Thirty books have made it to Sisters in Crime Australia’s longlist for its 24th Davitt Awards for the best crime and mystery books published by women in 2023. A 153 crime books, including a formidable 120 adult novels are in contention.
For the June Murder Monday, Sisters in Crime’s Jacq Ellem spoke to Yrsa Sigurdardottir, the best-selling author who has helped put Icelandic crime writing on the world map. Yrsa Sigurðardóttir has authored a successful award-winning crime series of books based around the central character of Thora Gudmundsdottir, who is a lawyer and single mother of two children. She has also written, to critical acclaim, several stand-alone thrillers and horror novels.
Voting for Sisters in Crime’s Davitt Readers’ Choice Award opens to financial members from 14 June.
An impressive 152 books are competing in Sisters in Crime’s 24th Davitt Awards for the best crime and mystery books. Six Davitt Awards will be presented at a gala dinner at South Melbourne’s Rising Sun Hotel on Saturday 31 August by award-winning author and global publishing phenomenon, Sulari Gentill. Voting closes Wednesday 31 July, 11.59 pm. The Davitts are again supported by Swinburne University of Technology.
Proudly supported by Swinburne University of Technology. Frock up (or suit up) and join us for an à la carte dinner as we present Sisters in Crime’s 24th Davitt Awards, 6.00 for 6.30 pm, Saturday 31 August. This year, our guest presenter is award-winning author, Sulari Gentill.
Erina Reddan was writing a book on cults – the one that eventually became Deep in the Forest (Pantera Press) a crime thriller about secrets, lies and cults. Not having any first-hand knowledge of cultliving, Erina started researching. What she found was so explosive that she had to do more and more to corroborate what her brain could barely compute . . .
For the June Author Spotlight, Poppy Gee spoke to Toowoomba author, Nikki Mottram, about her twisty plots, the rollercoaster ride of the publishing industry, and the thrill of visiting her publisher’s office for the first time. Like her debut novel Crows Nest, her just-published novel, Killarney, is a gripping, small-town mystery with the kind of tightly crafted surprises that make you flick back the pages to see the plot mechanics with fresh eyes.
For the June Crime Stack, Transit Lounge has kindly offered 20 copies of The Rewilding by NSW writer, Donna M Cameron. The Crime Stack is a benefit for Sisters in Crime members. Every month there are 20 books to win in a random draw of members. Join now and be in the running for a complimentary paperback copy of The Rewilding, both an electrifying cat-and-mouse-chase and an odd couple love story.
For the May Murder Monday, Sisters in Crime’s Jacq Ellem spoke to WA regional author, Fleur McDonald who has more than 20 novels to her credit and has sold more than 850,000 copies. All of Fleur’s novels are set in regional Australia and she’s often called the “Voice of the Outback”. She was writing rural noir before it was a concept. Fleur’s storylines draw inspiration from having lived and worked on farms for much of her life and she now owns 4050ha farm east of Esperance.
For the May Author Spotlight, Natalie Conyer spoke to Perth author and global publishing sensation, Dervla McTiernan, about her latest novel, What Happened to Nina?
She says that Dervla McTiernan bends the conventions of crime fiction as far as they will go, and still produces a powerful, page-turning, thrilling look at murder and its consequences. We know the victim, and the killer, from the start. Our attention is, instead, focused on how the families of both these people react, and on how far parents will go to protect their children.
Amanda Hampson, the author of the best-selling The Tea Ladies and its sequel The Cryptic Clue, fell into crime (writing, not indulging) almost by accident. For twenty years, her work had fallen in the vague area of ‘commercial women’s fiction’ but when her 2021 release got smashed by lockdowns, she decided to change it up and do something quite different. Crime is one of the genres she enjoyed reading and she was keen for the challenge. The crossover to a specific genre instantly made her work more marketable.