Whenever I see a girl with a gold bikini, I think of Princess Leia. Here on the Gold Coast, gold bikinis are common, so I think of Princess Leia a lot.
Eighteen-year-old Olivia Grace has deferred her law degree and ducked out of her friends' gap-year tour of Asia. Instead, she's fulfilling her childhood dream of becoming a private investigator, following in the footsteps of Nancy Drew and Veronica Mars - who taught her everything she knows, including a solid line in quick-quipping repartee, the importance of a handbag full of disguises, and a way of mixing business with inconvenient chemistry.
Playing Watson to the Sherlock of her childhood friend, detective agency owner Rosco (once the Han Solo to her Princess Leia), Olivia pursues a routine cheating husband case from the glitzy Gold Coast to Insta-perfect Byron Bay, where she faces yoga wars, dirty whale activism, and a guru who's kind of a creep.
Olivia Grace is a teenage screwball heroine for the #metoo era, and
The Girl with the Gold Bikini is a body-positive detective romp, rich with pop-culture pleasures.
Praise for The Girl with the Gold Bikini
'Lisa Walker's second YA novel gives us a fun new spin on Nancy Drew and 'girl detectives'. It will absolutely appeal to readers who love the mystery genre, with a relatable contemporary crossover ... an engaging, action-packed, fast-paced book - with many end-of-chapter cliffhangers. The issue of appearance discrimination is thoughtfully considered.' -
Books & Publishing
'Lisa Walker writes with such heart, optimism and sun-fuelled energy, I’d follow her characters anywhere.
Her latest novel,
The Girl With the Gold Bikini, delivers her trademark wisecracking heroine – this time, Olivia Grace – as she negotiates love, family, the social and political intrigues of the Gold Coast, and herself. Breakneck page-turning, good old-fashioned fun, with a madcap Nancy Drew-esque mystery plot that is constantly surprising, here’s a beach read – literally – to keep you guessing and smiling all the way.
Perfect for aspiring private investigators, those wondering what sort of trouble they’d like to get into on their gap year, and those in need of a bit of girl-power food for the soul.' - Kim Kelly, author of the acclaimed
Wild Chicory and best-selling
The Blue Mile
'Lisa Walker has mined a distinctive Gold Coast culture, surfing, stand-up comedy and body-positivism for this multifacted, fresh and entertaining teen detective tale.' - Katharine England,
Advertiser
Lisa Walker writes novels for adults and young adults. She has also written an ABC Radio National play and been published in the
Age,
Griffith Review,
Big Issue and the
Review of Australian Fiction. Her recent novels include a young adult coming-of-age story,
Paris Syndrome (HarperCollins, 2018), and a climate change comedy,
Melt (Lacuna, 2018). She has worked in environmental communication and as a wilderness guide, and recently spent six months in a Kmart tent in outback Australia. Lisa lives, surfs and writes on the north coast of New South Wales.
The Girl with the Gold Bikini is her sixth novel.
Praise for Lisa Walker
'YA novelist Lisa Walker has woven a multi-layered story of love and loss ... Highly recommended.' - Allison Paterson,
Magpie (on
Paris Syndrome)
'This is a funny, charming and thoughtful kind of chick lit, full of witty one-liners and intriguing minor characters, realistic about the vicissitudes of love and desire.' - Kerryn Goldsworthy,
Sydney Morning Herald (on
Arkie's Pilgrimage to the Next Big Thing)
'The voice Walker uses is authentic and her story is enriched by hard-won psychological insights.' - Cameron Woodhead,
Sydney Morning Herald (on
Arkie's Pilgrimage to the Next Big Thing)
'One of those remarkable books that sneak up on you. Surprising and beautiful.' - Eliza Henry-Jones (on
Paris Syndrome)
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