Elle Croft

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@elle_croft

Books

Agent: Ariella Feiner

Ariella Feiner

Assistant: Amber Garvey

AGarvey@unitedagents.co.uk

Books

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Elle Croft was born in South Africa, grew up in Australia and now lives in London, where she works as a social media manager.

Her debut novel, The Guilty Wife, was snapped up by Orion in an overnight pre-empt. It was published in December 2017, was a top 10 ebook Bestseller and has sold over 100,000 eBook copies. In 2021, she was shortlisted for the CWA Dagger Short Story award for her story Deathbed.

BURIED (Orion)

You're trapped underground with a serial killer.

Would you save their life to protect your own?

The Artist
No one knows who The Sculptor is. A successful artist, whose works sell for millions - each one with a deadly secret at the centre of each piece.

The Killer
There's a serial killer on the loose - dismembering women's bodies and leaving them washed up along the shore. The Coastline Killer is free and no one knows how to catch him.

The Victim
Alice has designed her life to be as safe as it possibly can be. She takes no risks, and makes sure nothing is a threat to her or those she loves.

But when an earthquake brings all three together, will anyone get out alive? And if you were trapped with a serial killer, would you protect their secrets to save your own life?

Praise for BURIED (Orion)

'Surprising. Sinister. Compulsive. First, BURIED turns all your expectations of a serial-killer thriller onto their head, then twists land with the power of aftershocks all the way to a totally unpredictable ending. Elle Croft’s latest cries out to be read in one breathless sitting.' Jo Furniss, author of the Amazon Charts best-seller All The Little Children

'Ever since I heard the premise for Elle Croft’s new book I was desperate to have a read, and this didn’t disappoint! Layering on the peril and tension with each chapter, BURIED is a thriller that will keep you breathlessly turning the pages, desperate to reach an ending that will haunt you long after you’ve finished. 2022 readers have a treat in store!' Louisa de Lange

'An outrageously cunning and claustrophobic spin on the serial killer genre.' Robert Scragg

'I just finished Elle Croft's BURIED and not sure I breathed once. I’ve been buried underground with a serial killer on the loose. Heart only beginning to slow now. Look over your shoulder, people!' Rachael Blok, author of Under the Ice

'A high concept serial-killer thriller that delivers on its premise. A dark twisty tale about survival, humanity and how one may erode the other. Full of Croft’s trademark moral conundrums, the story races along at breakneck speed to a shocking conclusion!' Niki Mackay / N.J. Mackay

Praise for Elle Croft
‘I couldn’t put this down. Pacy and gripping.’ Cass Green, the author of The Woman Next Door

‘An accomplished debut with a relentless and intense pace that kept me completely rapt and eager to find out answers. I loved the final twist.’ KL Slater, the author of Safe With Me, Blink and Liar

'A gripping portrayal of a woman under fire, which explores the blurry boundaries of innocence and guilt. The Guilty Wife will make you question those closest to you as the plot unfolds at pace, with an ending that pulls the rug from under your feet. A brilliant debut.' Phoebe Morgan, author of The Doll House

'I read The Guilty Wife in an intense two day sitting. Brilliant.' Niki Mackay, author of I, Witness

'Twisty and fast-moving, The Guilty Wife kept me guessing until the very end! A great read.' Isabel Ashdown, author of Little Sister and Beautiful Liars

'A gripping psychological thriller. This debut is skilfully plotted and I had to keep turning the pages as the tension increased - I just couldn't put it down. And the ending! You just have to read it. I am looking forward to more from Elle Croft.' Patricia Gibney, author of the Detective Lottie Parker series

‘What a clever idea! This kept me reading through the night to see how ‘the guilty wife’ would get out of this one…..’ Jane Corry, author of My Husband’s Wife and Blood Sisters

'Full of twists and turns, THE GUILTY WIFE is a gripping tale of betrayal, deceit, and duplicity. The ending will stay with you long after you’ve finished the last page. Fabulous.' Jenny Blackhurst, author of Before I Let You In

‘The debut psychological thriller that reads as Apple Tree Yard meets Behind Closed Doors, by way of Double Jeopardy. An incredibly taut, tense game of cat and mouse - with a twist you'll never see coming.’ Queensland Times

‘Book in your Christmas shopping.' Shepparton News

‘The Guilty Wife is the perfect gift for those who like a bit of suspense while they're lazing by the water.’ Weekend West

