Announcing the results of the 23rd Scarlet Stiletto Short Story Awards & the special Silver Stiletto Award

True crime author Ruth Wykes (Mornington Peninsula, Vic) took out the 23rd Scarlet Stiletto Short Story Award presented on Saturday night (19 November) at SheKilda3: One-day crime spree, Sisters in Crime’s 25th anniversary convention. To mark the silver anniversary, a special silver stiletto trophy was presented – the winner, Jacqui Horwood (left), a librarian from …

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Entries for Sisters in Crime’s 23rd Davitt Awards for women’s crime books now open

The competition is open to books by all women, whether cisgender, transgender or intersex, who are citizens/residents of Australia. Self-published books are eligible. Please note that books co-written or co-edited with men or including chapters by men are not eligible.
Publishers have until Friday 7 April to enter. This year, for the first time in 23 years, the Davitts will cost publishers $25 a title to enter.

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The times are a-changin’

Sisters in Crime’s Chair of Communications, Sara Hood, is standing down to travel the world so we have taken the opportunity to re-think our structure and press gang (!) more people into our team. Please welcome: Ani Allbutt, who joins as the new Chair, Communications. and Gill Thomas, who joins in the new role of Administration and Membership Manager.

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Best Holiday Reads, 2022-2023

It’s been a bumper year for women’s crime. And what better time to catch up than over the festive season. Sisters in Crime asked convenors, author members, Davitt Award judges, and winners to nominate their best holiday reads by women crime authors. We hope you enjoy the books they’ve nominated. Most are fairly recent but some are golden oldies.

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Men’s jocks hold the crucial clue in the winning story for Sisters in Crime’s 29th Scarlet Stiletto Awards

A capacity crowd gathered on Saturday night (3 December) to celebrate Sisters in Crime’s 29th Scarlet Stiletto Awards at South Melbourne’s Rising Sun Hotel. Nicole Chamoun, star of Troppo, based on the book, Crimson Lake, by long-term member, Candice Fox, presented the awards, after first discussing her life in crime with award-winning author and podcaster, Vikki Petraitis.

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Hooray: a Sisters in Crime chapter forms in Tasmania

A few bad apples gathered on Thursday 6 October 2022, withas well as some ring-ins from New Zealand, to celebrate the new Tasmanian Chapter of Sisters in Crime Australia at Frank’s Ciderhouse in the Huon Valley. Dr Angela Savage, CEO of Public Libraries Victoria, and Lindy Cameron, Vice-President of Sisters in Crime Australia were on hand to officially launch the new chapter.

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Lockdown – a debut crime novel about invisibility of older women

Janna Thompson, one of Australia’s most distinguished philosophers, and a long-time member of Sisters in Crime Australia, decided to turn her hand to crime when the pandemic hit Melbourne in 2020.The result is Lockdown (Clan Destine Press), a novel which explores how the invisibility of older women can provide the perfect cover for criminal investigations. Janna put the finishing touches to Lockdown before just before her death from multiple brain tumours in June at the age of 79.

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Crime wave across Australia – 27 stories shortlisted for the 29th Scarlet Stiletto Awards

Sisters in Crime Australia is proud to announce that 27 stories by 25 authors have been shortlisted for its 29th Scarlet Stiletto Awards for best short stories written by Australian women. Nicole Chamoun, star of Troppo, will present the awards at a gala dinner on Saturday 3 December, 6 for 6.30 pm, at South Melbourne’s Rising Sun Hotel. She will first discuss her life in crime with author and podcaster, Vikki Petraitis.

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