Sisters in Crime Australia is mourning the death of Tart Noir Queen, Lauren Henderson, who was our international guest at the inaugural SheKilda convention in 2001. She was only 59. She enthralled us and had a lot to say, including some sharp words about ABC broadcaster, Phillip Adams.
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.
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.
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.
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.
For Murder Monday, Sisters in Crime’s Jacq Ellem spoke to acclaimed Adelaide author, Lainie Anderson. Her two crime books are The Death of Dora Black and Murder on North Terrace, both published by Hachette Australia, and both featuring the real-life character, Kate Cocks, who, in 1915, became the first policewoman in the British Empire employed on the same salary and with the same powers of arrest as men.
Grabbing a copy of Scarlet Stiletto: The Seventeenth Cut (ed. Phyllis King), the e-book collection of winning stories in the recent 32nd Scarlet Stiletto Awards, is the perfect answer to reading quandaries. Fourteen ripper reads for only $5.
Winning first prize and the coveted trophy in Sisters in Crime’s 32nd Scarlet Stiletto Awards is a victory, according to Sandra Thom-Jones, was always told that “autistic people can’t write fiction because we’re not imaginative or creative.”
Catch up with the latest crime events from around the nation. Already there are lots of crime events happening, especially in Quuensland, New South Wales and Victoria. Whatever the time, whatever the season, don’t forget that a book is the perfect gift. It offers so much reading pleasure as well as supporting authors and the publishing industry.
Every month Sisters in Crime brings you new reviews from women who write criminally good books.