New South Wales
Murders Most Foul Sydney True Crime Weekly Walking Tours. Sydney walking tours are guided by historians and archaeologists who take you off the tourist path, into the back streets, hidden bays and coves, and across the secret gardens, in search of forgotten stories, relics and mysteries. From $35. Book here.
Fourth Wednesday of the month, February-November, 12.30-1.30 pm. BAD Sydney Crime Book Club at the Sydney Mechanics School of the Arts. At each session, the conversation will be led by a member of the BAD board, each an expert in various aspects of crime writing. $10 per session, bookings essential. Places are limited, and booking in advance is essential. See you there! BAD book-clubbers receive discounts from Abbey’s Bookstore in Sydney CBD for each month’s selected title after ticket purchase, plus the opportunity to meet the author at the session where we discuss their book. Every month there will also be a lucky door prize of your next great crime read! February booking here. March booking here.
Friday 13 March, 6 pm for 6.30 pm: Sydney Sister in Crime Natalie Conyer in conversation with Tim Ayliffe about her third novel, Finding the Bones, inspired by the true story of the disappearance of journalist and urban activist Juanita Nielsen in Sydney in 1975. It remains an unresolved case to this day. Upstairs at Gleebooks, 49 Glebe Point Road, Glebe. Free, but please book.
Thursday 19 March, 6.00 pm: Wollongong launch of Like Follow Die by Sydney Sisters in Crime member Ashley Kalagian Blunt in conversation with Hayley Scrivenor. This provocative psychological thriller dives into the darkest corners of the internet and the powerful bonds between parents and children. Wollongong Library, 41 Burelli Street Wollongong, details here.
Thursday 26 March, 6.00 pm: Join Sisters in Crime member Ashley Kalagian Blunt in conversation with author Anna Downes about her latest cybercrime thriller, Like, Follow, Die, praised by Claudia Karvan for its ‘chilling authenticity’. The Hive, Erina Fair Shopping Centre, North South Road, Erina. Free, but please book here.
Tuesday 31 March, 6 for 6.30 pm: Join Claudia Karvan and Ashley Kalagian Blunt in conversation with James McKenzie Watson for the Sydney launch of Ashley’s third psychological thriller, Like, Follow, Die. Claudia is the audiobook narrator for protagonist Corinne Gray, a mother who faces an impossible choice after her son is drawn to the darkest corners of the internet. Upstairs at Gleebooks, 49 Glebe Point Road, Glebe. $15/$10. Book here.
Tuesday 31 March, 6.30 pm-8.00 pm: Kill Your Boomers (Ultimo Press) Launch: Fiona Wright in conversation with Luke Carman. An audacious book that asks just how far you will go to get your dream house (or at least a one-bedroom flat without mushrooms growing in the bathroom). Better Read than Dead event at Village: Wildflower Brewing & Blending, 11-13 Brompton St, Marrickville. Event $10; event and book $45. Book here.
Tuesday 14 April: The Changing Role of the Victim in Crime Fiction. The dead blonde on the slab has a voice. Over the last century, the victim has moved from the necessary pretext for a novel to playing a role, centre stage. Sue Turnbull (Sister in Crime’s ambassador, crime reviewer, academic, and writer) and Felix Shannon (broadcaster, host of Flex and Herds, and crime fiction critic) will discuss this change in the books that show it best. Save the date! Bookings opening soon. The Women’s Club, 179 Elizabeth St, Sydney.
Wednesday 22 April, 12.30-1.30 pm: BAD Sydney Crime Book Club. Natalie Conyer in conversation with Michael Burge re her new novel, Finding the Bones. Natalie won the 2020 Ned Kelly Best Debut award. Finding the Bones is her third novel and features Detective Jackie Rose on the hunt to solve a very old, cold case from Sydney’s crime-riddled 1980s. Garry Disher called this ‘a compelling crime novel about corruption, compromise and the persistence of the past.’ Tom Keneally Centre, Level 3, Sydney Mechanics’ School of Arts, 280 Pitt Street, Sydney. Bring a sandwich to eat beforehand, from 12 pm. $10 per session. Please book here.
Thursday 7 May: Women & Crime. Feminist, columnist, and crime novelist Jane Caro puts women at the centre of her books and sits down with two authors who do the same. Georgia Harper will introduce her second gripping novel, Dove, joined by Mercedes Mercier, whose third twisty story is The Couple’s Retreat. Stay for a drink afterwards with the speakers. Sydney Mechanics’ School of Arts, 280 Pitt Street, Sydney. Save the date! Bookings opening soon.
