Death of the Reader

We discuss Part One, Chapters 12-27 of Eric Redman's new Hawaiian Noir novel, Death in Hilo. Kawika's wife, Elle, has gone missing, and the only person with information as to where she's gone is Jarvis. As the lines of Hawaii's biggest cases begin to cross, how can Kawika survive not just the brimming blood at his doorstep, and the axe of audit at his neck. This crime climbs right to the top. We also talk with Eric Redman himself about the rules of crime fiction, and his personal links with his writing. Thank you to the University of Hawaii, Pineapple Tweed, and Crooked Lane for providing copies of 'Death in Hilo' and arranging for us to speak with Eric Redman.

We discuss Part One, Chapters 12-27 of Eric Redman's new Hawaiian Noir novel, Death in Hilo. At last, our outlier victim of the park slasher is identified - Keoni Parkes, a spokesperson for the controversial Thirty Metre Telescope on the big island. Unfortunately for Kawika, the skeletons in his closet have come out to play as it turns out Keoni has ties to the case that the press hav ebeen hounding him over. Where can Kawika hide even as he hunts for a killer on the loose? We also talk with Eric Redman himself about Kawika's motivations, the choice of the Thirty Metre Telescope as a backdrop, and the familial ties that bind the novel together. Thank you to the University of Hawaii, Pineapple Tweed, and Crooked Lane for providing copies of 'Death in Hilo' and arranging for us to speak with Eric Redman.

We discuss Part One, Chapters 1-11 of Eric Redman's new Hawaiian Noir novel, Death in Hilo. Kawika Wong is in the prime of his career, leading the homicide squad at the Honolulu Police Department, but it all could come crumbling down when a criminal he put away a decade ago begins hinting towards the truth of a case Kawika thought he had put behind him. With a serial killer on the streets, and the bones of an old case peeking above the ground, Kawika's duties are torn. But he can't see everything we can... We also speak with Australian fantasy author Garth Nix about authority, suspense, and the lessons he's learned from crime fiction. Thank you to the University of Hawaii, Pineapple Tweed, and Crooked Lane for providing copies of 'Death in Hilo' and arranging for us to speak with Eric Redman. Thank you to Sydney Writers' Festival and Allen & Unwin for arranging our time with Garth Nix.

We discuss Bruce Hamilton's 'Too Much of Water', chapters 9-12. Just when you thought the murderer was done, one more body finds itself committed to what we presume are watery depths. As the Goyaz ventures towards its last port of call, Edgar's list of suspects grows implausibly small, but will it point him in the right direction? A hearty twist and help from on high rattle the boat through to the conclusion of this gruesome voyage. We're also joined by Martin Edwards, chair of The Detection Club, crime fiction historian, and author, to talk about how Bruce Hamilton is one of the genre's 'nearly men', and continue our discussion on how the themes in Bruce's writing evolved over the years.

We discuss Bruce Hamilton's 'Too Much of Water', chapters 5-8. The deaths keep adding up - a child drowned by the pool, and a man found drowned in a bath. Only two suspects have alibis that make them possible suspects, but neither seems a likely culprit, so which way does the finger of blame point? Our unlikely detective Edgar is stuck on a boat with a serial killer, a friend under suspicion, and no clue as to when the killing spree might end. I suppose we might as well plan a concert to keep everyone calm. We're also joined by Martin Edwards, chair of The Detection Club, crime fiction historian, and author, to talk about how Bruce Hamilton is one of the genre's 'nearly men', and the missing link he provides between the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, and the era he wrote in.

We discuss Bruce Hamilton's 'Too Much of Water', chapters 1-4. Flex is back, and it's time to dive into a water-based mystery aboard the Goyaz. Edgar Cantrell is bound for Barbados, and all manner of high society find themselves aboard the boat together. Singers, cricketers, barristers, and of course military-man Major Major. One too many bumps on a stormy night signals the pre-emptive departure of boat-enthusiast Mr. Rottentosser. Soon, the crew summons our unlikely hero Edgar to play detective to figure out how such an able seaman went overboard, and what other dooms may befall this voyage. We're also joined by Fantasy Author Samantha Shannon, to talk about religion, character motivations, and how her deep political intrigue in the 'Roots of Chaos' series represents its own game of whydunnit. Samantha is in town for the Sydney Writers Festival, and you can find the details of her talks here.

