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  • Published: 2 September 2013
  • ISBN: 9781741663136
  • Imprint: Random House Australia Children's
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 384
  • RRP: $22.99

Pretty Girl




One girl's dead. One's in hospital. And one has a secret.

One girl's dead. One's in hospital. And one has a secret.

Paige, Sarah, Jess and Tallulah were best friends at school. Now they’ve begun university and are living together at college, but it’s not turning out like it’s meant to. Tallulah’s partying too hard, Jess is being secretive, Paige is embarrassing herself with an unrequited crush, and Sarah’s struggling to keep up with her wealthier friends.

One night, Sarah saves Paige from drowning in the university swimming pool. Paige can’t remember why she was there, and Sarah’s too afraid to say what she thought she saw. Then Jess’s body is found outside the college laundry.

It’s not until Sarah meets the gorgeous and charming Jonny that she can tell someone her suspicions. But what really did happen that night at the pool? And what connects Paige’s accident with Jess’s death? As Paige starts to piece together her memories, the most terrifying question becomes clear: could it be happening again?

  • Published: 2 September 2013
  • ISBN: 9781741663136
  • Imprint: Random House Australia Children's
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 384
  • RRP: $22.99

About the author

J.C. Burke

J.C. Burke was born in Sydney in 1965, the fourth of five sisters. With writers for parents, she grew up in a world of noise, drama and books, but she decided to become a nurse after her mother lost a long battle with cancer. Since Burke started writing in 1999, she has published a number of acclaimed books for teenagers and young adults, including Children's Book Council Notable Books White Lies and The Red Cardigan, Aurealis Awards finalist Nine Letters Long, The Story of Tom Brennan, Faking Sweet, Starfish Sisters, Ocean Pearl, Pig Boy and Pretty Girl. The Story of Tom Brennan won the 2006 CBC Book of the Year - Older Readers and the 2006 Australian Family Therapists Award for Children's Literature and it is currently on the NSW HSC syllabus list. Pig Boy won the Ned Kelly Award for Best Crime Fiction in 2012. Jane lives in Sydney with her family.

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Praise for Pretty Girl

A great psychological thriller, the likes we generally only see in adult fiction . . . It’s the sort of book you will read in one sitting because the way the story unravels; you need to keep going to put all of the puzzle pieces together.

whatsrebeccareading.blogspot.com.au

This is a gripping psychological drama, and a rather cautionary tale, that older girls are sure to enjoy. It also shows the depth of talent in author, J. C. Burke who constantly surprises with her themes, setting and genre.

Deborah Marshall, readplus.com.au

A stunning thriller.

Fran Knight, Magpies