Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
National
Megan Doherty

Canberra's queen of the page-turner returns to capital to launch her new book

Former Canberra author Petronella McGovern. Picture: Supplied

She's becoming the queen of the page-turner. And Canberra still claims her as its own. At least a little bit.

Petronella McGovern's third work of fiction, The Liars, is being published on August 30.

McGovern, who used to work for IDP Education in Deakin, is an expert in "suburban suspense" or "domestic noir", taking us to people and places we know, the characters ringing so true.

The Liars sounds like another hit: "a heart-stopping cocktail of family secrets, sinister unsolved killings and a community at war with itself".

"The early reviews have been wonderful, with The Liars described as a captivating crime story with a ripper twist," McGovern said.

"The Liars is about how we deal with our history - what we hide and what we reveal, both on a personal level and on a community level.

"The story touches on a range of contemporary issues - including toxic masculinity and its effect on both girls and boys growing up - played out within a page-turning mystery."

Petronella McGovern's latest book The Liars comes after Six Minutes and The Teacher, which were hugely successful. Picture: Facebook

The bestselling author of Six Minutes and The Good Teacher will be returning to Canberra next month as part of her book tour for The Liars.

She will be speaking at Harry Hartog's at the ANU with fellow author Karen Viggers on Tuesday, September 13 and at the Kingston Library with The Canberra Times' Karen Hardy on Wednesday, September 14.

Both events start at 6pm and are free but you need to register.

Tickets are available for the Harry Hartog's book launch here and the Kingston library event here.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.