The finale of Who Shot JR at last. One of the most viewed episodes of American tv in history and the series that inspired Who Shot Mr Burns, Dallas spends most of their reveal episode recapping the last four epiusodes for those of us that weren't paying attention! Sue Ellen finally takes centre stage as our true detective when she is thrown in jail and bailed out overnight by a mysterious benefactor. The rest of the Ewing family is all but ready to throw Sue under the bus, but she's finally ready to show everyone what she's made of through the power of hypnosis. Herds is going to do his best to steal as many of Cam's points as he can, but will that stop our challenger from figuring out this whodunnit? And does the whydunnit even matter? Certainly not the howdunnit. It's all a bit of a mess but that's Dallas, baby!

Herds and Cam are back at it again, by popular demand, with the middle section of Dallas' 'Who Shot JR?' in which honestly, not much very important happens. The elusive 3rd Ewing brother Greg visits from his own spinoff show, JR struggles to run the Ewing oil company from his hospital bed, and Bobby is essentially forced to stay on the show when his father puts him in charge of everything (at least in theory). Cam may have lost one of his solving points after a blunder in the first episode, but that's not going to stop him from trying to outwit Herds and solve this 45 year old mystery. And can we all agree that the Dallas theme slaps?

Herds and Cam discuss the season finale of Dallas' third season, 'A House Divided', and take a crack at solving the America-wide sensation 'Who Shot JR'? After JR, eldest son of the wealthy Ewing estate executes one too many backdoor oil schemes he is shot twice in the abdomen and left for dead. The episode explores the motivations of the many people who would have reasons to shoot him, whether for financial or personal reasons. From Marilee Stone, whose husband takes his own life in grief, to Alan Beam, attorney at law investigating JR with the help of Kristin Shepard, JR's old flame and sister of his wife Sue Ellen, a woman who according to every trick in film school definitely committed the shooting. All of these and more rear their heads and declare bloody revenge in the charming villain JR. The boys attempt to sort out this magnanimous soap opera's cast of characters, but will they crumble under the weight of these great expectations? Will Herds execute his own JR-style scheme to steal all of the points he can fit into a burlap sack? Only time (and these episodes) will tell...

We discuss chapters 25-36 of Aoife Clifford's brand new collective-detective murder mystery, 'It Takes A Town'. Herds and Cam come to the end of all things, 'Jaz 'the visual' Langridge is kidnapped (for real) this time, incompetent cop Billy and town drunk Mer work together to navigate a sudden and dangerous showdown. The friendship of Mer and Frankie is put to the ultimate test and the final culprit is revealed in a classic confrontation between them and real detective of this collaborative investigation tale. Cam maligns his past self as Herds really puts the screws to him, put maybe Cam will have the chance for redemption just round the bend? Thank you to Ultimo Press for providing Death of the Reader copies of 'It Takes a Town.'

We discuss chapters 12-24 of Aoife Clifford's brand new collective-detective murder mystery, 'It Takes A Town'. Frankie and Mer move closer to center stage as their lives are compltely turned upside down. Frankie is asked to leave her teaching job as she is under suspicion of her once friend Vanessa Walton, the cops force her to make a very bad decision about handling some key evidence, and the dark secret her husband has been keeping from her finally comes to light... and Mer? well, Frankie IS Mer's whole world, so Aoife stacks the deck against Mer in the worst way possible. Herds manages to get in a good rant about classism, Cam flounders with three theories to choose from, and Aoife's ghost is here to bring us home with a conversation about power structures. It's just a regular Death of the Reader. Thank you to Ultimo Press for providing Death of the Reader copies of 'It Takes a Town.'

