Helen 0:00

The Kill City podcast acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands we're on. Here in Melbourne, that's the Wurrundjeri 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. Today on Kill City we're going to do things a little bit differently. Now Leigh, I've got a bit of a challenge for you, and it's a doozy. You're going to attempt the impossible, guessing Australia's top crime novel debuts from the clues that I've written after too many late-night reading sessions and maybe one glass of mine too many.

Leigh 1:19

So just a normal Sunday for you.

Helen 1:21

Yeah, correct. So twelve books, three clues each, and one man's dignity on the line.

Leigh 1:28

I did not agree to the dignity part.

Helen 1:30

Ah, you never do, but are you up for it?

Leigh 1:33

Why not?

Helen 1:34

Okay, let's spill some first blood. Welcome back to Kill City, the podcast where we celebrate Australian crime and mystery fiction and occasionally torment each other for sport.

Leigh 1:47

And today, apparently, I'm the sport.

Helen 1:50

Yep, you sure are. Okay, well, what I've done is built what I think is the definitive list of the top 12 Australian crime debut novels, ranked by their commercial success plus what awards they've achieved. Now it's tight, it's ruthless, and it's going to upset somebody.

Leigh 2:07

Well, ideally, not the authors.

Helen 2:09

Yeah, ideally. So here's the game. I'll give you the clues, you'll try and guess the book and the author. Now you can either go early and risk humiliation or you can wait till it's painfully obvious and play it safe.

Leigh 2:24

Alright, I'll see how I go. Um playing it safe might be the best way to protect what's left of my dignity.

Helen 2:30

Oh, don't be too hard on yourself. Look, after each reveal, we're going to talk about why the book mattered and all the awards that it picked up along the way.

Leigh 2:38

So I get to guess and to be insightful.

Helen 2:41

Yeah, exactly. Come on, let's get started. Alrighty. For the book that came in at number twelve, here's the first clue. A coastal town, a courtroom, and a man who really should have stayed in the city.

Leigh 2:57

Well, that's not particularly fair, because that's half the genre.

Helen 3:00

Yeah, all right, fair enough. Here's clue number two. So it was a debut that blended surf culture with moral ambiguity.

Leigh 3:10

It doesn't really help. That's still a big chunk of the genre.

Helen 3:15

Okay, alright, third clue. So while this was their debut novel, it did pick up a major Australian crime award in 2015, and it did happen to be written by one of your favourite Australian authors.

Leigh 3:30

Um is this quota by Jock Sarong?

Helen 3:34

Yes, it is. So Jock Sarong won the Ned Kelly Award for Best First Fiction back in 2015 for Quota.

Leigh 3:42

Um such a great first novel. I remember when I first read it, um, I just loved how atmospheric and sort of morally complex it was. And it didn't just win the Ned Kelly, it signalled a new wave of coastal noir that was sharp, character-driven, and deeply Australian.

Helen 4:01

Oh, yeah, completely. And look, Jock just went on to bigger and better things after there. So he followed it up with his really awesome crime novel, The Rules of Backyard Cricket, in 2016. Now, did you like that more than Quota?

Leigh 4:14

I did. Um, another of my favourites, while not crime, is on the Java Ridge. Um, he's such a wonderful writer. And Jock Sarong is actually taking a Kill Your Darlings course at the moment that I've seen on um Facebook for anybody that's interested in that.

Helen 4:29

Oh, okay, that's interesting. Look, I um not sort of a huge cricket fan. Um, so yeah, on Java Ridge was actually my favourite Jock Serong novel, too. But um, we better keep moving, there's a lot more books to get through. So, number 11. Really, we're going now from the coast to the lake, and nothing good happens at this lake. So, are you ready for your first clue?

Leigh 4:56

Yes.

Helen 4:57

A small town, a dead teacher, and a detective who's barely holding it together.

Leigh 5:04

Again, that's half the genre. Got a sneaky suspicion on this one though. Keep going.

Helen 5:11

All right, I'll give you the second clue. It was a debut that made readers say, hmm, she's not okay.

Leigh 5:18

Well, that's narrowing it down, actually.

Helen 5:22

This is so much fun. Um, all right, so here's clue number three. It won a major Australian Crime Award in 2018. Plus, the author has just released their latest crime novel, and the title rhymes with Trick.

