Author Reviews
"A brilliant writer"
Lynda La Plante
Praise for Fetish:
"Moss makes her U.S. debut with a steamy fast-paced romantic thriller...This marks the arrival of a bold new female voice for American crime-fiction fans."
Publishers Weekly, USA
"As a kid I read almost every Agatha Christie novel...Tara Moss has reawakened my passion for [thrillers]..."
Hugh Jackman
"Bestselling Australian author Tara Moss bursts onto the U.S. scene with a fast-paced romantic thriller set in the semi-glamorous midrange modeling business. Moss makes everything seem fresh in this book, from the heroine to the setting. And readers will love the pace of this cat-and-mouse thriller while enjoying the details of the fashion business. An American debut to cheer!"
Barnes & Noble, USA
"Moss is a meticulous researcher of investigative procedures while writing, earning much praise for the authenticity of her thrillers...she may well become one of the world's best-sellers."
World Literature Today
New Mystery Reader, USA
"First-rate thriller...hang-on-to-your-hat, edge-of-your-seat thrill ride. Remarkably well- crafted, we get not only a terrifying peek inside the mind of a psychopath, but also an interesting insider's view of the modeling world. Readers will be looking forward to Makedde's next saga."
Fresh Fiction, USA
"Fetish is steamy, dark, and grisly...Ms. Moss' characters are firmly drawn, and her chilling plot is a white-knuckle tale of suspense. Lust, passion, and danger abound in this psycho thriller."
Affaire de Coeur
"Moss dishes up dark drama and danger in a world she knows well. Creepy and suspenseful, this story teems with characters that are edgy, conflicted and none too trusting."
Romantic Times, USA
"Fetish is a deliciously nasty little book."
Vancouver Sun, Canada
"A novel sure to keep you on the edge of your deck-chair...expertly crafted...a definite page-turner...best read in daylight."
Flare Magazine, Canada
"Tara Moss is neither your average model nor your average author...and promises to give crime fans a sexy new voice. (This ain't no Agatha Christie.)."
LA Confidential Magazine, USA
"...enjoyable and entertaining...Tara's attention to research together with her understanding of investigative methodologies is outstanding. This unyielding commitment to authenticity is highlighted in her novels."
Steven Van Aperen, Forensic Polygraph Expert, Director of Australian Polygraph Services
"Moss makes her US debut with a spine-chilling story in Fetish...It smoothly weaves the diverse elements of romance and sex with deadly danger and police procedures to make a suspenseful story. Moss expertly keeps the readers in a well-maintained suspense...its effectiveness and potential are undeniable."
CurledUp.Com
"Tara Moss delivers a suspenseful thriller designed to shock in FETISH...Moss creates taut tales that are sure to have you wanting more."
Revision 14
"Moss keeps the tension high...[She has] natural storytelling ability. Fetish is a worthy first entry in the crowded thriller genre."
Kathy Kerr, Edmonton Journal
"A work of dark and sinister themes which earned deserved acclaim from readers and critics..."
Michael Jacobson, Gold Coast Bulletin
"By any standard, 'Fetish,' Tara Moss's first full-length novel is an exceptionally well crafted thriller... She has completely mastered the technique of writing a first-rate psycho-thriller."
John Lewell, Female Detective.com
"... full of intrigue and suspense. Thriller fans will love it."
Neil Spark, Melbourne Weekly
"Australia's Glamagatha Christie…"
Jessica Adams, Author Single White E-mail
"Compelling"
ELLE magazine, Canada
"An incredible book...[Fetish] has all the elements of classic suspense and riveting terror...Tara manages to create a suspenseful book that is brimming with tension at every turn..."
Shelf Life magazine
"Tara Moss combines beauty, brains and a wicked way with words. Her first novel Fetish is a dark psychological thriller, a best-seller which benefitted from Moss's extensive research...Moss is a gifted story-teller."
Gold Coast Bulletin
"Author Tara Moss, who also happens to be a supermodel, weaves a compelling murder mystery."
Jennifer McDonnell, MochaSofa.com
"A powerful novel"
Woman's Day
"Why is gorgeous international model Tara Moss writing about gruesome sadistic killers? Because she's good at it."
The Globe and Mail
"With her covergirl looks, some observers don't want to believe beautiful supermodel Tara Moss could also be bright enough to write a best-selling novel. But, it seems, her brain -- not her body -- is her biggest asset."
Times Colonist
"Not only does [Tara Moss] get about looking like a total goddess, but she's smart and she's funny and she writes..."
Emma Tom, The Australian
"...Moss's plain and simple depiction of the unglamourous world of middle-income modelling and the NSW police force is fascinating. The characters, too, are likeable and realistic, especially practical Mak, whose narrative contrasts sharply with the killer's bizarre fantasy world."