We discuss chapters 1-11 of Aoife Clifford's brand new collective-detective murder mystery, 'It Takes A Town'. Policewoman Carole, distressed mother Frankie, town drunk Mer(maid) and a gaggle of schoolchildren reminiscent of the Scooby Gang all team up to corner the killer of local town star Vanessa Walton, recently returned from a grand tour of fame and fortune, now found dead in the cottage of local MP Barton Langridge. These various super sleuths may not see eye to eye, or even be aware of each other's intentions, but with Flex away on official DOTR business it's up to our star editor Cam to fill in the blanks and catch the killer, if we even know their name? Thank you to Ultimo Press for providing Death of the Reader copies of 'It Takes a Town.'

We discuss chapters 26-42 of Sulari Gentill's brand new metafiction standalone, 'The Mystery Writer'. We come to the explosive finale as the evil Greek machinist Satan Herself is exposed to the world and characters we've never seen before swoop in on helicopters and take part in duels involving both pistols and large burly vehicles. The plot has gone a bit off the rails but Sulari is here to tell us about how much fun she's having. Much like the novel it's all worked out in the end (or has it?). Thank you to Ultimo Press and Berkelouw Paddington for providing Death of the Reader proof copies of 'The Mystery Writer'. Sulari Gentill is the informal title sponsor of our first-place award on Review Season each year, which is not a paid placement.

We discuss chapters 15-25 of Sulari Gentill's brand new metafiction standalone, 'The Mystery Writer'. Theo Benton is a law-school escapee from Tasmania, fled to her brother Gus' home in Lawrence, Kansas. She finds herself as the prime suspect in the murder of her almost-boyfriend Dan Murdoch, and now the conspiracy tightens its hold over her life as her home is besieged by journos and Murdoch fans alike caught up in the madness. We follow Theo as she is forced to flee from one safehouse to the next as she has to consider the faith that she has placed in even her closest companions... and we get to hang out with her love interest Mac's crazy doomsday-prepper family. It's a riot! Thank you to Ultimo Press and Berkelouw Paddington for providing Death of the Reader proof copies of 'The Mystery Writer'. Sulari Gentill is the informal title sponsor of our first-place award on Review Season each year, which is not a paid placement.

We discuss chapters 1-14 of Sulari Gentill's brand new metafiction standalone, 'The Mystery Writer'. Theo Benton is a law-school escapee from Tasmania, fled to her brother Gus' home in Lawrence, Kansas. The world of law might have suited Gus, but Theo wants to be a writer, and her brother is ready to support Theo through that journey. Soon after committing to her new life, Theo meets Dan Murdoch, a famous writer who is usually a recluse. They bond over fiction and start writing together. Unfortunately for Theo, this is a Sulari Gentill novel, which means safety is only a portent of chaos. Theo slips in Dan's pool of blood as she goes to invite him for dinner, and reality has fractured. All the while, a mysterious web forum called 'The Shield' discusses the Minotaur controlling the Labyrinth at the core of the world. Thank you to Ultimo Press and Berkelouw Paddington for providing Death of the Reader proof copies of 'The Mystery Writer'. Sulari Gentill is the informal title sponsor of our first-place award on Review Season each year, which is not a paid placement.

We discuss the ITV (1992), BBC (2018), and Frank Tashlin (1965) screen adaptations of Agatha Christie's 'The ABC Murders'. An unusual plot for the mystery great, how have histories most lauded (and least) tweaked the plot for the moving image? From spellbinding performances by David Suchet, Donald Sumpter, and John Malkovich, to laughable replacement-by-buxom-blondes, you're spoiled for choice when it comes to the Queen of Crime. How can the various Poirots get to the bottom of this case, and who ebbs & flows along the way? We're also joined by Natalie Conyer and Chad Taylor, to talk about their contributions to the upcoming collection 'Dark Deeds Down Under 2', the second anthology edited by Craig Sisterson in Clan Destine Press' mission to render series characters in short story. Thank you to Clan Destine Press for providing copies of 'Dark Deeds Down Under' and its sequel, and their help in arranging our time with Natalie and Chad.

