In the Clearing

(Paperback)

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FINALIST IN THE 2020 NGAIO MARSH AWARDS FOR BEST NOVEL

'another breathtaking page-turner from the author of CALL ME EVIE' - Christian White, bestselling author of The Nowhere Child

HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO TO PROTECT YOUR FAMILY

Amy has only ever known life in the Clearing. She knows what's expected of her. She knows what to do to please her elders, and how to make sure the community remains happy and calm. That is, until a new young girl joins the group. She isn't fitting in; she doesn't want to stay. What happens next will turn life as Amy knows it on its head.

Freya has gone to great lengths to feel like a 'normal person'. In fact, if you saw her go about her day with her young son, you'd think she was an everyday mum. That is, until a young girl goes missing and someone from her past, someone she hasn't seen for a very long time, arrives in town.

As secrets of the past bubble up to the surface, this small town's dark underbelly will be exposed and lives will be destroyed.

PRAISE FOR IN THE CLEARING:

'Past and present collide in this taut and unpredictable thriller ... Twist follows twist and nothing is as it seems.' - Chris Hammer, bestselling author of Scrublands

'A chilling depiction of the ferocious hold exerted by a cult and its adherents. This is totally absorbing fiction, made all the more shocking by the realisation that these stories recur again and again in Australian society.' - Jock Serong, author of The Rules of Backyard Cricket and Preservation

'J.P. Pomare captivates in this haunting novel, In the Clearing. I was utterly gripped with the stories of Amy and Freya from start to finish, and fascinated by the unexpected way the two came together ... A sure-fire bestseller. Sally Hepworth, bestselling author of The Mother-In-Law and The Family Next Door

Reviews

Pomare's new novel, In the Clearing, is written with a technical aplomb that proves his first was no fluke. There's no doubt about it: Pomare is a master of the carefully constructed, impeccably paced psycho-thriller. - The Australian

There are lots of premium crime-fiction offerings this summer, but this bloodcurdling exploration of the asphyxiating grip of a cult on its followers deserves to be at the top of your pile. - The New Daily

Pomare alternates between Freya and Amy's stories in ways that challenge the reader to work out how these two characters connect, gradually revealing the secrets of the past until all the pieces of the puzzle fit satisfyingly, although somewhat unsettlingly, together. - Sydney Morning Herald

Both his books are testament to the fact that he could be one of the most exciting literary thriller authors to come out of the country. - The Saturday Paper

If J.P. Pomare's Call Me Evie was a slow-burner of a psychological thriller, his follow-up, In the Clearing, is a pared-back firecracker. - Books+Publishing

In the Clearing will keep you on the edge of your seat and wide awake until you've raced to the end. A true psychological thriller that is totally believable and which will stay with you long after you've finished. - Herald Sun

Clear your schedules, because after reading page one you won't be able to stop. In The Clearing is another breathtaking page-turner from the author of Call Me Evie. A dark, chilling, atmospheric thriller populated with mysterious and wonderfully flawed characters. - Christian White, bestselling author of THE NOWHERE CHILD

Pomare's writing is clear and precise, with not a word wasted. The characters are especially well drawn, developed patiently and with empathy ... It is the plot, however, of In the Clearing that is especially impressive - ambitious, audacious, and masterfully rendered. - Australian Book Review

Author Bio

J.P. Pomare is an award-winning and bestselling author whose debut novel, Call Me Evie (2018), won the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best First Novel. In the Clearing (2019) and The Last Guests (2021) were critically acclaimed bestsellers, with In the Clearing now a Disney+ Original Series. Tell Me Lies (2020) was a #1 Audible bestseller and was shortlisted for the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Novel and the Ned Kelly Award for Best Crime Fiction and his fifth book, The Wrong Woman, was a top-ten bestseller. Home Before Night is his sixth novel and was first published as an Audible Original.

J.P. was born in New Zealand and resides in Melbourne with his wife and daughter.