King Tide

Luke Johnson

$34.99

Paperback

Forthcoming
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English

Affirm Press
29 July 2025

Crime & Mystery; Australian Crime Fiction

'A dark and powerful portrayal of small town secrets and a friendship that leads to tragedy. Luke Johnson is an uncommonly sensitive storyteller – a writer who understands how silences often say more than words.' MARK BRANDI

'Gripping, atmospheric and raw. Friendship, love and loyalty drive this brilliant debut set in a small-town coastal community where secrets are tightly held, but eventually find their way to the surface.' INGA SIMPSON

'Taut, sharp and compelling, King Tide announces the arrival of a major new talent in crime fiction.' MARK SMITH

A storm batters the seaside town of Lagunes Bay, unleashing a king tide across the wintry beach. As the water recedes, it reveals a long-buried secret: a body, framed and exposed in the sand.

When the body is identified as a young woman who vanished years ago - with little effort ever made to find her - the entire community comes under suspicion. How did she meet such a gruesome end? What did those closest to her know? Was Tate, the town's golden boy, her final boyfriend? And why has the return of an Anglican priest and his daughter left everyone so tense?

This isn't the first disappearance to rock this small town, but the local families aren't giving much away. As Detective Harper Lewis investigates this insular world, the mystery deepens with every uncovered clue. In Lagunes Bay, everyone has something to hide and every shadow tells a story.

King Tide is a stunning, exhilarating debut: a beautifully crafted, intricately plotted tale that is as emotionally raw as it is gripping.

By: Luke Johnson
Imprint: Affirm Press
Country of Publication: Australia
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 153mm,
ISBN: 9781923293274
ISBN 10: 1923293273
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 29 July 2025
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Luke Johnson is from Ocean Grove, Victoria, and is a Senior Physiotherapist. He was the physio for the Geelong Football Club while being a Western Bulldogs supporter, giving him a good understanding of a dual narrative. Luke has always been a writer at heart and has three novels in a drawer, but when COVID-19 hit, he decided that now was the time to take his shot. Luke then won the 2021 Bellarine Writers Competition short story competition and was the Equal Second Prize Winner of the Sorrento Creative Writer Prize. Gerald Murnane said Luke's writing was ""impressive,"" ""very appealing,"" and ""possesses material, natural sensibilities and instincts.""