Petronella McGovern Petronella McGovern i(A115518 works by)
Gender: Female
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2 y separately published work icon The Last Trace Petronella McGovern , Crows Nest : Allen and Unwin , 2024 27829469 2024 single work novel thriller

'What if you’re scared you committed a crime but can’t remember? From the bestselling author of Six Minutes and The Liars comes an unputdownable thriller about the secrets we keep from each other – and ourselves.

'‘Petronella McGovern consistently delivers smart, twisty page-turners guaranteed to keep her readers coming back for more.’ – Liane Moriarty

'Family. It means everything to Sheridan. Her brother Lachy is finally home in Australia and she’s excited about Easter with both of their families. But when a traumatic incident tears the families apart, she blames him.

'Lachy knows he’s not coping right now but his sister doesn’t have the full story. And nor does he. There are some gaps in his memory. How is he connected to a DNA request, a missing woman, and a hit and run?

'To untangle the truth, he must decide who he can trust. His friends? His family? Himself?

'A gripping thriller about siblings and secrets, and the traces we can never erase.' (Publication summary)
2 y separately published work icon The Liars Petronella McGovern , Crows Nest : Allen and Unwin , 2022 24692348 2022 single work novel thriller .What if your search for the truth puts your family at risk? The close-knit community of Kinton Bay is shocked when fifteen-year-old Siena Britton makes a grisly discovery in the national park. She believes it's a skull from the town's violent colonial past and posts a video which hits the news headlines. Her parents, Meri and Rollo, aren't so sure. In 1998, their classmate went missing after a party in the Killing Cave. They're horrified to discover the destructive teenage parties are still happening, and Siena was there last weekend. While Meri is trying to keep her daughter out of trouble, she doesn't realise her son, Taj, has his own problems. And none of them foresees the danger that Siena's actions will create for the whole family. As more secrets are exposed, the police investigate whether multiple murders have been committed. If so, by whom? And is the killer still living in Kinton Bay? The Liars is a heart-stopping cocktail of family secrets, sinister unsolved killings and a community at war with itself. A wife burning with resentment. A husband hiding the past. Their teenage daughter crusading for the truth. Who can we trust?. 

 (Publication summary)
1 y separately published work icon The Good Teacher Petronella McGovern , Crows Nest : Allen and Unwin , 2020 19670108 2020 single work novel thriller

From the bestselling author of Six Minutes, comes a fast-paced, heart-stopping thriller full of gripping tension, twists and turns.

'A good teacher can change lives…

'Every evening, Allison watches her husband's new house, desperate to find some answers. Every morning, she puts on a brave face to teach kindergarten. She's a good teacher, everyone says so - this stalking is just a tiny crack in her usual self-control.

'A late enrolment into her class brings little Gracie - sick and grieving. Allison takes the girl and her father, Luke, under her wing. She smothers Gracie with the love she can't give her own son. As others question her judgement and the police arrive at her door, Allison starts to wonder if she can trust herself.

'When Gracie has a chance to go to America for treatment, Allison leads the school in a fundraising drive. But has she crossed a line?

'How far will the good teacher go to save a life? And whose life will that be?

'An intriguing tale of our times about kindness and betrayal, and the danger of good deeds.' (Publication summary)
1 y separately published work icon Six Minutes Petronella McGovern , Crows Nest : Allen and Unwin , 2019 15985233 2019 single work novel

'Lexie and her husband, Marty, have moved to Merrigang, a small village on the edge of Canberra, with their three-year-old daughter, Bella, to create a new life after a horrific 'trial by media' in Sydney. While the relationship between husband and wife is still strained, they have each made tentative friends and are beginning to feel safe in their new home, living under a new surname.

'One Thursday morning, Lexie and Bella are at Merrigang playgroup, a haven of safety for Lexie. Lexie leaves Bella in the care of five playgroup mums while she walks to the nearby shop for biscuits. Six minutes later, Bella is gone. As appeals are made for her safe return, hate messages appear on a website targeting Lexie and Marty, with social media trolls in full force. Police start to dig up the past and as members of Lexie and Marty's newly created group of friends implode with doubt, suspicion lands on Lexie and Marty themselves. Where is Bella and who is determined to destroy Lexie and Marty's lives?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.
1 1 y separately published work icon Trailblazers : Australia's First Olympic Equestrians Wyatt Thomspon , Petronella McGovern , Dural : Rosenberg Publishing Pty Ltd , 2008 Z1498345 2008 single work autobiography 'Trailblazers is the story of the first Australians to compete at an international level in FEI equestrian events. The six men selected for the 1956 Olympic Games had just 14 months to learn it all on the English Show circuit. They had never competed in a three day event, didn't understand dressage and had little experience of Olympic-style showjumping. At the Olympics they competed in one of the most difficult crosscountry courses in history and came close to winning bronze. They blazed a trail for the Rome Olympic team and set the course for the future of FEI equestrian events in Australia. Wyatt Thompson is the last surviving member of the first Olympic equestrians.' (Publisher's blurb)
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