No.1 international bestselling author Tara Moss returns with an immersive post-war mystery as glamorous investigator Billie Walker follows a trail of secrets to Italy's sun-drenched Neapolitan coast.
Naples, 1943. Deep within a secret network of underground tunnels, a woman takes shelter from a wartime air raid and prays her husband will return safely.
Indian Ocean, 1907. A young woman embarks on a lonely journey to begin a new life far from home.
Sydney, 1948. Billie Walker, recently returned from a stint as a wartime investigative journalist, has reopened her father's private inquiry office. Billie is cleaning out old filing cabinets when she uncovers a dusty box whose contents just might upend everything Billie thought she knew about her late, beloved father.
Soon Billie is on the scent, uncovering the secrets of her family's past, travelling aboard the first postwar luxury passenger ship from Sydney to Naples in search of answers. And as the trail leads her toward two women whose history is entwined with her own, she realises she is not the only one at risk. Billie's father had an enemy - one who may now be stalking Billie around the world - and the closer Billie gets to the truth, the more danger she finds herself in.
'Moss writes superior genre fiction. If you devoured all of Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher murder mysteries, you'll probably have fun following Moss' gutsy and likeable female detective through noir-like plots and an immersive historical setting' Sydney Morning Herald, Fiction Pick of the Week
'Another rip-roaring novel featuring one of my favorite detectives, Ms. Billie Walker. Moss's latest is both a tale of international intrigue and an intimate family drama, racing from the cosmopolitan city of Sydney to the war-torn shores of Naples. The mystery at its core is a doozy, the tension sublime. An unforgettable read' Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Stolen Queen
'Entertaining ... Moss keeps her copious plot threads from getting tangled, and she supplements the action with sumptuous period fashion and simmering romance. Moss's fans won't be disappointed' Publishers Weekly
'A fearless young woman sets out on a quest in this tense but heartwarming tale of family, love and honor spanning the globe from Naples to Sydney' Rhys Bowen, New York Times bestselling author of the Royal Spyness series
'A richly layered, page-turning post-war mystery that explores, with depth and heart, how long-held secrets shape family and identity' Susan Meissner, USA Today bestselling author of A Map to Paradise
Praise for the Billie Walker mysteries:
'A terrific read' Lynda La Plante
'A cracking thriller, with a marvellous, strong, flamboyant heroine. Loved it' Joanne Harris, award-winning author of Chocolat
'Retro noir with a gutsy heroine and atmospheric setting ... vivid, page-turning historical crime, better written than most' Sydney Morning Herald
'Just what I needed today - a blast of the escapist past' Ian Rankin
'Tara Moss writes beautifully; vivid descriptions, truly believable characters and enough page-turning suspense to keep you up reading far later than you intended!' Peter James
'Ultra-cool and whip-smart' Emily Maguire
'Rich period detail and a fierce, feminist heroine distinguish this stylish twist on the classic 1940s detective novel' Publishers Weekly
Tara Rae Moss is the Canadian-born internationally bestselling author of 14 books of fiction and non-fiction, a podcast and documentary host, award-winning advocate and holistic practitioner.
Since 1999 she has written 14 bestselling books, published in 19 countries and 13 languages, including the internationally bestselling postwar historical crime novels The War Widow and The Ghosts of Paris, and her #1 non-fiction bestselling memoir The Fictional Woman. Her fifteenth book, The Italian Secret, launches in late 2025.
An experienced documentary host and interviewer with a passion for research and human stories, Moss hosted the true crime documentary series Tough Nuts – Australia’s Hardest Criminals on Crime & Investigation Network and Amazon Prime, Tara Moss Investigates on the National Geographic Channel and the author interview show Tara in Conversation on 13th Street Universal. She was also the host, co-executive producer and co-writer of Cyberhate with Tara Moss on Australia's ABC, host of the true crime podcast The Man in The Balaclava, and season three of the award-winning podcast There’s No Place Like Home, out now. She has interviewed luminaries such as Gloria Steinem, Naomi Klein, Val McDermid, Michael Connelly and more.
She is an outspoken advocate for human rights and the rights of women, children, and people living with chronic pain. She has been a UNICEF Australia Goodwill Ambassador since 2007 and in 2014 she was recognised for Outstanding Advocacy for her blog Manus Island: An insider’s report, which helped to break information to the public about the alleged murder of Reza Barati inside the Australian-run Manus Island Immigration Detention Centre. In 2018 she was named one of the Global Top 50 Diversity Figures in Public Life, along with Angelina Jolie, His Holiness The Dalai Lama and more.
Tara Rae is a dual Canadian/Australian citizen and divides her time between Sydney and her hometown of Victoria, BC, the unceded territory of the Lekwungen speaking Peoples, where she is a recipient of both the Order of Lambrick Park, and the Honorary Citizen Award, the highest formal honour awarded by the City of Victoria.
Visit her at TaraRaeMoss.comView all by Tara Moss
