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The Drowning

New for 2026, the addictive and thought-provoking mystery from the bestselling author of page-turners The Accident and Just an Ordinary Family
By Fiona Lowe
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Brief Description
A body on the beach. An inheritance. A family pulled apart. Bestselling Australian author Fiona Lowe returns with her most engrossing mystery to date, perfect for readers of Liane Moriarty and Sally Hepworth. CC Cilento's best memories are of spending every summer holiday running wild in... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

A body on the beach. An inheritance. A family pulled apart. Bestselling Australian author Fiona Lowe returns with her most engrossing mystery to date, perfect for readers of Liane Moriarty and Sally Hepworth.

CC Cilento's best memories are of spending every summer holiday running wild in and out of the Friend family beach house with her cousins, James, Ollie, Felix, and Lily. It's the next best thing to having brothers and sisters. They've continued the summer tradition into adulthood, getting together at the shack with its absolute beach frontage.

But now a bombshell has dropped: the four sibling cousins have officially inherited the property - along with an unexpected fifth share to CC. What starts out as the perfect gift, and a way of keeping the family connected forever, quickly devolves into an emotional power struggle. Half of them want to keep the legacy intact, while the others want to sell - and each side will do anything to make it happen. Soon, CC can't tell friend from foe.

When a body is found on the shack's beach, has this family dispute turned deadly?

PRAISE FOR FIONA LOWE:

'Lowe excels at writing about ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. And she does it here with finesse. The Accident is a gripping read, and an excellent choice for book clubs.' - Weekend Australian, Notable Books

'Fiona Lowe's stories about secrets, families, and moral dramas in small-town Australia always make for good long weekend reading, and The Accident is another engrossing tale.' - Canberra Weekly magazine

'Fiona Lowe's name is practically synonymous with rural mystery novels. The Accident is another gripping ride through drama and tragedy in an imaginary small town ... masterfully complex characters and a heavily emotional story that will make this book difficult to put down.' - GLAM Adelaide

'The WA wheatbelt is the backdrop for Lowe's engrossing new novel, loaded up with small-town scandal, secrets and lies ... there are twists aplenty, but the truth sure can hurt. Don't be surprised to read it in one sitting.' - The Herald Sun

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781038921505

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 24 February 2026

Country: Australia

Imprint: HQ Fiction

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Weight: 250g

Pages: 480

Collections

Best Sellers at Book Hero Crime & Thriller Education & Reference Fiction Fiona Lowe General Fiction In Stock Books In-Stock Fiction Books Literary Fiction New Release Fiction Romance Spring Sale Spring Sale: Books Spring Sale: Romance Books Valentine's Day Reads

About the Author

FIONA LOWE has been a midwife, a sexual health counsellor and a family support worker; an ideal career for an author who writes novels about family and relationships. She spent her early years in Papua New Guinea where, without television, reading was the entertainment and it set up a lifelong love of books. Authentically Australian, her stories are often triggered by a secret or a mystery, and they explore the themes of family, community and second chances. Described as gripping, thought-provoking, heart-warming and ultimately uplifting, Lowe's books have been praised for their emotional depth. She is the recipient of the prestigious USA RITA award and two Australian RuBY awards. When she's not writing stories, she's a distracted wife, a sage to two adult sons, a rail trail cyclist, a volunteer in her community, and a newly addicted homecrafts 'show' entrant. She is often found collapsed on the couch with wine, knitting and her latest love, an audio book. You can find her at her website, fionalowe.com, and on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.

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