Hi, I am Loraine Peck (aka Amy Novak??) and I am a “Crime Thriller” writer. I am also a Villager here in Main Beach.

Loraine Peck

• Villager
• Crime Novelist
• lorainepeck.com
• Message Loraine

Hi, I am Loraine Peck (aka Amy Novak??) and I am a “Crime Thriller” writer. I am also a Villager here in Main Beach.

September 2021 Update

Update by Steve
for The Villager Edition Eight
September 2021

Congratulations Loraine, what a win she has pulled off. It is one thing to have a great story in your head and it’s an entirely different talent to express and articulate into print in a way that others feel they are there right alongside you

All the best for your second book Loraine
Steve
Ps, I have inserted the Ned Kelly announcement below.

ABOUT THE NED KELLY AWARDS

The Ned Kelly Awards are Australia’s oldest and most prestigious prizes for crime fiction and true crime writing. Established in 1996, and now in their twenty-sixth year, previous winners include Peter Temple, Jane Harper, Shane Maloney, Gabrielle Lord, Candice Fox, Garry Disher, Helen Garner, John Silvester, and Duncan McNab.

2021 BEST DEBUT CRIME FICTION

The winner of the 2021 Ned Kelly Award for Best Debut Crime Fiction is The Second Son by Loraine Peck (Text).

The Second Son is a story of organised crime and family honour set in the western suburbs of Sydney.

The judges praised the strong character-driven plot and the realistic setting in multicultural Sydney. The intercutting of family dynamics and organised crime action brings a heightened level of both engagement and tension to The Second Son.

“My first book was published just four weeks ago! Its title as you can see is “The Second Son” It’s been referred to as ‘a modern-day Godfather,’ so if that sounds like your cup of tea then here is your opportunity.”

Snippet – Duty always has a price.
When Ivan Novak is shot dead putting out his garbage bins in Sydney’s west, his family wants revenge, especially his father Milan, a notorious crime boss. It’s a job for the second son, Ivan’s younger brother Johnny.

But Johnny loves his wife Amy and their son Sasha. And she’s about to deliver her ultimatum: either the three of them escape this wave of killing or she’ll leave, taking Sasha.

Torn between loyalty to his family and love for his wife, Johnny plans the heist of a lifetime and takes a huge risk. Is he prepared to pay the price? And what choice will Amy make?

“I started my career as a portrait painter and a magician’s assistant in Sydney. After being sawn-in-half one too many times, I switched to dealing blackjack on the Gold Coast. Then it was on to Bartending and slinging lobsters in the US, which led to a sales job in the movie industry, before being propelled into a career in marketing in Australia, the Middle East, Asia, and the US.

Consumed by a desire to write crime thrillers, I decided to stop everything and do a writing course to learn how to write the kind of books I love to read.
The Second Son is my first novel and I am working on its sequel.
My husband and I spend our time between Sydney and the Gold Coast.

Thanks
Loraine
THE SECOND SON
in all good bookstores and online.

Critic highlight
PRAISE FOR LORAINE PECK ANDTHE SECOND SON
‘At first glance, The Second Son is a modern-day Godfather that paints a brutal, bullet-ridden picture of gang warfare in Sydney’s western suburbs. Look again, and it’s a compelling exploration of inherited trauma and the endless cycle of violence. Get right up close and it’s a tender story of fear, love, and—ultimately—hope. A sharp and striking debut.’ – Anna Downes