Roger Simpson has created some of the most popular television series in Australia. Think Stingers, Good Guys, Bad Guys, Something in the Air and Halifax F.P. which features the character Jane Halifax, Forensic Psychiatrist, played by Rebecca Gibney. Now, Roger has taken Jane Halfax from the screen to the page. He’s writing three crime fiction books starring Halifax F.P and the first is TRANSGRESSION Disclosure: These show notes contain Booktopia affiliate links, meaning I get a little commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you AND authors get a book sale ..read more

Kate McCaffrey is an acclaimed author of young adult fiction and now she’s written her first adult novel.  DOUBLE LIVES is a story within a story following Amy, Journalist trying to establish herself in Western Australia again after time away working in Melbourne.  Amy has the idea to do a podcast and the season one case she focuses on is the murder of young transgender woman Casey Williams.  Upon arrest, Casey’s boyfriend Jonah Scott confessed to her murder immediately and pleaded guilty. But Amy thinks there’s more behind this shocking crime and delves into the cult run by ..read more

My entry into the work of bestselling Scottish author Stuart MacBride is his latest book No Less the Devil … and I absolutely loved it.  This book features the character, Detective Sergeant Lucy McVeigh who is part of a team working around the clock to find a serial killer nicknamed the Bloodsmith.  Stuart is also the author of the bestselling series of books featuring Detective Sergeant Logan McRae, set in Aberdeen. Logan was first introduced to readers in Cold Granite. No Less the Devil is published by Bantam Press (Imprint of Penguin) You can follow Stuart on Facebook https ..read more

I was introduced to John Stamp’s writing through his latest book - a crime action thriller called Blood Red Ivory. It’s got a compelling lead character Special Agent Tyrone Benhoff who is with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service - that’s NCIS, like the popular TV show. Tyrone is on the outer after getting on the wrong side of his command…and he’s transferred to Djibouti in Africa.  Whilst this is fiction, John, who writes across crime, action and horror genres, has first hand experience of what this world is like. He’s served as a Special Agent of the FBI, NCIS, and as a Police Off ..read more

The domestic thriller, or domestic noir,  is a genre that is really popular and we have some Aussie authors writing gripping tales that are published worldwide. Kylie Kaden is one of these authors. I discovered Queensland-based Kylie by reading her latest book One of Us which lifts the lid on what, on the surface, appears to be the polished suburban life. It’s a premise that I can’t get enough of - what goes on behind closed doors? What secrets are people desperately trying to keep hidden below that Instagram-perfect veneer?  You can follow Kylie  on Instagram @kyliekadenwrite ..read more

Shelley Burr is a debut Australian author who drew inspiration for her novel WAKE from true  crime online forums to create the story which centres around anxious and reclusive woman Mina McCreery, whose life has been defined by the disappearance of her twin sister Evie. The case has attracted intense media attention and is a favourite among true crime communities online. Shelley and I delve into the ethics of true crime during this conversation, as well as her path to publication but first we start by finding out who she is because Shelley’s an Aussie crime author to watch. You can foll ..read more

Australian debut author Dinuka McKenzie burst on to the crime fiction scene early in 2022 with her police procedural The Torrent. What I really like about The Torrent is that the main character Detective Sergeant Kate Miles is heavily pregnant, in her last week of work before maternity leave and has a pretty stable home life - not the usual circumstances for a police officer that we traditionally see in crime fiction. In this episode you’ll hear  Dinuka talk about her path to publication, how her own life inspired the creation of DS Kate Miles and the crime author she absolutely loves.&n ..read more

Rebecca Griffiths is a British author whose books had me staying up way too late…which is always a reliable sign of a great read. Rebecca spoke to me from her home in rural Wales and we chatted about her books, finding confidence in her creativity and her formative life experience that has meant she isn’t afraid to go to some difficult places with her writing. This conversation discusses topics of Rebecca’s lived experience of abuse when she was a child. As well as some details of the crimes of the killers who feature in her books.  And when we recorded the conversation, it was before ..read more

Sheerwater by Melbourne author Leah Swann is one of those books that I think about often…long after I read it. In 2021 I was on the judging panel for Sisters in Crime Australia’s Davitt Awards. Sheerwater was one of the many crime books we read by Australian women authors and it ended up winning the award for best debut novel. It’s a tense, emotional story of a woman called Ava whose two young sons go missing when she stops to help at the sight of a light plane crash. Ava and her sons were on their way to a new life in a small coastal town. The reasons unfold as the story progresses.  T ..read more

Suzanne Frankham is a New Zealand born, Australian-based crime writer who published her first crime novel in 2021 called Shadow over Edmund Street, a police procedural and thriller set in Auckland featuring a detective called Alex Cameron.   Suzanne’s path to crime fiction began with short stories that have won Sisters in Crime Australia’s Scarlet Stiletto Awards and a S.D. Harvey Short Crime Story Award.   She’s also got degrees in zoology and computing and teaches chess, which we talk about a bit in the interview.   Shadow over Edmund Street is published by Journey to Words &n ..read more