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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When Curtis’s hopes for a brighter future with his beguiling new neighbour Laura are dashed by her betrayal turning him into a murder suspect, he’s positive things can’t get worse—until he escapes from a rain of bullets. The reason, so Laura tells him: he carries the solution scientists will kill for in his blood.
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.
by Oriana Ramunno. Translated from the Italian by Antony Shugaa Publisher: Harper Collins Australia Reviewer: Rachel Nightingale Book #2 Hugo Fischer Warnings: review contains spoilers for the first book, and the subject matter is dark, covering Auschwitz, war, as well as Nazis and their pursuit of Jewish and Roma peoples. Smoke in Berlin is the …
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.
Crime fiction is a genre that’s especially suited to offering the reader an armchair tour of a town or country, and for anyone who’s interested in spending time in an exotic location, B.M. Allsopp has written a series of novels set in the tropical islands of Fiji. This is a gentle novel — despite the murder — told at a gentle pace and with a light touch (no heavy descriptions of violence or gore). The reader is left feeling entertained and relaxed, and hopeful that there are still heroes like Joe Horseman in the world.
Kate Horan’s skills create a compelling read and this reviewer says the book is phenomenal. A woman returns to her home town after Something Happened many years ago… and secrets begin to be revealed.
Can you index this as Outback Noir when the setting is a lush tropical island off the coast of Queensland? Why not! Small community, ‘accidental deaths’ and a protagonist who won’t take no for an answer, and ends up uncovering secrets that are long, long buried.
Death at Booroomba is a historical murder mystery set in rural Australia, but also a war story. It’s a tale about the consequences of a split second decision to save a man’s life. Sounds like a good decision? And it was… except… it also wasn’t.
What do you do when you’re stuck in a lift with a stranger? If you’re the main character of Kate Emery’s latest YA mystery, A Murder is going Down, you launch into a retelling of your brother’s possibly accidental, though probably very deliberate, death. A Murder is Going Down is an enjoyable read with just enough twists and turns to keep you guessing and turning the page to uncover all the facts. Recommended for fans of Kate’s earlier work and anyone wanting to read a ‘gentler’ murder mystery.