Petronella McGovern

Petronella McGovern grew up in a large family on a farm in New South Wales – building tree houses, chasing cows and avoiding snakes. Farmland and the bush feature strongly in her debut psychological thriller, Six Minutes.

After completing a Bachelor of Communications, Petronella worked in marketing and communications in Sydney. In between jobs, she travelled in Africa, backpacked in Europe, worked on a summer camp in America, trekked in Nepal, and journeyed solo on the Trans-Siberian railway through Russia.

Petronella is fascinated by people – what makes us tick, how we view the world, and the lies we tell others and ourselves. She's interested in the complexities of relationships, the dynamics in families, and whether a person can bring out the best – or worst – in us.

Petronella has written two non-fiction books – a travelogue of the 1960s and an Olympic memoir. After working in Canberra for a number of years, she now lives on Sydney's northern beaches with her husband and two children. She is undertaking a Masters of Arts in Creative Writing at the University of Technology, Sydney.

The Liars, published in September 2022 by Allen & Unwin, is a compelling family drama of marital secrets and family tensions set within an investigation of sinister unsolved killings.

A wife burning with resentment. A husband hiding the past. Their teenage daughter crusading for the truth. Who can we trust?
The close-knit community of Kinton Bay is shocked when fifteen-year-old Siena Britton makes a grisly discovery near a cave in the national park. Siena believes it's a skull from the town's violent colonial past and posts a video which hits the news headlines.
But her parents, Meri and Rollo, think the skull is related to their teenage parties in the Killing Cave back in the 1990s. And a school mate who went missing then.
None of them foresees the dangers that the discovery will create for their family. The dangers of past deceits, silences and lies that have never been resolved.

The Liars is a heart-stopping cocktail of family secrets, sinister unsolved disappearances and a community at war with itself.

'One of my favourite Australian writers! Petronella McGovern consistently delivers smart, twisty page-turners guaranteed to keep her readers coming back for more!' - Liane Moriarty

'Compelling, contemporary crime fiction at its best. McGovern fully captures the soul of an Australian small town overdue a reckoning.' - RWR McDonald, author of the bestselling Nancy Business.

Good Teacher, published in September 2020 by Allen & Unwin, is an intriguing tale of our times about kindness and betrayal, and the danger of good deeds.

A good teacher can change lives…
Every evening, Allison watches her husband's new house, desperate to find some answers. Every morning, she puts on a brave face to teach kindergarten. She's a good teacher, everyone says so - this stalking is just a tiny crack in her usual self-control.
A late enrolment into her class brings little Gracie. Allison takes the sick girl under her wing, smothering Gracie with the love she can't give her own son. When Gracie has a chance to go to America for treatment, Allison whips up the community into a frenzied fundraising drive.
But as others start to question her judgement and the police arrive at her door, Allison wonders if she can trust herself. Has she crossed a line?
How far will the good teacher go to change a life? And whose life will that be?

Six Minutes was inspired by Petronella's time living on the edge of Canberra when her children’s playgroup became a source of support. The novel looks at a community in crisis, a marriage under pressure, trial by social media, and the bonds of friendship.

'Impossible to put down and full of twists and turns you won't see coming! I loved this fabulous debut novel.' - Liane Moriarty

You can find out more about Petronella at www.petronellamcgovern.com.au, or follow her on Facebook.