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.

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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.

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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.

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Journalist Sleuths

Who better than newshounds to uncover mysteries and track down murderers? Three Melbourne authors, Louise Milligan (Shellybanks), Laraine Stephens (The White Feather Murders), and Madeleine Cleary (The Butterfly Women), talk about how and why journalists make such superlative investigators with former journalist and crime author, Dr Liz Porter.

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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) …

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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.

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