Book review: The Shark by Emma Styles

I met Aussie-raised England-dwelling Emma Styles in person when I attended Theakston Crime Writing Festival a few years ago, but The Shark is the first novel I’ve read of hers. I had heard of her debut… No Country For Girls of course, which was well-received by readers and much lauded by critics.

I almost didn’t request this, assuming it was about a killer shark (as opposed to the warm-blooded fuzzy kind!!! 🙄 ) as I am traumatised as a result of reading a copy of Jaws when I was WAAAAY too young.* Happily it’s not. About a shark that is. Less happily for the victims of a serial killer dubbed ‘the shark’ of course… named thus as the injuries on victims is reminiscent of a shark attack.

About this book

The Shark
by Emma Styles
Published by Hachette ANZ
on 10/03/2026
Source: Hachette Australia, Publicist
Genres: Crime Fiction, Thriller / Suspense
ISBN: 1408722429
Pages: 320

Goodreads

.At the height of Australian summer, a serial killer dubbed The Shark stalks a beachside suburb, targeting young female swimmers whose bodies are later found on the shoreline.

Disempowered and angry at the failures of the police to protect them, two young women are hell-bent on revenge. Raych has lost someone and will go to any length to discover what happened to her, while Carmen suspects a disturbing connection to the killer.

Together they form an uneasy alliance and, in a moment that changes the trajectory of their lives, Carmen and Raych abduct and imprison the prime suspect. Do they think they can save the day, or are their intentions darker?

My thoughts

Styles gives us two narrators here… Raych, a woman whose best friend disappeared the year before, assumed to have been killed by ‘the shark’ but whose body was never discovered. Raych – already traumatised by the death of her mother – has understandably struggled to cope in the aftermath of her friend’s disappearance, most specifically the lack of answers and justice.

In the aftermath… boiling with anger, she spent some time in a psych ward, which is how she met Carmen (our other narrator). Carmen is a former foster child, now finishing high school and with a family whose 24-year old daughter is surprisingly spiteful towards Carmen for someone of her age.

We learn that Carmen came across the ‘shark’s’ first victim, reporting it anonymously rather than get embroiled in the case… though later becoming obsessed.

Our narrators stumble across each other, both stalking the primary police suspect of the killings. There’s an uneasy alliance though unsure of each other’s motives.

I don’t know Cottesloe but there’s a sense of something quintessentially Australian about it and Styles proffers it almost as a character. I’m not a visual reader but I can almost picture the seaside setting and mix of old houses and new modern dwellings abutting the laconic foreshore.

Of course there are backstories… Carmen being accused of trying to kill her foster-sister; and experiencing lengthy blackouts. She event starts to believe she could be involved (somehow) in the killings.

The forgetting episodes are happening all the time now, every single day. Almost anything can trigger her brain to do what it does: her senses peeling away from her so she does things without knowing it, like they’re happening to someone else. (60% of way through novel)

Things get out of hand when the pair inadvertently attack the suspect and decide to keep him captive to learn the truth… for Raych – the fate of her friend; and for Carmen what happened the night she attempted to kill her foster-sister.

Suddenly there’s a fire and a body and Carmen and Raych start to doubt each other.

Styles paces this well and builds up to an edge-of-your-seat climax. She also throws in some surprises, twists and twists within twists.

I enjoyed this read… relieved that it didn’t involve women being involve by carnivorous sharks, but also appreciated the complexity of the plot involving events that triggered an equally dangerous predator.

The Shark by Emma Styles was published in Australia by Hachette.

I received a copy of this book from the publicist for review purposes.

* The copy of Jaws was left lying about at my grandparents holiday shack and – being the avid reader I was – I picked it up and leapt in.