After The Smoke Clears

May 2023

WOULD YOU TELL YOUR PARTNER THE WORST THING YOU’VE EVER DONE?

From the best-selling author of One of Us and The Day the Lies Began comes an emotional and gripping story of a man running from his past and the woman who wants his future.

Her family offered her a neat life of privilege and power, until Lotti turned away from her father’s plans and toward what she really wanted. Now happy as a primary school teacher, Lotti may even have found the right man, a single dad, not the kind of guy who will fit in with her family, but who nonetheless feels like home.

But Lotti isn’t the only one running from her past. August’s strong silent demeanor may be part of his attraction, but as they get closer, his inability to talk about his past begins to interfere with their future.

When August receives a cryptic text message that prompts an immediate departure, Lotti and Augie’s six-year-old son Otto follow him to his small hometown where decades of lies begin to unravel. When details of a shocking crime emerge, Lotti will have to decide if she trusts the man August has become more than she fears the man he once was.

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‘An utterly addictive read, One of Us was full of intrigue and mystery with captivating characters and one twist after another that I never saw coming! Loved every moment.’ NICOLA MORIARTY

“Kylie Kaden has hit her stride.” Better Reading

One of Us – 2022 with Pantera Press Australia.

Behind the tall hedges of the affluent, gated community of Apple Tree Creek, not all is as it seems …

Out of the blue, Gertie’s husband decides they need a break and he’s leaving her with their three children.

Two streets east and three gardens down, successful businesswoman Rachael discovers her husband has cheated on her – again – even though she’s pregnant with his third child. Thrown together by a chance encounter, the two women bond over the shared disaster that is their marriages.

But did one husband push his wife too far? When the ambulance sirens cut through the serenity of Apple Tree Creek, the small community is shocked at the violence that’s played out in their midst. CCTV reveals no outsiders visited the estate that night, confirming that the assailant must have been one of their own.

Is the culprit still living among them? And why didn’t any of the cameras, designed to keep them all safe, catch anything? As the web of neighbourly relationships unravels and the workings of their inner lives are exposed, questions will be asked, but not everyone wants to learn the answers.

You can only push people so far.

Early Reader comments:

Petronella McGovern, Author, Six Minutes and The Good Teacher says:

‘A riveting domestic thriller with an explosive climax’. This gripping domestic thriller takes us inside two families with multiple secrets, and follows their stories to an explosive climax.

These characters are so real – Kylie Kaden provides fascinating insights into the intricate relationships between wives and husbands, children and teenagers.

This compelling page-turner touches on many of today’s hot topics – coercive control, parenting styles, online gaming addiction, interfering neighbours, and the terrifying power of smartphones and social media.

I loved the friendship between Gertie and Rachael as they supported each other through difficult times.

One of Us will keep you wondering what really happens inside a marriage.

The Day The Lies Began (18 August 2019)

Big Little Lies meets The Party. Kylie Kaden is the freshest, new voice in domestic noir.

‘It seemed simple at first – folding one lie over the next. She had become expert at feathering over the cracks to ensure her life appeared the same. But inside, it didn’t feel fixed.’

It happened the day of the Moon Festival. It could have been left behind, they all could have moved on with their lives. But secrets have a habit of rising to the surface, especially in small towns.

Two couples, four ironclad friendships, the perfect coastal holiday town. With salt-stung houses perched like lifeguards overlooking the shore, Lago Point is the scene of postcards, not crime scenes. Wife and mother Abbi, town cop Blake, schoolteacher Hannah and local doctor Will are caught in their own tangled webs of deceit.

When the truth washes in to their beachside community, so do the judgements: victim, or vigilante, who will forgive, who will betray? Not all relationships survive. Nor do all residents.

Sometimes doing wrong can feel completely right.

Be the first to read it by pre-ordering now!

Print Copy direct from Pantera Press – Preorder

Bloomsbury Pre-Order (no payment required until released).

Missing You (2015)

‘Our lives were built around the strength of a kiss between strangers. Yet seven years on, look where it led us . . .’

When Aisha met Ryan she fell hard for his good looks and easy charm. Why worry that he didn’t want children or a 9 to 5 job? Nothing and no one would come between them.

But with the birth of their high-needs son, Eli, their extraordinary love is shackled into an ordinary life, their passion blunted by responsibility.

Until Ryan can’t take it anymore.

Now, following a mysterious phone call late one night, Aisha leaves four-year-old Eli in the care of her elderly father Patrick – and doesn’t come back.

As Patrick struggles with the grandson he barely knows or understands, his frustration with his missing daughter and absent son-in-law quickly turns to fear.

Particularly when blood is found in Aisha’s abandoned car . . .

Missing You is a tantalising love story and a seductive suspense novel from the author of Losing Kate

Longlisted for the 2016 Davitt Awards.

Reviews:

“A layered, absorbing tale of love and suspense.”  Book’d Out

‘The first thing you must know: I loved Missing You so much I read it in a night...Missing You is a fabulous second novel from Kaden and I cannot wait to see what she does next.‘ Debbishdotcom

‘Missing You had me hooked, desperate to find out what happened to Aisha’  Nicolehasread

‘I seriously loved this book…I’ve always had a fascination with twins, however, and when we were introduced to his brother, Luke, I was completely hooked.  The clever plot is revealed in layers, and I loved the way the most ordinary conversations and situations were suddenly sinister as the story unfolded. Kaden makes some very intelligent observations (again, especially with Patrick, I found) and her handling of showing the good and bad aspects of mental health seems effortless.’  Lee – Goodreads Reviewer 

E-book: Amazon here

Goodreads member? Add Missing You to your read list here

  

Losing Kate (2014)

Kylie’s debut novel  – Losing Kate, is available through Random House.

Read the official blurb and sample chapters  here

Writing The Dream  (2017)

Kylie was a contributor to the non-fiction Anthology by 25 Australian writers sharing the good, the bad and the ugly about getting published.

.. the individuality and intimacy of their
personal narratives which will touch and
inspire you …” WILLIAM YEOMAN, THE WEST AUSTRALIAN

Buy Writing The Dream on Ebook Here for $3.99

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