Carolyn Gilpin, WHO magazine
"Tara Moss has it all - brains, beauty, and a bestselling thriller...Fetish is a debut novel with kick, from an author who happens to be a supermodel
herself, as well as an accomplished, award-winning writer with an acute sense of the macabre."
HarperCollins Canada
Praise for Split:
"[a] sexy, smart thriller."
Publishers Weekly, USA
Barnes and Noble, USA
"As a kid I read almost every Agatha Christie novel. Well, I'm not sure why it took me so long to return to thrillers, but Tara Moss has reawakened my passion for them."
Hugh Jackman
"A Dark and engrossing mystery with great characters. If you liked Moss' Fetish, you will love Split!"
Fresh Fiction, USA
"Another thrilling ride...Moss is a gifted storyteller, able to control the suspense and give her characters an authenticity as they find themselves in extraordinary situations."
Gold Coast Bulletin
"Tara Moss: Femme Fatale...Tara's novels are meticulously researched and draw inspiration from true crime."
Arena magazine, United Kingdom
"A model of macabre storytelling."
Calgary Herald, Canada
"[Tara Moss] has become a master at her craft."
Fellowship of Australian Writers
"A really terrific read... very pacy... I really enjoyed it. More power to your pen, Tara!"
Sally Loane, ABC Radio
"Split is pacy and readable...Moss is an author to watch."
Marie Claire magazine
"[Audio book of Split is a]...gripping psychological suspense story. Tara Moss's narration is lively, spirited, and exceptionally pleasant to hear... Her distinction between psychopathy and antisocial personality disorders is spot-on, while being flawless and tightly integrated into the plot.
AudioFile, USA
"The plot is tight, the characters believable and the killer suitably nasty. A great read.."
The Newcastle Herald
"..one of Australia's most successful female authors in any genre."
Crime Factory
"After the success of her thriller, Fetish, Moss - dubbed "Glamagatha Christie" - is back with the sequel, Split...[and the] Canadian model turned author turned Aussie, continues to climb the literary ladder..."
The Advertiser
"Model-turned author Tara Moss strikes a winner with her new book..."
MX magazine
"...model-turned-thriller author Tara Moss has proved herself twice over..."
The Sunday Telegraph
"...fast-paced and suspenseful, with a well-developed sense of place. This story has a chill about it which has nothing to do with the crisp, autumn air of its British Columbian setting. A compelling read."
Fellowship of Australian Writers
"...crime has become seriously sexy...They're lit chicks with attitude. Tara Moss, author of two novels Fetish and Split, being queen bee.."
Jo Casamento, The Daily Telegraph
"[Split is] very clever and believable...Tara Moss is a great writer...her writing should not be underestimated...I thoroughly enjoyed this book..."
AmericanBookstore.com.au
Praise for Covet:
"I have been deeply involved in the study of poisons and poisoners for more than a decade...In Covet we have sex, poison, murder...
This is a gripping thriller that will keep you turning the pages. Readers who have followed Mak through Fetish and Split will see an evolution in characterisation which parallels Taras own rise to the top of her form."
Gail Bell, Poisons Expert, Pharmacist and Award-Winning Author of The Poison Principle
"Covet is a racy and entertaining thriller that contains a villain every bit as sinister as Hannibal Lecter."
The Age, Australia
"The word 'spine-tingling' has been used often before, but it
perfectly describes COVET. Yet the book is much more than
that - Tara Moss tells a helluva good story. "
Crime Spree magazine, USA
"...Tara Moss is Australia's answer to Patricia Cornwell...This is a fascinating crime thriller that contains a feeling of ever spreading danger."
The Midwest Book Review, USA
"Covet has plenty of twists and turns to set your pulse racing...Moss truly
knows how to crank out compulsive suspense in the tradition of such masters of
the genre as Patricia Cornwell and Faye Kellerman."
Travellink Magazine
"Tara Moss's knack for combining the unglamorous world of modelling with forensic
science makes this thriller impossible to put down."
New Woman Magazine
"...we can't get enough of murder mystery writers like Tara Moss."
The Sydney Morning Herald, Spectrum
"...page-turning and suspenseful, and thoroughly enjoyable [with a] complex and sympathetic protagonist. I look forward to following her in novels yet to come. The word "spinetingling" has been used often before, but it perfectly describes Covet. Yet the book is much more than that. Tara Moss tells a helluva good story."
Mystery Morgue, USA
"...amazing research...fascinating books. [Moss is] an extraordinary person."
Paul Holmes, The Holmes Show, TV1 NZ
"Model-turned-writer Tara Moss is finally getting the respect she deserves for her thrillers."
Sunday Morning Post, China.
"I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed your book "Covet"... it was very entertaining...You have a wonderful talent...I really loved it and if the other novels are half as good, they must be best sellers."