Queensland
Wednesday 11 March, 6.00 pm for a 6.30 pm start: Brisbane launch of Shellybanks by Louise Milligan, in conversation with Mirandi Riwoe, bothSisters in Crime members. Concerns a violent crime in Melbourne, and buried trauma in Ireland. Avid Reader, 193 Boundary Street, West End. $15.00; Book and ticket deal $40.00. Book here.
Saturday 14 March, 2 pm for a 2.30 pm: Launch of Like Follow Die by Sydney Sisters in Crime member, Ashley Kalagian Blunt, in conversation with Mikki Fisher. It’s a provocative psychological thriller that dives into the darkest corners of the internet and the powerful bonds between parents and children. Avid Reader, 193 Boundary Street, West End. $15.00. Book and ticket deal $45.00. Book here.
Monday 4 May, 2 pm for a 2.30 pm start: Join crime fans for the launch of The Bookshop of Buried Pasts by Sarah Clutton. Sarah will be in conversation with Sisters in Crime convenor, Poppy Gee. It’s an exhilarating tale of an abandoned boy and the woman who refused to forget him. Avid Reader, 193 Boundary Street, West End. $15.00. Book and ticket deal $45.00. Book here.
Friday 15 May, 6.00 pm for a 6.30 pm start: Join Georgia Harper and Mercedes Mercier for a conversation about their new crime novels – The Dove and The Couples Retreat – which explore coercive control as seen through a genre lens. Georgia won the 2025 Davitt Award for debut crime fiction. Avid Reader, 193 Boundary Street, West End. $15.00. Book and ticket deal $79.99. Book here.
Monday 18 May, 6.00 pm for a 6.30 pm start: Join crime fans for a conversation between Debbie Kilroy and Fernanda Dahlstrom about The Framing, a memoir of love, betrayal, and the justice system. It explores the complexities of trust and betrayal in family relationships, through a searing study of identity and justice. Free for members of Sisters Inside. Avid Reader, 193 Boundary Street, West End. $15.00. Book and ticket deal $40.00. Book here.
Keep up to date with Queensland activities on Sisters in Crime’s dedicated Facebook page.
South Australia
Wednesday 11 March, 6.30 pm – 9.30 pm: Internationally published SA-based author Rebecca Heath will be in conversation with Michelle Prak about her latest book, The Last Encore, a sweltering, claustrophobic thriller in which a former band reunites for a one-night-only show broadcast from a private island . . . but not everyone is there to enjoy the music. Seven Stars Hotel, 186/187 Angas St, Adelaide. $20-$25. Includes a wine or soft drink on arrival. Delicious platters will be circulating. Book here.
Tuesday 14 April, 6 pm: Join Ashley Kalagian Blunt for her first-ever Adelaide launch, in conversation with Michelle Prak about her new psychological thriller, Like, Follow, Die. Praised by Claudia Karvan for its ‘chilling authenticity’, the story explores the impossible choice a mother is forced to make after her son is drawn to the darkest corners of the internet. Read Between the Wines, The Strathmore, 129 North Terrace Adelaide. $25 includes glass of wine, and book and dinner discounts. Book here.
Keep up to date with South Australian activities on Sisters in Crime’s dedicated Facebook group.
Victoria
Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, 7.30 pm: Melbourne’s True Crime Tour. ‘Enjoy a leisurely guided walking tour revisiting historic true crime spots that will leave you speechless.’ $35. Book here.
Monday 16 March, 6.00 pm: Open invitation to the launch of Sydney Sisters in Crime member, Ashley Kalagian Blunt’s Like, Follow, Die, a provocative psychological thriller that dives into the darkest corners of the internet and the powerful bonds between parents and children. Readings Carlton, 309 Lygon St, Carlton. Free, but please book.
Tuesday 17 March, 11 am: Join author Ashley Kalagian Blunt, in conversation with Fiona Taylor, to discuss her new psychological thriller praised by Claudia Karvan for its ‘chilling authenticity’. Like, Follow, Die explores the impossible choice a mother is forced to make after her son is drawn to the darkest corners of the internet. Mornington Library, Vancouver St, Mornington. Free, but please book here.
Saturday 21 March, 10:00 am: Hear Me Roar: Fearless Female Characters in Crime with Fiona Hardy, Vikki Petraitis, and Christian White. Chair Jacqui Horwood. Clunes Booktown Festival, Tin Shed, 67 Fraser Street, Clunes. $25. Book here.