Leigh 5:36

That is The Dark Lake by Sarah Bailey.

Helen 5:39

Yep, it is. You're right. The Dark Lake was the winner of the Ned Kelly Award for Best First Fiction in 2018. And for those guessing at home, Bailey's latest novel is called Click.

Leigh 5:51

Yeah, and it also won the David Award for Best First Novel in 2018. And Gemma Woodstock, she's a great character. Bit of a disaster, but that's what makes her interesting. You're as hooked on her life as you are the case.

Helen 6:04

Yeah, right. And she only gets more chaotic as the series goes on. So there's Into the Night, Where the Dead Go, Body of Lies, it look and it's like watching someone you care about make increasingly wrong choices, but you can't look away. It's a bit like you know, driving past a train crash.

Leigh 6:22

Uh exactly.

Helen 6:25

Okay, so now we're heading south, very south, even into the mist. And clue number one is a missing girl's case in a place where the forest feels like it's watching you.

Leigh 6:40

Um am I allowed to ask questions? Can I say, um, are we in Tasmania by any chance?

Helen 6:45

Yeah, that's a great guess. Okay, but do you need another clue?

Leigh 6:49

Uh just to be safe, I will, yeah.

Helen 6:52

Okay, all right. Clue number two Teenagers, Trouble, Fog Thick Enough to Chew.

Leigh 7:01

I know this one. It's The Bluffs by Kyle Perry.

Helen 7:04

Gee, you're good at this. Um, yes, you're correct. The bluffs was shortlisted for the Indie Book Awards debut fiction in 2021.

Leigh 7:12

Um, it also hit the Dimics Book of the Year shortlist and ABIA general fiction long list. Um, great read, especially how it brought Tasmanian gothic into the main screen. The way Perry wrote was so eerie, atmospheric, and um unsettling in all the right ways. Um thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a great read.

Helen 7:33

Excellent. All right, now we're gonna go from the bluffs to the dirt, and number nine is a monster. Now your first clue is a missing child, a fractured community, and multiple narrators who all know something.

Leigh 7:54

That's tricky, that one. Um I I can think of I I can think of a few options.

Helen 8:02

Uh do you want another clue?

Leigh 8:05

Oh yes, please.

Helen 8:06

Okay. So clue number two is that it won basically everything in 2023.

Leigh 8:14

Um I think this might be Dirt Town by Haley Scrivener.

Helen 8:21

It sure is. It was the Dirt Town was the winner of the ABIA General Fiction Award of the Year back in 2023.

Leigh 8:29

Um yeah, it cleaned up that year winning the um uh the CWA ILP John Creasy um New Blood Dagger, uh, the Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQI plus mystery, and the David Award for Best Crime Book. Um it was also shortlisted for the Ned Kelly Award for Best Taboo Crime Fiction, um real masterclass in structure and um emotional depth, and her follow-up, um Girl Falling, was fantastic as well. So Dirt Town follows a small rural community reeling after a young girl goes missing, told through the sort of fractured, intimate voices of the people that knew her, especially the kids who understand more than the adults realise. Um brilliant debut because Haley Scrivener really nails that emotional truth of a town under sort of pressure, blending character-driven suspense, award-level craft that feels both fresh and devastating at the same time.

Helen 9:34

Yeah, look, that really tracks. Um I love Dirt Town and it really just hits harder than you expect. I felt like it was um one of those deboos that you went, oh my god, calm down. You're not meant to be this good with your first novel.

Leigh 9:48

Hmm. And yeah, after Dirt Town actually followed it up with Girl Falling in um 2024, uh Blue Mountains Psychological Thriller about friendship obsession and a death that might not be an accident. Um, it has some really complex characters and some really excellent twists along the way. This was a great follow-up and something that I really enjoyed. Another one of those books were as well where um the setting played such a key role in the story. Almost like an additional character.

Helen 10:20

Another one to add to the TBR. Alrighty. Well, for number eight, we're going to go from the dirt to the dust. And this is about a cold case that refuses to stay buried. And your first clue is a cold case in the outback and a woman who refuses to let the past stay buried.

Leigh 10:41

Uh can I have the second clue, please?

Helen 10:43

Yeah. Well, it won a major Australian crime award in 2023.

