With the world gone to hell in a handbasket, books provide ballast. They offer comfort, pleasure, analysis, and understanding. This applies to crime writing in particular. Much of capital ‘L’ literature has literally lost the plot, but crime writing stands tall with its ability to apply the blowtorch to society. Crime stories also thrill, entertain, subvert, and inspire us. They keep us turning that page. As you’ll discover from the best holiday reads below, our stories, which often feature women kick-arse heroes, find an enthusiastic audience.
Sisters in Crime invited convenors, author members, Davitt Award judges and winners, and others to nominate their best holiday reads for 2024-2025. As you’ll note, they traverse an extraordinarily wide range of themes, locations, and interests. Some nominations are up-to-the-minute. Others are golden oldies. What they all offer, of course, are hours of reading pleasure and diversion. I loved the passion revealed in the responses. Discover what passed Hazel Edwards’ ‘hot water test’.
Several books attracted multiple recommendations – Kate Atkinson’s Death at the Sign of the Rook; Margaret Hickey’s The Creeper; Fiona McFarlane’s Highway 13; Suzie Miller’s Prima Facie; and Amanda Hampson’s The Tea Ladies and The Cryptic Clue: A Tea Lady Mystery. (Fans will be delighted to know that the third in the series, The Deadly Dispute, will be out 1 April.)
#1 B.M. ALLSOPP (AUTHOR)
P.D. James, The Mistletoe Murder and Other Stories (Faber & Faber, 2016)
Even if you’re a P.D. James fan like me, you may not have come across this posthumous collection of four short stories, originally commissioned by magazines for their Christmas editions. You’ll delight in brain-stumping puzzles, deadly family secrets, and twisty surprises. Two feature James’ poet-detective, Adam Dalgliesh.
LOUISE BASSETT (AUTHOR)
#2 Lisa Jewell, None of This Is True (Penguin 2023)
This psychological thriller concerns a podcaster who has a chance meeting with her ‘birthday twin’, decides to make a podcast about her and soon comes to regret this decision. Jewell uses an innovative format with excerpts from a Netflix documentary and a podcast interspersed among the chapters. This is a twisted, horrible story, which Jewell tells brilliantly. It also has a lot of heart so I didn’t want to throw the book across the room at the end.
#3 MAGGIE BARON (FORMER PRESIDENT)
Sally Hepworth, None of This Is True (PanMacmillan Australia, 2023)
A fast-paced story with twists, turns, and a great cast of characters.
#4 GEORGINA BARON-ROSS (AUTHOR SPOTLIGHTS)
Amanda Hampson, The Tea Ladies (Penguin Viking, 2024)
The Tea Ladies by Amanda Hampson is, in my opinion, the perfect summer read. With its fun, light-hearted tone, and engaging plot, it takes you into 1965 Sydney, where three unlikely sleuths find themselves tangled in mystery and intrigue. The story combines quirky characters, vintage fashion, and a touch of suspense, making it a delightful escape. It’s an entertaining glimpse into a bygone era, and I highly recommend it for a relaxing beach read or a cozy afternoon.
#5 SHAEDEN BERRY (AUTHOR)
Hayley Scrivenor, Girl Falling (Pan Macmillan, 2024)
Hayley Scrivenor is the master of characterisation, and doesn’t shy away from the hidden, morally grey aspects of humanity. This book isn’t the usual whodunnit crime novel and is driven by the complex, layered and toxic ‘friendship’ at the centre. Scrivenor always catches me off guard with her twists at the end and this was no exception!
#6 ROBYN BLACK (AUTHOR)
Margaret Hickey, The Creeper (Penguin Books, 2024)
As the ten-year anniversary of a terrible massacre draws near, Detective Constable Sally White – the only copper in the small town of Edenville – is drawn into the dark world of the notorious Durrant family. Eerie, vivid, and tense, this is a great new Aussie noir thriller from our favourite author.