Thursday 26 March, 6.00 pm: Sisters in Crime and Allen & Unwin present Dark Deeds & Dramatic Reads. Showcases the remarkable talents of three Melbourne women crime writers – Sarah Bailey, Mali Cornish, and Riley James. Lido Cinema, 675 Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn. Free, but please book here.
Friday 27 March, 8:00 pm: Sisters in Crime – The past is never dead. History and mystery are perfect playmates – both want to find out whodunnit – and usually the why and the how. Amanda Hampson (The Model Murder), Natalie Conyer (Finding the Bones), and Tara Oldfield (Diamonds, Furs and Murder: The Many Crimes of Mona Hayes) – will explore the many dimensions of their new mysteries with history with host Maryanne Vagg. Rising Sun, 2 Raglan Street, South Melbourne. Dinner from 6.30 pm. Show 8 pm. Book here.
Saturday 28 March, 5.30 pm: Celebrate the launch of Crypto Queen: You are a Mark (Xlibris AU)by Pati Tierney. True crime-inspired non-fiction based in Melbourne, telling the story of Pati, an empathic social worker, who engages in an online conversation with a stranger, an event that changes her life forever . . . Info here. Queen Victoria Women’s Centre, 210 Lonsdale St., Melbourne. RSVP with your name and ‘Book Launch’ by SMS to 0421 795 481.
Tuesday 31 March, 6.00 pm: Celebrate the launch of Click by Sarah Bailey. Melbourne is gripped by fear after a backpacker’s body is found with a cryptic note, and two more women vanish without trace . . . Readings Emporium, Level 1, Emporium Melbourne, 287 Lonsdale St, Melbourne. Free, but please book.
Thursday 2 April, 5.00 – 6.30 pm. Sarah Bailey in conversation with Cecile Shanahan about her latest thriller, Click (Allen & Unwin), where the city is on edge, a killer is playing games, and two women are determined to bring him down. Bendigo Library, 251 Hargreaves St, Bendigo. Free, but please book.
Wednesday 8 April, 6.00 pm: Join crime fans for the launch of Victoria Brownlee’s twisty new thriller, The Writers Retreat (Affirm Press, imprint of Simon & Schuster) – in the south of France, they’re dying to become best sellers. Readings Carlton, 309 Lygon Street, Carlton. Free, but please book.
Wednesday 15 April, 6:00 pm: Sandringham Library with Sisters in Crime. WA author, Fleur McDonald, in conversation with Tania Chandler about her latest rural thriller. From the blood-red soil of Kalgoorlie, long-buried lies continue to surface . . . Sandringham Library, 8 Waltham Street, Sandringham. Free, but please book.
Wednesday 22 April, 6:00 pm: Kate Solly will be talking about her new novel, The Paradise Heights Miniature Railway Bust-Up, with Toni Jordan. Who could possibly wish harm on a community group delivering Sunday afternoon fun on a fleet of jolly little engines? Readings Carlton, 309 Lygon Street, Carlton. Free, but please book.
Thursday 23 April, 6:00 pm: Maria Tumarkin is hosting the launch of Fernanda Dahlstrom’s The Framing, a memoir of love, betrayal, and the justice system. It explores the complexities of trust and betrayal in family relationships through a searing study of identity and justice. Readings Carlton, 309 Lygon Street, Carlton. Free, but please book.
Friday 24 April, 8.00 pm: Sisters in Crime. Journalist sleuths. Louise Milligan (Shellybanks), Madeleine Cleary (The Butterfly Women), Laraine Stephens (The White Feather Murder) talk about why and how journalists make such superlative investigators when it comes to crime mysteries with former journalist and crime author, Dr Liz Porter. Rising Sun, 2 Raglan Street, South Melbourne. Dinner from 6.30 pm. Show 8 pm. Booking details to come.
Tuesday 28 April, 6.00 pm: Global best-seller and Sisters in Crime member, Dervla McTiernan, in conversation with J.P. Pomare about her new stand-alone thriller, Three Reasons for Revenge. Readings’ event at Cinema Nova, 380 Lygon St, Carlton. $35 includes a signed copy. Book here.
Western Australia
Thursday 23 April, 6.00-9.00 pm: Crime with Wine Vol. 3: Tanya Scott, Lisa Ellery, Sara Foster, and Dawn Farnham, all Sisters in Crime authors. They’ll be discussing their new books and all things crime. Hosted by Books in the Brewery. The Red Room Leederville. $10.00 [Early Bird]; $35.00 Early Bird [Event Ticket & Book Deal ticket]; $100.00 [Crime Lovers Deal – Event Ticket & All 3 Books ticket]. Book here.