Crime Fiction Down Under

In our third episode we discuss our guilty crime tv pleasures and we review:Possible Springs by Samantha Ross Nothing Personal by Alex Dook We go international to recommend: The Intrigue by Silvia Moreno-GarciaThe Final Six by Akinari AsakuraIn award news we talk about the long list for the Petrona Award for Scandinavian Crime Fiction - that list can be found here:https://www.petronaaward.co.uk/2026/08/the-petrona-award-2026-longlist.htmlAnd we discuss two Ned Kelly Award short lists.Ned Kelly Award Short List for Best International Crime Fiction 2026:Lucky Thing by Tom BaragwanathBenbecula by Graeme Macrae BurnetThe Proving Ground by Michael ConnellyThe Death of Us by Abigail DeanNed Kelly Award Shortlist Best Australian Crime Fiction 2026:Liar’s Game by Jack BeaumontLyrebird by Jane CaroThe Other Child by Susi FoxMad Mabel by Sally HepworthThe Ghost Walk by Karen HerbertFire in the Head by Daniel OakmanThe White Crow by Michael RobothamThe Casino by Iain RyanAnd one last mention of the Sisters in Crime Davitt Awards Night which is in Melbourne on 12 September 2026 - you can still get tickets at this link: https://sistersincrime.org.au/davitt-awards-2026/ Some of the other books mentioned in this episode:The Minority Report by Philip K DickBody Count by PD MartinThe Model Murder by Amanda Hampson (the latest in her Tea Ladies Series)Gunpowder Creek by Alex DookThe Island by Adrian McKintyHigh Wire by Candice FoxNo Country for Girls by Emma StylesThe Shark by Emma StylesDay One by Abigail DeanMexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-GarciaVelvet is the Night by Silvia Moren-GarciaUntamed Shore by Silvia Moreno-GarciaAll of Robert’s book reviews can be found at www.pilebythebed.com

In our second episode we review:Bad Neighbours by Joanna Jenkins and The Cursed Road by Laura McCluskey And we recommend two books from New Zealand:Dead Girl Gone by Gareth Ward and Lousie Ward and Slash by Gavin Strawhan.We talk about the Theakston’s Old Peculiar Crime Writing Festival, our picks from the long list for New Zealand’s Ngaio Marsh Awards for Crime Fiction and the Short List for this Year’s Ned Kelly Award for best Crime Fiction Debut.We also have details of the Sisters in Crime Davitt Award Night which will be in Melbourne on 12 September 2026 - you can get tickets at this link: https://sistersincrime.org.au/davitt-awards-2026/ This is the final week to enter the Sisters in Crime 2026 Scarlet Stiletto short story award - entry details can be found at this link: https://sistersincrime.org.au/scarlet-stiletto-awards-how-to-enter/ All of Robert’s book reviews can be found at www.pilebythebed.comSome of the many other books mentioned in this episode:How to Kill a Client by Joanne JenkinsThe Bluff by Joanna JenkinsFinding the Bones by Natalie ConyerThe Last King of the Cross by John IbrahimKing of the Cross by Mark DapinIris by Fiona McGregorThe Wolf Tree by Laura McLuskeyCold River by Margaret HickeyThe Lost Man by Jane HarperCormac Reilly series by Dervla McTiernanMurder in the Pacific series by Matt FrancisA Bad Bad Place by Frances CrawfordThe Deadly Dispute by Amanda HampsonLucky Thing by Tom BagwarnathCarved in Blood by Michael BennettSoftly Calls the Devil by Chris BlakeA Beautiful Family by Jennifer TrevelyanHades by Candice FoxIn Bloom by Liz AllanThe Butterfly Women by Madeleine ClearyThe Peak by Sam GuthrieMalaleuca by Angie Faye MartinThe Wolf Tree by Laura McCluskeyThe Wykehamist by Alexandra Strnad Tea Cake and Death by Gareth Ward and Louise WardMurder and Mojitos by Gareth Ward and Louise WardThe Call by Gavin Strawhan

In our first episode we review:Where the Truth Ends by Mark Smith a Melbourne-based thriller that explores the issue of environmental protestandCold River by Margaret Hickey the follow up to her award winning book The Creeper, once again set in the Victorian High Country and featuring Constable Sally WhiteWe talk about Australian authors being recognised in the Edgar Allan Poe Awards, the British Crime Fiction Dagger Awards and The New York Times Best Thrillers of the 21st Century. And we bring you the Davitt Awards 2026 shortlist.We also chat about Shadow of Madness, the sixth book in New Zealand author DV Bishop's Cesare Aldo series set in Renaissance Florence and A Bad Bad Place a crime fiction debut by 60-year-old Scottish author Francis Crawford set in 1970s Glasgow.Some of the many books mentioned:At Cafe 64 by Shaeden BarryLearned Behaviours by Zeynab GamieldienUnbury the Dead by Fiona HardyMad Mabel by Sally HepworthThe Bluff by Joanna JenkinsMelaleuca by Angie Faye MartinTo the River by Vikki WakfieldBroke Road and Black River by Matthew SpencerWild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghyFive Found Dead by Sulari GentillThe Wolf Tree by Laura McCluskeyThe Peak by Sam GuthrieThe Death of Us by Abigail DeanKing of Ashes by SA CosbyThe Dry by Jane HarperBig Little Lies by Leanne Moriarty