Leigh 10:50

Uh clue number three, thank you.

Helen 10:53

Okay. It's set in Outback, New South Wales, and it centres on a cold case, as I mentioned before, that's haunted the whole town for years. And if you still can't get it, this debut absolutely did not bury the lead.

Leigh 11:10

Um, this is Wake by Shelley Burr.

Helen 11:14

Correct. It was the winner of the Nick Kelly Award for Best Debut Crime Fiction in 2023.

Leigh 11:20

And I should have, um I should have got that earlier actually, because I did genuinely love this book. Um, and definitely deserves to be on the list. Um Shelley Burr also won the ABIA Matt Rochelle Award for New Writer of the Year, uh, and was shortlisted for the Indie Debut Fiction Award. Really interesting first novel, um, haunting, emotionally precise, and a real standout in that rural noir resurgence. Um, Lane Holland is one of my favourite characters in the Australian crime fiction um scene, too.

Helen 11:53

Absolutely. And look, if you're into Australian Outback Crime and you haven't read it yet, do yourself a favour, add it to your TBR list. And um, even better, we always like to tell people when there's more novels that have been written. So Bear didn't stop there at all. Her protagonist, um Lane Holland, um, has come back in two more novels, Ripper and Vanish.

Leigh 12:14

And they have both been exceptionally good follow-ups. And I bought um uh when I bought Ripper, I didn't I saw her name on the cover, gave it a quick glance on the back, um, and just bought it without clicking that the Lane Holland character was in there again. So it was such a nice surprise when he popped up and I and I sort of put two and two together because I think there had been a little bit of a gap between when I'd um uh read the first and the second book. So I was very pleased when I realised that. So yeah. Alright, I think I'm done pretty well here. So what's um what's next?

Helen 12:50

All right, yeah, don't get too cocky. I'm gonna make them a bit harder now. So for number seven, we're leaving Australia entirely and we're going offshore. And your first clue is is that this is a debut that swaps gum trees for palm trees.

Leigh 13:06

Okay. Um I got nothing. Um clue number two.

Helen 13:13

All right, it won a major Australian Crime Award in 2024.

Speaker 13:21

Um uh no, I don't rem no, you've got me on this one. What's clue number three, please?

Leigh 13:28

Okay, so before turning to crime fiction, the author spent many years working for an aid agency in the Pacific. And fun fact, I actually visited the country that this novel is set in on my honeymoon.

Helen 13:48

Um, okay, I am gonna have to no, you've got me on this one. I will um admit defeat and wave the white flag on this one.

Leigh 13:58

Sorry, that was a really tricky one. It's actually Murder in the Pacific, A Fear A Point by Matt Francis, which is set in Port Villa Vanuatu, and it won the Ned Kelly Award for Best Debut Crime Fiction in 2024.

Helen 14:12

Oh no, I really wasn't going to get that one, so um, you might have to tell me more about it.

Speaker 14:17

That's okay. Look, I did quite a lot of research on this one, and it was actually my recent book club pick. Um, and I warned my book club that it was going to be an Australian crime novel, but I wanted something a bit different, so I think this debut really nailed it. Because I've got a bit of a soft spot for um Island Nations and Vanuatu, I went to as a kid, as I mentioned, honeymoon there with my lovely hubby, and then we also took our kids there back a few years ago. Just my absolute one of my favourite holiday venues, um, such a beautiful place with um famously happy locals. And the author Matt Francis, who is Melbourne-based, he's an academic who spent decades working across the Pacific, but especially in Vanuatu, and I think that's why the setting Ifera point feels so relatable, especially if you've actually been there. And while the Ni Vanuatu people are sort of often described as some of the happiest in the world, um, there is also an undercurrent of quite systemic tribal tensions in their society. Um, corruption, sadly, is a big issue. Um, there's also there's complicated politics around aid from countries like Australia, China, and so forth. Um, so what Francis has done is actually created this really charming cozy island crime novel, but it's got a kind of a really fresh, realistic setting. Um, it has such a strong sense of place. It's just got these gorgeous main characters. There's Sergeant George Long and his offsider Constable Jalen Ollie. They're just so charming. Um, George is really steady and methodical. He's um part Chinese, part Nevanawatu heritage, but he has flawless English, so he's the one that's brought in by the bigwigs to deal with the tourists. Um Jailen's a rising star. You know, she's learning to be a detective, and she writes case notes like she's aiming for a literary prize. Um, and I think the novel just really brings Pacific Island Noir into the spotlight. Um, look, I just thought it was a really rare and you know unusual um book to bring into the Australian crime landscape.

