Highly Commended – Children’s books
The Book of Chance by Sue Whiting is a fictional retelling of a true crime that was committed in 1998 and solved in 2017. It is for readers aged about 10-14 years
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.
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Winner – Best Young Adult Crime Book
Through … vividly written characters the author skilfully introduces themes of family violence, teenage pregnancy, entrenched racism and family secrets. Then she weaves them into a more complex story of loss and love, beauty and horror. An outstanding work by a talented author.
Winner – Best Adult Crime Novel
The Good Sister is bursting with surprising twists and laced with a sinister undercurrent. It’s a novel of unforeseen love, betrayal and danger which concludes with a satisfying and rewarding ending. Judges enjoyed the journey.
The Missing Girl by Kerry McGinnis
Kerry McGinnis’s latest novel The Missing Girl is a terrific little read, laced with gothic elements: a mysterious disappearance, secret compartments, hidden identities, betrayals and lies. And, of course, there’s always McGinnis’s trademark lick of romance.
Widow’s Island by L A Larkin
Widow’s Island isn’t the most complex thriller of its type, but its rhythm leads you easily into down the dark path of the story and on to a satisfying conclusion.
The Silent Listener by Lyn Yeowart
Propelling the reader back and forth between the 1940s, 1960s and 1980s, The Silent Listener is an unforgettable literary suspense novel set in the dark, gothic heart of rural Australia. Warning: depiction of family violence will make you quiver and wince.
The Serpent’s Skin by Erina Reddan
Fourteen years after her mother suddenly disappeared JJ has a new life, but she puts it all in jeopardy when she stumbles across a chance to solve that dark mystery of her childhood. She organises a family reunion …
The Bombay Prince by Sujata Massey
Massey’s Perveen Mistry series is set during a period of political unrest and violence sparked by the arrival of Edward, Prince of Wales (and the future King Edward VIII) on a tour of India in 1921. It’s an intricate tapestry of a story and a fascinating insight into a complex culture
Beware of Dogs by Elizabeth Flann
Elizabeth Flann’s Beware of Dogs won the Banjo Prize for Fiction in 2019. It’s a carefully crafted cross-genre tale open to multiple readings: a contemporary castaway’s ordeal, a crime suspense story, a correlative of a psychological escape endeavour, and an exemplar of urbanised humanity’s need for the natural environment.
A Clue For Clara by Lian Tanner
A Clue for Clara is a book for all ages and a bright little gem which put the sparkle into the dull days of lockdown. It’s a treasure, lockdown or not. If you don’t enjoy A Clue for Clara, you’re a duck. And as Clara constantly reminds us: ducks are stupid creatures.
