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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

Daphne Jones has travelled with her cute-as-a-button camper Bluebell to the outback town of Little Bridges to officiate a wedding at a beautiful rural home. Such a perfect setting. But not so perfect people are determined to stop the union and before the day is done, a member of the bridal party ends up face down in the swimming pool. She's no detective nor a spring chicken, but Daphne does love a puzzle and her gut tells her this was no accident.

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.

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.