#7 HARRIE BLAKE (AUTHOR)
Diana Killian, High Rhymes and Misdemeanors (Pocket Books, 2003)
High Rhymes and Misdemeanors is the first in Diana Killian’s Poetic Death Mysteries Series. It is a bit of a flashback to an older style of cozy mystery with a wonderful combination of poetry, quirky characters, and mystery. Grace Hollister is a woman who prides herself on her common sense and being organized, and a love of Romantic poetry. As the mystery ensues she also discovers the enjoyment of puzzling out the occasional murder. If you like characters who love reading and enjoy the puzzle, this book is for you!
#8 DEB BODINNAR (2022 AND 2023 DAVITT JUDGE)
Amy Doak, Eleanor Jones Can’t Keep a Secret (Penguin Books Australia, 2024)
I absolutely love this sequel to Eleanor Jones is Not a Murderer (YA Davitt Winner 2024). It’s like just reading the next chapter of the same book with the same fabulous characters. Not only for Young Adults, us oldies like it too. Do yourself a favour and grab a copy these holidays.
#9 ANNE BUIST (AUTHOR)
Tana French, Faithful Place (Penguin, reprint 2011)
Tana French’s Dublin Squad series, of which this is the third, is a perennial favourite. I loved them all (and even reread them) but this is probably the favourite (and no need to have read the others). Great writing, very evocative of Ireland and its culture, and in this one, immersive into family life as our protagonist (a cop) faces his past and the loss of the love of his life. Grips from first to last page as pieces unfold to reveal what happened to her.
#10 LINDY CAMERON (AUTHOR & CONVENOR)
Lee Winter, Vengeance Planning for Amateurs (Ylva Publishing, 2024)
This book is a hoot. A Melbourne baker puts an ad in her local crime bookshop for a henchperson to assist in taking revenge on her terrible ex-lovers. When the elusive bookshop owner answers the ad, the two women discover they are not the criminal masterminds they imagined they were. A comedy of criminal book groups, muffins, penguins, and well-laid plans going completely awry. Oh, it’s also a slow-burn sapphic romance.
#11 NINA D CAMPBELL (AUTHOR)
Charity Norman, Home Truths (Allen & Unwin, 2024)
Home Truths by Charity Norman opens on a courtroom cliffhanger before catapulting you back in time to meet a typical loving family living comfortable, contented lives. A seemingly trivial decision sets in motion a series of tragic events that unpick the fabric of this family, leaving them (and the reader) to question the nature of truth and the foundations of justice and civil society in our post-truth world. This is a chillingly relatable and truly transformative read, making clear the very real dangers associated with the rise of conspiracy theories and the festering deep divisions we have allowed to fracture our culture.
#12 ALAYNE CAMPBELL (AUTHOR)
Fiona McFarlane, Highway 13 (Allen & Unwin, 2024)
I don’t often read collections, but this one was recommended to me by my chum, Emily O’Grady, and what a great rec it was. While inspired by the Ivan Milat murders, the fictionalised killer, Paul Biga, appears only once and fleetingly, his appalling crimes never explicitly depicted. Instead, these tales explore the many insidious and unsettling ways such evil long outlives the crime itself –its lingering, patulous, forward creep cross lives, perception, space, and time. Instalments such as ‘Democracy Sausage’ and ‘Podcast’ impress with their daring, experimental form while, for me, ‘Fat Suit’ and ‘Demolition’ were stand-outs with their structural perfection and absorbing, deeply sensitive characterisation. ‘Lucy’, the final and most haunting piece in the collection, is a triumph. You simply must read this – a memorable collection by a superb writer.
#13 B.M. CARROLL (AUTHOR)
Vanessa McCausland, The Last Illusion of Paige White (HarperCollins Publishers)
Two women. A tragedy on the lake. And secrets beneath the surface … Vanessa McCausland has written an evocative and lyrical mystery that will appeal to both young and old. The novel scrutinises family, friendship, beauty, and the dangerous currents of social media. A timely modern classic, especially in light of the new social media laws in Australia.
