A blisteringly fast, fresh, funny and hugely entertaining novel of mothers, daughters and one gutsy wild colonial girl who gets caught up in Australia's last female bushranger's quest for revenge. Think Leah Purcell's The Drover's Wife meets Trent Dalton.
1918: Australia's last bushranger, Dulcie James, holds up Anna King's falling-down farmhouse. There's a scrawny unloved infant on the floor, Anna seems more furious than frightened, and it's the bushranger who's left shaken. And the next day, Anna disappears.
Twelve years later, Anna's daughter, Billie King, is a girl ready to explode. With a missing mother, the rent in arrears and her alcoholic father's gambling debts to cover, she has no time for school. But when child services threaten to remove Billie from her father, she must decide between continuing her search for her missing mother and keeping what's left of her family together. If she fails to hold onto her father, she'll be taken away and placed in a children's home, but if she doesn't find her missing mother, who will?
'This blazing novel had me gripped from first page to last.
Wildly original, utterly tender, fiercely feminist and astoundingly good storytelling, I inhaled it.'
Tess Woods, The Venice Hotel
'If Quentin Tarantino had set Kill Bill in the 1930's Aussie bush with a gun-slinging 12 year old, it would be something like Shannon Kelly White's debut novel, Billie King. This fast-paced, funny and brazen debut novel kicks ass. An irrepressible story about determination, friendship and of being a woman. May we all have some of the spirit and tenacity of Billie King.' Kerryn Mayne, Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder
'An extraordinary debut - an utterly unique take on a fascinating era, bursting with fierce, funny characters that will break your heart and put it right back together again. I loved every single word of this brilliant story!' Kelly Rimmer, The Midnight Estate
'Fierce, furious, and fearless: Billie King is destined to become an iconic character in Australian fiction. This breathtaking tale of three courageous women had me enthralled from the very first line right through to its thrilling conclusion. A powerful debut from Shannon Kelly-White.' Lisa Ireland, The Studio Girls
Reader reviews:
'Billie King belongs with Cloud Street and Boy Swallows Universe as an Australian classic. I feel privileged to have read it' ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
'You are going to want to read this book. An exceptional debut novel' ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
'To use an Aussie colloquialism - this is a ripper of a debut novel! It has everything a reader could want - the human element, triumph over adversity, strong female characters, spirit - courage - endurance - all set in post-WWI Australia. One of my top reads for the year!'
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
'You are going to want to read this book. An exceptional debut novel' ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
'Stirring! Heartbreaking! Fair dinkum! Beautiful! I've run out of adjectives; it's a bit hard to think, smiling through my tears' ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
'One of the most incredible stories I have read in many years' ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
'Hooly dooly what a ride that was! I was hooked from the first page. About 50 pages in I knew this was going to be one of my favourite reads of 2026. Loved, loved, loved!' ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
