SARA FOSTER
Sara Foster is an internationally published, bestselling psychological suspense author living in Western Australia. Her latest novel, When She Was Gone, was released by Blackstone (US/Can) and HarperCollins (ANZ) in April 2025, and is available in bookstores now.  
 
Sara has previously published seven novels: the near-future acclaimed thriller The Hush, and suspense thrillers You Don’t Know Me, The Hidden Hours, All That is Lost Between Us, Shallow Breath, Beneath the Shadows and Come Back to Me. Her novella, The Deceit, was first released as an Audible Original and is published by Blackstone in the US and Canada.
 
Sara is passionate about writing strong female characters and often incorporates contemporary cultural themes into her stories. She graduated from Curtin University in 2023 with a Vice Chancellor’s Commendation for her PhD work on maternal relationships in dystopian fiction with young adult heroines. Two of Sara’s novels have been optioned for television and You Don’t Know Me was turned into a chart-topping crime podcast dramatisation by Listnr.
 
Sara writes for her readers on substack at Story Matters, and for writers at The Resilient Author.

 

Discover Sara’s books

Click on each cover for more details and links to purchase. 

HUSH US book cover
'Dark, compelling and truly memorable. Foster is one of my favourite writers.'
Dervla McTiernan onYou Don't Know Me
‘This book has it all: a gripping opening, characters I cared deeply for, a compelling mystery and heart-stopping pace. I couldn’t put it down. This is Sara Foster’s best book yet.’
Natasha Lester onYou Don't Know Me
‘You Don’t Know Me proves yet again that Sara Foster is a writer at the top of her game. A compelling story of secrets, lies, and heartache.’ 
Emma Viskicon You Don't Know Me
'an enthralling mystery full of secrets determined to resurface ... will keep readers guessing till the end.'
Jane Harperon The Hidden Hours
'Classic suspense but with a wonderful modern edge'
Hannah Richellon All That is Lost Between Us
'Gripping, touching and close to my heart. I was hooked from start to finish.'
Favel Parretton Shallow Breath
'This vividly written novel will leave you breathless and as chilled as the starkly beautiful North Yorkshire moors, where this compelling story unfolds.'
Heather Gudenkaufon Beneath the Shadows
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GALLERY

  • What an absolute joy to see this giant poster for When She Was Gone gracing the window of @beaufortstreetbooks during our event last week - next to Tim and @tesswoods_author no less! Thank you Jane, support like this means everything!
  • Last night we held a party for all the dogs in our street because our own pup was turning one. My 12yo organised it, our dog-loving neighbours all brought their pups, there were dog treats and human treats and a chance to catch up with each other, and it was the loveliest thing!
  • Do we need to rethink our ideas around genre? Last night I was at a panel event celebrating the Ned Kelly Awards in Australia, and the four crime writers on stage were all so different - some of us loved true crime, some wrote horror, some had detectives, etc etc, and we talked about how tricky it can be to all come under the large umbrella of ‘crime fiction’. Over the years I’ve had endless conversations about branding and watched authors (including myself in this) trying to figure out how to squeeze themselves into the accepted genre boxes, while often feeling like it does their book some element of disservice. What do you think? Should we dig more into genre (the romance writers seem to do this so well with tropes, would love to hear from you guys about this!) or is it more to do with confidently and thoughtfully building our own unique brands of storytelling? Many thanks to our convo lead @rogetstrollope and fellow panellists @josh_kemp_author and @louisewolhuter_writer for the fab conversation, to Jane at @beaufortstreetbooks for hosting, and massive congratulations to all the Ned Kelly shortlisted and winning authors. The winners were: Best Debut Crime Fiction: All You Took From Me by @lisakenway Best True Crime: A Thousand Miles from Care by Steve Johnson Best International Crime Fiction: A Case of Matricide by Graeme Macrae Burnet Best Crime Fiction: The Creeper by @margaret.hickey.35
  • What could the historic Anthropic settlement mean for you? Librarians are fed up with searching for AI hallucinated books, an Australian children's book author angers the Trump administration, and much more in this month's author notes newsletter - in your inbox tomorrow! #publishingindustry #writersofinstagram #publishingnews #latestinpublishing #australianpublishing #australianpublishingindustry
  • Luna is one! This little cutie has brought a year of puppy fun and chaos and we are all obsessed with her, even if she does try to steal cuddly toys and pens and food and squeezy bottles of paint 😱 on a regular basis. Happy birthday little Looney Tunes 🐕‍🦺
  • Which books would bestselling authors recommend? This week in Story Matters I share some recommendations from my author friends. Also, let’s talk about my Outlander obsession, writing breakthroughs and more - in subscriber inboxes now, or sign up today on substack 🙂 #publishingindustry #writersofinstagram #bloodofmyblood #outlanderobsession #bookrecommendations
  • What would bestselling authors tell their debut selves? I went away on writing retreat and got to ask some of my best writing friends exactly that. Hear what Natasha Lester, Dervla McTiernan and Rachael Johns had to say in this week's bonus post on The Resilient Author. #writingadvice #publishingindustry #writersofinstagram #BookMarketing
  • One month to go until the Brisbane Writers Festival and I’m very much looking forward to appearing with @lauramccluskey__ @angie_faye_martin @zahidgamieldien @megbignell @naima_brown_official and Suzanne Do. 🎉📚Can’t wait to catch up with readers and authors and watch more of some of the stellar sessions on offer! #brisbanewritersfestival #brisbanewritersfestival2025
  • Last week I watched Unknown Number: The High School Catfish (Netflix) and it had me reflecting on what it means to consume true crime as a form of entertainment and how that translates to crime novels and darker fiction. Where do we draw the line as storytellers? What do we need to consider? How do we know when we've gone too far? Join the conversation on this week's Resilient Author post (out now). #writingadvice #writersofinstagram #publishingindustry

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