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Kate Delaney #2
Shellybanks
Not yet published
Expected 3 Mar 26A novel of buried secrets, unimaginable trauma and how the love of family can pull you through to a brighter future from Louise Milligan, bestselling author of Pheasants Nest.
On the sands of Shellybanks, where tides can quickly turn treacherous, journalist Kate Delaney once nearly drowned. Years later, reeling from a violent crime that has upended her life in Melbourne, she returns to Dublin to comfort her beloved aunt Dolores—only to discover Dolores has her own buried trauma.
As a teenager, Dolores was drawn into a disturbing religious movement that stole her youth, her freedom, and so much more. With Kate's help, she is determined to confront the powerful network that made her endure years of silence and shame.
Shellybanks is a haunting tale of secrecy and survival, charting how two women find strength in each other as they reckon with Ireland's hidden histories and the scars that endure across generations.
Praise for Pheasants Nest:
'A compelling story, written with tautness and wit.' Annabel Crabb
'A gripping, sinister—yet also wryly funny and realistic—crime thriller.' Jane Caro
'A crime novel that could only be written by a fine journalist—so original, funny and true.' David Marr
'Wry observations of popular culture and Australian foibles ... I simply didn't want the book to end given the sheer delight of the storytelling.' The Age
On the sands of Shellybanks, where tides can quickly turn treacherous, journalist Kate Delaney once nearly drowned. Years later, reeling from a violent crime that has upended her life in Melbourne, she returns to Dublin to comfort her beloved aunt Dolores—only to discover Dolores has her own buried trauma.
As a teenager, Dolores was drawn into a disturbing religious movement that stole her youth, her freedom, and so much more. With Kate's help, she is determined to confront the powerful network that made her endure years of silence and shame.
Shellybanks is a haunting tale of secrecy and survival, charting how two women find strength in each other as they reckon with Ireland's hidden histories and the scars that endure across generations.
Praise for Pheasants Nest:
'A compelling story, written with tautness and wit.' Annabel Crabb
'A gripping, sinister—yet also wryly funny and realistic—crime thriller.' Jane Caro
'A crime novel that could only be written by a fine journalist—so original, funny and true.' David Marr
'Wry observations of popular culture and Australian foibles ... I simply didn't want the book to end given the sheer delight of the storytelling.' The Age
Kindle Edition
Expected publication March 3, 2026
2 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
About the author
Louise Milligan
4 books96 followersLouise Milligan is a multi-award-winning investigative journalist for ABC TV's Four Corners, the Australian national broadcaster's flagship current affairs documentary program. She is the author of two bestselling non-fiction books: Cardinal, The Rise and Fall of George Pell and Witness, An Investigation into the Brutal Cost of Seeking Justice. Her books have been awarded multiple prizes, including the Walkley Book Award, the Davitt Awards Best Non-Fiction Crime Book, the Melbourne Prize for Literature People's Choice Award, the Victorian Premier's Literary Award's People's Choice prize, the Sir Owen Dixon Chambers Law Reporter of the Year Award, a Press Freedom Medal and a shortlisting for the Stella Prize. Louise's journalism, particularly her coverage of historical institutional child abuse and the experience of women in the criminal justice system and parliament, has broken national and international news, sparked government inquiries and led to profound cultural change and law reform. She started her career in newspapers and is a former High Court correspondent and political reporter. Born in Ireland to an Irish mother and Scottish father, Louise moved to Australia as a child. She lives in Melbourne with her husband and two children. Pheasants Nest is Louise's first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
(3.5 stars)
Shellybanks continues on from where Pheasants Nest left off. As the lead character, journalist Kate Delaney has PTSD from what happened in the previous book, you're better to have read it, lest you find the frequent back references annoying. They're mostly about unwanted and intrusive memories of sexual violence, which author Louise Milligan describes reasonably accurately: "These are the sort of maddening rabbit holes her brain takes her down all the time. It's pointless, and she knows it's pointless, but she does it anyway."
However the follow-up book is not set in Australia. It starts in Greece and move to Ireland, the author's home country, to uncover a story about baby snatching from an unwed Irish teen combined with slavery and sexual abuse. It's not a new story, and you can see Milligan was influenced by the investigative journalism she did in this area with Four Corners.
I find the prose in both books a bit stiff, and when you add an Irish flavour to that, sometimes I found myself having to read sentences over to ensure I caught their meaning. It prevented me from relaxing into the book and the story of Dolores Murphy. I still didn't really like the lead protagonist. The final chapter jumping around in third person perspective does a lot of telling rather than showing: "There are so many loose threads for Christy Redmond and John Barry to tie up." I would have preferred it to have been told from the lead protagonist's perspective. It's an almost but not quite from me.
