Two people vanish deep in the Australian Alps.
Only one comes back.
Fresh out of training, rookie K9 search-and-rescue officer Mia Thomas and her border collie Koda are thrown straight into their very first case together.
When the search leads them to an abandoned campsite, a terrified young woman stumbles from the bush. Issy Inglewood claims her lover vanished after his drone captured something it was never meant to see.
But as her story begins to unravel, the line between victim and suspect grows increasingly blurred.
Determined to prove herself, Mia finds herself caught between loyalty, fear, and the rules she's sworn to uphold.
In a community where everyone has something to hide, she'll have to trust her instincts, and Koda, to uncover the truth before it's too late.
Fast-paced and suspenseful, Whiskey Ridge takes readers back to Mia and Koda’s very first case—the investigation that tested their instincts, pushed them to their limits, and forged them into the K9 team they were meant to become.
Get Your FREE Novella Now!!
"Loved Whiskey Ridge! Couldn't put it down!" - Diane
"Enjoying this book so much I'm going to bed to read more" - Vicky
"Can't wait for the rest of this series" - Elizabeth
"Loved this book. I was left wanting more" - Kindle Customer
Download your free copy today and discover the origins of the partnership that will go on to define the Wildling K9 Mystery Series.
%20(1).png)
"In a town full of secrets, sometimes
the only one you can trust is your dog."
Book One - Wildling Road
AVAILABLE NOW IN EBOOK, PAPERBACK & AUDIOBOOK
Atmospheric, emotional, and impossible to put down, Wildling Road is a gripping Australian rural noir that explores courage, belonging, and the unbreakable bond between a woman and her dog.
Perfect for readers of Jane Harper, Sally Hepworth, and Margaret Mizushima, this story will resonate with anyone who loves small-town mysteries, the connection we have with our dogs, and the wild beauty of the Australian landscape.
"Mia and Koda completely captured my heart. The bond between them felt honest and powerful, and it added so much depth to the mystery. I was especially moved by the way you explored courage, belonging, and standing up in a place where power can feel overwhelming.
It stayed with me long after I finished reading."
Book Two - Deadman's Hollow
AVAILABLE NOW IN EBOOK & PAPERBACK
As unexplained deaths and terrifying hallucinations grip the small town of Wildling, K9 search-and-rescue officer Mia Thomas and her dog Koda must uncover the truth before more lives are lost.
Perfect for fans of Jane Harper, Chris Hammer, and Margaret Mizushima, Deadman's Hollow is an atmospheric Australian crime thriller about courage, survival, and the unbreakable bond between a woman and her dog.
"Loved the book, suspenseful, kept me very interested and wanting more."
You know that feeling when you find a book series
that has everything you love?
A small town filled with secrets. A mystery you can’t put down. Characters you become so invested in that finishing the book feels a little like leaving them behind.
Now imagine finding all of that set somewhere completely different.
Welcome to Wildling.
Beneath the snow-dusted peaks of Australia’s rugged high country, the Wildling K9 Mystery Series follows K9 search-and-rescue officer Mia Thomas and her border collie, Koda, through missing-person searches, suspicious deaths, and secrets buried deep within a small-town community.
And out here, the stakes are high.
People disappear without a trace. Conditions can change in minutes. And sometimes Mia has no choice but to put her life and Koda's on the line. But every mystery brings Mia closer to something she’s spent years trying to avoid.
Her past.
Wildling is home, but it’s also where some of the deepest scars of Mia’s life began. Across the series, every case, every relationship, and every secret she uncovers forces her to decide whether she’ll keep running from the person she used to be — or finally fight for the life she wants.
And through all of it, there’s Koda. Her partner. Her best friend. And sometimes the only one she can trust.
So if you’re ready to be transported somewhere wild and beautiful, uncover small-town secrets, get caught up in a mystery you can’t put down, witness a woman finding her way back to herself, root for a slow-burn romance, and fall in love with a dog that never dies, you’ll find all of that in Wildling — just not quite the way you’ve read it before.
About Nikki
Nikki Lee Taylor writes crime fiction full of mystery, drama, and twists you will never see coming.
She was winner of the 2024 Scarlet Stiletto Award for crime fiction and the 2025 Hawkeye Publishing Manuscript Award.
Nikki is the author of four novels: The Secrets We Keep, The Truth We Tell, The Alibi, Wildling Road, and Deadman's Hollow.
Nikki spent much of her career as a news journalist and lives in Newcastle with her cocker spaniel Saxon.