Helen 0:00

The Kill City Podcast acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands we're on. Here in Melbourne, that's the Wurundjeri Woi Worong people of the Kulin Nation. We honour their deep connection to storytelling, a tradition carried across more than 2,000 generations. Pay our respects to elders past, present, and emerging, and we extend that acknowledgement to First Nations people listening today.

Leigh 0:54

And if you're new to Kill City, Australian crime and mystery writing is our MO. It's what we love, it's what we talk about, and today we've got a good one for you.

Helen 1:03

Yes, Leigh we sure do. And speaking of what's about to hit the shelves, today we're running through all the Australian crime novels releasing in 2026. Now we've been trawling catalogues, going through early announcements and publisher teasers, and there is a lot to talk about.

Leigh 1:18

There are some big names returning, a handful of exciting debuts, a splash of historical crime, and a couple of psychological thrillers that we've squeezed in because we reckon they sit right on the edge of this genre.

Helen 1:30

So if you're building your 2026 to be read list or TBR, I think they say in the biz, we've done the digging for you, and all you have to do is sit back and decide what you want to read next.

Leigh 1:41

And speaking of what to read next, let's rewind to the very beginning of the year because 2026 really kicked off with a bang.

Helen 1:49

It sure did. Let's kick off with Tim Ayliffe. So, because he came out of the gates at a gallop with his latest novel, it's called Dark Desert Road, and it landed in January. Now, if you're new to him, he's a long time journalist and you can really feel that experience in his crime novels. And he's actually best known for his John Bailey series, and they're really kind of super political thrillers.

Leigh 2:11

Yeah, and this time he's introduced a brand new character, Kit McCarthy in Dark Desert Road, who is a burnt-out cop searching for a missing twin sister, and the backdrop is classic Aleph. There's the drought, sovereign citizen groups, bikes, the whole mix. It sounds great.

Helen 2:28

Now then there's Sam Elliott and he debuted with a novel called Haze, and that actually dropped in February. And it's already getting quite a lot of buzz. Now he's a Melbourne-based writer and he's been working away quietly for a few years, but this actually feels like his first big step into crime fiction.

Leigh 2:46

Yeah, and the back page blurb gives you a good sense of it. It's set in a small coastal town where there's a fire, a murdered couple, a missing kid, and a cop who really didn't plan on getting dragged back into any of it. One early reviewer called it uh tense, tightly written debut, which sounds pretty promising.

Helen 3:04

It sure does, and I think it's always great to um support authors who are their first time out. Now, sticking with the February releases, there was another big one, and this was The Gambler by JP Pomare. Now he's a Kiwi author who's actually now firmly part of the Melbourne crime writing scene, and he's become a real favourite on both sides of the Tasman.

Leigh 3:24

Yeah, this one sounds very interesting. It follows Vince Reed. He's an ex-cop working as a PI, and he gets caught up in a shooting at a political rally. And from there it turns into something a lot bigger. Pomare's always been good at that slow, uneasy tension, and it feels like he's really leaning into it here.

Helen 3:41

Yeah, he's had such a strong bias. He actually grew up in Rotarua, moved to Melbourne, and his debut, which was called Call Me Eve, won the Nao Marsh Award, which I think is the New Zealand version of the Ned Kelly's. And since then he's built such a strong body of work. I think he's released around eight novels now, with In the Clearing, that became a Disney Plus series. Uh, there was the Last Guess that was adapted for Stan, and he had several others that picked up award nominations along the way. And look, I think his talent is writing those really twisty, second guess everyone literary thrillers.

Leigh 4:15

Yeah, it's it's always a win when you discover a new author to follow and realise they have like a whole back catalogue waiting for you.

Helen 4:22

And another fantastic Melbourne-based writer, Sarah Bailey, released her latest book, Click at the end of March.

Leigh 4:29

This one has a great premise. Uh Backpacker turns up dead, two more women go missing, and then someone starts sending photos straight to the media. It's set in Melbourne in early 2020, just before COVID had been labelled a pandemic. Sorry if that word gives anyone painful flashbacks. And it brings back journalist Ollie Groves, who we first met in The Housemate, who was I love the housemate and her, I loved her character actually. She was um so complicated. Um a great character.

Helen 4:57

Oh, I agree. I've read all the Sarah Bailey books, so this one's definitely going on my to read list. Look, and you know with the Sarah Bailey book that you're gonna settle in and get completely pulled along by the storyline. She's such a steady presence in Australian crime. She now she broke out, I think, with the Gemma Woodstock series, and I think she's up to six crime novels now. And look, really, what she does so well is that mix of police work, media pressure, that emotional fallout that sits underneath it. And her books always feel like real people dealing with real consequences.