#14 SHERRYL CLARK (AUTHOR)
Cara Hunter, Murder in the Family (HarperCollins Publishers, 2023)
At first, I wasn’t sure about this novel, as it is told in the form of a script with lots of articles and other texts, but it was absolutely gripping, with lots of twists and turns. The script is for a documentary about a real unsolved murder, with plenty of suspects and it totally drew me in. I ended up loving the way it was written – different and exciting.
#15 AOIFE CLIFFORD (AUTHOR)
Riley James, The Chilling (Allen & Unwin 2024). Lives Melbourne.
It looks like it’s going to be a steamy muggy summer so cool yourself down with debut novel The Chilling by Riley James which I was lucky enough to blurb earlier this year. It combines the astonishing vastness of Antarctica with the locked-in feel of an isolated research station. Australian scientist, Kit Bitterfeld, is heading far south to take up a research position at Macpherson Station but trouble starts before they get there when they answer a distress call from a nearby ship on fire with a single living survivor on board. A snowy white-knuckle thrill ride.
#16 NATALIE CONYER (AUTHOR)
Fiona McFarlane, Highway 13 (Allen & Unwin, 2024)
Highway 13 consists of a series of short stories all linked in some way to the crimes of a serial killer with echoes of Ivan Milat. The crimes are never discussed in detail; instead the stories deal with the effects the killings, and killer, have on other peoples’ lives. This is a literary read which uses crime to illuminate how we live our lives. It’s beautifully written and emotionally and intellectually rewarding.
#17 BRID CUMMINGS (AUTHOR)
Vikki Wakefield, To the River (Text Publishing 2024)
For years, fugitive Sabine Kelly has been hiding within the quiet backwaters of the river after being accused of a fatal arsonist attack at a remote caravan park—but did she do it? Journalist, Rachel, is determined to find out. To The River keeps the intrigue high and the tension flowing with the characters and the reader constantly forced to shift their perspective on who to trust. In addition, the evocative setting and compelling characters all add up to make this a fabulous read.
#18 CAROLINE DE COSTA (AUTHOR)
Natalie Conyer, Present Tense (Echo PubIishing, 2024; Clan Destine Press 2019)
This is an absolutely cracking read. I took it for airplane reading, Melbourne-Cairns three hours yesterday and was page-turning the whole way! Conyer’s descriptions of South Africa during and after apartheid, the politics and almost unbelievable violence, are skilfully blended into a fast-paced police procedural that never lets up. Her pen portraits of numerous supporting characters, some of them endearing, many others not so much, are masterly, and I’m now hooked on her main detective Schalk Lourens, and his sidekick Captain Fortune. I look forward to getting hold of the sequel, meantime I strongly recommend this book as holiday reading for anyone who hasn’t yet encountered Conyer’s work. It’s bladdy good!
#19 AMY DOAK (AUTHOR)
Sarah Barrie, End Game (HarperCollins, 2024)
The final of four books in a series about the fantastic Lexi Winter. I would absolutely recommend you read (devour) all four novels starting with Unforgiven (2021). Action-packed and twisty, you’ll be on the edge of your seat one minute and laughing at the antics of the fabulous characters the next. Lexi is cool, tough, smart, and witty and one of my favourite protagonists.
#20 VICKY DADDO (AUTHOR)
Jennie Godrey, The List of Suspicious Things (Penguin, Hutchinson Heinemann, 2024)
Told with charming innocence and with a nod to the challenges of Thatcher’s Britain, this coming-of-age novel is set against the grim backdrop of the Yorkshire Ripper murders. As Miv, whose mother has stopped talking and whose father is threatening to move the family Down South, and her best friend, Sharon, make a list of locals to try to find out who is killing women in their area, they uncover secrets between neighbours and their own families. And Miv soon realises that the real mystery lies much closer to home.
