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Table of Contents
About The Book
A wickedly dark police procedural with a hint of the supernatural, this crime novel is Dinuka McKenzie meets The Bluffs.
When Detective Sergeant Anastasia Brown is sent to investigate a grizzly murder in a small New South Wales town, she welcomes the chance to run from heartbreak and humiliation. But she quickly discovers that this is no ordinary murder. The body of a popular doctor has been found on the mountain, chained and burned, with arcane symbols carved into the soles of his feet – and the boy who found him swears he saw a ghost lingering in the trees.
Is this a clever killer with a flair for the macabre? Or the work of an elusive Wiccan coven that worships on the mountain? Or, even stranger, are the local murmurs of the mountain being haunted more than just folklore?
As the investigation grows ever murkier, Ana realises that everyone in town has a secret … and some are deadly.
About The Author
Supplied by the author
Inessa Jackson is a Sydney crime writer living on the land of the Garigal people, within the Eora Nation. Her debut novel, Devil Mountain, won the Affirm/Varuna Mentorship Award. Her first murder mystery was runner-up for the 2023 Banjo Prize and short-listed for the 2022 ASA/HQ Commercial Fiction Award. Before she fell in love with crime writing, Inessa backpacked around the world, worked in corporate PR and then settled into life as a stay-at-home mum. When she’s not writing, Inessa is reading, swimming at Manly beach and walking her loyal assistant, Billy the Cavoodle. She has a passion for travelling to far-flung places … and is terrified of sheep.
Product Details
- Publisher: Affirm Press (May 26, 2026)
- Length: 336 pages
- ISBN13: 9781923419230
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Raves and Reviews
Detective Sergeant Anastasia Brown is impossible to look away from. Set against a haunting, unsettling landscape, Devil Mountain will get under your skin.
– Kyle Perry
A cracking procedural with a visceral sense of place and creeping touch of the supernatural. Jackson has created a relentless heroine in Detective Sergeant Anastasia Brown.
– Dinuka McKenzie
A whip-crack of a mystery that will keep you up at night.
– Veronica Lando
Symbols, witches, and a ghostly woman stalking the hills — Jackson’s spooky thriller hits all the notes of a classic police procedural, but rises to a higher level with a goosebump-inducing supernatural subplot. Breathless pacing keeps the reader hanging on by their fingertips as we follow the dogged Det. Ana Brown down the rabbit hole to the hazy in-between of reality and folklore. Fans of Tana French or True Detective will love!
– Laura McCluskey
Devil Mountain is a twisty and enthralling murder mystery in a creepy, potent setting. Inessa Jackson gives us an intriguing investigation through the eyes of a detective we can’t help but love. Atmospheric and thrilling – what a spectacular debut!
– Mark Mupotsa-Russell
Resources and Downloads
High Resolution Images
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Book Cover Image (jpg): Devil Mountain
Trade Paperback 9781923419230
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Author Photo (jpg): Inessa Jackson Supplied by the author(0.1 MB)
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