Picture an Australian storyteller who swapped veterinary clinics and airplane cockpits for the gritty world of noir fiction—meet Emma Styles! Born in London but raised on the sun-soaked shores of Western Australia, Styles crafts contemporary Australian noir that pulses with rebellion, pitting fierce young women against patriarchal norms. Her debut novel, No Country for Girls, roared onto the literary scene, earning accolades and cementing her as a bold new voice in crime fiction.
With a life as adventurous as her stories, Styles brings a unique lens to her work, blending the raw beauty of the Australian outback with high-stakes narratives. Her tales aren’t just thrillers—they’re a love letter to the landscapes and resilient spirits of her homeland.
The Making of Emma Styles
Emma Styles grew up on Whadjuk Noongar Country in Perth, Western Australia, after moving from London at age nine. The Indian Ocean became her playground, sparking a lifelong love for the rugged landscapes that define her writing. A veterinarian by trade, she worked across rural Australia and the UK, but her teens and twenties were a whirlwind of adventure—skiing, snowboarding, riding horses and motorcycles, and even piloting small planes. This fearless spirit shines through in her characters, who navigate danger with grit and defiance.
Homesickness for Western Australia fueled her early writing in the late 1990s, though it wasn’t until she earned an MA in Crime Fiction from the University of East Anglia that she honed her craft. Inspired by road trips and films like Thelma & Louise, Styles found her calling in stories of women challenging the status quo.
Emma Styles’s Unforgettable Stories
Styles’s debut, No Country for Girls (2022), is a gritty road-trip thriller that follows two teenage girls, Charlie and Nao, on the run across 2,000 kilometers of Western Australia’s unforgiving outback. With stolen gold, a dead man’s truck, and pursuers on their tail, the novel crackles with tension and vivid imagery—think dust-choked highways and blazing sunsets. Critics hailed it as “Thelma & Louise for a new generation,” and it won the 2020 Little Brown UEA Crime Fiction Award, was shortlisted for the CWA New Blood Dagger, and featured in Val McDermid’s New Blood panel at the 2022 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival.
Currently, Styles is working on her second standalone thriller, promising more of her signature style: razor-sharp dialogue, complex female protagonists, and the stark beauty of Western Australia. Her noir fiction stands out for its unapologetic focus on young women who subvert expectations, blending high-octane action with raw emotional depth. Whether it’s the clash of personalities between her characters or the vivid outback setting, Styles’s work captures the struggle for power and belonging in a world that often underestimates her heroines.
Influenced by Australian authors like Tim Winton and Elyne Mitchell, Styles weaves landscapes into her narratives as living characters. Her stories resonate with readers who crave authentic, unflinching portrayals of resilience and rebellion, all wrapped in a thrilling package.
Why Emma Styles Matters
Emma Styles is more than a crime writer—she’s a trailblazer redefining Australian noir. Her focus on young women confronting patriarchal structures speaks to a new generation of readers hungry for stories that challenge norms. By setting her tales in the vast, untamed outback, she highlights Australia’s beauty and brutality, earning praise for her authentic voice and vivid storytelling. Awards like the 2023 Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize underscore her growing influence.
Styles’s impact lies in her ability to connect with readers through characters who fight for their place in the world. Her work inspires those who feel overlooked, proving that even in the harshest landscapes, resilience can thrive. As she continues to write, her voice promises to shape the future of crime fiction.
- Born: London, UK; raised in Perth, Western Australia
- Key Work: No Country for Girls (2022)
- Awards: Little Brown UEA Crime Fiction Award (2020), Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize (2023)
- Fun Fact: Once sat out a cyclone in a LandCruiser Troop Carrier
Snag No Country for Girls and dive into Emma Styles’s thrilling world of Australian noir—your next favorite read awaits!