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.
Murder in the Cathedral has Kerry’s familiar light touch, her humour, and her love of history. It is a book to be read slowly and savoured. Then when you have finished, find a copy of Cocaine Blues and take the journey with the Honorable Phryne Fisher all over again.
In Melbourne, autumn is around the corner and winter is closing in. Lucky crime readers! This is a corker – the kind of book that says: fire up the kettle or uncork the wine, whatever’s your jam, turn on the reading lamp, curl up and devour. It really is a lot of fun.
Author: Carmel Taylor Publisher: Tachygraph Publishing Reviewer: Karin Kos Welcome to 1955 in Melbourne where rattling trams are a constant mode of transport, Carlton cafes were not allowed to serve alcohol, and that new painting Collins St, 5pm by John Brack is on display at the National Art Gallery of Melbourne and creating quite the …
From the very opening lines of Broken Country, the reader is faced with unravelling the mystery of who has been murdered, why and as the narrative continues, just who is on trial for murder. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Broken Country, and whilst there were times where I felt the devastating loss that Beth was experiencing, the uplifting ending and the chance to experience happiness once again, left me feeling very satisfied, and as though I was leaving the characters in a better place than when I found them. Amazon book of the year.
The case that stopped a nation? How can it be written about in a way that is not exploitative or voyeuristic? Well, like this. This is a sensitive, compelling and elegantly written narrative, ‘looked at’ in a way that is simultaneously familiar and ground-breaking. This is ‘bearing witness’ that is indeed more than ‘just perving’.
The setup was reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s novels where just when you think you know who the villain is, they also end up dead. There’s a lot to keep track of in this story, and I did want to feel afraid for at least one of the characters, but mostly it was like a jigsaw puzzle, with pieces gradually coming together towards the finale.
A beautiful, atmospheric detective story set in Berlin during the Second World War. Smoke in Berlin is a celebration of the unquenchable flame of hope and humanity that persists even in the face of evil acts and dark times.
by Sandi Wallace Publisher: Next Chapter Reviewer: Kay Weller What You Don’t Know is the perfect title for this serpentine novel, where it becomesincreasingly difficult to untangle the underlying truth from the knot of strange and sinisterevents that surround the main character, Tess. Tess and Joe live on an island, where the small community looks …
“Flashlight is an epic journey that will hold you fascinated every step of the way” says our reviewer. Not a conventional crime novel, it’s more literary fiction, which unfolds like a complex jigsaw puzzle. What happened to her father all those years ago?
Ellie Marney’s first adult fiction novel, and her thirteenth published novel, No One is Safe was high on my list of most anticipated reads for 2026. Highly recommended reading.