Meet the author - Anna Downes

International bestselling author, Anna Downes will be in conversation with Chris Hammer on her new book Dark Days Hotel, a deliciously dark and twisty thriller about health, wealth and our dangerous obsession with the two. One dark winter night, a young woman – barefoot, in silk pyjamas and holding a hotel room key – collapses in the carpark of a Tasmanian hospital. The only witness is Liv, an exhausted emergency nurse who fails to save her. Haunted by her mistake and determined to discover the woman’s identity, Liv's search takes her to remote wilds of Macquarie Heads. There an exclusive health resort rises from the coastline: the Aonaran, where the ultra-wealthy come to reset, renew, and remake themselves. For Liv, whose 'self-care' involves sneaking Valium mid-shift and burying everything she feels, this promise is almost enough to distract her from her search.But the deeper Liv goes, the more unsettling the resort becomes. A staff member has vanished. The guests seem to be watching her. And beneath the Aonaran’s serene surface, a different kind of transformation is taking place – one that will force Liv to ask: what is the true cost of a better life, and is she prepared to pay? “A dark, atmospheric and genuinely original thriller. Anna Downes takes a setting we think we know and makes it stranger and far more sinister. The dread builds with every page, and the ending is as intelligent as it is satisfying. Beautifully written, with characters you can believe in”. Dervla McTiernan Anna Downes is an actor-turned-author who spent three years at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, working extensively in TV and theatre before moving to Australia. Her bestselling debut novel, The Safe Place, was shortlisted for the 2021 Sisters in Crime Davitt Awards. Her second novel, The Shadow House , was published in 2021 in Australia and the UK and the USA in 2022. Her third novel Red River Road was a bestseller upon release in 2024, spending six weeks as the number one Australian fiction title, and was shortlisted for the 2025 ABIA for General Fiction Book of the Year. Award-winning author and ANU alumni Chris Hammer’s books have global sales of over 1.5 million copies. They include the internationally bestselling Martin Scarsden series: Scrublands, Silver , Trust and Legacy, the first two novels now a successful television series. Chris's latest bestselling book is Full Circle, his first standalone thriller The vote of thanks will be given by Karen Viggers, a veterinarian and award-winning, bestselling Australian author of five novels Books will be available for signing from 5.30pm and again after the event. Additional information: Registration is required for this event. Accessible parking spaces are available around campus should you require them. By registering for this event, you are accepting our privacy policy. A podcast will be made available after the event. TEQSA Provider ID: PRV12002 (Australian University) | CRICOS Provider Code: 00120C