#21 HAZEL EDWARDS (AUTHOR)
Sherryl Clark, Woman Missing (HarperCollins Australia)
I confess that I’ve become a fan of Sherryl Clark’s well-crafted crime fiction. It’s not just the novel use of the local Melbourne streets and domestic décor (Sherryl now lives back in NZ but is an international author). There’s real attention to detail in all her fiction and a depth of character motivation. Evocative titles too. Since her earlier Trust Me I’m Dead was shortlisted for the CWA Debut Dagger award, it’s an indication that Sherryl does her research even into topical issues like the use of dating apps by predators. Her female sleuth characterization makes use of the everyday details of contemporary lives, like parking hassles or less than perfect habits like a diet of white wine and pizza. Routine paperwork. Fitness runs at lonely hours. But her heroines always have compassion and this is evident in the two domestic abuse cases which escalate. Ex-cop now a private investigator, Lou Alcott handles herself well, despite her past tragedies and bureaucratic mistakes.
Most crime focuses on the psychological profile of the perpetrator and rarely on the effect on the victim. Sherryl Clark creates a sleuth sympathetic to the impossible choices facing some victims. I read it in the bath across two nights. My test of a good book is how often I add hot water. This passed my Hot Water test. Highly recommended.
#22 EMILY GALE (AUTHOR)
Oyinkan Braithwaite, My Sister the Serial Killer (Allen & Unwin, 2020)
At the start of this novel we meet Korede, a woman efficiently scrubbing the spilled blood of the third boyfriend dispatched by her sister. Through Korede’s eyes we come to know this boyfriend-killing sister and the reasons Korede feels bound to help her time and again. If this description sounds too morbid, the tone, brisk pace, and Korede’s likeable spirit provide excellent balance. The joy is in the characters, and there’s also a great sense of place, the setting being Lagos, Nigeria.
#23 KELLY GARDINER (AUTHOR & CONVENOR)
Lucy Treloar, Days of Innocence and Wonder (Pan MacMillan, 2023)
Lucy Treloar’s award-winning latest novel is not just a masterclass in writing about place, it’s also a meditation on the aftereffects of crime and grief – on women, and on communities. It’s not your classic detective novel, but asks us to slow down and experience what the character Till feels about the past and the (slightly creepy) present.
#24 POPPY GEE (AUTHOR)
Martine Kropkowski, Everywhere We Look (Ultimo Press, 2024)
I love a wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing literary mystery, and this thoughtful, probing debut novel had me gripped. Three women on a weekend away witness a troubling incident, prompting them to evaluate a catastrophic event in their own lives. Quiet country roads, men climbing out of utes, a rustling pine forest, a gothic house on a hill, and the blurry line between female fear and madness makes for an intelligent and delicious slow burn. Evocative and atmospheric, I kept thinking about this story long after I’d finished reading.
#25 LUCINDA GIFFORD (AUTHOR)
Kate Atkinson, Death at the Sign of the Rook (Transworld Publishers Ltd, 2024)
Kate Atkinson’s marvellous, multi-layered Jackson Brodie mysteries blend dark subject matter, well-explored characters and strong scene-setting with delightful humour and poetic insight. This is the most recent in her popular Jackson Brodie mystery series and, this time, it’s set in Yorkshire, opening at a clunky ‘murder mystery’ event. This novel is ‘cosier’ than others in the series and great holiday reading, where returning characters, evolving timelines, and outrageous coincidences all coalesce in the most rewarding way.
#26 LESLEY GILLIS (CONVENOR)
J. J. Murphy, Murder Your Darlings – An Algonquin Round Table Mystery (Obsidian 2011)
This murder mystery is solved by no other than the fabulous Dorothy Parker. On this particular morning, it’s not Dorothy under the famed Algonquin table but someone else, not dead drunk, just dead. With Dorothy dabbling in detective work and a group of other famous literary friends and sidekicks, they set out to solve the murder, preferably before the cocktail hour. Dorothy Parker is one of my favourite writers and I love her poems and sarcastic remarks.
#27 KATE HAMILTON (AUTHOR)
Natalie Conyer, Shadow City (Echo Publications, 2024)
Natalie Conyer has brought us another chilling and compelling Schalk Lourens murder mystery. Beginning in Sydney, a mutilated young woman’s body is found however, Sergeant Jackie Rose has been taken off the case. That is until Lourens turns up looking for a missing girl from Cape Town, South Africa. And, to visit his daughter in Sydney. The two join forces to solve the crimes and in doing so, face sinister enemies. Conyer is a talented crime writer who takes her readers from police procedural to the precipice of darkness.
