Beautiful Malice

Beautiful Malice is an action packed story by Australian author Rebecca James. The story moves between the past and the present: the narrator Katherine is now a young mother and we soon learn of the central tragedy of the story – the death of her talented younger sister Rachel. In an attempt to deal with the past and escape her devastated family, she moves to a new school in Sydney to try to start a new life of quiet anonymity.

But the quiet, hardworking life she seeks it is not to be. At school Katherine is ‘chosen’ by the beautiful but dangerous Alice. Alice’s charm and persistence begin to draw Katherine out of her protective shell but it proves to be a dangerous and damaging friendship and Alice’s scheming and warped ideas lead to tragedy, both for herself and others.

This is a cleverly constructed narrative, told by Katherine from a distance of five years. The story is a roller coater of shocking events that will stir and manipulate the reader’s emotions and keep the pages turning. There is love too amongst the tragedy, romantic love and family love and an ending which suggests the possibility of happiness in the future.