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WINNER OF THE 2020 LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK PRIZE!

When The Ground Is Hard

Malla Nunn stuns in this heartrending tale set in a Swaziland boarding school where two girls of different castes bond over a shared copy of Jane Eyre.

Winner of the 2019 Josette Frank Award, the Junior Library Guild of America Gold Standard Award, Kirkus Top YA Historical Fiction list, and shortlisted for the Australian Prime Minister’s Literary Award.

DISCOVER MALLA'S NEW YA NOVEL

Sugar Town Queens

From multi-award-winning author Malla Nunn comes a stunning portrait of a family divided and a friendship with the power to change lives.

Out Now!

WINNER OF THE 2020 LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK PRIZE!

When The Ground Is Hard

Malla Nunn stuns in this heartrending tale set in a Swaziland boarding school where two girls of different castes bond over a shared copy of Jane Eyre.

Winner of the 2019 Josette Frank Award, the Junior Library Guild of America Gold Standard Award, Kirkus Top YA Historical Fiction list, and shortlisted for the Australian Prime Minister’s Literary Award.

COMING IN 2021 - MALLA'S NEW YA NOVEL

Sugar Town Queens

From multi-award-winning author Malla Nunn comes a stunning portrait of a family divided and a friendship with the power to change lives.

Coming August 3, 2021!

Sugar Town Queens by Malla Nunn

AWARD WINNING

Young Adult and Crime Fiction Author

NEWS FROM MALLA

Recent Posts

Cooper – the TV Series

Heading back into the Cooper writing room. Love the easy flow of ideas and the fast pace. It's the best kind of work.

A new YA novel for Malla Nunn

From LA Times Book Prize Award Winner and Edgar Award Nominee Malla Nunn comes SUGAR TOWN QUEENS - a stunning portrait of a family divided and the bonds that knit our communities. Coming August 3, 2021!

AWARD WINNING

Young Adult and Crime Fiction Author

FOR ADULT READERS

CRIME FICTION

FOR ADULT READERS

CRIME FICTION

Present Darkness

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blessed-are-the-dead

Blessed Are The Dead

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Let The Dead Lie

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A Beautiful Place To Die

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Malla's Detective Emmanuel Cooper Series

Buy the eBook Collection

From award-winning author and filmmaker Malla Nunn, a collection of three riveting crime novels set in 1950s apartheid South Africa.

BUY NOW FROM

Malla's Detective Emmanuel Cooper Series

Buy the eBook Collection

From award-winning author and filmmaker Malla Nunn, a collection of three riveting crime novels set in 1950s apartheid South Africa.

BUY NOW FROM

PRAISE FOR MALLA NUNN

Reviews

Present Darkness

‘Pitch-perfect. What makes Cooper such an interesting (and excellent) detective is his ability to straddle the divide that separates class, race and cultures. But it’s a perilous balancing act... Present Darkness manages the tension beautifully.’

The Sydney Morning Herald

Blessed Are The Dead

‘Historical hindsight may make readers a bit more self-congratulatory about recognizing the evils of apartheid, but it won’t help them see around the curves Nunn has plotted or rise above her insight into the enduring dilemmas of her separate-and-unequal world.’

Kirkus Reviews

Let The Dead Lie

‘Malla Nunn deftly balances suspense and deduction as she offers a revealing glimpse into South African society under the segregation laws promulgated by the ruling National Party.’

publishers weekly

Publisher's Weekly, starred review

A Beautiful Place To Die

‘A terrific debut! Page-turning, clever and multi-layered in its portrayal of the people and landscape of apartheid South Africa. I loved it.’

Minette Walters

When The Ground is Hard

Age 14 and up

‘The gorgeous imagery sets the scene wonderfully, and there is mention of the religious and geographical colonization represented in the book, the hazy morals of the adults, and the relationships between black, white, and mixed-race citizens of Swaziland, but the narrative doesn’t dig too deeply into these subjects. An engrossing narrative that gently but directly explores complex relationships.’

When The Ground is Hard

Age 14 and up

‘The gorgeous imagery sets the scene wonderfully, and there is mention of the religious and geographical colonization represented in the book, the hazy morals of the adults, and the relationships between black, white, and mixed-race citizens of Swaziland, but the narrative doesn’t dig too deeply into these subjects. An engrossing narrative that gently but directly explores complex relationships.’

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