On the Edge: The twisty new mystery for summer 2026 about long-held secrets and betrayal from the bestselling author of The Inheritance, perfect for readers of Sally Hepworth and Liane Moriarty

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A homecoming will shake this small town to its very foundations. The taut new mystery from the bestselling author of The Inheritance, perfect for readers of Sally Hepworth and Liane Moriarty.

Desperate people do desperate things...

Sixteen years ago, teenage Maddie Marshall's body was found on a desolate beach near her hometown, Carrinya. Vibrant, feisty Maddie was the only daughter of a high-profile politician. The case was the talk of the town but was ultimately never solved.

Nel Foley, daughter of the town doctor and Maddie's best friend, was the last known person to see her alive, and the Carrinya rumour mill was vicious. Nel fled the town and has never been back. Until now.

Now a 32-year-old city GP, Nel returns after her father's sudden death, determined to get in and out as quickly as possible. Begrudgingly, she agrees to run his clinic for a few weeks, but during that time she meets local mum Sophie Warner and that changes everything.

Sophie's husband Ryan, a prominent local real estate agent, was Maddie's boyfriend and Nel is certain he played a role in her death. When Nel discovers that Ryan is not the loving husband and father that he seems, she decides she must prove what he did all those years ago. But as she starts to unravel the past, she discovers the truth is far more complex than she could have imagined.

A twisty, suspenseful mystery about the desperate things people do when they're on the edge.

Author Bio

Kate Horan has spent the last seventeen years working in corporate communications, helping executives to pitch and present. Before that, she taught English and Drama at high schools in western Sydney where she relished inspiring teenagers with a love of reading and writing. She graduated from the University of Sydney in 2001 with an Honours degree in English Literature. After many years of feeling the niggle to write her own stories, she attended Faber Academy's Writing a Novel program in 2020. Kate's debut novel, The Inheritance, was an instant Australian Bestseller. Her second novel, On the Edge, will be published by HQ HarperCollins in January 2026. When she's not dreaming up stories about complicated families with dark secrets, she's chauffeuring her teenage boys to and from social engagements, listening to true crime podcasts and walking her golden lab on Sydney's beautiful Northern Beaches. Photo Credit: Erin Masters