THE STOLEN
The Stolen has it all. The wry humour, the suspense and creeping dread, the barely contained rage and an ending that near breaks you. It’s the second book featuring Detective Antigone Pollard, and it’s a cracker.
Australian crime writing
INSIDE OUT
Kathleen Folbigg was labelled Australia’s worst female serial killer and spent 20 years in jail. It is one of the worst miscarriages of justice, fuelled by misogyny. But Kathleen’s friend, Tracy, took up the fight – and she never gave up.
Stillwater runs deep: Tanya Scott
A gritty Melbourne crime thriller where old secrets collide with deadly new threats. Luke Harris, a disability worker living in St Kilda, has worked hard to bury his violent past. Now he’s back in Melbourne, chasing a quiet life, a normal job, his own house and a dog. But Luke’s old life isn’t done with him . . .
THE LADIES ROAD GUIDE TO UTTER RUIN
They’re back! If you haven’t encountered the ill-mannered ladies yet, you are unfashionably behind. With plenty of adventure, crime and action as well as a splash of romance, The Ladies Road Guide to Utter Ruin is an absolute delight.
Sisters in Crime: Defying the Tyranny of Distance — A New WA Chapter Unites Women Crime Writers and Crime Readers
Sisters in Crime WA will debut at the Big Sky Readers and Writers Festival in Geraldton in October 2025. The festival has warmly welcomed the initiative, and the group is thrilled to be part of the event. You’ll catch the Sisters speaking on Saturday 25 October, 4-6 pm, at Batavia Brewery, 60 Fitzgerald Street, Geraldton. Free . You can also stay on a meal,
Win a copy of Hot Ground
Fremantle Press is generously donating twenty copies of Hot Ground by Lisa Ellery for this month’s Crime Stack. Detective Jessy Parkin – sent to policing purgatory in the aftermath of a tainted investigation – is tasked with finding Max Cochrane, a veteran prospector who has vanished into thin air.
On the Beat
Police procedurals have been a staple of crime fiction since Wilke Collins’ The Moonstone in 1868. Australian women crime writers continue in the grand tradition, but adding new elements – women detectives, deadly small-town secrets, and different takes on violence against women.
A stolen baby, a stolen corpse, and a missing woman are at the centre of the novels by Vikki Petraitis, Sarah Bailey, and Rachel Givney – and the authors will reveal all to Philomena Horsley.
A SHIPWRECK IN FIJI
The wonderful Akal Singh is back! It’s Fiji, 1915, and the world is changing. Rumours of Germans on a neighbouring island, a murdered shopkeeper and the appearance of two Australian women sets the scene for a compelling cosy mystery.
ELEANOR JONES IS PLAYING WITH FIRE
A red hot read!
Eleanor Jones isn’t looking for trouble.
But someone is starting fires in Cooinda – and the first one looks like a murder. Eleanor is determined not to get involved, but when she receives a note warning her to ‘keep quiet’ she can’t help but work out who sent it.
Who had motive to murder Eleanor’s neighbour? Could it really be one of her classmates? And are the fires connected to the car thefts in town?
WHISKY VALLEY
From the intriguing Echo Lake, Rose McHugh, curious historian-turned-detective, returns to solve her next compelling mystery in the moody Southern Highlands.
A missing violinist. A rising flood. A race against time. Intrigue, music and danger collide in Whisky Valley.
After nearly being murdered last year, Rose McHugh battles anxiety as she uses her investigative skills to find her son’s best friend, a famous violinist who is missing along with his priceless violin.