Winner of the 2026 Ned Kelly Award for Debut Crime Fiction
One of The Observer (London)’s Best Debut Novels of 2026
A story of class and coming-of-age that’s “part Virgin Suicides, part Veronica Mars” (Louise Hegarty, author of Fair Play) following a group of best friends investigating the allegations against their teacher.
It’s the mid-nineties, and in the small, shitty coastal town of Vincent, Australia, four Nirvana-obsessed fourteen-year-old girls form a grunge band. The Bastards are “fo...
One of The Observer (London)’s Best Debut Novels of 2026
A story of class and coming-of-age that’s “part Virgin Suicides, part Veronica Mars” (Louise Hegarty, author of Fair Play) following a group of best friends investigating the allegations against their teacher.
It’s the mid-nineties, and in the small, shitty coastal town of Vincent, Australia, four Nirvana-obsessed fourteen-year-old girls form a grunge band. The Bastards are “fo...



