Leigh 5:30

And early readers on Goodreads are loving it, with almost all of them giving it a five-star review, calling it a wild ride. How do I get on that list, uh early readers list? That'd be cool.

Helen 5:40

Oh no, you just have to go to you just have to subscribe to Goodreads, Leigh. It's highly entertaining. Quite often when I'm looking for a book to read, I just go and have a look and see what people on Goodreads are saying. And those people that get the early reviews, they're the ones that are telling you whether they like it early off. It's it's really helpful.

Leigh 5:56

How did I not know this?

Helen 5:58

And look, while we're talking about Sarah and JP Pomare, um they actually recently launched a fantastic podcast earlier in the year, too. Now, theirs is called He Read She Read. Um, and we're actually really happy to give it a plug because it's such a great listen. JP is the he and Sarah is the she. And their setup is that they're chatting as Melbourne-based authors who just really love books and they love talking about them.

Leigh 6:22

Yeah, it's definitely worth checking out. Um, each episode they deep dive into a book that they think is worth unpacking and breaking it down by the plot, the people, the settings, and the pace. And they don't always agree, which is half the fun. Sound familiar.

Helen 6:35

Um, does it really, Leigh? I wonder. No. Um ha, yes. And I have to say I really enjoy the episode on Taylor Jenkin Reed's latest blockbuster book, Atmosphere, because they really got into the trade-offs of writing something sort of that big and commercial and that kind of whole debate about how do you keep the fans happy with that payoff that they're expecting, but you still want to hold back on tying up everything so neatly so the story lands the way you actually want to land as the author. Now, just a heads up if you are going to go and um look down this podcast, particularly for this episode, they do talk about the ending in quite a lot of detail, so there are spoilers. Uh, but it was just such a smart, thoughtful conversation. So I think it's definitely worth listening to, perhaps after you've read the book.

Leigh 7:22

All right, well, um, shifting gears a little, let's talk historical crime. Tara Oldfield's Diamonds, Ferz, and Murder came out on the first of March.

Helen 7:32

Yeah, and this is such a fascinating premise. It's based on a real 1930s thief called Mona Hayes, and it has a stylish, kind of character-driven feel that digs into a forgotten corner of Australian crime history that I didn't know anything about.

Leigh 7:48

It's worth saying this is Tara Oldfield's first crime novel. Um, people might already know her from police stories or from her work in podcasting and documentaries. She's been around the true crime world for a while, so just not in fiction. Um, preview readers are calling the book stylish, well-researched, and surprisingly pacey.

Helen 8:08

Yeah, and you can really tell that she's bringing her true crime experience with her for this one because it doesn't read like someone trying fiction for the first time. It actually reads like someone who's been sort of ready about this for ages. And the preview readers, again, had a quick look on Goodreads, have been really enthusiastic about it, and they actually talk a lot about the meticulous research that she's done and how fully realised the characters are, which makes it such an engaging read.

Leigh 8:34

Now, speaking of big conversations, uh, we should probably let everyone know that 2026 is shaping up to be a huge year for returning favourites. So, where do we start?

Helen 8:44

Oh, yeah, good question. Some of these authors haven't actually released anything for a while, so it's actually really good to see them back on the shelves. And I think kicking things off is Michael Robotham, who has a big standalone coming out later this year. It's called Tell Me Something True, and it's due out in late September.

Leigh 9:03

Now, for anyone who's new to his work, Michael Robotham is one of Australia's major crime writers. He started out as a journalist, which is quite the theme I've discovered in our first couple of months of um recording episodes. Um but then he spent years ghost writing books before breaking out with the Joe O'Loughlin series and more recently the Cyrus Haven books. Um he's got that mix of psychological tension and emotional depth that um really keeps readers hooked.

Helen 9:32

Yeah, and he's no stranger to the screen either. So the The Suspect, which was the first Joe McLachlan book, was adapted into a TV series with Aidan Turner for ITV, and The Secrets She Keeps also made it to television, which I think was screened on Network 10 and the BBC. So he's really one of those writers whose work naturally lends itself to adaptation.

Leigh 9:54

Um interestingly, the Cyrus Haven books haven't made that jump yet, but people talk about them as if it's only a matter of time. They've got that strong character focus and a really visual quality about them.

Helen 10:06

Yeah, and his new book really sounds like it leans into all of that. From the blurb it follows a teenager who stumbles onto something sort of kind of unsettling about his family, and the more he tries to make sense of it, the more the whole picture shifts.