Tura Satana, Cult Icon, Star of 'Faster Pussycat Kill Kill'
"With her third thriller Moss has wiped the slate clean of disbelievers who said she couldn't have written Fetish because she was a model...[Moss is] Now Australia's No. 1 crime writer... "
Daphne Guiness, The Sydney Morning Herald
"The release of her third novel, Covet, marks her spot as a seasoned novelist."
thelounge.com.au
"...a ripping yarn...Moss has written a well-structured page-turner."
The Age
"Tara's coveted streak continues...Covet is another marvellously macabre tale..."
The Gold Coast Bulletin
"My favourite writer Tara Moss...you've done it again!...a splendid writer..."
Ernie Sigley, 3AW
"As an avid crime reader I was delighted to discover a new talent so close to home. Thank you Tara for writing Fetish, Split, and Covet. I recommend all three."
Ruth Todd, Plains FM, NZ
"If you thought that Tara Moss's first two novels, Fetish and Split were scary, then you better read Covet in daylight."
Fresh Magazine
Praise for Hit:
"The pages of this suspense thriller just turned themselves. What a blast!"Hugh Jackman
"Hit by Tara Moss weighs in at a solid 563 pages, but there is nary a wasted word in this visceral novel... [Moss] shines here, and her protagonist Mak is highly distinctive."
Crime Time, UK
"A thriller packed with sex, suspense and suspicion. Hold on tight!"
Woman's Day
"[Mak Vanderwall] is a Sydney female PI with grit and attitude, and dare I say modelled on Tara herself. This is Sara Paretsky and Sue Grafton for a younger generation.' "
Maxim Jakobowski, UK
"This is certain to be another hit for Australia's most ravishing crime writer."
Tonic magazine, UK
"In a word: enticing. Hit explores the cities' seedy underbellies and the influence of the mega-rich...a page-turner..."
The Herald Sun, Australia
"Tara Mossf Mak Vanderwall is...feisty, indomitable, with both a troubled past and a present full of action and suspense."
Lovereading, UK
"Makedde is investigating a murder that leads her on an interesting quest through the seedy back streets of Sydney and Melbourne.
Moss's familiarity with the social scene in Sydney gives her an authentic backdrop for Makedde's perilous journey, and the engaging cast of characters makes for an intriguing read...Deftly paced to build suspense, there's a lot to like about Hit... "
Courier Mail, Australia
"Australia's dark child of crime fiction"
Femail.com.au, Australia
"Mak is too fabulous for words, tearing around on her giant motorbike...It's part Phryne Fisher and part Stephanie Plum...adventure that ranges from Sydney's harbourside mansions to the seedy underbelly of Melbourne's strip-club scene, and back again."
The Mercury, Tasmania
"Tara Moss deserves rapturous applause for creating a mainstream crime-fighteress who puts Valentino Rossi to shame on a motorbike and isnt ashamed to admit that she gets off on seedy strip-club lap dances and masturbates over tattooed rock gods. Viva Makedde Vanderwall! Viva T-Bone Moss!"
Emma Tom, award-winning journalist and author of 'Something About Mary'
"When I'm not reading scripts, I am reading Tara Moss, my favorite author"
Tura Satana, actress/cult icon, Faster Pussycat, Kill Kill!
"Tara has the audience to prove she has penned bestsellers. Now she has produced her fourth novel, HIT, the fourth adventure for her redoubtable protagonist, a book unlikely to diminish her growing reputation as a novelist...Moss' familiarity with the social scene in Sydney undeniably gives her an authentic backdrop...an engaging cast of characters...
Tara Moss displays wonderful ingenuity in the adventures to which she subjects her heroine. Corpses litter the pages along with black deeds..."
Mary Martin Bookshop, Australia
Praise for Siren:
"A brilliant writer..."
Lynda La Plante
Post Modern Ink magazine
"Siren, like Moss' previous books, really is a jolly good read. Moss is a fluent writer who stacks up the fun with lots of violence, sex and thrilling suspense."
The Age, Australia
"Tara Moss really knows her crime thrillers and even indulges in gritty hands on research in order to better write her books | like being set on fire by a special effects stunt team...Tara does it again with this novel; itfs engaging and a quick read for those that want a thrilling page-turner."
Gloss magazine, New Zealand
"...another great crime thriller from Tara Moss...the release of Siren brings the public another polished action thriller with beloved character, Mak Vanderwall."
The Straits Times
"Glamorous and menacing, Siren will please Moss's female fans. Satisfying."
Herald Sun, Australia
"Moss is a masterful storyteller and to say this novel is fast-paced is certainly an understatement. Moss builds the tension page by page and does not mince words when depicting violence and its aftermath. Moss is able to keep readers guessing with her adept plotting and her willingness to go where many would not dare, conveying both tawdry and romantic human interactions with aplomb. The result is a stylish and sexy roller-coaster ride that readers will not want to disembark from. An edge of your seat thriller | a must read. Siren lives up to expectations and as always leaves her fans gasping for more."
Booklover Book Reviews.com
"As always, Moss has produced a thriller of epic proportions which gallops along...In a word: Excellent."
The Townsville Bulletin
"The model turned-writer brings us book number five | and it doesn't disappoint. Tara's known for going to great lengths to add realism to her thrillers (including being choked unconscious, set on fire and training with a SWAT team), and this novel shows the same attention to detail...."
OK! magazine
Praise for The Blood Countess:
'Must-read' - Cosmopolitian Magazine
'The book's humour is broad...characters are well written. Pandora is infinitely more likeable than Bella... (The Blood Countess is an) amusing blend of horror and haute couture.' - Australian Book Review
'An entertaining and fairly lighthearted take on the whole vampire infestation of contemporary culture, incorporating some lovely stuff about haute couture.' - Sydney Morning Herald
'[Moss] has fashioned an entertaining, original vampire tale. Orphan and aspiring writer Pandora English moves to her aunt's gothic mansion in Manhattan and discovers a strange world in which Hollywood, high society and darker forces merge. In a word: macabre.'- Gold Coast Bulletin
'The Blood Countess by Tara Moss is a cool new twist to the traditional tales of supernatural beings. Just when you thought you knew every possible vampire related story; you catch yourself indulging in the captivating plot of this book that effortlessly brings together fashion, New York City socialites, and blood thirsty vampires into one extraordinary tale.' - Patent Magazine, Canada
'Moss has reinterpreted the traditional tale of vampires and other supernatural beings with a fashionable twist and a captivating plot.' - Unilife Magazine
'Moss' writing style made this book a pleasure to read and set my imagination aflutter. Her reinterpretation of classic horror characters separates this book from the others in its genre keeping it fresh and exciting... I can't wait for the next in the series.' - W Channel Book Club
'Tara Moss's venture into the paranormal is creepy, funny, stylish and winsome. An effortless, fun read with a very 'fashionable' sprinkle of satire. Love it.' - Marianne de Pierres, bestselling author of the Parrish Plessis and Sentients of Orion series
'Tara Moss has a new book coming out at Halloween and it is different to her previous novels...[The Blood Countess has] flavours of True Blood, Vampire Diaries, Devil Wears Prada and La Candy. I would recommend it... Very good read! High enjoyed.' - Angus and Robertson
'A beautifully written novel that takes you into the world of the paranormal mixed in with some high New York Fashion...cleverly written...keeps you hooked till the very last page. Highly recommended for fans of Twilight and the Blue Bloods series and anyone who loves a great paranormal book.' - Booktopia
'Pandora herself is by no means ordinary; she has medium like qualities and most interestingly she can sense when places or people around her have known death or suffering. A magnet for the strange, Pandora quickly finds herself in the centre of a mystery...' The Blood Countess 'is laced with references to ancient legends and mythology... Itfs addictive storytelling...' - The Nile Book Review
'The novel pokes fun at some of the supermodel stereotypes...Are supermodels blood-sucking monsters?' - David Dowsett, ABC radio
'The funny thing, the witty thing you've done is situate Pandora in the business that is 'defying age'. That is one of the things that makes [The Blood Countess] interesting...one of the things that provokes quite a bit of thought...' Cath Kenneally, Writers' Radio, Radio Adelaide
'Always worth a read. If you've never read a Tara Moss book, they're great. - Tim Webster, 2UE
'The Blood Countess has a little bit of everything to get your heart pumping: crushes on century old ghosts, vampires with an obsessive need to count, villains guarded by zombies, and the unconfirmed goblin neighbourhood grocer...The plot line flows along at just the right speed, leaving you holding your breath from chapter to chapter as the action and mystery unfold. Quite honestly, The Blood Countess has made it into my top 5 across all genres for the year' - Burn Bright, Book Review
Praise for The Spider Goddess:
'The Mistress of Macabre' - Cover 2 Cover Magazine
'Some books have got the ability to capture you... It's terrific reading.' - Denis Walter, 3AW
'Packed with mystery, evil intentions and things that go bump in the night, Pandoras world is breathtakingly addictive...Moss has created a world that is dark, Gothic, uniquely funny and often downright terrifying without an overt morbid feel. Pandora has fast become my favourite heroine and I cant wait to see what danger she leads us into next.' - Cels Jansink at Burn Bright.
'Tara Moss weaves all the plot elements together with finesse and love. The story is well paced and you dont want to put the book down. I think if you enjoyed the first one, you will love the second as the story only gets better...fantastic storytelling.' - Castle Plaza Bookshop.