crime fiction
BOOKED OUT! 20th Law Week event. A is for Arsenic, D Is for Death Cap
Exploring the many dimensions of poison as the ‘women’s weapon’ will be Chloe Hooper, co-author
of The Mushroom Tapes; Linda Glowacki, toxicologist from the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine & Angela Savage on Agatha Christie and poisons, and host Vikki Petraitis.
Peeling back the veneer of domestic contentment: Abby Corson
What do you do if you discover your beloved father is a serial killer? This is what
Georgie Baron-Ross explores with Melbourne author Abby Corson for this month’s Author Spotlight. Abby’s latest novel, Happy Woman. It features Gwynne Hogg — a ‘normal’ woman — whose life unravels as her father’s decades-old secrets surface and the media closes in.
A story of courage and hope from 1757: Christine Balint
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.
Win a copy of The Graduate
Simon & Schuster is generously donating twenty copies of The Graduate by Rebecca Lim for the Crime Stack for May. It’s Rebecca’s first adult crime novel, a razor-sharp revenge thriller that blows the whistle on the cutthroat world of corporate law. This is a special offer to Sisters in Crime members. Join now and be in the running for a complimentary paperback copy of The Graduate.
20th Law Week event. A is for Arsenic, D is for Death Cap
Exploring the many dimensions of poison as the ‘women’s weapon’ will be Chloe Hooper, co-author of The Mushroom Tapes; Linda Glowacki, toxicologist from the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine & Angela Savage on Agatha Christie and poisons; and host Vikki Petraitis. Poison was historically considered the archetypal ‘woman’s weapon’ as it required no special strength, only access and opportunity, things generally afforded women in their domestic role. Or is this an old, made-up sawhorse?
A love song to gritty Dublin: Louise Milligan
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.
The past is never dead
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 highs (and lows) of publishing: Bronwyn Rodden
Childhood writing games, shelves of books, and a sister who became a librarian and introduced Bronwyn Rodden to the Blue Mountains helped in the creation of her book series set there. As a child, her family stayed at the old art deco hotels. They seemed so luxurious, after growing up in a fibro house on the fringes of the city. The breathtaking natural scenery also made an impact.
SA Chapter: Rebecca Heath with Michelle Prak
The first SA Chapter event for 2026. 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.