Emma Styles Books In Order

Publication Order of First Tango In Paris Books

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

Emma Styles is an Australian author of contemporary Australian noir books about women taking on the patriarchy. Her first book “No Country for Girls” was awarded the Little Brown UEA Crime Fiction Award in 2020. The novel was also a pick for Val McDermid’s New Blood in 202 and was longlisted for the CWA New Blood Dagger and Author’s Club Best First Novel Award in 2023.

Emma was born in London but raised in Whadjuk Noongar Country in Perth, Western Australia. She graduated from the University of East Anglia with a MA in crime fiction and worked as a veterinarian in the UK and Australia. One unique aspect about the author is that she spent her teens and twenties learning to snowboard, ski, ride motorcycles and horses, and pilot small planes. Emma is an avid traveler and loves going on long road trips; during one of her lengthy trips, she sat out a cyclone in a Land Cruiser Troop Carrier. She lives in London, where she was born.

Emma Style’s debut novel is an epic story not to miss. This cinematic, poignant thriller features two of the most intriguing main characters that crime novels offer. Young ladies Nao and Charlie are on the run. They set off on a two-thousand-kilometer journey in a stolen car with a bag of riches. A horrible turn of destiny connects them. To survive Australia’s hostile, barren outback, they must outsmart the cops and escape their pasts.

This novel allows you to experience the shock of the truck engine, witness the heat glimmering on the tarmac, and take in the outback’s terrifying hazards. You will also find yourself in love with these two characters as they assume their power and battle patriarchal forces on one deadly road trip. You won’t be sorry. Charlie is naturally reluctant to welcome an outsider into her home when she comes upon a barefoot and blood-stained Nao outdoors late one night. When Charlie opens the gate and walks into her house, we are able to follow her and Nao up that path. However, doing so may save her life before sending these two outsiders on a sudden and contentious road trip.

You will like their seemingly random first encounter and how the author introduces them simultaneously as they are warily circling each other. The author drops us right into the action. The author’s vivid descriptions send the reader on an imaginary trip into Charlie and Nao’s world. We can “walk” with them on every step of their journey. Charlie and Nao had a rocky relationship, so it’s not surprising that they are cautious of one another as their lives unexpectedly cross paths and send them on a course none could have anticipated.

One unique feature of No Country for Girls you will like is witnessing how they deal with spending time cooped up in the truck together and attempting to elude their pursuers. They are two distinct individuals that must rely on one another. One is fiery and confrontational, while the other is more reflective and wise. You’ll like how this distinction appears in the decisions made along the route.

With the exception of the occasional chapter where Charlie’s elder sister, Geen, is mentioned, we spend most of the book with Charlie and Nao, which allows us to watch how their connection changes over the story. It makes us empathize with them and root for them to succeed in this shared trip.

After reading the book, you’ll virtually feel as though you’ve been there because of how well Emma Styles’ description evokes the setting the girls travel through: heat appears to radiate off the pages, highway trains roar past, gulping up what little fresh air is available and agitating up the dust on the red dirt roadways where the girls traverse until it chokes you, while the distant horizon glows in the far distance. It’s a vivid excursion across dangerous terrain that Emma Styles brings to life. The girls know they must keep going due to the terrain’s perils just as much as any threat by those pursuing them.

The book has a unique style, doesn’t hesitate to use everyday language, and doesn’t strive to sanitize or glorify the Australian Outback by employing standard or accepted literature approaches. Delivering a gritty narrative takes a risky approach, especially when concentrating on the late adolescent years and authentically portraying these young women. The characters, leading and supporting, and the plot mesh well.

The book moves swiftly as the girls continue to be pursued throughout the western part of Australia. They hardly have the opportunity to rest or contemplate what they must do. And the reality is that since you’re a passenger on the run with them, the same applies to you. You won’t be able to put No Country for Girls down once you begin reading. It’s far too simple to keep reading because of the short chapters. Set aside time, prepare food, fill up on your preferred beverage (since staying hydrated in the Australian wilderness is key), and fasten your seatbelt. You are going to go on a very epic road journey. For the two girls, what starts as a scary escape becomes a dizzying, twisting, and grim experience for the reader.
When the ultimate encounter occurs, it turns out to be exciting. No Country for Girls has more than lived up to its promise of adventures, escape, and the possibility of companionship. Emma Styles gains some redemption with the resolution and how she ends things.

Additionally, you will love No Country for Girls because it is a suspenseful, exciting read. You will grow to enjoy Charlie and Nao as the story progresses since they are both endearing characters. Even though you’ll enjoy and connect with them, they don’t honestly like one another. The novel’s suspense is greatly increased by the characters’ vastly diverse origins, outlooks on life, and sometimes perceptions of their circumstances. This keeps you turning the pages, eager to see how their stories will conclude. You’ll genuinely love seeing their initial icy feelings for one another warm up as the narrative draws closer.