Fiction

Publication Details	Notes
LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTER 2020 Orion	If what they said was true, then the grotesque and the monstrous ran in her blood. It was imprinted within her very core, her DNA, a part of every cell in her body. Kat's children are both smart and well-adjusted. On the outside. Kat has always tried to treat Imogen and Jemima equally, but she struggles with one of her daughters more than the other. Because Imogen's birth mother is a serial killer. And Imogen doesn't know. They say you can't choose your family, but what if your family chooses you? Praise For Like Mother, Like Daughter 'Utterly absorbing and thought-provoking' - Caz Frear 'What a premise, and packed with suspense' - Victoria Selman 'A dark, delicious triumph' - Niki Mackay 'Excellent writing with intriguing characters and a dark and original premise' - Jenny Quintana 'A very clever plot that twisted and turned at an incredible pace' - Nikki Smith ‘Croft evokes misgivings effortlessly from the very first chapter, and the final conclusion is so well crafted and unnerving, it's sure to make this a thriller you'll remember.’ Women's Weekly
THE OTHER SISTER 2018 Orion	How far would you go... Gina Mills is desperate to be a newsreader, but her boss - the director of the struggling Channel Eight, won't help. Walking home one night, Gina stumbles upon a dead body, and after calling the police, she makes the split-second decision to report the murder live. When questioned by the police, Gina can't remember specific details about her discovery, but these memory gaps are explained away as shock. ...to uncover your family's deadly secret? But when Gina finds a second body, it's clear she's being targeted. But why? And how is this connected to the death of Gina's younger sister so many years ago?
THE GUILTY WIFE 2017 Orion	WIFE. MISTRESS. MURDERER. If you were being framed for murder, how far would you go to clear your name? The debut psychological thriller that reads as Apple Tree Yard meets Behind Closed Doors, by way of Double Jeopardy. I'm not guilty of murder. Bethany Reston is happily married. But she's also having an affair with a famous client. And no one can ever know. But that doesn't make me innocent. When Bethany's lover is brutally murdered, she has to hide her grief from everyone. But someone knows her secret. And then one day the threats begin. With an ever-growing pile of evidence pointing to her as the murderer, the only way she can protect her secrets is to prove her innocence. And that means tracking down a killer. An incredibly taut, tense game of cat and mouse - with a twist you'll never see coming.

Publication Details

Notes

LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTER

2020

Orion

If what they said was true, then the grotesque and the monstrous ran in her blood. It was imprinted within her very core, her DNA, a part of every cell in her body.

Kat's children are both smart and well-adjusted. On the outside.

Kat has always tried to treat Imogen and Jemima equally, but she struggles with one of her daughters more than the other.

Because Imogen's birth mother is a serial killer. And Imogen doesn't know.

They say you can't choose your family, but what if your family chooses you?

Praise For Like Mother, Like Daughter
'Utterly absorbing and thought-provoking' - Caz Frear
'What a premise, and packed with suspense' - Victoria Selman
'A dark, delicious triumph' - Niki Mackay
'Excellent writing with intriguing characters and a dark and original premise' - Jenny Quintana
'A very clever plot that twisted and turned at an incredible pace' - Nikki Smith
‘Croft evokes misgivings effortlessly from the very first chapter, and the final conclusion is so well crafted and unnerving, it's sure to make this a thriller you'll remember.’ Women's Weekly

THE OTHER SISTER

2018

Orion

How far would you go...

Gina Mills is desperate to be a newsreader, but her boss - the director of the struggling Channel Eight, won't help.

Walking home one night, Gina stumbles upon a dead body, and after calling the police, she makes the split-second decision to report the murder live.

When questioned by the police, Gina can't remember specific details about her discovery, but these memory gaps are explained away as shock.

...to uncover your family's deadly secret?

But when Gina finds a second body, it's clear she's being targeted. But why?

And how is this connected to the death of Gina's younger sister so many years ago?

THE GUILTY WIFE

2017

Orion

WIFE. MISTRESS. MURDERER.

If you were being framed for murder, how far would you go to clear your name?

The debut psychological thriller that reads as Apple Tree Yard meets Behind Closed Doors, by way of Double Jeopardy.

I'm not guilty of murder.

Bethany Reston is happily married. But she's also having an affair with a famous client.

And no one can ever know.

But that doesn't make me innocent.

When Bethany's lover is brutally murdered, she has to hide her grief from everyone.

But someone knows her secret. And then one day the threats begin.

With an ever-growing pile of evidence pointing to her as the murderer, the only way she can protect her secrets is to prove her innocence. And that means tracking down a killer.

An incredibly taut, tense game of cat and mouse - with a twist you'll never see coming.