Home Before Night

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'There's a reason Pomare is called the king of the twist . . . You know from the outset this will be a twisty psychological thriller and it's all that, with the storyline taking a few left turns to keep the suspense tightly coiled' Herald Sun

'Ratchets up psychological suspense with a cleverly constructed plot that can be devoured in one go' Sydney Morning Herald

'A frantic domestic thriller . . . Along with Jane Harper and Liane Moriarty, J. P. Pomare is quickly becoming one of Australia's biggest literary exports' The Guardian

Mother's intuition or a deadly guilty conscience? A woman races against time to find her son in this tense and twisty thriller by the Top Ten bestselling author of The Wrong Woman.

As the third wave of the virus hits, all inhabitants of Melbourne are given until 8 pm to get to their homes. Wherever they are when the curfew begins, they must live for four weeks and stay within five kilometres of. When Lou's son, Samuel, doesn't arrive home by nightfall, she begins to panic.

He doesn't answer his phone. He doesn't message. His social media channels are inactive. Lou is out of her mind with worry, but she can't go to the police, because she has secrets of her own. Secrets that Samuel just can't find out about. Lou must find her son herself and bring him home.

Includes an exclusive extract of the next J. P. Pomare thriller, Seventeen Years Later, publishing in 2024.

Praise for Home Before Night:

'J. P. Pomare has once again earned his place on my instant-read list. Home Before Night is twisty and brilliant - a highly addictive thriller!' CHRISTIAN WHITE

'This grabbed me from the opening page and didn't let go' MICHAEL ROBOTHAM

'The thrill and fear arrive early in Home Before Night and doesn't leave until the final pages. J. P. Pomare is the real deal; he has the skill to twist your heart' CANDICE FOX

'From page one, J.P. Pomare effortlessly instils us with a tantalising sense of unease. In this page-turning thriller, all is not as it seems, and the truth is a lot darker and in many ways more human than we could ever imagine. Deftly written, lean in style, this is a gripping read from a true talent' Weekend Australian

'Tense and twisty . . . A fast-paced mystery' Who Weekly

'Compelling' The Australian Women's Weekly

'A lean and terrifying thriller about a mother's desperate search for her missing son during a pandemic. Trust us, you'll devour it in one sitting!' Woman's Day

'A page-turner with masterful plot twists. Deftly written, lean in style, this is

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JP Pomare at Apollo Bay Wordfest
JP Pomare at Apollo Bay Wordfest
He Reads, She Reads at Surf Coast Writers Festival
He Reads, She Reads at Surf Coast Writers Festival
J.P.Pomare at Surf Coast Writers Festival
J.P.Pomare at Surf Coast Writers Festival
J.P.Pomare at Big Day of Books Perth
J.P.Pomare at Big Day of Books Perth
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Meet J.P. Pomare and Candice Fox on tour across NSW
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Book Club Questions for The Gambler
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J.P. Pomare Book Tour 2026
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Quick Fire Qs with J.P. Pomare
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17 Years Later by J.P. Pomare
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J.P. Pomare on What's Next
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J.P. Pomare on Cambridge
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J.P. Pomare on Plot Twists
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J.P. Pomare on True Crime
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J.P. Pomare on Extreme Research
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Q&A with J.P. Pomare
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Start Reading 17 Years Later by J.P. Pomare
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Beach Thrills: Crime & Thriller Summer Reads
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Gripping thrillers to stock your beach bag with
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5 Gripping Thrillers to Binge-Read In Isolation
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In the Clearing: Read a Sneak Peek
Meet J.P. Pomare and Candice Fox on tour across NSW
Meet J.P. Pomare and Candice Fox on tour across NSW
Book Club Questions for The Gambler
Book Club Questions for The Gambler
J.P. Pomare Book Tour 2026
J.P. Pomare Book Tour 2026
Q&A with J.P. Pomare
Q&A with J.P. Pomare
Start Reading 17 Years Later by J.P. Pomare
Start Reading 17 Years Later by J.P. Pomare
Beach Thrills: Crime & Thriller Summer Reads
Beach Thrills: Crime & Thriller Summer Reads
Gripping thrillers to stock your beach bag with
Gripping thrillers to stock your beach bag with
5 Gripping Thrillers to Binge-Read In Isolation
5 Gripping Thrillers to Binge-Read In Isolation
In the Clearing: Read a Sneak Peek
In the Clearing: Read a Sneak Peek
Quick Fire Qs with J.P. Pomare
Quick Fire Qs with J.P. Pomare
17 Years Later by J.P. Pomare
17 Years Later by J.P. Pomare
J.P. Pomare on What's Next
J.P. Pomare on What's Next
J.P. Pomare on Cambridge
J.P. Pomare on Cambridge
J.P. Pomare on Plot Twists
J.P. Pomare on Plot Twists
J.P. Pomare on True Crime
J.P. Pomare on True Crime
J.P. Pomare on Extreme Research
J.P. Pomare on Extreme Research
J.P.Pomare at Big Day of Books Perth
J.P.Pomare at Big Day of Books Perth
20 June 2026 — ABC Radio Perth, Perth
J.P.Pomare at Surf Coast Writers Festival
J.P.Pomare at Surf Coast Writers Festival
27 June 2026 — RACV Torquay Resort, Torquay
He Reads, She Reads at Surf Coast Writers Festival
He Reads, She Reads at Surf Coast Writers Festival
27 June 2026 — RACV Torquay Resort, Torquay
JP Pomare at Apollo Bay Wordfest
JP Pomare at Apollo Bay Wordfest
25 July 2026 — Mechanics Institute Hall, Apollo Bay
J.P. Pomare

J.P. Pomare

J.P. POMARE is an award-winning author whose debut novel, Call Me Evie (2018), won the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best First Novel. In the Clearing (2019) was made into a Disney+ Original Series, The Clearing, while Tell Me Lies (2020) was a #1 Audible bestseller and was shortlisted for the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Novel and the Ned Kelly Award for Best Crime Fiction. The Last Guests (2021) was critically acclaimed and made into a Stan Original TV series, Watching You. His fifth book, The Wrong Woman (2022), was a top-ten bestseller and was highly acclaimed, as was Home Before Night (2023). 17 Years Later (2024) was shortlisted for both the 2025 Ned Kelly Award for Best Crime Fiction and the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Novel, and is currently being adapted for the screen. The Gambler is his eighth novel.

J.P. Pomare was born in New Zealand and lives in Melbourne with his wife and daughter.

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