Leigh 16:27

Oh, I love that it um broadens the map of where Australian crime can go. That's um that's excellent.

Helen 16:33

Well, I'll report back in a future episode when my book club tells me whether they liked it or not, too. We'll see. Alright, for number six, we're going to go back to the mainland of Australia and we're going to go into the flood waters. So clue number one is a detective juggling motherhood, murder, and a natural disaster.

Leigh 16:52

Um, I don't need any more hints on this one. Um, this is The Torrent by Danuka McKenzie.

Helen 16:58

Yeah, I knew you'd get that one straight up because you're a huge Danoka McKenzie fan. And yes, Torrent was the winner of the Banjo Prize in 2020.

Leigh 17:06

And Dinuka McKenzie's debut was also shortlisted for the Davitt Awards and the Danger Awards in 2023. Cracking police procedural uh involving a violent hold-up, and then a suspicious flood death and a detective who's heavily pregnant, exhausted, and uh obviously you know still pushing through the mess. Um Kate Miles is grounded, capable, um, refreshingly real character. And this book absolutely announced a major new voice.

Helen 17:36

And if Kate Miles piques your interest, you're in luck because you can keep following her story in Taken and then Tipping Point um released more recently. So there's been three books so far that all follow Kate as she juggles major investigations, sort of among the chaos of her very complicated life. Now, which one's your favorite?

Leigh 17:55

Uh I would say the torrent on this one. I thought um great introduction to a great character. The whole flood thing was really cleverly written um and great twists, um, and she just does characters really well, and so I think um uh yeah, the torrent for me.

Helen 18:16

Excellent, and I think we'll be talking more about Danica's books in upcoming podcasts too. So I'm gonna hold hold my fire for then, I think.

Leigh 18:24

We will be.

Helen 18:25

Alrighty, moving on to number five. Now, this one broke the country's heart and then sold a million copies doing it. And your first clue is it's a coming-of-age tale shaped by loyalty and survival, where love hangs on tight, even as the shadows of the crime world creep into a boy's everyday life.

Leigh 18:47

Uh, I think I've got this. Um Brisbane set.

Helen 18:52

Yeah. Do you want another clue just to be sure?

Leigh 18:56

You can give me another one. I'm pretty confident, but you can give me another clue.

Helen 18:59

All right.

Leigh 19:03

Uh Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton.

Helen 19:07

Yes. So Boy Swallows Universe, uh, one of my favourites. Uh look, it wasn't just a coming of age story, which I think lots of people branded it as. Um, it was set against the criminal underbelly of 1980s, Brisbane, um, but it was more than that, it was actually a phenomenon. Like since its 2018 release, it's sold more than a million copies worldwide, been published in more than 34 territories. It smashed records as Australia's fastest-selling debut novel ever. It swept the 2019 Australian Book Industry Awards, took out numerous international awards, and then it's kind of its whole cultural footprint really grew with that hit Netflix adaptation that reached millions of viewers globally. And the author himself, so Trent Dalton went from a respected journalist to one of Australia's most recognizable literary voices almost overnight. And I think this reason was really the reason why.

Leigh 20:06

This was such a fascinating book. Um, and you know, when you're reading something or you know, watching something or listening to something, and you genuinely know you'll like in this case, I genuinely knew I was reading something quite unique and had no idea where it was going. Um was fascinated by it on all the levels, but just had no real idea what was going on, and then it just um it's such a it's such a great book. Um just uh so remarkably well written given how unique it is, if that's a good way to explain that.

Helen 20:53

No, absolutely look, I agree with you. I think um, yeah, it was just such a page turner because you didn't know quite where it was going, and he kind of blended like I know we've classed it as an Australian crime fiction, but it's so much more. It's you know, it has that touch of magic realism, it's got the suspense, it's a love story, it's you know, the coming of age story. It was just everything. So I do think it was quite brave of them to um decide to turn it into a Netflix adaptation as well when you think of what they're trying to trying to work with. But yeah, just just a fantastic book, yeah.