We discuss chapters 28-35 of Agatha Christie's notorious serial murder story, 'The ABC Murders'. Our criminal, Mr. ABC, has turned himself in. As Poirot prepares to interrogate the madman, he comments to Hastings that he expects to be lied to - only to have a twist dropped in his lap. How can the seemingly unbreakable alibi of our killer be broken? Perhaps the real lie is that this man is the killer at all. The papers are on the case's tail and hungry for justice, so what can Poirot do to find the real killer buried in the entire population of England? We're also joined by Dervla McTiernan to talk about her latest thriller, 'What Happened to Nina?'. A young couple go off for a hiking weekend together, and only one of them comes back. How do the four parents embroiled in the case find their own justice as the police lumber through the evidence. Thank you to Harper Collins for providing copies of 'What Happened to Nina?', and arranging our time with Dervla.

We discuss chapters 15-27 of Agatha Christie's notorious serial murder story, 'The ABC Murders'. A fourth murder has taken place, but breaks the pattern of alliteration. Is the killer getting sloppy? It certainly seems so, as Alexander Bonaparte Cust totters around right under the Legion's nose. As their faith in Poirot wavers as much as their reliance on him grows, the threat of impending murders lingers. How does one catch a serial killer whose calling card is so distinct but indecipherable? We also chat with Sophie Hannah about writing Poirot, and the importance of sidekicks and their voice of wisdom in a Christie novel. Which friend of the Belgian really loves him the most? Thank you to Sophie Hannah for providing a review copy of her mystery musical 'The Mystery of Mr. E', and Harper Collins for providing copies of 'Silent Night'.

We discuss chapters 1-14 of Agatha Christie's notorious serial murder story, 'The ABC Murders'. Captain Hastings has returned to London, and meets his friend Poirot reminiscing of their best days solving murders together. As they long for new thrills, one arrives in the post, as a series of letters herald the arrival of a new murderer in London. Three murders, each of victims with alliterative names, each accompanied by a copy of the ABC Rail Guide, are foretold by ominous, challenging letters to Poirot's residence. How can Poirot tackle this case without waiting for more victims to lend him the clues he needs? The clock is ticking, and three bodies have already fallen. We also talk with Sydney author Dinuka McKenzie about her latest novel in the Detective Kate Miles series; Tipping Point! Kate's brother is embroiled in suspicion around crimes that Kate's department has to investigate. How can Kate juggle the loyalty between the police and family? Only Dinuka McKenzie can tell us (until you read the book, at which point you also will have the power). Thank you to Harper Collins Australia for providing copies of 'Tipping Point' and arranging our time with Dinuka.

We discuss the season debut of The Simpsons seventh season, and its infamous puzzle. It wasn't 16:9 that foiled Flex at all, it was his sheer lack of humour. Smithers is pinned as the culprit after he confesses to shooting an old man in the streets. Fortunately, there is more than one old man in Springfield for him to shoot. That leaves one suspect for the mob in Springfield to go after - but unfortunately nobody can quite remember who that is. We're also joined by Abby Corson to talk about her debut crime fiction novel, 'The Concierge'. Hector Harrow is the longest-serving member of staff at the Cavengreen Hotel in the north of England. A dastardly murder on hotel grounds, just as new management is about to replace him, pins him as the culprit. How can he prove his innocence, through the very book you are reading? Thank you to Ultimo Press for providing copies of 'The Concierge', and their assistance in arranging our interview with Abby.

Welcome to your Murder Mystery Detour! Once a whenever-we-can, Flex and Herds go live (or undead, as the case may be), to talk about their latest fixations in the crime fiction world, and we hear from you about yours! We're also joined by our editor, Cameron Furlong, producer Max Mahood, and feature an interview from Jonathan Chang. Our guests are Brydon Coverdale, Dinuka McKenzie, and Robert Connolly. This iteration, we spoke about: Good Old Colingwood Forever by Brydon Coverdale, winner of the 2024 ACWA Louie Award. Tipping Point by Dinuka McKenzie You Had It Coming by B.M. Carroll Unfinished Business by Shankari Chandran The Mystery of Mr. E by Sophie Hannah and Martyn Tott Nest of Vipers by Harini Nagendra What I Would Do to You by Georgia Harper The Dry 2: Force of Nature by Robert Connolly, from the Jane Harper novel of the desequelised same name. Untitled 'Tank Water' Sequel by Michael Burge You can chat along live to future episodes via the YouTube page.

