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Dark and deadly family secrets
February 16 @ 7:30 pm – 10:00 pm
Families harbour all sorts of secrets – and as the novels by Jo Dixon, Kylie Orr, and Glenna Thomson reveal, they can have cruel, twisted, and sometimes deadly consequences. They will divulge all to fellow author (and podcasting queen), Vikki Petraitis.
Jo Dixon has two crime novels under her belt. Her debut novel, The House of Now and Then (HarperCollins Australia), centres on a decades-long mystery and shocking family secrets, was released in 2023, and shortlisted for the Ned Kelly awards for Debut Crime Fiction. Her second novel, A Shadow at the Door (HQ Fiction), just out, exposes the darkness of greed and desire where people will stop at nothing to get what they want, no matter the cost . . . and where ex-husbands can be rather mean.
Jo moved from suburban Brisbane to rural Tasmania ten years ago. Since then, she’s been wrangling an ever-growing collection of animals, bringing up two sons, and attempting to transform blackberry-infested paddocks into beautiful gardens. Now, she also writes full-time, creating twisty, suspenseful stories that feature flawed characters who’ve made mistakes, but who turn out to be stronger than they think. She is currently working on her third book.
Kylie Orr is an author of dark and twisty contemporary fiction. Her debut novel Someone Else’s Child (HarperCollins Australia) was longlisted for the prestigious UK Richell Prize and published by HarperCollins in 2022. Her latest novel The Eleventh Floor (HarperCollins Australia), a page-turning read about a sleep-deprived first-time mum and a crime she wishes she didn’t witness—hits shelves in February. Being drawn into a crime was not something first-time mum, Gracie, had planned for her respite hotel stay but, when a distraught family appeals for information and a police investigation heats up, she is trapped in a maze of lies. Will Gracie destroy her own family by telling the truth or devastate someone else’s by keeping her secrets?
A prolific writer of twenty years, Kylie’s feature articles have appeared in The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, and News Ltd. She has been a regular contributor to Australia’s number-one parenting website, Essential Baby, which boasts an audience of 1.2 million readers each month. Her short stories have been recognised in numerous awards including Apollo Bay Word Fest & Stuart Hadow Short Story Competition. Her Whose? series of children’s books was released with Lake Press in 2017.
Glenna Thomson is the author of Blueberry and Stella and Margie and has just published her debut crime novel, Gone (Penguin), a gripping rural crime novel about a grieving family and their forty-year journey to discover the truth. There’s a missing girl and a sister who won’t give up . .
After a successful career in overseas aid, and as a senior executive with a global food company, Glenna and her husband spent almost twenty years living and working on their cattle property in rural Victoria. During that time, they also owned and operated a commercial blueberry orchard. Glenna’s time in the country enables her to write authentically about life in the city as well as in remote locations. She now lives in inner Melbourne with her husband.
Host Vikki Petraitis is best known for her 18 true crime books including the best-selling book The Frankston Murders about serial killer Paul Denyer. Her podcast on the case helped ensure Paul Denyer will never be released from prison. Her three-podcast series with Casefile Presents has been downloaded over eight million times. Vikki’s first novel, The Unbelieved, won the inaugural Allen & Unwin Crime Fiction Prize and the 2024 Davitt Readers’ Choice Award. She has just been signed to write the sequel. Vikki’s new podcast with Emily Webb, The Unthinkable, will be released in the next couple of months.
Men or ‘brothers-in-law’ welcome.
Sun Bookshop stall: members receive a 10% discount.
Venue: The Rising Sun Hotel (upstairs – no lift), cnr Raglan Street and Eastern Road, South Melbourne. Free on-street parking after 6 pm.
More info: Carmel Shute 0412 569 356 admin@sistersincrime.org.au