What makes for a cracking crime story? We talk to three writers of crime fiction and fact – Kerry Greenwood, Vikki Petraitis, and Lindy Cameron – about murder, survival, plotting (or not), research, and of course the Hon. Phryne Fisher.
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Our guests
Lindy Cameron is a crime writer and publisher.
Blood Guilt introduced us to her fictional private investigator Kit O’Malley. Its sequels were Bleeding Hearts, which won the Readers’ Vote in the both Ned Kelly Awards and the Davitt Awards, and Thicker Than Water, which also won the Davitt Readers’ Vote.
She has written, co-written or edited true crime books including Meaner Than Fiction and the Outside the Law series, Killer in the Family , Murder in the Family, and Women Who Kill. Lindy also writes adventure stories of all kinds, including spy thrillers.
Her publishing company, Clan Destine Press, focuses on genre fiction, especially crime. She has been a National Co-Convenor of Sisters in Crime Australia for two decades.
Kerry Greenwood is one of Australia’s most beloved authors. She has published more than 60 books, including the 20-book Phryne Fisher crime series which became the ABC TV series Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries.
Kerry worked as a lawyer for many years, and her first Phryne book, Cocaine Blues, was published in 1989. Miss Fisher has since returned in a whole series of mysteries including Flying Too High, Murder on the Ballarat Train, Death Before Wicket, Away With The Fairies, and The Castlemaine Murders.
Her other significant mystery series features baker/sleuth Corinna Chapman, who first appeared in Earthly Delights. Heavenly Pleasures, Devil’s Food, Trick or Treat, Forbidden Fruit, and Cooking the Books followed.
Kerry has also written plays, short stories, historical fiction including the Delphic Women trilogy, and fantasy and crime novels for young adults and children. Her nonfiction includes a book of essays on female murderers called The Thing She Loves: Why Women Kill, and two volumes of On Murder.
Kerry has a Ned Kelly Lifetime Achievement Award and the Sisters in Crime Davitt Lifetime Achievement Award.
Vikki Petraitis is a queen of true crime writing. Over the years, she has interviewed thousands of police officers, detectives – even accompanying them on active duty – forensic experts, and victims of crime.
Her books include Crime Scene Investigations, Cops, Rockspider, Salvation, Forensics, and, perhaps most famously, The Frankston Murders: The True Story of Serial Killer Paul Denyer.
She has won or been shortlisted for the Scarlet Stiletto, Ned Kelly, and Davitt Awards and won the John Hill Award from the Australian Police Journal.
Her latest book is Once a Copper, the story of Brian ‘The Skull’ Murphy.
The Hon. Miss Phryne Fisher (played by Essie Davis, ABC TV)
Dr Anita Heiss
Jessica Walton describes herself as a writer, cancer survivor, amputee, queer, daughter of a trans parent, feminist and teacher. As well as picture books, Jess writes about disability, LGBTI issues, and the intersections between her disabled and queer experiences. She is a sensitivity reader for manuscripts featuring amputee and queer characters, and reviews published books with amputee characters.
Unladylike 