We talk with Quinns from People Make Games to about the Mystery Role-Play craze that has taken hold of China; Jubensha. What sets it apart from the Mystery Dinner Parties that accompany every crime fiction festival and book club? We also speak about role-play in the English speaking world, the complications of safety tools, and more of Quinns' experience playing Jubensha during his investigation. Make sure you also catch Quinns' work on Shut Up & Sit Down, and his new TTRPG channel Quinn's Quest.

We discuss the season finale of The Simpsons sixth season, and its infamous puzzle. Springfield Elementary is almost destroyed in an eruption, but fortunately, it's an eruption of oil, so they're wealthy now. At least, they would be, if Mr. Burns wasn't up to his antics, preparing to destroy all that is good in the world. Nobody in Springfield is free from his cruel machinations, so when he dies, we shouldn't be surprised, but the killer has the perfect alibi. Can you solve this mystery? Flex probably can't because he watched in 16:9. We're also joined by Quinns from People Make Games to talk about the Mystery Role-Play craze that has taken hold of China; Jubensha. What sets it apart from the Mystery Dinner Parties that accompany every crime fiction festival and book club? Get your TTRPG shoes on, it's time to cry. Speaking of which, make sure you also catch Quinns' work on Shut Up & Sit Down, and his new TTRPG channel Quinn's Quest.

Herds presents the much coveted Golden pants award straight from Sulari Gentill's wardrobe to… Everyone, and by that we don't mean the heart-warming everyone, as in everyone's a winner, but rather the Everyone series by Benjamin Stevenson. That's right, two books can share a placement, as long as they're written by the same author. There was much internal debate on the Death of the Reader team as to how we could possibly choose one over the other, but with the power of a year long symmetry and some personal bias towards quirky meta narratives, we decided we couldn't separate these two, bound by birth in a double homicide into our hearts and, we hope, yours.

Review Season is about recommendations. You don't need someone to recommend you Sherlock Holmes. Whether or not you have read Arthur Conan Doyle's original stories, watched one of the many renditions, or experienced some form of pastiche, there is no doubt that some comparison to Sherlock Holmes worms its way into your life. Especially if you said something painfully obvious. What is far, far less common, is work endorsed by the Conan Doyle Estate. Coming in 2nd Place for our 2023 Recommendations is Moriarty, one of two ‘official' continuation stories commissioned by the estate from powerhouse writer Anthony Horowitz.

There are three entries here and only one can take back the coveted Sulari Gentill prize, winning for themselves eternal glory and golden dance pants to take home. In the bronze position, standing tall head and shoulders over a dozen others, the bloody, the historical, The Red Death Murders written by Jim Noy. Noy's work brings together three of Herds favourite aspects of historical fiction. You've got your gothic horror, your old timey medieval politics, and your elaborate medieval castles. Boy does he love a good castle. The novel is set during a semi-fictional period of time during the Red Death of Edgar Allen Poe's short story, Mask of the Red Death.

It's time for the controversial entry in our list of high class detective fiction, there's always one. Usually any films that we cover will be contentious in terms of placement, is it really fair to place a work of a visual medium in the same competition as some musty old books? Am I even qualified to talk about film theory? Well, I'll have you know that I completed at least one, and I quote: “unspecified film studies unit” in the course of my school education, so I'm the most qualified person in the room. It is of course Glass Onion by Rian Johnson that takes the fourth place in our competition for 2023, just shy of the grand podium. When this film came out I was excited, despite its strange titling as: Glass Onion, a Knives Out Story, I was intrigued. It seemed to be tackling more modern ideas, bringing the original structure of the classic Christie with the rich family suckling at the teat of their patriarch into a contemporary story, instead with a gaggle of successful celebrities reliant on an even more wildly successful tech bro for his blessings and budgets to sustain their fiscal dreams.

Why read one detective story, when you could have eight? Coming in 5th Place on Review Season for our 2023 Recommendations is Alex Pavesi, with his debut mystery novel ‘Eight Detectives'. Released in 2020, the novel takes Alex's background in mathematics, and questions the numerical principles that define the genre, except, that's not quite the whole story.

