Like, Follow, Die was hard to put down. A thrilling exercise of dot connecting to work out who was responsible, and for what. I was mesmerised from the first page, but the climax was so intense, I couldn’t read quickly enough. I flew through the pages, my heart pounding, cooking dinner totally forgotten. I thoroughly recommend you read Like, Follow, Die, not just for an incredible crime story, but also as a reminder. Beware.
Christine Balint began working on this novel in 2018 after finding a summary of the story in a book by American historian, Joanne Ferraro. The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse had just taken place. She could not believe that in 1757, a child had had the courage to speak out and she had been believed and her abuser convicted.
Sisters in Crime and the Prahran Mechanics Institute are partnering to present a special Melbourne Rare Book Week event , Digging for Dirt – Criminal inspiration from the archives. Tara Oldfield and Lucy Sussex will be discussing the critical role that archival research plays in creating historical crime writing, both fiction and non-fiction.
On the sands of Shellybanks, where tides can quickly turn treacherous, journalist Kate Delaney once nearly drowned. Years later, reeling from a violent crime that has upended her life in Melbourne, she returns to Dublin to comfort her beloved aunt Dolores—only to discover Dolores has her own buried trauma. Shellybanks, the novel, is a haunting tale of secrecy and survival, charting how two women find strength in each other as they reckon with Ireland’s hidden histories and the scars that endure across generations.
Who would think that Rhyme Time at the local library would end with a piercing scream and murder? New mum Frida finds herself part of an unlikely group of sleuths investigating. For this month’s Author Spotlight, Narrelle M. Harris spoke to Melbourne librarian (and mother), Penny Tangey, about What Rhymes with Murder?
Who better than newshounds to uncover mysteries and track down murderers? Three Melbourne authors, Christine Gregory, Laraine Stephens, and Madeleine Cleary, talk about how and why journalists make such superlative investigators with former journalist and crime author Dr Liz Porter.
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 …
Murder mysteries and history books have a similar modus operandi. Both are concerned with whodunnit – and usually the why and how. Historical murder mysteries are doubly credentialled, as three authors with new books – Amanda Hampson, Natalie Conyer, and Tara Oldfield – will explore with host Maryanne Vagg. Book here The Model Murder (Penguin) …
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.
