Final Call for Entries: 26th Annual Davitt Awards
Time is running out to enter the 26th annual Davitt Awards, celebrating the best crime andmystery writing by Australian women. Entries close on 13 February 2026. The deadline has been extended, so don’t miss your chance to be part of this prestigious event. The Davitt Awards recognise excellence in the following categories: Adult Fiction, Non-Fiction,…
The highs (and lows) of publishing: Bronwyn Rodden
Childhood writing games, shelves of books, and a sister who became a librarian and introduced Bronwyn Rodden to the Blue Mountains helped in the creation of her book series set there. As a child, her family stayed at the old art deco hotels. They seemed so luxurious, after growing up in a fibro house on the fringes of the city. The breathtaking natural scenery also made an impact.
SA Chapter: Rebecca Heath with Michelle Prak
The first SA Chapter event for 2026. Internationally published SA-based author Rebecca Heath will be in conversation with Michelle Prak about her latest book, The Last Encore, a sweltering, claustrophobic thriller in which a former band reunites for a one-night-only show broadcast from a private island . . . but not everyone is there to enjoy the music.
Win a copy of Dove or Dead Heat
Penguin Books is generously donating ten copies of Dove, and ten copies of Dead Heat for the Crime Stack for March.
Dove, the new novel by Georgia Harper, the winner of the 2025 Davitt award for best debut novel, revolves around a provocative question. ‘What would you do if you had a whole day on earth free of men?’ Dead Heat, the explosive new thriller from Sunday Times bestselling author Sabine Durrant, is set over one blazing Mediterranean summer. Join now and be in the running.
The rom-com-slasher: Shailee Thompson
For this month’s Author Spotlight, Narrelle M. Harris spoke to Brisbane author, Shailee Thompson, about her wonderfully named debut novel, How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates (Simon & Schuster). She had an absolute BLAST writing this book.
Sisters in Crime and Allen & Unwin present Dark Deeds & Dramatic Reads
This special event showcases the remarkable talents of three Melbourne women crime writers – Sarah Bailey, Mali Cornish, and Riley James. Sarah will talk to fellow crime author, Tanya Scott, about her latest thriller, Click. Mali Cornish and Riley James will read briefly from their forthcoming novels – The Missing Mother and The Wreck.
The past is never dead
Murder mysteries and history books have a similar modus operandi. Both are concerned with whodunnit – and usually the why and how. Historical murder mysteries are doubly credentialled, as three authors with new books – Amanda Hampson, Natalie Conyer, and Tara Oldfield – will explore with host Maryanne Vagg.
Red Herrings
Catch up with the latest crime events from around the nation. Already there are lots of crime events happening, especially in Quuensland, New South Wales and Victoria. Whatever the time, whatever the season, don’t forget that a book is the perfect gift. It offers so much reading pleasure as well as supporting authors and the publishing industry.
A victory for the neurodivergent community: Sandra Thom-Jones takes out the top award in Sisters in Crime’s 32nd Scarlet Stiletto Awards
Winning first prize and the coveted trophy in Sisters in Crime’s 32nd Scarlet Stiletto Awards is a victory, according to Sandra Thom-Jones, was always told that “autistic people can’t write fiction because we’re not imaginative or creative.”
Murder Monday: Lainie Anderson
For Murder Monday, Sisters in Crime’s Jacq Ellem spoke to acclaimed Adelaide author, Lainie Anderson. Her two crime books are The Death of Dora Black and Murder on North Terrace, both published by Hachette Australia, and both featuring the real-life character, Kate Cocks, who, in 1915, became the first policewoman in the British Empire employed on the same salary and with the same powers of arrest as men.
New Reviews
Every month Sisters in Crime brings you new reviews from women who write criminally good books.