Tara Moss is the author of the bestselling crime novels Fetish, Split, Covet, Hit and Siren. Her novels have been published in seventeen countries* in eleven languages, and have earned critical acclaim around the world. Her non-fiction writing has appeared in The Australian Literary Review, Vogue, ELLE, The Australian Women's Weekly, SMH and The Australian, among other publications. She also finds time to write her own blog, The Book Post. Her next novel will be published in November this year. Moss hosts the true crime documentary series Tough Nuts - Australia's Hardest Criminals on the Crime & Investigation Network, and as 'Ambassador of Crime' for 13th STREET Universal Channel, Moss hosts Tara Moss in Conversation where she interviews her fellow bestselling crime authors from around the world, giving an intimate look at what makes successful thriller writers tick. She also recommends crime novels at her online book club Tara Moss Recommends, on the 13th STREET Universal website. She previously hosted the international crime documentary series Tara Moss Investigates on the National Geographic Channel. Writing has been a lifelong passion for Moss, who began penning gruesome "Stephen King-inspired" stories for her classmates at 10. She went on to an international career as a fashion model before pursuing professional writing, first earning a Diploma from the Australian College of Journalism in 1997, and in 1998 winning the Scarlet Stiletto Young Writers Award for her story, Psycho Magnet. Moss wrote her debut novel, Fetish, when she was 23. Her novels have been nominated for both the Davitt and the Ned Kelly crime writing awards, hit #1 on numerous bestseller lists, and made her Australia's #1 selling crime writer several years running. Her in-depth research has seen her earn her private investigator credentials (Cert III) from the Australian Security Academy, tour the FBI Academy at Quantico, spend time in squad cars, morgues, prisons, the Hare Psychopathy Lab, the Supreme Court and criminology conferences, take polygraph tests, shoot weapons, conduct surveillance, pass the Firearms Training Simulator (FATSII) with the LAPD, pull 4.2 G's doing loops over the Sydney Opera House flying with the RAAF, and acquire her CAMS race driver licence. Stopping at nothing to research and 'experience' scenes for her latest novel Siren, Moss was set on fire by Hollywood stunt company West EFX, and choked unconscious by Ultimate Fighter 'Big' John McCarthy. She has conducted hundreds of talks at literary festivals, schools and universities, discussing her research experiences and writing career. Born in Victoria, BC, Moss is a dual Australian/Canadian citizen, and is the first writer to have a star on the Australian Walk of Fame. She divides her time between Sydney, Los Angeles and her hometown in Canada. When not researching and writing her next novel, Moss enjoys riding her 900cc Triumph Scrambler motorcycle, spending time with her pet python, Thing, and serving as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador (since 2007) and ambassador for the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children (since 2000). She is married to Australian poet and philosopher Dr. Berndt Sellheim. (*Moss's novels have so far been published in the USA, Canada, UK, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, France, Russia, Romania, Hungary, Czech Republic, Croatia, Japan, Brazil, Australia, and New Zealand.)

About the Author

Tara Moss is the author of the bestselling crime novels Fetish, Split, Covet, Hit and Siren. Her novels have been published in seventeen countries* in eleven languages, and have earned critical acclaim around the world. Her non-fiction writing has appeared in The Australian Literary Review, Vogue, ELLE, The Australian Women's Weekly, SMH and The Australian, among other publications. She also finds time to write her own blog, The Book Post. Her next novel will be published in November this year. Moss hosts the true crime documentary series Tough Nuts - Australia's Hardest Criminals on the Crime & Investigation Network, and as 'Ambassador of Crime' for 13th STREET Universal Channel, Moss hosts Tara Moss in Conversation where she interviews her fellow bestselling crime authors from around the world, giving an intimate look at what makes successful thriller writers tick. She also recommends crime novels at her online book club Tara Moss Recommends, on the 13th STREET Universal website. She previously hosted the international crime documentary series Tara Moss Investigates on the National Geographic Channel. Writing has been a lifelong passion for Moss, who began penning gruesome "Stephen King-inspired" stories for her classmates at 10. She went on to an international career as a fashion model before pursuing professional writing, first earning a Diploma from the Australian College of Journalism in 1997, and in 1998 winning the Scarlet Stiletto Young Writers Award for her story, Psycho Magnet. Moss wrote her debut novel, Fetish, when she was 23. Her novels have been nominated for both the Davitt and the Ned Kelly crime writing awards, hit #1 on numerous bestseller lists, and made her Australia's #1 selling crime writer several years running. Her in-depth research has seen her earn her private investigator credentials (Cert III) from the Australian Security Academy, tour the FBI Academy at Quantico, spend time in squad cars, morgues, prisons, the Hare Psychopathy Lab, the Supreme Court and criminology conferences, take polygraph tests, shoot weapons, conduct surveillance, pass the Firearms Training Simulator (FATSII) with the LAPD, pull 4.2 G's doing loops over the Sydney Opera House flying with the RAAF, and acquire her CAMS race driver licence. Stopping at nothing to research and 'experience' scenes for her latest novel Siren, Moss was set on fire by Hollywood stunt company West EFX, and choked unconscious by Ultimate Fighter 'Big' John McCarthy. She has conducted hundreds of talks at literary festivals, schools and universities, discussing her research experiences and writing career. Born in Victoria, BC, Moss is a dual Australian/Canadian citizen, and is the first writer to have a star on the Australian Walk of Fame. She divides her time between Sydney, Los Angeles and her hometown in Canada. When not researching and writing her next novel, Moss enjoys riding her 900cc Triumph Scrambler motorcycle, spending time with her pet python, Thing, and serving as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador (since 2007) and ambassador for the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children (since 2000). She is married to Australian poet and philosopher Dr. Berndt Sellheim. (*Moss's novels have so far been published in the USA, Canada, UK, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, France, Russia, Romania, Hungary, Czech Republic, Croatia, Japan, Brazil, Australia, and New Zealand.)

Reviews

Two girls are dead. A street kid is framed. The culprits are lying and buying their way out of it. Makedde Vanderwall, Moss's alter ego, is back. Mak's days as a glamorous model are over and this time she is stumbling her way through the seedy Sydney underworld as a private investigator. Armed with a PhD and killer instincts, Mak finds herself doing the work of incompetent cops. Perhaps a more apt title would have been 'hit and miss'. All the elements of a good crime novel are present-murder, blackmail and mystery, with a twist of romance. Moss knows exactly what her audience want; her mix of glamour and crime are appealing. There is an endless cast of intriguing characters-spoilt rich kids, stripers, punk rockers and the infamous, psychopathic Mr Hand. If you can ignore the clichés, the poor characterisation and the clumsy writing, then there are enough twists and turns in the plot to keep you interested. No doubt Moss fans and crime genre aficionados will love Moss's latest offering. However, there is little of substance here and it could leave everyone else feeling empty. Esther van Doornum works as a bookseller at Readings, Carlton