Tussaud by Belinda Lyons-Lee
The last decades of the eighteenth century were explosive and the reverberations are felt even now. Belinda Lyons-Lee ventures upon a subject that others have treated fictionally.
Reviews
Sisters in Crime Australia is dedicated to promoting women who write crime. Here are reviews of crime books (fiction and true crime) written by women.
If you wish to submit a book for review or be a reviewer, see the Contacts page for information.
Shadow Over Edmund Street by Suzanne Frankham
Crafting a fine short story is a skill perhaps more closely akin to poetry writing than novel writing. However, success in short fiction can be a predictor of quality book-length work, and I’m happy to report this is the case with Suzanne Frankham’s developing career as an author following her first career in science. After …
You Had It Coming by B M Carroll
Written with care, You Had It Coming reveals the impact of sexual violence as it ripples through everyone it touches. Carroll’s care and skill also bring this distressing story towards a place of hope and healing. I recommend it highly. BM Carroll’s You Had It Coming hits the ground running with a Sydney ambulance being …
White Throat by Sarah Thornton
Disgraced former lawyer Clementine Jones is on the shores of paradise—Queensland’s Great Sandy Straits—trying to outrun her past. Clementine (Clem) Jones, the creation of Queensland-based author Sarah Thornton, is a former corporate attorney left remorseful and unemployed following an error of judgement that saw her gaoled. In Lapse (2019), Thornton’s debut novel, Clem’s leadership and problem-solving skills …
Before You Knew My Name by Jacqueline Bublitz
Before You Knew My Name is a feminist novel filled with moments every women will recognise and at times dread. But is also a novel of optimism and tenderness – exquisitely crafted and my top read of the year. ‘They come for us all over the world. ‘Sometimes, if enough time has passed between one …
Sue Turnbull reviews ….
The Second Son by Loraine Peck and The Silent Listener by Lyn Yeowart. Two debut crime novels about families (the sort that screw you up) from opposite ends of the genre spectrum. While Loraine Peck gives us a fast-paced gangland thriller set in the western suburbs of Sydney, Lyn Yeowart offers a more reflective excursion …
Still Life by Val McDermid
McDermid delivers yet another book that is both entertaining and worldly wise. Val McDermid has a record of narratives that go to pain and grim conflicts, though she is also strong on brio and humour. In her DCI Karen Pirie series, the newest novel, Still Life, includes Covid as a local reality. Most of the …
The Paris Affair by Pip Drysdale
Like its predecessors, Pip Drysdale’s third standalone novel is pitched to a youngish female readership. Jaunty self-confidence is the top note of Englishwoman Harper Brown’s narration of The Paris Affair as her adventures across the Channel begin. Late-20s Harper has five dating apps on her phone and a commitment to casual hook-ups only. Her bravado …
Deep Water by Sarah Epstein
Deep Waters is a slow burn. Sarah Epstein takes her time to set scene before getting into the action. One of Epstein’s strengths is her ability to maintain and ratchet up the tension and to keep you reading. As the threads all come together, you will not put down this book until the final answer …
Rising Tide by Jennifer Palgrave
“I’m not Miss Marple, you know,” protests semi-retired book editor Lauren Fraser when a friend presses her to continue investigating a local death. Technically, Lauren’s correct in asserting she’s not a puzzle-solver in a “cosy”. Rising Tide is city-based and issues-based: the city is New Zealand’s capital; the issue is climate change, with the focus …