Leigh 10:20

And early bookseller write-ups have been really positive. People are saying it's tight, character-driven, and one of those stories that creeps up on you. Um, he's always a reliable late-year heavyweight, and this one feels like it's going to land really well. And Christian White is back this year too with his latest novel, The Long Night, which is out in late June. Are you a fan, Helen?

Helen 10:41

Leigh, am I a fan? Be still my beating heart. He's my all-time one of my favourites. So I'm super excited about this one. And reading between the lines of the blurb, it sounds like it's classic, Christian White. The setup is about two women, two kidnappings, one terrifying night, and it's how their stories collide in ways that seem really brutal. And it's being pitched as one of his most intense thrillers yet.

Leigh 11:06

Now, obviously, I did know the answer to that question about whether you're a Christian White fan before I asked it. Um but he's had such an interesting career. He exploded onto the scene with the Nowhere Child back in 2018, which became one of the biggest Australian crime debuts ever, which I loved. And I know we talked about recently first pages, first chapters. That was another one that was just fantastic. Um he's kept that momentum going over the years: The Wife and the Widow, Wild Place, The Ledge, which is sitting on my bookshelf, and now The Long Night, which will be his fifth novel.

Helen 11:41

Yeah, and look, he's really famous for that mix of kind of big emotional stakes, he has really readable plots that are kind of twisty. Um, his books really feature kind of ordinary people that kind of get pushed into extraordinary situations, and I just love the way he does that slow tightening of tension where you suddenly realise that kind of I don't you don't know where the time's gone and you've inhaled half the book just in one sitting.

Leigh 12:07

And early readers are saying with this one that the long night really leans into that. They've spoken about it being tightly paced, really character-focused, and the kind of story you can easily imagine ending up on TV.

Helen 12:20

And of course, he's not just a novelist, he actually co-wrote the Netflix thriller Clickbait, which was a huge global hit. And while none of his books have been adapted yet, he's actually already proven he can write for the screen, which is probably why people keep saying that his novels actually feel so cinematic. And then excitingly for us, we're actually going to see him at a local library author talk soon. And we're, yes, not surprisingly, pretty excited about it. So we'll report back with all the gossip, including um hopefully what he's working on next and some other tidbits.

Leigh 12:51

It's funny you say that about him not being, with the exception of Clickbait, which is obviously written specifically for the screen, that um he hasn't been adapted yet because I can fully see the Nowhere Child as one of those fantastic, you know, um sort of cross-nation because it's not a huge spoiler, but it's set in a couple of different countries. Um so it and but it just really lends itself to the screen, I think, and you know, really visual storytelling. So surprises me that that one hasn't been jumped on yet.

Helen 13:24

No, I agree. You know what? I think we should just add it to our list of questions that we want to ask him when we see him.

Leigh 13:29

Yes, we will. Now, um Margaret Hickey has got a new one coming too. It's called An Ill Wind, and it's due out in late July.

Helen 13:39

Yeah, and Hickey is the undisputed queen of Australian rural noir. She's one of those writers that really understands those small towns off the beaten track in Australia and the way their history and secrets kind of just sit beneath the surface. She broke through with Cutter's End and then Stone Town, then Broken Bay, and she's actually picked up a lot of awards and short listings all the way through, but we won't go into those in detail for this episode.

Leigh 14:06

I haven't read Stonetown yet, but I loved Broken Bay. Um, but going off the blurb and early reviews, it sounds like she's um leaning in even further into that mix of small town tension, old secrets, and that atmospheric out-back unease that she does so well. Um, it's being positioned as one of her most layered mysteries with lots of character work and buried histories being uncovered.

Helen 14:30

Yeah, and she's also one of those writers that gets lots of love from booksellers and festival audiences. I think because her books always feel so grounded in the kind of real communities, and she's so brilliant at capturing that sense of isolation and pressure that sits at the heart of rural crime.

Leigh 14:46

Yeah, that is very true, actually, and that's I remember that really clearly with Broken Bay. Um now, in terms of any adaptations of her novels, nothing has been officially announced yet, but her books have that very visual, very place-driven quality that does tend to attract producers. Um Rural Noir is is having a moment, so it wouldn't surprise me if something eventually um of hers does get snapped up.

Helen 15:09

Yeah, she's really got that knack for writing stories that would translate so well to the screen. So I'll keep my fingers crossed for her.

Leigh 15:17

Me too. Um now we should also mention Vicky portrayed us.

Helen 15:21

Yes, and look, we don't usually cover true crime on Kill City, but it's worth flagging that she put out a big investigation book out in February. Uh it's called The Vanishing of Vivian Cameron, and it's actually an investigation that she's been working on for decades and it's getting lots of attention.

