Crime writing events around the country
ACT
Friday 16 October, 6.00 pm: Canberra Writers Festival. Women of Crime with Jane Caro, Näima Brown and Petronella McGovern. Fiction can tell powerful stories about women standing together to solve crimes against other women. Is there anything more page turning than an everyday hero taking justice into her own hands? Hyatt Hotel Canberra. Wine & nibbles. $50. Book here.
Saturday 24 October, 5 pm – 6:30 pm. Light Rail Local Reads – on board! An exclusive and free onboard reading event with authors bringing their books to life while readers travel through Canberra. Hear from Sisters in Crime award-winning author, Sulari Gentill, plus Jack Heath, Robert Macklin, Chris Hammer, Karen Viggers and Andra Putnis. Starts at Gungahlin Place Light Rail Stop. Please book here.
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.
Wednesday 23 September, 12.30-1.30pm. BAD Sydney Crime Book Club at the Sydney Mechanics School of the Arts. Discussion of Dinuka McKenzie‘s first standalone novel, She Lied First. Dinuka will be in conversation with host Felix Shan. BAD book-clubbers receive discounts from Abbey’s Bookstore in Sydney CBD for each month’s selected title after ticket purchase. Sydney Mechanics’ School of Arts, 280 Pitt Street, Sydney. $10. Book here.
Friday 6 November-Sunday 8 November: Berry Writers’ Festival. Includes Kirsty Manning, and Dervla McTiernan. More info and bookings here.
Queensland
Tuesday 8 September, 5.00 pm Penguin Noir: A Crime Author Showcase: Justine Larbalestier, Scott Westerfeld, Amanda Hampson, and Fiona McIntosh in conversation with Georgia Harper, K D Alwyn and Samantha Ross. Noosa Library Service, 7 Wallace Drive, Noosaville $15. Please book.
Wednesday 9 September, 6.30 pm Penguin Noir: A Crime Author Showcase: Justine Larbalestier, Scott Westerfeld, Amanda Hampson, and Fiona McIntosh in conversation with Georgia Harper, K D Alwyn and Samantha Ross. Avid Reader, 193 Boundary St., West End. $15. Please book.
Friday 11 September, 6 pm for a 6.30pm start: Nikki Mottram will be in conversation with Sisters in Crime convenor, Poppy Gee, about her third crime novel, Helidon (UQP). Child protection worker Dana Gibson is called to attend a fatal shooting at the pub in Helidon, outside Toowoomba, where a bikie gang war has exploded . . . Avid Reader Bookshop, 193 Boundary Street, West End. Free. Book $34.99. Book here.
Saturday 17 October, 1:30 pm-3:50 pm: Sisters in Crime QLD 2026 Crime Writing Showcase featuring Harrie Blake, T.M. Clark, January Gilchrist, Georgia Harper, Joanna Jenkins, Tess Merlin, Nikki Mottram, Chris Robbins, Carla Salmon, Edwina Shaw and Shailee Thompson. Brisbane Square Library, 266 George Street, Brisbane. Free, but please book.
South Australia
Tuesday 1 September, 6.30 pm Penguin Noir: A Crime Author Showcase: Justine Larbalestier, Scott Westerfeld, Margaret Hickey, and Fiona McIntosh in conversation with Margaret McGovern. Burnside Library, 401 Greenhill Rd., Tusmore. $10. Please book .
Saturday 5 September, 11 am-1 pm: Sisters in Crime SA – Authors of True Crime and Crime Fiction. Catch some real stories and fictional chills with true crime authors sharing their secrets in a fun, casual meetup. Four self-published Sisters in Crime SA members will discuss their books, the writing process, and self-publishing: Diane Hester, Dorothy Shorne, H.R. Kemp, and Samantha Battams. Followed by a panel discussion on writing and self-publishing, and refreshments. City of Charles Sturt, Ngutungka West Lakes, 9 Charles Street, West Lakes. Free, but please book.
Friday 11- Sunday 13 September: 2026 Writers Assemble. Includes Sisters in Crime Lainie Anderson, Alison Goodman and Sharon Kernot. Hetzel Lecture Theatre, Flinders University, Adelaide. Free, but please book here.
Wednesday 14 October, Case Files: Life in the Police Force, with former Detectives Kelly Clarke and Debbie Shearer. Host Samantha Battams. Seven Stars Hotel, 186/187 Angas St, Adelaide. $21 (concession); $25 (members/Writers SA); $30. Bookings 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.
Saturday 5 September, 10:00 am-4:00 pm: Writing Irresistible True Crime Stories with bestselling author and podcaster Vikki Petraitis. A workshop for writers who want to elevate their true-crime storytelling with accuracy, depth and narrative power. Investigating some of Australia’s most complex cases across more than three decades, Vikki has developed an approach that blends meticulous research, ethical storytelling and gripping narrative structure. Writers Victoria, The Wheeler Centre,176 Little Lonsdale St., Melbourne.Concession – $175; Member – $ 175; Non-Member – $230 Book here.
Saturday 5 September, 6.00 pm for 6.30 pm: Launch of the Queenscliffe Literary Festival by Louise Milligan, multi-award-winning investigative journalist and author, in conversation with political writer and campaigner, Sally Rugg. Queenscliff Town Hall, 50 Learmonth Street, Queenscliff. $30/Concession $22. Book here.
