crime books - Sisters in Crime Australia

Win a copy of Dove or Dead Heat

Penguin Books is generously donating ten copies of Dove, and ten copies of Dead Heat for the Crime Stack for March.
Dove, the new novel by Georgia Harper, the winner of the 2025 Davitt award for best debut novel, revolves around a provocative question. ‘What would you do if you had a whole day on earth free of men?’ Dead Heat, the explosive new thriller from Sunday Times bestselling author Sabine Durrant, is set over one blazing Mediterranean summer. Join now and be in the running.

The rom-com-slasher: Shailee Thompson

For this month’s Author Spotlight, Narrelle M. Harris spoke to Brisbane author, Shailee Thompson, about her wonderfully named debut novel, How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates (Simon & Schuster). She had an absolute BLAST writing this book.

Sisters in Crime and Allen & Unwin present Dark Deeds & Dramatic Reads

This special event showcases the remarkable talents of three Melbourne women crime writers – Sarah Bailey, Mali Cornish, and Riley James. Sarah will talk to fellow crime author, Tanya Scott, about her latest thriller, Click. Mali Cornish and Riley James will read briefly from their forthcoming novels – The Missing Mother and The Wreck.

Lumps and bumps, blue eyes and small heads: Laraine Stephens

Laraine Stephens first novel, The Death Mask Murders, was inspired by her work as a volunteer guide at the Old Melbourne Gaol. In the cells are displayed death masks of executed felons. This gave her the impetus for a story line: What if the psychopath in The Death Mask Murders had developed a fixation with death masks and created them as ‘trophies’ of his victims?

Questions of trust: Jo Dixon

Jo Dixon spoke to Narrelle M Harris about her latest novel, A Disappearing Act – a cracking good read, with some great reveals along the way, Narrelle says. Jo is the Tasmanian author of three crime books, all set in Tasmania.

Win a copy of The Drowning or What the Bones Know

Crime Stack is off to a flying start for 2026 thanks to HQ Fiction, an imprint of HarperCollins Australia,generously donating ten copies of The Drowning, and ten copies of What the Bones Know. Both focus on family disputes with fatal consequences.

From fact to fiction (and back again): Vikki Petraitis

Since her first true crime book, The Phillip Island Murder, 32 years ago, Vikki Petraitis has notched up 18 true crime books, several podcasts that have reached millions of people, and she now has two novels under her belt. The first, The Unbelieved, is being made into a TV series, Dustfall, to screen on the ABC next year – and Anna Torv stars.

Best holiday reading, 2025-2026

Looking for some great holiday reading for the summer? Relax. Sisters in Crime has once again invited convenors, author members, Davitt Award judges and winners, and others to nominate their favourite holiday books for your reading pleasure over the summer. It was great to see the breadth of the books selected, which covered a wide …

The public fascination with poison narratives

The infamous mushroom murders in Victoria have rekindled interest in poison and crime. The South Australian chapter hosted a popular event on 10 December with Marg Castles from the University of Adelaide interviewing writer and Sisters member Dr Rachel Spencer on the popular fascination with poison narratives.

How to ruin a perfectly good friendship (or plant the seed for a suspense thriller): Lyn Yeowart

A ‘confession’ by a friend about being an unmarried mother in the sixties implanted the idea behind Lyn Yeowart’s latest thriller, The Hollow Girl.