Publisher's Synopsis
'Centred on three female outcasts who live on the margins of a cliquey community, this exquisite Australian noir novel shimmers with secrets, unlikely sisterhood and gasp-inducing twists.' - Love Reading
'An incredible debut full of rich characters and a plot that will keep you guessing. Louise Wolhuter is a writer to watch' - J.P. Pomare author of In the Clearing
'Darkly addictive. Once An Afterlife for Rosemary Lamb gets its teeth into you, there's no escape' - Adrian Hyland, author of Canticle Creek
Jessie Else disappeared the summer the Lambs came to Magpie Beach. Not that the two events were connected at all, in reality; only in my own head, in my own world. They marked for me the end of a certain quiet time and the start of a more complicated living.
Magpie Beach is a quiet seaside town - full of small-town prejudices and small-town cliques. Meg, Rosemary and Lily are all outsiders. Meg and Lily because they came to Magpie Beach to escape their former lives, Rosemary because her upbringing was the subject of much local gossip and upturned noses. The three women come together as friends, partly because their homes are so close together on the outskirts of town - and partly because their neighbours treat them with such suspicion.
When Jessie Else, all of 9 years old, goes missing - it's easy to see why this small band of outcasts are first on the list of suspects - but what they didn't realise is that Jessie's disappearance is only the beginning of their troubles. Soon all those secrets they've been trying to hide are going to be uncovered - and nothing will ever be the same again.
