Sarah Thornton ditched her law career not long after being awarded Australian Corporate Lawyer of the Year in 2016. She now lives with her husband onboard a 43-foot sailing catamaran, exploring everything she can and chasing an endless summer. She took up writing novels as a way to liberate her imagination after twenty years in the structured confines of legal and corporate life. Her debut novel, Lapse, is the first of a series in which former corporate lawyer Clementine Jones stumbles headlong into criminal conspiracies and other nefarious goings-on.
'A true page-turner and a surefire hit.' * Michael Collins * 'A fantastic debut, simmering with tension, conflict and so many plot twists your head will spin!' * Sisters in Crime * 'Sarah Thornton joins authors such as Jane Harper, Sarah Bailey and Matt Dunn in harvesting rich pickings from an increasingly barren landscape.' * Herald Sun * 'There is much to admire in Lapse. Thornton captures the nuances and the tensions of life in a small country town...Lapse is an absorbing read, and an accomplished debut.' * Canberra Times * '[A] thrilling page turner' * Brisbane News * 'Thornton...has succeeded in creating a memorable and multi-layered heroine in the determined but fallible Clem...Lapse is a well-paced and absorbing thriller.' * West Weekend * '[An] enjoyable addition to the steadily growing catalogue of Australian rural crime fiction and a very accomplished debut.' * Robert Goodman * '[A] tense thriller that holds the reader captive until the very end...fans of Jane Harper and Garry Disher will enjoy this book.' * ReadPlus Reviews * 'Tackling Clem's guilt and shame with sympathetic and honest clarity, Thornton's debut is a small-town, high-stakes, mid-season tale that you don't need to love footy to enjoy.' * Readings * 'Lapse is paced like a suspenseful footy match, scoring goals right up to the final siren. Unexpected twists and turns will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the end. Fans of rural crime, the likes of Jane Harper and Sarah Bailey, will enjoy this book.' * Books+Publishing (starred review) * 'Lapse is a quintessentially Australian story of small town conspiracies, dark secrets and footy finals. Part-time coach and accidental sleuth Clementine Jones is a welcome and refreshing addition to the ranks of Australian crime fiction detectives.' * Emma Viskic * 'Clementine Jones is a heroine for our times: fierce, feisty and fallible.' * Candice Fox *