Wednesday 9 September, 6.00 pm: Join crime fans in celebrating the launch of The Reckoning by Vikki Petraitis. When two convicted rapists walk free on appeal, the town of Deception Bay splits down the middle. When Antigone’s mother, a doctor, vanishes while responding to a call for help, Antigone enters a desperate race to find her. Readings Carlton, 309 Lygon St., Carlton. Free, but please book here.
Thursday 10 September, 6.30 pm: Riley James in conversation about her gripping survivalist thriller, The Wreck, set around a remote island in Bass Strait. Readings State Library, 285-321 Russell Street, Melbourne. Free, but please book here.
Saturday 12 September, 6.30 pm. 26th Davitt Awards Ceremony. Presented by Dervla McTiernan and hosted by Louise Milligan. Sit-down dinner. Sit-down dinner. $80 members. $95 non-members. The Stamford Plaza, 111 Little Collins St, Melbourne. Book here.
Wednesday 23 September, 6.00 pm: All crime fans are welcome at the launch of Nadine Browne’s Gone Guru, by award-winning Sisters in Crime author Katherine Kovacic. Noni Barlow is broke, jet-lagged and alone in New York with nothing but a dream and a manuscript. To add to the general weirdness, she meets her new flatmate only once before he vanishes into thin air… Readings Emporium, Level 1, Emporium Melbourne, 287 Lonsdale St, Melbourne. Free, but please book.
Thursday 24 September, 6.00 – 8.00 pm: Announcement of the 2026 Ned Kelly Awards by the Australian Crime Writers Association. Readings Hawthorn, 687 Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn. Free, but please book here.
Wednesday 30 September, 6.30 pm – 7.30 pm: Launch of Laraine Stephens’s latest mystery, The Bathing Box Murders. Melbourne 1928. A raging storm sweeps the beach at Brighton, toppling one of the bathing boxes and revealing the graves of J. Arnold Witherspoon, a successful businessman, and his wife, Hope. Crime reporter Reggie da Costa, devotee of fashionable suits and stylish automobiles, uncovers an intriguing mystery: How can the Witherspoons be controlling their financial affairs and property holdings from abroad if they are lying dead under the sand? Can Reggie uncover the truth? Beaumaris Library, 96 Reserve Road, Beaumaris. Free, but please book from 10 August. Catch the reel here: https://buff.ly/l9po6Xp
Wednesday 7 October, 6.15 pm: Suzie Miller and Marieke Hardy, about her new book Inter Alia, “a searing, intimate examination of modern masculinity, motherhood, and systemic justice, revealing the fragile compromises women must make to survive under enduring patriarchal structures”. Readings event. Cinema Nova, 380 Lygon St, Carlton. $10; Book and ticket – $35, including a signed copy of Inter Alia. Book here.
Thursday 8 October, 6.00 pm: All crime fans are invited to the launch of Something He Did, by SK Lynch. In the gridlocked heart of Melbourne, a split-second of road rage changes everything. Detective Sergeant Claudia Russo doesn’t care about the insurance claims – but the girl’s father, a man defined by entitlement and influence, is playing a dangerous game. . . Readings Carlton, 309 Lygon St., Carlton Free, but please book here.
Friday 16 October, 8.00 pm: The comfort of cosy crime. Penny Tangey (What Rhymes with Murder), Kate Solly (The Paradise Heights Miniature Railway Bust-Up), and A.M. Stuart (Christmas at the Convent) will be exploring the joys (and challenges) of cosy crime with Alison Goodman, the multi-award-winning novelist and New York Times best-seller. Followed by a brief Annual General Meeting. Dinner from 6.30 pm. Show at 8 pm. Rising Sun Hotel, 2 Raglan St., South Melbourne. Book here.
Wednesday 28 October, 6.30 pm: Vikki Petraitis in conversation with Robert Gott about her latest novel, The Reckoning, an unflinching, morally uncompromising crime novel about thwarted justice, institutional failure, exacted revenge, and the price paid when the system looks away. Beaumaris Library, 96 Reserve Road, Beaumaris. Free, but please book.
Thursday 12 November, 6.15 pm–7.15 pm: Hear world-famous author Liane Moriarty in conversation about her highly anticipated new novel, Big Little Truths, with beloved Melbourne author Toni Jordan. Union Theatre, University of Melbourne, 15 Monash Road, Parkville. Presented by Readings, UMAC and The Wheeler Centre. $40; Under 30s/concession $35. Book here.
Wednesday 18 November, 6.00 pm: All crime fans are invited to the launch of Dark Days Hotel, the new twisty thriller by Anna Downes. It starts with a young woman – barefoot, in silk pyjamas and holding a hotel room key – collapsing in the carpark of a Tasmanian hospital. . . Readings Hawthorn, 687 Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn. Free, but please book here.
Western Australia
Wednesday 2 September, 6.30 pm. Penguin Noir: A Crime Author Showcase: Justine Larbalestier, Scott Westerfeld, Margaret Hickey, Mercedes Mercier, and Rachael Johns in conversation with Michael Trant. Wanneroo Library, 3 Rocca Way, Wanneroo. Free, but please book.
Thursday 3 September, 6.45-8.30 pm: Great Big Book Club. Nadine Browne in conversation with journalist Chenee Marrapodi to launch her debut novel, Gone Guru (Fremantle Press). A H Bracks Library and Creative Space, City of Melville Libraries. Free, but please book.