Awards

• Short-listed for Best Debut Fiction 2025 (Australia)
• Short-listed for Indie Book Awards 2025 (Australia)

Overview

A gripping, fast-paced thriller, Pheasants Nest is a brilliantly original debut from award-winning journalist Louise Milligan. Kate Delaney has made the biggest mistake of her life. One impulsive encounter on a girls' night out leaves her kidnapped, bound and in the back of a stranger's car. As a crime reporter, Kate knows the grim statistics-most abducted women are never found alive. Her terrified boyfriend Liam, and the detectives who rally to find her, lose hope with every hour that passes. Kate must summon all her courage to stay alive. 'A compelling story, written with tautness and wit.' Annabel Crabb 'A gripping, sinister-yet also wryly funny and realistic-crime thriller.' Jane Caro 'A crime novel that could only be written by a fine journalist-so original, funny and true.' David Marr 'Wry observations of popular culture and Australian foibles ... I simply didn't want the book to end given the sheer delight of the storytelling.' The Age

Full Product Details

9781761473753

Table of Contents

Reviews

'A rollercoaster ride of peril and nail-biting tension.' - Vikki Petraitis 'Pheasants Nest is simply unmissable.' - Hayley Scrivenor 'An all-too-real thriller that had me on the edge of my seat.' - Sarah Bailey 'A story as addictive as Gone Girl but with a distinctive Australian voice.' - Patricia Karvelas 'A page-turning novel that examines the ripple effects of a devastating crime in real time.' - Jacqueline Bublitz 'A blockbuster of a story...Louise Milligan has written a superb and disturbing page-turner.' - Readings 'Witty, suspenseful and compelling, Louise Milligan bring a fresh perspective to crime fiction, with characters that challenge readers to question the victim and perpetrator stereotypes society has come to expect...A thought-provoking and beautifully told story.' - Sisters in Crime

Author Information

Louise Milligan is a multi-award-winning investigative journalist for ABC TV's Four Corners, the Australian national broadcaster's flagship current affairs documentary program. She is the author of two bestselling non-fiction books: Cardinal, The Rise and Fall of George Pell and Witness, An Investigation into the Brutal Cost of Seeking Justice. Her books have been awarded multiple prizes, including the Walkley Book Award, the Davitt Awards Best Non-Fiction Crime Book, the Melbourne Prize for Literature People's Choice Award, the Victorian Premier's Literary Award's People's Choice prize, the Sir Owen Dixon Chambers Law Reporter of the Year Award, a Press Freedom Medal and a shortlisting for the Stella Prize. Louise's journalism, particularly her coverage of historical institutional child abuse and the experience of women in the criminal justice system and parliament, has broken national and international news, sparked government inquiries and led to profound cultural change and law reform. She started her career in newspapers and is a former High Court correspondent and political reporter. Born in Ireland to an Irish mother and Scottish father, Louise moved to Australia as a child. She lives in Melbourne with her husband and two children. Pheasants Nest is Louise's first novel. Her second novel, Shellybanks, is published in 2026.

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