#28 AMANDA HAMPSON (AUTHOR)
Margaret Hickey, The Creeper (Penguin, 2024)
The Creeper takes place in a small mountain town in Victoria’s High Country and Margaret Hickey does a superb job of describing terrain she clearly knows well, giving the reader an uneasy sense of the isolation. The story opens with the historic murder of five hikers, a case soon to be re-examined by the new local cop, Sally White, who is keen to prove herself. Lurking on the fringes is a sinister backwoods family, the Durants. It’s a tense and chilling read with vivid characters and a satisfying denouement.
#29 KATIE JAY (AUTHOR)
Jane Harper, The Dry (Pan Macmillan, 2016)
It’s a classic and I love the detail of small town rural Australian life. It’s thrilling but not victimizing.
#30 CHRISTINE KEIGHERY (AUTHOR)
Maryrose Cuskelly, The Cane (Allen & Unwin 2022)
The Cane is authentically Australian with utterly believable and engrossing characters. The youthful voices, especially, stood out for me. Cuskelly captures the vulnerable, the dangerous, and the exposed with clarity and fullness. A must-read for lovers of Australian Rural Noir.
#31 JUANITA KEES (AUTHOR)
Sarah Barrie, Dead Man’s Track (Book 3, Calico Mountain) (Harper Collins Publishing, 2020)
Whenever I’m looking for an edge-of-the-seat read, I turn to Sarah Barrie. Dead Man’s Track is filled with imagery so real you’ll think you’re right out there in the wild, feeling the chill of the wind and the threats that stalk the characters. I highly recommend Barrie’s books. Not only does the author take you on terrifying adventures, but she also makes you look over your shoulder all the way, fearing the danger right up until The End.
#32 ALEXANDRA LARACH (NSW Convenor)
Anna Downes, Red River Road (Affirm press 2024)
If you are looking for a page turning Australian psychological thriller that has a twist you will never see coming, do not miss this one. Be ready to hold your breath, sit at the edge of your seat and hold your book so tight you might just tear the pages. Anna draws you into the characters and has you guessing to the very end. Following Katy through her journey along the Coral Coast in Western Australia you are drawn into her story as she navigates through van life while searching for her missing sister Phoebe.
#33 ELLIE MARNEY (AUTHOR)
Leigh Bardugo, Ninth House (Flatiron Books, 2019).
A girl is brutally murdered on the edge of Yale college campus, and it’s up to new Yale student (and working-class fish-out-of-water) Galaxy ‘Alex’ Stern to dig into it when the authorities won’t. But this is no ordinary murder – and Alex, a member of Lethe House, sworn to police the Ancient magical societies of Yale – is no ordinary investigator. This book is a fantasy-crime mystery that has as many layers as a nesting doll, and Alex is a hard-scrabble heroine you’ll enjoy rooting for – highly recommend!
#34 ROB MCDONALD (AUTHOR)
Petronella McGovern, The Last Trace (Allen & Unwin, 2024)
The writing is first-class, the different character POV, the tension, narrative drive – a must summer read!
#35 RUTH MCIVER (AUTHOR)
Laura Elizabeth Woolett, West Girls (Scribe, 2023)
A dark, funny and clever series of interconnected stories that play with the boundaries of literary and ‘genre’ fiction. Woolett evokes contemporary stylists like Otessa Moshfegh and Emma Cline, in a portrait of the West that is both beautiful and terrible.
#36 ASHLEIGH MEIKLE (BLOGGER & REVIEWER)
Kate Emery, My Family and Other Suspects (Allen & Unwin 2024)
This has been one of my favourite books of the year. As part of a surge in young adult crime, it stood out to me as a cosy crime for teens. It follows the traditional format of Agatha Christie or Sherlock Holmes, but uses a modern setting and characters to make it relatable for young adult readers, whilst exploring the impact of family secrets, isolation and society’s reliance on technology. If you’re after a witty and enthralling crime where a family almost implodes, this is a great read.