Leigh 21:25

And and such a good adaptation as well. Yes.

Helen 21:28

Well, we may talk about that more too in an upcoming episode.

Leigh 21:31

Possibly.

Helen 21:32

I know, lots of clues tonight. Um, alrighty, we better move on. Okay, so number four is all about identity and the fear that you may not be who you think you are. So your first clue is this debut started life as a manuscript written on lunch breaks and late nights, and one of its earliest working titles was The Kentucky Kid.

Leigh 21:57

Okay, this Hmm. Keep going.

Helen 22:01

Alright, so here's your second clue. Story moves between two continents, and the author has said the idea came from wondering how well we really know the people closest to us.

Leigh 22:12

Okay, I think I think I've got this, and I think because we've talked about it previously. Um but can I please have just one more clue?

Helen 22:21

Sure. Okay. A woman discovers she might be someone else entirely.

Leigh 22:27

Um that is the Nowhere Child by Christian White.

Helen 22:31

Yes, it is. Now again, this is another stunning debut. It won the Victorian Premier's Literary Award for an unpublished manuscript in 2017, and that really lit the fuse because then it sparked a bidding frenzy. There were international rights sales. Um the book turned into a massive commercial success, like completely overnight.

Leigh 22:53

Um and it deserved it, an absolute cracker. Um a proper thriller with you know really high emotional stakes. Um the Christian Whites Debu here is you know pacey, it's twisty and um built on a killer premise that traveled globally. And um I know uh we've talked about this previously, um, and a first chapter hooks, and this one was um was amazing.

Helen 23:20

Yeah, I know. Really, really, really good. Alright, so now we're gonna move to number three, and that kind of takes us into the heat and the drought and a town with too many secrets. And your first clue is a journalist walks into a town where a priest once opened fire.

Leigh 23:39

Fitting given that we've just been talking about uh Christian White um and the end of first chapter hook in the Nowhere Child. Uh, this one is Scrublands by Chris Hammer.

Helen 23:51

Yep, you're right. Scrublands won the Crime Writers Association John Crasy New Blood Dagger Award in 2019. And it was also named the UK Sunday Times Crime Book of the Year, and then it just went completely gangbusters.

Leigh 24:06

Um just something I was noticed there. Um John Crasy, Denzel Washington's famous character, A Man on Fire. I hadn't noticed that before. Just took us down a path there. Um Australia Crime. Just fantastic.

Helen 24:22

We've talked about going into rabbit holes, so Leigh. I think we're allowed to do that. Yeah, it's fine.

Leigh 24:28

Anyway, um I love this book. Uh Epic Debut, um Massive Scope plot sort of dug deep into drought, trauma, um, the media's influence and the way all that pressure hits a small community. Um and it was another book that helped cement that sort of rural noir boom. And a bit like um you know, I think probably there's other books in the genres, but I I genuinely felt the heat suffocating me when I was reading this. Like you could just like you could just feel the heat that the characters were um were enduring, so very well written.

Helen 25:09

Oh, absolutely. Just yeah, just the the the descriptive phrases and having sort of driven out to sort of regional areas, especially sort of the dryer, you know, it was just so real. And look, I could just keep going on and on about how much I love this book. You know, I could, but I'm gonna spare you because we've actually officially um reached the top two. So, all right, no pressure, Leigh. You ready?

Leigh 25:34

Okay, let's go.

Helen 25:35

Okay, so clue number one. This debut began with the author writing in the evenings after leaving a legal career, and one of the earliest scenes they drafted never actually made it into the final book, but it kind of shaped the entire tone of the book and the subsequent series.

Leigh 25:54

Okay, that's not helping me. Keep going.

Helen 25:58

Sorry. Second clue. The story opens with a case that looks routine, but the real mystery stretches back decades and it hinges on a single decision made in childhood.

Leigh 26:09

Um, I'm gonna need some more on this one, I think.

Helen 26:14

Okay, your last clue: two cases decades apart, and they're linked by a detective with a conscience. It sure is. So her debut won the Ned Kelly Award for Best First Fiction in 2019, and it also picked up the David Award for Best Adult Crime Novel, and also the Barry Award for Best Paperback Original. And fun fact, Derville McTiernan is actually Irish, and she moved to Perth during the global financial crisis, and it was that big life shift that kind of what pushed her to start writing.

