Just like grief, waiting had stages. And by two o’clock, Judy Novak was well and truly in the anger phase.
So proud of the fact that she could finally make a bed. Making an appointment — not so much.ABOUT THE BOOK ‘Of course you are!’ Patronising. ‘What can I do for you, ma’am?’
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‘That one’s my ancestor, Samuel Stevens.’ Noticing her looking, Bazel pointed out one of the sailors. ‘I made sure the artist gave him lots of muscles.’
He didn’t remember Judy, the fat clerk in the mutiny-red shirt. His smile said as much: a crocodile smile that didn’t quite meet the sea- glass eyes with their curiously beautiful dark-brown lashes. A man her age. It was one thing being invisible to young blokes, but had this man really lumped her in the same category as all the nearly-deads with their coach tours and activity calendars?
My thanks to Patricia of Scribe for the tour invitation. The Newcomer is currently available in both ebook and audio and will be published in paperback by Scribe UK on 9 December 2021. For my turn on the tour, it’s a pleasure to share an extract.
OVERDUE
‘Which one’s his wife?’
Where are you, Paulina?
Bazel cupped his chin in his hands and frowned. ‘Is that right!’
Thirty years old! And still bloody selfish. Well, whose fault is that?
Judy didn’t wait around to listen to Bazel’s reply; she had things to do, goddamnit. Although, once behind the wheel of her rented Hyundai, she wasn’t quite sure what.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The only ‘Novak’ in the Fairfolk Island phone book. Almost, it gave Judy goosebumps, seeing her daughter’s name so alone in that forest of Kings, Carlyles, Stevenses, Greatorexes.
‘Well. She was supposed to meet me at my cabin two hours ago. At least, that’s what we agreed? After her walk. Paulina said we’d go to the beach.’
A gold ring glinted in his right ear. His desk was shaped like a prow, the wall behind it painted with half-naked Polynesian women and rogue British sailors, looking out to sea at a burning ship.
Pick up! For chrissakes, Paulina. Pick up!
Laura Elizabeth Woollett is the author of a short story collection, The Love of a Bad Man (Scribe, 2016), and two novels, Beautiful Revolutionary (Scribe, 2018) and The Newcomer (forthcoming Scribe, 2021). The Love of a Bad Man was shortlisted for the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Fiction and the Ned Kelly Award for Best First Fiction. Beautiful Revolutionary was shortlisted for the 2019 Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Fiction, the Australian Literature Society Gold Medal, and the Kathleen Mitchell Award. Laura is the City of Melbourne’s 2020 Boyd Garret writer-in-residence and is a 2020-22 Marten Bequest scholar for prose.
EXTRACT
Each ring like a screaming newborn. Torture. She slammed the phone.
‘Your guess is as good as mine.’ He shrugged sheepishly. ‘That one there with the white flowers is Gideon King’s bride, Puatea.’
When her 29-year-old daughter Paulina goes missing on a sleepy pacific island, Judy Novak suspects the worst.
Judy had called — how many times? Enough. She’d call again. Just once. On the bedside phone, so plasticky-new it looked like a toy.
Judy stared at the phone for a long moment, like it was a snake slithering into a bush. Then she picked up her beach bag, threw a challenging glance at her pink-faced reflection.
‘Excuse me. If you see my daughter—’
‘Very … historical.’ Sighing, Judy straightened the strap of her beach bag. ‘If you see Paulina, tell her I’ve gone for a drive. I’ll be back in an hour or so. She can call me then, if she likes.’
Judy’s eyes wandered down to his name tag: Bazel.
A scintillating new thriller, inspired by real events, that puts the victim at the centre, by the author of The Love of a Bad Man.
‘I’m fine.’ She swiped a tear. ‘You’re fine.’
Two hours late! Island time be damned. It’s selfish, bloody selfish.
The Mutineers’ Lodge cabins had been renovated for high season. Marine-blue carpet. Brochures swimming under coffee-table glass. Drapes so red they hurt her eyes. ‘You have to stay at Mutes’!’ Paulina had insisted, months back. ‘I’ll make your bed and serve you breakfast!’
‘I’m Paulina’s mum,’ she reminded him.
NOVAK, PAULINA
Her fears are soon realised as Paulina’s body is discovered, murdered. Every man on the island is a suspect, yet none are as maligned as Paulina herself, the captivating newcomer known for her hard drinking, disastrous relationships, and a habit for walking alone. But even death won’t stop Judy Novak from fighting for her daughter’s life.
‘Fine! You’re a grown woman. So am I.’