Leigh 15:37

So I just listened to the podcast of this because it's about it's essentially the Philip Island murders. Um really, really captivating. Um she is a star um Vicky Petraitus, so um I know you're right, we don't we don't cover true crime. But it's people like Vicki Petraitus that makes me wish that we did sometimes, but um but she's also delved into fiction as well. So um but anyway, I've digressed. Um but the real headline for us is October when her third Anti Joan and oh I should have we should have I should have checked this with Ant Ant Anti Joan Antigo Antigo. Maybe somebody can help us with this because clearly I'm just gonna continue to butcher it. A N-T-I-G-O-N-E Pollard novel is due to come out. Um for anyone who hasn't dipped into the series yet, um these sharp, emotionally grounded crime novels centred on the main character of Anta Joan Antigo a Detective Navigating Small Town Policing and the Kind of Cases That Stay With You Long After The Book Ends. Um The Guardian praised the series for its compassion and realism and the way Petraus brings her true crime instincts into fiction without losing the human side of it. Um her shift into crime fiction has been so successful, and this new book is going to be eagerly anticipated.

Helen 17:01

Yeah, for sure. And yeah, we do need to be working our pronunciation. I think that's homework for us before the next episode, Leigh.

Leigh 17:08

Yeah, 100%. And I still have no idea. And and yeah, I've no idea.

Helen 17:14

Um maybe someone can tell us. Now, I've actually saved the best of the big releases for last, and again, I seem to have a lot of them, but this is one of my absolute favourite crime writers, Dervla McTiernan, and she's got a new one coming. It's called Three Reasons for Revenge, and it's due to be released in late April. And preview readers are saying it's one of her strongest yet, because it's really tight, got those super strong characters that she's famous for, and full of that moral tension that she just handles so well without overdoing it.

Leigh 17:49

Yeah, and the booksellers have been pretty excited about this one too. A few of them have said it's the closest she's come to the impact of the ruin, which is a pretty big call. Um, but she just keeps getting better and better.

Helen 17:59

She sure does. And she's actually heading out on tour around Australia soon. She actually emailed me Leigh the dates. Well, me and everyone else on her mailing list, but I'm choosing to take it personally.

Leigh 18:10

You should just take it personally, just say Double McTin and email me. She's told me who she's going to.

Helen 18:15

She did. My name was on the email.

Leigh 18:17

I believe you.

Helen 18:19

I've kept it, I've saved it. Uh yeah.

Leigh 18:22

I'd print it off, to be honest.

Helen 18:25

Who prints these days, Leigh? We don't kill trees. Sorry, you do you read paper books, don't you? I'm a Kindle girl.

Leigh 18:31

I do read paper books, but I don't have a printer in the house that works, and I don't know how to use the one in my actual work work. So I don't actually do any printing at the moment.

Helen 18:40

All right, we better get back to it. So um we could talk about printers and trees all day, couldn't we? Uh now she's doing a full national run. I think she's going to WA, Victoria, the ACT, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, the whole thing. And if you want the specifics, they're all on her website at DervlinMcTealan.com.

Leigh 19:01

Um she's doing a bunch of sessions at the Melbourne Riders Festival as well, which runs from May 7th to May 10 this year. It's always a great event to binge on author talks and writing sessions, and all the details can be found at um mwf.com.au.

Helen 19:15

Yeah, and we've actually managed to get tickets to one of her Melbourne Writers Festival events, so we'll report back on this one afterwards. Now, while it's not a particularly crime-heavy program this year, uh there are still some good names in the mix.

Leigh 19:30

That's right. Uh Benjamin Stevenson will be there talking about his new Ernest Cunningham book, Everyone in This Bank Is a Thief. He's always a bit of a standout. His latest is another contemporary crime fiction story, but with his trademark Smart and Funny Spin that makes them unput downable.

Helen 19:46

Yeah, he's had such an interesting rise. He really broke through with his first book, Green Light, which was a clever sort of media-savvy crime seller that got a lot of attention for how sharply it skewered true crime TV. And then he completely blew up with everyone in my family has killed someone, and that's the one that went global.

Leigh 20:06

What a great name, apart from anything else. But you're right, that's the book that changed everything for him. It hit the New York Times list, got picked up by HBO, and suddenly, you know, he was the guy writing these really modern sharp crime tales. Uh he's always a bit of a standout, still doing crime, just with that sort of smart, funny spin that he's made his trademark.

Helen 20:25

And now he's three books into his Ernest Cunningham series. So there's Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, Everyone on This Train is a Suspect, and now everyone in this bank is a thief. Now I really like them. They're a light read because they're really playful mysteries, and he's kind of one of those writers that I really like who actually makes you laugh at the same time as he's kind of getting you to solve this puzzle.

