEARLER'S DAUGHTER
A fast-moving, cinematic debut by a new Australian author . . . Violent, picturesque and a barrel full of twists along the way, this high-octane road movie of a novel delivers on all counts * Crime Time *
Every now and then you open a book, and you know immediately that here is something fresh and new and exciting. This novel is all of that, with extra . . . No Country for Girls is both original and brilliant, and it is hard to believe that this first-class novel by Australian-born Emma Styles, now living in the UK, is a debut * Crime Review *
An edge-of-your-seat, high-octane, thrilling road trip across the Oz Outback, in the company of three unforgettable women -- LOUISE MORRISH, author of OPERATION MOONLIGHT
The grit and harshness of [Australia] runs in her writer's bloodstream. This is a two-fisted road trip adventure . . . One action twist after another. Terrific fun! 10/10 * Peterborough Telegraph *
You'll be gripped from the first page of this perfectly-paced thriller. Styles masterfully interlaces dark humour with tension by the bucketload, and poignant familial drama, introducing two new literary heroines for modern fiction. 10/10 * Breaking News *
No Country For Girls lives up to its title and Emma Styles is to be lauded for an exceptional debut crime novel . . . Wonderful * SHOTS *
Aussie noir is another on-trend fashion in publishing, and with debuts as flinty and suspenseful as Emma Styles' No Country For Girls, it's easy to see why. This is a breathless outback chase novel sparked by a violent crime . . . Styles takes familiar tropes and energises them with a sense of escalating dread. The book's billed as an outback Thelma & Louise, though it's closer in tone to the Cormac McCarthy referenced in the title * The Age *
The vast expanses of Western Australia provide the backdrop for an exciting tale . . . Styles ratchets up the tension as we ride through vivid settings with two strong personalities who don't trust each other . . . An intense, fascinating, female-centred read * NZ Listener *
Riveting . . . There's a fabulous rawness to Styles' debut crime tale; strong voices and viewpoints that aren't polite or prettied up. Gritty and gripping, No Country for Girls marks the emergence of a talented new crime voice * Good Reading Magazine *
Awards
Winner of The Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize 2023 (UK). Short-listed for CWA Daggers: John Creasey (New Blood) 2023 (UK).
Book Information
ISBN 9780751583861
Author Emma Styles
Format Paperback
Page Count 352
Imprint Sphere
Publisher Little, Brown Book Group
Weight(grams) 244g
Dimensions(mm) 196mm * 126mm * 30mm
