• Left Behind
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Left Behind

Martine Kropkowski

‘An Aussie crime fiction star in the making’ Candice Fox

Two couples – Annabelle and Luke, Des and Julianni – embark on a camping trip to K’gari, a picturesque island off Queensland’s coast. Things have been tough lately, but this holiday is just what they need – white sands, clear waters, a chance to decompress and reconnect.
 
But there is an unnerving electricity in the air and Annabelle starts noticing strange occurrences. First, the man digging off a dark beach track in the middle of the night. The moaning in the amenities block: a couple getting their kicks or something more sinister? Then two campers mysteriously disappear, their belongings found abandoned near the beach.

When an old friend of Luke’s arrives, Annabelle’s suspicions reach fever pitch. And with a deadly storm approaching, danger lurks at every turn.

The island, an endlessly shifting landmass of sand, changing and changing again, will survive as it always has. But will they?

About the Author

Martine Kropkowski is a writer and researcher who lives and works in Brisbane/Meanjin. Her research centres on the way that fiction gives voice to women and contemporary social issues through its narrativising of crime. When she’s not writing, Martine can be found reading, walking her lovable but tyrannous dachshund, or racing her immediate family in extremely serious rounds of Mario Kart.

Martine’s first novel, Everywhere We Look, was published by Ultimo Press.

Praise for Left Behind

‘visually spectacular and gripping’ – Books+Publishing

 

Praise for Everywhere We Look

‘Everywhere We Look, is being hailed as the next Big Little Lies. Indeed, it’s every bit as engrossing.’ – The Australian Women’s Weekly

 

‘Hailed as a new Liane Moriarty ... Kropkowski deepens the definition of crime fiction with her brooding debut novel.’ The Brisbane Times

 

‘There is pain, rage and beauty on every page and in every line of this book and I couldn’t get enough.’ – Dinuka McKenzie, author of The Tipping Point

 

Big Little Lies meets Wake in Fright ... Everywhere We Look is spine tingling, goosebumps making and chillingly truthful about the threats that walk amongst us.’ – Kris Kneen, author of Wintering and Fat Girl Dancing 

 

‘A multi-layered exploration of friendship, trust and personal tragedies that forces readers to ask the question we shouldn’t need to keep asking: When and how will women ever feel – and be – safe?’ – Lyn Yeowart, author of The Silent Listener

 

‘An elegantly written story full of atmosphere and unexpected turns ... Stunning.’ – Venero Armanno, author of The Crying Forest

 

‘This thrilling and deeply ethical novel is highly recommended for fans of thoughtful and empathetic crime fiction by authors such as Emily Maguire and Jacqueline Bublitz.’ – Books+Publishing

 

‘shocking, and profoundly moving’ – The Conversation

 

‘A haunting, atmospheric, tense story full of secrets, Everywhere We Look also examines themes of grief, loss, friendship, violence, vengeance and redemption, with a shocking but deliciously satisfying conclusion.’ – Cass Moriarty, author of The Promise Seed

ISBN
9781761154270

Format
Paperback

Cost
$34.99

Pub Date
October 2025

Extent
304pp

Rights
World

Category
Fiction

Themes
Relationship dynamics; a serial killer swerve to climate disaster story