Leigh 27:02

Hmm, there you go. I didn't know that. Um stunning debut McTean came out swinging with this one. Her writing is incredibly tight, um, really well paced. I love the core Mac Riley character, he's really grounded and a very believable character.

Helen 27:22

Absolutely. Look, and you can see why it took off overseas as well, because it's just, I just think crazy strong, just a really confident crime novel. Like the characters are so well written. Uh, another one of my all-time faves, so I just think it's a very deserving number two. Alright, so drum roll, please. Coming in at number one is a debut that changed absolutely everything. And I don't even think you need a clue for this one.

Leigh 27:55

No, I mean obviously I knew we knew what we were talking about here, and I was able to do a little bit of um thinking about this before we jumped online. Uh, it would have to be The Drive by Jane Harper.

Helen 28:07

Of course it is, yes. It was always going to be the number one. So it won the Ned Kelly Award for Best First Fiction in 2017, it was Indie Book of the Year, it was ABIAA Book of the Year, it was ABIA Literary Fiction Book of the Year, it just cleaned up all the awards.

Leigh 28:26

Um, and for good reason, it it did genuinely change the game for Australian crime. Um it pushed uh rural noir or outback noir um straight into the mainstream. Um Jane Harbour showed that a you know a drought-stricken farming town could carry the same tension and emotional weight as any big city thriller. Um and at the centre of it all is the character of Aaron Fork, um sort of coming home for a funeral and getting dragged back into an old suspicion tied to his past. Um reviewers were all over this. A stereo magazine called Fork, a deeply sympathetic protagonist. His troubled relationship with the town creates a compelling emotional core. I agree with that totally. Um The New York Times said it was a breathless page turner, a secret on every page, and David Beldarce he went big, calling it one of the most stunning debuts I've ever read. Every word is near perfect. Um, I did actually have an interaction with Jane Harper when I was in Barnes and Noble in New York, and I took a selfie of myself with one of her books on um the bookshelf in um actually I saw it in two Barnes and Noble stores in New York, so that was that was my brush with Jane Harper. Um I love the dry, which I've probably said previously, although.

Helen 29:40

Oh look, I I think we've both raved about how much we love the dry, and I'm really not going to bore people on this podcast because there's a there's a time and a place. But look, I think uh everything that you said, I love the quotes that you pulled up from other reviewers that they've said it a lot more eloquently than I could, but I just think yeah, it just such such set the tone for that whole wave of rural crime that followed, and it just really showed how far sort of the Australian noir could reach. So yeah, very, very deserving number one. But I don't know if you think you're um finished, Leigh, but I actually decided there's actually no rest for the wicked because I don't think you're off the hook yet. So I actually had a little bit more time up my sleeve and maybe had another glass of wine, and I've actually the final part of this quiz is a lightning round. So this is actually a quick showcase of all the special mentions that didn't make the top 12 because I kind of felt that there were a few that we should have made some reference of. Um, but this time we're gonna go super fast. So you only get one clue per novel, no thinking time, no second guesses, and no dramatic pauses, because you were really good at the dramatic pauses unless you decide to edit those out. Everyone will be able to tell how you did them. So you ready?

Leigh 30:57

Yes.

Helen 30:58

Okay, so let's go. Your first clue is Melbourne Noir 1980s grit, and it was released in 1987.

Leigh 31:08

Um I think this is a pretty feels like a bit of a short field. Um I it's gonna be J.R. Carroll, I reckon. And it's was it catapul?

Helen 31:23

Yes. Oh, you're good at the older ones. So yeah, this was a really lean, hard-boiled chase through Melbourne's underbelly. There were corrupt cops, there were desperate crooks, there was all that pre-gentrification Fitzroy kind of edge. Um, but it didn't win any major awards, but it's sort of a long-standing cult classic, and I know it's one of your faves.

Leigh 31:44

Yeah, and I think I've talked about this before in one of the very first episodes we did when I shared the story of being in um the Kill City bookstore, which as I've said before, our name is paying homage to um being in that store and the staff member there taking me on like an a long tour around the store as we went trying to find Australian crime fiction. There just was very little compared to what there is today, so um I can kind of I've got a lot of these committed to memory from from that period. So I mean I'll forget five things that of six things that my wife asked me to get from the supermarket tomorrow, but obscure facts about books and music and film from yesteryear I'm pretty good at.