With thanks to NetGalley and Allen & Unwin for sending me a copy to read.
Shellybanks continues on from where Pheasants Nest left off. As the lead character, journalist Kate Delaney has PTSD from what happened in the previous book, you're better to have read it, lest you find the frequent back references annoying. They're mostly about unwanted and intrusive memories of sexual violence, which author Louise Milligan describes reasonably accurately: "These are the sort of maddening rabbit holes her brain takes her down all the time. It's pointless, and she knows it's pointless, but she does it anyway."
However the follow-up book is not set in Australia. It starts in Greece and move to Ireland, the author's home country, to uncover a story about baby snatching from an unwed Irish teen combined with slavery and sexual abuse. It's not a new story, and you can see Milligan was influenced by the investigative journalism she did in this area with Four Corners.
I find the prose in both books a bit stiff, and when you add an Irish flavour to that, sometimes I found myself having to read sentences over to ensure I caught their meaning. It prevented me from relaxing into the book and the story of Dolores Murphy. I still didn't really like the lead protagonist. The final chapter jumping around in third person perspective does a lot of telling rather than showing: "There are so many loose threads for Christy Redmond and John Barry to tie up." I would have preferred it to have been told from the lead protagonist's perspective. It's an almost but not quite from me.
With thanks to NetGalley and Allen & Unwin for sending me a copy to read.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
(it is actually more like a 3.7 star rating)
My thoughts: I wasn't entirely sure where this novel would go in terms of pace, feel and it's hold on me.
But I soon found out it is a book that definitely gripped me.
Kate has endured so much more than any person should, and after helping Dolores through the death of a loved one, Kate is shocked to hear of Dolores's traumatic history.
Wanting to help her as much as she can, they are both faced with the harrowing and cruel history of Aunt Dolores.
This story will surely have readers shocked at the cruelty Dolores and others faced as young women within a religious movement that sold itself as a cooking school.
The mystery woven into the cruelty of Dolores's history is quite gripping and knowing the torment the investigation brings up for Dolores and Kate brings another element to this story.
I found myself eager to learn more about Dolores and the others involved and felt that it was a good story and as much as I liked the tidying up that occurs in the last few chapters, I finished the book wanting more grit.
However, it's primarily about secrets hidden, trauma uncovered, survival, and allowing yourself to heal and find a way forward, even if you have to confront the horrible past that lingers.
My thoughts: I wasn't entirely sure where this novel would go in terms of pace, feel and it's hold on me.
But I soon found out it is a book that definitely gripped me.
Kate has endured so much more than any person should, and after helping Dolores through the death of a loved one, Kate is shocked to hear of Dolores's traumatic history.
Wanting to help her as much as she can, they are both faced with the harrowing and cruel history of Aunt Dolores.
This story will surely have readers shocked at the cruelty Dolores and others faced as young women within a religious movement that sold itself as a cooking school.
The mystery woven into the cruelty of Dolores's history is quite gripping and knowing the torment the investigation brings up for Dolores and Kate brings another element to this story.
I found myself eager to learn more about Dolores and the others involved and felt that it was a good story and as much as I liked the tidying up that occurs in the last few chapters, I finished the book wanting more grit.
However, it's primarily about secrets hidden, trauma uncovered, survival, and allowing yourself to heal and find a way forward, even if you have to confront the horrible past that lingers.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This is the follow up to Louise Milligan's novel, Pheasants Nest, where Kate is trying to deal with the trauma of her kidnapping.
However, it is not necessary to have already read Pheasant's Nest to get the full impact of this hard-hitting novel of secrets, survival, grief, an ultimately... hope of new beginnings.
There are so many layers to this story. Both Kate and Dolores find themselves in the position of needing to deal with past trauma before being able to move on with their lives.
This is an at times uncomfortable read, but all the more necessary because of that.
Thanks to Allen & Unwin and Netgalley for the review copy of this book
However, it is not necessary to have already read Pheasant's Nest to get the full impact of this hard-hitting novel of secrets, survival, grief, an ultimately... hope of new beginnings.
There are so many layers to this story. Both Kate and Dolores find themselves in the position of needing to deal with past trauma before being able to move on with their lives.
This is an at times uncomfortable read, but all the more necessary because of that.
Thanks to Allen & Unwin and Netgalley for the review copy of this book
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews