Rae Cairns
Rae Cairns is a former youth worker who worked in Northern Ireland during the final year of ‘The Troubles’ mentoring children of the palamilitaries (The Republican IRA and Protestant UVF).
Rae writes crime with heart: thrillers featuring everyday people facing extraordinary circumstances.
Her debut crime novel The Good Mother (HarperCollins, 2022) that drew on her background as a youth worker in Northern Ireland during the final years of 'The Troubles'. was shortlisted for Best Debut Crime Fiction in the 2021 Ned Kelly Awards and longlisted for the 2021 Sisters in Crime Davitt Awards.
Rae’s second novel, Dying to Know (HarperCollins, 2023) was a standalone crime thriller based on a woman’s determination to uncover what happened to her missing sister.
Rae’s third crime novel, Flight Risk will be released by Echo Publishing in mid 2026.
Rae has also co-managed a crisis refuge for street children, worked for the Sydney Olympics and holds a degree in Performing Arts. She lives in Sydney with her husband, two children, and Cookie, her dog, who snores at her feet as she writes.
PRAISE FOR RAE CAIRNS
‘This book is a genuine page turner. The pace builds & builds – it kept me guessing all the way. Geneva Leighton is a brilliant protagonist – tough & resourceful, yet vulnerable & caring.’ - Chris Hammer
‘Rae Cairns shows us what ordinary people can do in extraordinary situations. Dying to Know is a thrilling and wild ride with love at its core.’ - Hayley Scrivenor
‘Smart and suspenseful, Dying to Know is another high-stake original thriller from Cairns that does not ease up until the last page. I dare anyone to read it slowly.’ - Sara Bailey
‘Intriguing, heart-wrenching and compelling. Cairns draws you in and holds you until the final gasping twist.’ - Sulari Gentill
‘Wow, what a ride! Dying to Know has all the ingredients of the perfect thriller: a brilliant start, lots of twists and turns, and characters you really care about. I couldn’t put it down.’ - Sara Foster