Helen 32:28

Alright, well, seeing as you've you said you're really good at it, okay. Here's the next one. So this book introduced a certain political fixer with the initials MW based in Brunswick, 1994.

Leigh 32:40

Um Stiff by Shane Maloney.

Helen 32:43

Yep, correct. So as you talked to me about, this first Murray Wheeler novel was super sharp, very Melbourne, kind of just for its time. It sort of blended political satire with crime in a way that sort of few others were doing during that time. Sadly, no major awards for the book, but I think the series later picked up lots of accolades.

Leigh 33:04

Um this has just made me want to go back and read all the Shane Maloney books again. Actually, it's been quite a while since I've read them all. Um, it really captured the sort of vanished era of Victorian politics back when party rooms were smoke-filled and you know overwhelmingly male. Um, you read it now and think, yeah, that was when satire came with cigarettes and no ho-jar department.

Helen 33:27

Okay, moving along. All right, your next clue. Tasmania, beaches, bodies, 2020 twelve. And if you've forgotten what happened in 2020, it's the year that Gangham style broke the internet.

Leigh 33:39

So really, well, there you go. Um, I reckon this is Bay of Fires by Poppy G.

Helen 33:46

It sure is, and despite not meaning any major awards, this coastal mystery set in Tassie's East Coast, it kind of really lured readers in. It had that small town suspicion and a very uneasy holiday town atmosphere.

Leigh 34:00

Absolutely. I am uh it was such a strong early entry into Tasmanian crime, mix of isolation, gossip, rugged coastlines really set the tone for what Tazie Noir would become. And I love books said in Tassie, like you get that added bonus of just having that sort of beautiful landscape and um geographies included um in your in the work.

Helen 34:24

As well as usually a fascinating conflict past as well, which bodes well for murder mysteries, that's for sure. Alright, last one, here we go. So your clue is brand new award-winning emotional sledgehammer released in 2025. Uh can I I'm not sure.

Leigh 34:44

Can I buy another clue on this one, please?

Helen 34:46

Sure. Well, I actually reviewed this book in our episode about the 2025 Ned Kelly Awards.

Leigh 34:52

Uh yes, um it's the All You Took From Me by Lisa Kenway.

Helen 34:59

Yep, you're right. I agreed totally with the judges when they said it was a brilliant standout, that it mixed domestic suspense with a raw emotional core, and as well as winning the Ned Kelly Award for Best Devou Crime Fiction in 2025, it was actually also um shortlisted for the Danger Award. Huh.

Leigh 35:17

There you go.

Helen 35:18

Wow, you made it to the end of the Quiz Leigh. Well done.

Leigh 35:22

Uh-huh, excellent. Um, what do I get a certificate? What was my what was my score?

Helen 35:26

Uh I'm giving you ten and a half because you missed one book and I actually docked half a point for smugness.

Leigh 35:35

And what did I get for the lightning round?

Helen 35:37

Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Sorry. Um, you can add three more points.

Leigh 35:41

Oh, thank you. That's very generous.

Helen 35:43

Yeah, I think that's a really great score that you should be proud of yourself. Plus, I think we've managed to showcase a really great list for our for our listeners to add to their to read lists. Uh, I think we've highlighted about 12 fantastic debuts that really genuinely shaped Australian crime fiction. And we threw in a couple of special mentions that I think um and you uh mentioned as well deserved a bit of attention.

Leigh 36:06

And that's very much what this show is about. We want to be celebrating Australian crime writers and Australian crime books. Um so hopefully we've um you know we've given our listeners something um something to go looking forward to read this week. So that brings us to the end of this episode. But we do love um sharing the stories of Australian crime writers and highlighting Australian crime fiction books. Um so hopefully you've picked something up today that's piqued your interest that you'll be looking for in the bookshop. Um in the meantime, we'd also love to hear from you. Um you can get in touch with us anytime at uh info at killcitypodcast.com.au. Um so we're gonna put the bookmark back in the book and uh until next time. Say you later, Helen.

Helen 36:51

See you next time, Leigh.