It's the Gold Coast, 1980, where the cops are dirtier than the criminals...

Inspired by real events, The Strip is a tense, fast-moving journey into a sun-bleached world of murder, vice and institutional corruption.

📖 BUY NOW - $34.99
HIGHLY RATED

Over 300 Four and Five Star Reviews on Goodreads

AWARD NOMINATED

Shortlisted for the 2024 Danger Award for crime writing

A BEAUTIFUL BOOK

Traditionally edited, printed and published by Ultimo Press (Sydney)

18 shield check
SATISFACTION GUARANTEED

Love it or your money back, see below.

On the Gold Coast in 1980, the most dangerous thing a cop can do is solve a murder.

When a doctor is shot dead on his morning jog, Detective Constable Lana Cohen — new to the notorious Gold Coast — catches the case. Six murders already sit unsolved. The task force assigned to them has gone nowhere. Nobody, it seems, wants that to change.

Lana's new partner is Henry Loch, a detective trying to salvage what's left of a career he's already half-destroyed. Together, they start pulling at threads the rest of the force would rather leave alone. What they find goes deeper than a single killer — it reaches into the squad room, the clubs, the politics, and the foundations of the city itself.

Inspired by real events, this is Book 1 of the Gold Coast Quartet.

'This is as hard-boiled as Australian crime fiction gets, and it's very good.' — Sydney Morning Herald

'An exciting new voice in Australian crime fiction' — Adrian McKinty, author of THE CHAIN

'Bingeworthy reading — a gritty crime thriller reeking of corruption, murder and sex. Hardly took a breath from first page to last.' — Kate Mildenhall

READ THE FIRST 3 CHAPTERS HERE

Every signed paperback arrives as a carefully curated package. Your book comes wrapped in premium packaging with a hand-selected die-cut bookmark and an exclusive art print—a small gesture that transforms an order into an experience worth keeping.

Supplies are limited: I only made 100 bookmarks and 100 art prints. Once the first 100 copies sell, later orders get the signed book but will likely get a different print and bookmark.

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REVIEWS

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ON INSTAGRAM...

Verified reader

This is exactly the type of crime fiction I love. I cannot wait for Ryan’s follow-up coming in December.

Nathan Reads Novels

Verified reader

There’s much to love about this one.

The Book Ninja

Verified reader

When THE STRIP turned up on my doorstep I flicked through the first few pages before immediately abandoning all other reading and inhaling it from cover to cover. I’m not even that big a crime fiction reader usually so that’s saying something

Bookworm With A Brew

Verified reader

This was a gripping story that led to a dramatic and action packed ending. If you enjoy gritty fast paced crime, then this book is for you.

Brooke (bmichie31)

Verified reader

Good mix of the old (classics) and the new! 📚☕️🤓✨

Hanne Watkins (hannemwatkins

Verified reader

You'll want to tie all the loose ends together and end up finishing The Strip in 24 hours like I did. Definitely recommend for when you're in the mood for something gritty.

Amelia O'Reilly

Verified reader

he setting was atmospheric and came alive, the characters were real and flawed, and the story had me on the edge of my seat.

Nadsy Loves Books

Verified reader

Great Australian crime set in the 1970s/ 80s corrupt Queensland police force- there are no good guys! What could possibly go wrong?

Georgie Foster (georgie.foster_writer)

OVER THREE HUNDRED 4-STAR & 5-STAR RATINGS ON GOODREADS

★★★★★ "Boom 💥 This was amazing. If you're a fan of hard-boiled writing, this one is sure to impress you."

★★★★ "I loved every minute of this hardboiled Aussie page-turner… a good, solid, meaty crime thriller."

★★★★ "A page-turner from the start. I highly recommend this book for the crime reader in your life."

★★★★ "Another cracking crime novel. Brilliant sense of time and place — the dialogue, characters, settings are perfect."

BONUS OFFER:

Order today and get What Living and Dying Is Like — Iain's acclaimed short story collection (ebook) completely free with your purchase.

Normally $9.99, this 144-page collection has earned a 4.25-star rating on Goodreads.

Instant download at checkout. No waiting.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

‘Tight, gripping; left me wanting more.’
– J. Currie

✅ YES I WANT 'THE STRIP' + BONUS

A QUIET WORD FROM IAIN RYAN...

👇👇👇

Taking a chance on a book is not without risk, until now...

🔥 If you're not hooked by the first 50 pages of The Strip? You get your money back 🔥

No questions. No forms. No hard feelings.

This is NO RISK! 

But—

No buts.

You keep the book. It's a signed edition, and I'll refund the postage as well, so you can leave the thing on a shelf and never think about it again. That's the deal.

So hit the big red button and go spend a few hours on the Gold Coast in 1980 — sunshine, high-rises, eight unsolved murders, and a police force that's part of the problem.

Sorry, what are you telling me?

You read it right.

100% money back if the first 50 pages hasn't hooked you. Shipping included.

🔒 SECURE MY COPY - $34.99

YOU'RE GONNA LOVE IT

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHO IS IAIN RYAN

I'm a Melbourne-based crime writer and the author of nine novels, including the Gold Coast quartet that opens with The Strip — shortlisted for the Ned Kelly Award, Australia's top crime-writing prize.

My work has been compared to James Ellroy, Garry Disher, Peter Temple, Jordan Harper, Megan Abbott and Joseph Wambaugh. It is published by Ultimo Press.

Every copy sold here is signed by hand — not stamped or stickered. When you buy direct, the book comes straight from my desk to yours.

WHO IS THIS BOOK FOR?

Readers keep landing on the same names. More than one review has called this "James Ellroy on the Gold Coast," and another pointed straight at David Peace's Red Riding Quartet for that same slow-drip dread.

For the local comparison, it's Peter Temple and Garry Disher territory — same ear for Aussie dialogue, same ragged Australian characters.

On screen: one reader said the ending goes full True Detective (Season 1) in the last act, and they're not wrong. If you loved Mare of Easttown — an exhausted, flawed detective up against a town that doesn't want the truth out — The Strip's Lana Cahen will feel familiar.

ARE THE SEQUELS ALREADY PUBLISHED?

They sure are. The Dream (Book 2) and The Casino (Book 3) have both been published, with the final book in the series, The Collapse, due to be published in 2027.

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO RECEIVE MY BOOKS?

I tend to pack and ship orders within 48 hours. From there, Australia Post does the rest. It's fairly common for customers receive their order within a week.

WHAT IF I READ IT AND HATE IT?

You get your money back. Just email iainkryan@gmail.com and we'll sort out a refund.

DO I NEED TO READ ANYTHING ELSE FIRST?

Nope. This book is the first in the series, and in fact, all the books in the series act as standalone thrillers. You can jump into all of them first, but The Strip is definitely the best place to start.

This is the end.

I don't know what else to tell you.