#37 RUTH MORGAN (AUTHOR)
Robin Bowles, Last Man Standing (Lake Press, 2024)
If you’re a fan of true crime, then this is the book for you. Robin’s writing grabs your imagination and doesn’t let go. We are shown how the events at Wonnangatta are likely to have unfolded – based on wide ranging interviews and research – and are given a glimpse of the dark history of the valley. The story is told with balance, heart, compassion, and flashes of humour. Highly recommended.
#38 SIOBHAN MULLANY (NSW CONVENOR)
Amanda Hampson, The Tea Ladies (Penguin Viking, 2024)
I’ve had a difficult year and wanted a read where I could lose myself with quiet joy. The Tea Ladies provided that escape. The setting is one I know. The fashion is fabulous. Hazel and her friends are wonderful. I wanted to spend more time with them. I immediately read the next in the series, The Cryptic Clue and then Amanda Hampson’s previous books – enjoyed them all and now feel ready to face a new year.
#39 KYLIE ORR (AUTHOR)
Glenna Thomson, Gone (Penguin, 2024)
A fabulous story about a missing girl and her sister who wouldn’t give up the fight to find her. Complicated family dynamics and the grief that comes with ambiguous loss are all explored expertly here. It’s quietly gripping and beautifully told, with setting a character of its own.
#40 AMRA PAJALIC (AUTHOR)
Tess Woods, The Venice Hotel (Penguin Random House, 2024)
Four women at a boutique hotel in Venice, each fighting their own battle and heartbreak. The writing is amazing, and the characterisation was sublime. This story was beautiful and heartbreaking at once. Reading this book was engrossing and yet so tense. I also understand why it is being marketed as a thriller-I could not put it down. It touches on such important issues and with such a light touch. Someone described it as a perfect mix of light and dark and I couldn’t agree more.
#41 JOSEPHINE PENNICOTT (AUTHOR)
Mo Hayder, Bonehead (Hodder & Stoughton, 2024)
This is the Queen of Fear’s final novel. A perfect summer read: chilling, nuanced characters, twisty, and an ending that feels like an icy finger on your spine.
#42 VIKKI PETRAITIS (AUTHOR)
Margaret Hickey, The Creeper (Penguin Books, 2024)
I have loved all of Margaret Hickey’s books (Cutters End, Stone Town and Broken Bay) featuring her detective, Mark Ariti. The Creeper introducesa new cop, Detective Constable Sally White who looks into the murders of five hikers supposedly committed by Bill ‘Creeper’ Durant, a man with a known reputation for stalking campers. As the ten-year anniversary of the massacre draws near, Sally finds herself drawn into the dark world of the notorious Durant family. The best thing about Margaret Hickey’s books is that they are impossible to put down.
#43 JULIE RANDOLPH-DAVIS (AUTHOR)
Amanda Hampson, The Cryptic Clue: A Tea Lady Mystery (Penguin Viking, 2024)
This is a wonderful cosy for the holidays. The story has a lot of heart and humour. The ‘Tea Ladies’ deal with a changing 1960s and solve mysteries one cuppa at a time.
#44 CARMEL REILLY (AUTHOR)
Kate Atkinson, Death at the Sign of the Rook (Jackson Brodie #6) (Transworld Publishers Ltd, 2024)
Despite taking on more of a cosy-crime style than any of the previous Jackson Brodie books, Death at the Sign of the Rook is still vintage Kate Atkinson. While the theft of a painting gets the ball rolling, it’s Atkinson’s insightful and witty characterisations that keep you reading. As usual, the author breaks the narrative up with a host of players, including private detective Jackson, police constable Reggie, a vicar, an ex-army major and a lady of the manor. There is intrigue, misdirection, social observation and loads of humour. A great laugh-out-loud holiday read.
