Melaleuca
One of the most beautiful crime novels you will read this year. Set in small-town Queensland, First Nations policewoman, Renee Taylor, is a wonderfully complex character. Honest. Raw. A must-read!
women crime writers
Bloody Scotland: Natalie Jayne Clark on The Malt Whisky Murders
Sisters in Crime roving reporter Lucy Sussex is attending the crime festival Bloody Scotland. As a taster, here is an interview with Natalie Jayne Clark, author of The Malt Whisky Murders (Polygon, 2025), shortlisted for Bloody Scotland Scottish Crime Debut. It’s a darkly comic sapphic tale, as much about neurodivergence as it is about women in the male whisky industry. And also a good noir fun read. And Natalie recommends her favourite tipples.
Developing complex characters: Joanna Jenkins
Does anyone think they’re bad? That’s the question Joanne Jenkins asks. Read here how she researched this (most unusual!) and how it informed her development of complex characters.
Davitt Awards 2025: Shortlist
After what can only be described as extensive deliberation, the judges have announced the shortlist for the Davitt Awards 2025. Congratulations to all of these very worthy Australian women writers.
The Butterfly Women
It’s 1863 and Melbourne’s red-light district has drawn the attention of a serial killer. Lush, dark and meticulously researched, this novel gives us a glimpse of the lives of women who were erased from the history books.
The Wedding Vow
She is the perfect wife. He is the perfect liar. A year after he is murdered in their dream home, his wife sets out to uncover the identity of his killer. What she uncovers will shock her, and put her in terrible danger.
Kerry Greenwood Readers Choice Award open for voting
We are thrilled to announce that the Readers Choice Award has been renamed in honour and memory of one of Australia’s greatest and most beloved crime writers: Kerry Greenwood. Voting now open for members.
Murder Monday: Maryrose Cuskelly
For Murder Monday, Sisters in Crime’s Jacq Ellem spoke to award-winning Melbourne author, Maryrose Cuskelly. She writes both fiction and non-fiction. Her books include Wedderburn: A true tale of blood and dust; Original Skin: Exploring the marvels of the human hide, and the novels, The Cane, and The Campers.
Too Young To Know, Too Old To Listen: Joan Sauers
Not sure how old to make the protagonist in her Southern Highlands Mysteries series Joan Sauers took inspiration from the Baby Animals… ‘too young to know, too old to listen’. She explains why ….
Mystery, Intrigue and History: Jacquie Pham
Jacquie Pham’s debut novel has landed and it is a spellbinding historical murder mystery that transports readers to the lavish yet treacherous world of 1920s French-colonial Vietnam—a setting rarely explored in fiction with such depth and intensity. She talks with Robyn Walton about why this story and how it developed.