The Wreck

A gripping survivalist thriller from the author of The Chilling about researchers marooned on a remote island in the Bass Strait while searching for the wreckage of a plane that disappeared under mysterious circumstances twenty years earlier.

In September 1977, a young pilot named Donovan 'Van' Spector vanishes over Bass Strait after a chilling radio transmission: 'A large aircraft seems to be flying above me … it's colossal ... it's soaring down.' Then - silence.

Twenty years later, a rumour surfaces that Spector's plane wreck has been sighted on a remote island in the notorious 'Bermuda Triangle of the South'. A group of researchers sets sail to uncover the truth. On board are Teo Young, an ambitious PhD student chasing a lead, and Hannah Buttery, a UFO enthusiast with an agenda of her own.

After a storm leaves them stranded on the island, with the rest of their party missing, Teo and Hannah are left facing a terrifying reality. Their lives are in danger. No one is coming to their rescue. And a sinister presence is lurking in the shadows ...

About the Author

Riley James lives in Melbourne, Australia, with her partner and two children. She was born and raised in north-west Tasmania, and trained briefly as a journalist before becoming an academic. Her first novel, The Chilling (2024), was shortlisted for the Best Debut Crime Fiction, Ned Kelly Award in 2025. The Wreck is her second novel.