Leigh 20:47

And apparently he's genuinely funny in person too. He was um he used to be a stand-up comedian, which explains a lot. His Ernest Cunningham books always feel like a bit of a comedy setup, and they just happen to be about murder.

Helen 21:00

Well, there you go, Leigh. See, not all crime writers are journalists, they can be comedians as well. There you go. Alright, so between him and Dervla, I think crime readers are pretty well looked after at the festival, and um, even if the overall programme isn't especially crime heavy this year.

Leigh 21:20

Um yes, and it's worth noting that the Melbourne Writers Festival is also bringing some huge international names this year, including Jacinta Rodern, uh RFQNG, David Salze, Jan Martell, and Susan Choi. Um it's so it's a strong program across the board. If you're thinking of going, jump onto mwf.com.au and have a look before tickets sell out. I tell you if I can just um Melbourne Writers Festival memories, the very, very first one I ever went to, um 1998 when Michael Conley came out and read the first chapter of Blood Work and you know, again, my ongoing infatuation with first chapters and the hooks at the end. The first chapters. Probably, probably the best one ever, if for anyone that hasn't read Blood Work. Anyway, digressed.

Helen 22:09

Excellent. Oh, I was gonna say, do we need to do an episode on favourite moments from the Melbourne Writers Festival? I'll have to go back and I've got such a bad memory. I've checked my photos. I think Trend Dalton is one of my faves, but yeah, um, it's such a good festival. Yeah. Yes, and we also shouldn't forget to mention that the Sydney Writers Festival is also running in May, I think from the 17th to the 24th.

Leigh 22:31

Now I've had a quick look at the programme. It doesn't seem like there are any Australian crime writers featured this year. The closest is obviously the best-selling Trent Dalton, who'll be speaking about his novel Lola in the Mirror. Um it's not a traditional crime novel, but I really enjoyed it as it kind of sits in that gritty underworld adjacent world that he writes so well about. Um, if you want to check out the full lineup or you're thinking of heading along, all the details are at swf.org.au.

Helen 23:01

And now we also want to mention another exciting crime adjacent release coming up, and this one's from Danuka Mackenzie. Now, most fans will be familiar with her Detective Kate Miles series. Now they're really strong character-driven police procedurals, and they've built her such a loyal following. Now we're not aware of her releasing any new Kate Miles novels this year, but she does have a standalone psychological thriller coming this July called She Lied First.

Leigh 23:32

The Kate Miles books are fantastic, actually, and the torrent was um the introduction to her. Um so yeah, she is a fabulous writer. So um, yeah, this one probably definitely sits more in that crime adjacent space, doesn't it? Um the blurb hints at a woman who's carefully managed life starts to unravel after a lie from her past resurfaces, pulling her into a situation she thought she'd left behind. Um, it's a different direction for her, but um, it sounds like a really interesting one.

Helen 24:01

Absolutely. And look, we've reached out to Janika, and excitingly, she said she's happy to come on the Kill City podcast after her book is released. So that's definitely going to be one to watch out for.

Leigh 24:13

Alright, well, before we wrap up, here's a quick rundown of the 2026 Australian crime releases we've talked about today. We kicked off with Tim Ayliff's Dark Desert Road in January, followed by the two big February titles: Sam Elliott's Debut Haze, JP Pomeray's The Gambler. Uh, March brought us Tara Oldfield's Diamonds, Furs and Murder, and Sarah Bailey's Click. In April, we've got Dervla McTiennan's Three Reasons for Revenge. June sees the release of Christian White's The Long Knife, and July brings Margaret Hickey's An Ill Wind plus Danuka McKenzie's She Lied First. In September, we get Michael Robotham's Tell Me Something True and rounding out the year in October as Vicky portrayed us with the third uh Antigone Pollard novel.

Helen 25:00

Goodness gracious, what a great list. I'm exhausted just thinking about them all.

Leigh 25:04

Yeah, I know. So if you're putting together your 2026 TBR, um this is a pretty solid place to start. So we've covered everything from rural noir uh to psychological thrillers, historical crime, and a lot of blockbusters we know people will love. We've popped all the books and events in the show notes so you can follow up on anything that grabbed your attention.

Helen 25:25

Yeah, and if you spot any upcoming Aussie crime novels that we've missed, please let us know. We love hearing from readers who are just as obsessed as we are.

Leigh 25:34

Well, that's it from us this time. Thanks for listening to the Kill City podcast, and we'll see you next time.