#45 ANGELA SAVAGE (AUTHOR)
Bronwyn Hall, The Chasm (HarperCollins Australia, 2023)
Recommended to me by my Sister in Crime Carmel Shute, The Chasm gripped me from start to finish. Plot, pace, characters, setting – it all works. And the chase on horseback made me think there are not enough horses in crime fiction. A wild ride.
#46 JANE SMITH (AUTHOR)
Suzie Miller, Prima Facie (Pan Macmillan, 2023)
Prima Facie is the novelisation of Suzie Miller’s play of the same name. It tells the story of a young barrister from a working-class background who is date-raped by a colleague and takes the case to court. In the process, she learns first-hand how the law, in which she previously had great faith, fails victims of rape and sexual assault. It’s a disturbing and powerful and deeply emotional read.
#47 CARMEL SHUTE (CONVENOR)
J.P. Powell, Deception Bay (Brisbane Line#2) (Brio Books, 2022)
I loved the first novel in J.P. Powell’s World War II series, The Brisbane Line, but Deception Bay is even better. It sees the return of American MP and keen photographer Joe Washington and Australian Rose McAlister who has joined Central Bureau, General MacArthur’s code-breaking group of eccentrics, Brisbane’s Bletchley Park. There’s so much going on – a mysterious drowning and a tattooed arm found in Brisbane River, gay sex, machinations in the art world . . . Some of the characters are based on real people such as the artist Donald Friend and notorious cop Frank Bischof who again tries to stymie Joe’s investigations. Not a wrong note, historically! You can order through Booktopia but the author gets no payments, following the voluntary administration debacle. She advises us to borrow it from the library.
#48 KIMBERLEY STARR (AUTHOR)
Patricia Highsmith, Strangers on a Train (1950; Vintage Classics, 2021)
I’m going golden oldie with this. I love to settle in for a summer read with a book that has stood the test of time (and try to work out what has kept it fresh and why people still read it!). A book I’ve gone back to a few times is the 1950 classic, Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith. The premise (two strangers discuss swapping murders) is unsettling and from there, things only get worse. The plotting is intricate, the characters believable and the prose sharp. It could make you wonder what YOU would do.
#49 LARAINE STEPHENS (AUTHOR)
Val McDermid, Past Lying (Sphere, 2023)
Set in lockdown during COVID, DCI Karen Pirie investigates a manuscript written by a deceased novelist. Does the plot parallel an actual past crime? This is an intriguing story from the hand of Val McDermid, one of my favourite crime writers. Love the acknowledgment too: “None of the fictional characters in Past Lying is based in any respect on real writers, living or dead. Cross my heart and hope to die!”
#50 ALISON STUART (AUTHOR)
Pip Fioretti, The Bonelands (Affirm Press)
The Bonelands is for lovers of historical crime fiction, set in the outback of NSW in the early years of the twentieth century. A war-damaged police officer is faced with investigating the brutal murders of the three adult children of one of the local grand families. He faces opposition from within his own police force as well, the influence of the powerful people in the district and the harsh Australian outback which is a character in its own right. It tops my list of favourite reads of the year.
#51 CLAIRE SUTHERLAND (AUTHOR)
Rebecca Makkai, I Have Some Questions for You (Penguin Random House, 2023)
I don’t often re-read books but I started this one again within six months of loving it the first time. Utterly riveting and beautifully written, it follows a film professor and podcaster who returns to her boarding school to teach a class and finds herself delving into the murder of her former roommate and the conviction of the school’s athletics coach for the crime. Masterful.
#52 SUE TURNBULL (SISTERS IN CRIME AMBASSADOR/AUTHOR)
Kate Atkinson, Death at the Sign of the Rook (Penguin, 2024)
Clever Kate Atkinson, revisiting the traditional British mystery story set in a rural village – complete with traditional lady of the manor, bumbling vicar and wounded military man – and toying with the absurdity of it all to produce a crime novel that is simultaneously funny, sad and very amusing. I laughed, I cried and I marvelled. A perfect Christmas read.
