Showing results by author "Phillipa Nefri Clark" in All Categories

It was family ties that led Christie Ryan to River’s End, the small seaside town on the rugged Australian coastline. But it’s her heart that is telling her to stay. Bequeathed her grandmother’s cottage, Christie is ready to put the past behind her for a chance at a future with local artist, Martin. When Martin is approached by a secretive stranger for a portrait, he accepts, eager to build a nest egg for his life with Christie. Martin doesn’t know the unfortunate chain of events the commission will set into motion.

Journalist Sadie is home for the first time in fifteen years, staying in her small childhood bedroom as she deals with her estranged father’s death and her surprising inheritance. When Sadie meets Rebecca, the reclusive new owner of the solitary cottage at the edge of nearby Whisper Lake, she’s taken aback by the older woman’s request for help: ‘I need to find my family. Will you help me?’. She’s even more surprised when afterwards, Rebecca acts as if she never made the plea.

Near the rugged Australian coastline beaten by the winds of the wild, great Southern Ocean sits a forgotten stationmaster's cottage holding secrets of a tragic love story. These are secrets Christie Ryan knows nothing about when she unexpectedly inherits her estranged grandmother's cottage in the small seaside town of River's End. There, Christie finds love letters that have remained unopened for close to 50 years.

Newly minted celebrant and camper van aficionado Daphne Jones pulls up in the charming town of Little Bridges, ready to officiate the wedding of Steve Tanning and Lisa Brooker. But when Steve is murdered just minutes after saying "I do", Daphne finds herself taking on a whole new role: amateur sleuth. The tension between the two families was apparent from the outset. As emotions escalate, Daphne soon learns why: Steve is the third Tanning man Lisa has married, and now the third to die in mysterious circumstances.

Harriet Main moves to the beautiful coastal town of Rivers End with a heavy heart. The bookstore she’s opening on the idyllic main street is a small distraction from the pain of her recent divorce, and the guilt over failing her daughter Olive when she needed her most. When Harriet finds an anonymous old diary in a collection of books donated to the store, she’s shocked when the donor refuses to take it back, wanting nothing to do with the tragic book.

The small seaside town of River’s End is abuzz with the upcoming wedding of Christie Ryan and local artist Martin to be held at historic Palmerston House. Once home to Christie’s ancestors but lost in a poker game in the 1850s, it’s now an inviting bed-and-breakfast. When a stranger arrives to stay at Palmerston House and starts asking questions around town, Christie begins to wonder about the history of the house. Do the locals know more than they are letting on, and is someone hiding something?

Ivy Ross left Rivers End ten years ago, vowing never to return. Her heart broken, her trust gone, the father she adored behind bars. But when her sister Jody begs Ivy to return to finalise their inheritance, the majestic Fairview House, she is drawn home. And when she finds a collection of heartfelt letters hidden in her father’s library, everything she thought she knew is called into question. The anonymous letters reveal a heartbreaking love story that force Ivy to rethink the terrible night that tore her family apart.

Twenty-five years ago, Joanna Johnson fled her hometown of Rivers End, leaving behind her best friend, her first love, and a dark secret. When a mysterious letter arrives, she’s forced to confront the past she’s tried so hard to forget… Returning to the picturesque coastal town, Joanna is drawn back into the world she left behind. Walking along the sandy stretch of beach below her aunt’s cottage in Willow Bay, the memories come flooding back of all the dreams she cherished until betrayal and a stormy night at sea tore them apart.

Celebrant and accidental amateur sleuth Daphne Jones is thrilled to attend an opulent mountaintop retreat for a celebrants' conference. But the weekend turns deadly when a mysterious note lures Daphne to the hotel fountain, where she discovers a dead body, floating face down and wearing the distinctive red jacket of the society's president, Rupert Witherspoon.

Celebrant Daphne Jones is in the picturesque mountain town of Shady Bend to perform a funeral for community figure Edwina Drinkwater. But when the casket falls open during the service, revealing it's completely empty, Daphne finds herself at the centre of a baffling mystery. And the missing body is only the start of the day's calamities. When the caterer collapses from apparent poisoning, followed by two more suspicious deaths, Daphne is determined to figure out why so many mourners are following Edwina into the afterlife.

When Detective Liz Moorland stares at the lifeless faces of her ex-colleague’s daughter and son-in-law, she knows it is enough to push Vince Carter over the edge. Vince, a bitter and reclusive retired cop, was once a hero to many. But in his eyes, he has failed those he most loved. Estranged from his daughter before her death, the enormity of his loss is immeasurable.

Wedding celebrant Daphne Jones arrives at Crystal Springs Winery expecting a simple ceremony. Instead, she gets a shock: the bride is Belle, the beloved foster daughter she lost touch with a decade ago. Their reunion is cut short, however, when Daphne finds a notorious food critic stabbed to death, and his dying words implicate the winery's head chef, Susan. But the scene is too perfect. Is Susan being framed?

When Angie Fairlie returns to her coastal hometown after a devastating divorce, all she wants is a fresh start. But then, while clearing out her beloved grandmother's home, she stumbles upon a mysterious box. Inside is an anonymously written book and newspaper clippings about a child who vanished decades ago. As Angie digs deeper, she discovers that the heartbreaking novel, The Loneliest Girl by the Sea, may hold clues to the fate of the little girl who disappeared from a family picnic in 1952.