#53 EMMA VISKIC (AUTHOR)
Kate Atkinson, Death at the Sign of The Rook (Penguin UK, 2024)
Kate Atkinson’s Death at the Sign of the Rook is a fun new addition to her fantastic Jackson Brodie series. It’s a lighter, more comedic turn for the series but still has Atkinson’s usual keen observational style. With dry wit and quirky characters, it’s engaging and a little bit bonkers, which makes for a great holiday read.
#54 MONICA VUU (AUTHOR)
Shirley Jackson, We Have Always Lived in The Castle (Penguin Classics, 2024)
I always suggest this to anybody who cares to listen. This is a gothic favourite of mine and though more mystery-horror it is undoubtedly a great dark read for all us crime-lovers. First published by Viking Press in 1962 it was her last completed work before her death in 1965.
#54 ROBYN WALTON (REVIEWER)
Natalie Conyer, Shadow City (Echo, 2024)
Natalie Conyer writes clever short stories (a collection of them has just been published) and since I enjoyed her first crime novel (Present Tense, published in 2019 and lately re-released) I’ve been eagerly waiting for her second. It appeared in September 2024 and I wasn’t disappointed: it’s an ambitious and well managed sequel. This time Conyer delivers double value with her contemporary locations: her South African detective spends the first few chapters in Cape Town before, considering emigrating, he travels to Sydney to visit his daughter and investigate the case of a missing international student. Expecting beaches and sun, he finds shady doings instead.
#55 SANDI WALLACE (AUTHOR)
Poppy Gee, Vanishing Falls (HarperCollins, 2020)
One of the books I’ve read this year which has stayed with me, Vanishing Falls is an atmospheric literary/gothic mystery with a cast of finely drawn characters – some to love and fear for, others to loathe. It delves into addiction, bigotry and realistic stresses on rural communities. Set in a small Tasmanian town surrounded by lush rainforest during cold, wet weather, this would be a great holiday read when it’s sweltering.
#56 LISA WALKER (AUTHOR)
Suzie Miller, Prima Facie (Pan Macmillan, 2023)
Prima Facie made a big impact on me this year. Based on Miller’s award-winning play, the novel illustrates in painful detail how the sexual assault laws created by a patriarchal society are not fit for purpose. The protagonist, Tessa, is a lawyer who has defended accused rapists but loses her faith in the law when she is assaulted herself. This is a hard-hitting, tough, and emotional read and I couldn’t put it down.
#57 KATRINA WATSON (AUTHOR)
M.J. Hyland, This is How (Text Publishing, 2009)
This is How is the third major work by Irish-Australian novelist, M.J. Hyland. Hyland’s previous novels have been long and short-listed for multiple major prizes, including the then Man-Booker. This is How is a merciless account of the ‘how’ of a crime which may have no ‘why’. Readers who believe that crimes generally have explanations may have their beliefs debunked. Think Dostoyevsky, think Camus, and take a deep breath.
#58 MELANIE WECKERT (AUTHOR)
Karen Thurecht, Plantation Murders (Karen Thurecht, 2022)
This is Book 2 in the Hamish Hart murder mystery series, an engrossing mystery set in a detailed period of Australian history and culture.
#59 LOUISE WOLHUTER (AUTHOR)
Jacqueline Bublitz, Before You Knew My Name (Allen & Unwin 2021)
I’m a bit late to the party, but this book finally made it to the top of the pile and knocked me for six. Alice and Ruby stayed with me for quite some time and left me considering things I hadn’t really before (or not nearly enough). Jacqueline brings us in left of centre but takes us all the way, and most and best of all, gives us something refreshingly original.
#60 RUTH WYKES (CONVENOR & DAVITT JUDGE)
Ashley Kalagian Blunt, Dark Mode (Ultimo Press, 2024)
I devoured Dark Mode in one sitting. Set in Sydney, it’s a thriller centred around Reagan Carson, who stumbles across the body of a woman who looks eerily like her. For good reason, Reagan has no online identity and she thought she was safe. The truth about our closely guarded information, and how accessible it is to people with bad intentions, haunted me. Fast-paced, with characters that stayed with me, Dark Mode is a terrific book.