To follow up the historical supernatural mayhem that is the Chinese Gold Murders I couldn't think of a more opposite yet familiar companion novel than our sixth place winner. I'm proud to grant G.K Chesterton's The Innocence of Father Brown this position in our rankings. Father Brown is a detective who we've had literally tens of requests to cover, and that's pretty high for us. He's an unassuming father of the cloth, who uses a slow but determined application of observation and light questioning in order to force his suspects to confess their sins. I can't imagine he's much fun at parties though. The Innocence is not just one story, but twelve short ones, they vary wildly in terms of complexity and tone.

We're officially in the upper half of the entries and it is with no small amount of nepotism that I would advocate to you a historical novel for seventh place. The Chinese Gold Murders, by Robert van Gulik occupy a bizarre place in the history of Chinese crime fiction, in that the credited author is as much an author as an adapter of foreign fiction. The myth goes that Robert, a Dutch diplomat on a mission to China, found a collection of 18th century Chinese murder mysteries, set in the Tang dynasty of the 7th century, though with some anachronistic elements mixed in so as to not alienate the audience, and Robert enjoyed reading these mysteries so much that he cut out half of the stories that he suspected had been written by a talentless hack separate to the first half, and set about translating and adapting the mysteries of Judge Dee for a European audience. Judge Dee as a character is based on a real historical figure, and follows in a long tradition of Chinese crime-solving magistrates.

Smack bang in the middle of our list is a novel that captured my heart when I first read it for its fun take on a distinguished no-introductions-needed character, in eighth place the always lovely Sophie Hannah's Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot's Silent Night, which we covered on the show quite late in our year. Silent Night is a new and ambitious look into the life and times of Poirot and is the fifth in a series of revival novels which we sought out after tackling Anthony Horowitz's acclaimed Moriarty. We've had a chance this year to just scratch the surface of new age revisitations of classic characters and I'm looking forward to diving into more of those next year.

Mystery always likes a new subgenre to keep things interesting, and over the past few years, a reimagining of ‘found footage' storytelling has been working its way to the core of the whodunnit, championed by one author in particular. You're listening to Death of the Reader, it's review season, and breaking ground on our single digit recommendations is Janice Hallet, with her 2023 novel ‘The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels'.

Coming in at tenth place is one spooky entry, it sports a lively cast of college aged characters, a pair of gruesome parallel cases to solve, and a setting that is elevated by the very house that makes up its title. This is, Death in the House of Rain by Szu Yen Lin, Taiwanese murder mystery author. Out the gate I'd like to tell you that I can easily recommend this novel if you're looking to sate your desire for Eastern murder mystery, particularly if you enjoy the various insane houses that Yukito Ayatsuji has cooked up over the years. The House of Rain itself was created by what many assume to be a mad architect, the house's layout when seen from a bird's eye view forming the Chinese character for rain through its interconnected hallways and many, many rooms for family and guests alike. It is said that simply by standing within its confines you are able to experience the intense inevitability and sombre tone that only a heavy downpour of rain can provide.

In 2021, I said that Yukito Ayatsuji achieved a rare feat, with his first entry in the mansion murder series. As I described, he bested one of the most influential mysteries of all time in his own pastiche of it. Arguably, with the sequel, Ayatsuji did it again, although, I think the accomplishment is a little more manageable this time, as he lands in 11th place on Review Season. The Mill House Murders takes the core puzzle of the masked man mystery, brings the ghostly hand of his architect arch-nemesis Seiji Nakamura, and sets the mill wheel turning.

Coming in 12th Place this Review Season, is our biggest outlier for 2023, Death and the Seaside by Alison Moore. Not a murder mystery, as such, but still a mysterious metafictional tale of a writer, her landlord, her character, and their trauma. We came to it on the recommendation of Alex Pavesi, exploring the ways it shaped his novel ‘Eight Detectives'. Bonnie Falls is a writer, recently moved out of home, recently dropped out of university, recently moved into the ground-floor apartment owned by Sylvia Slythe. Our story heels over between Bonnie and Syliva's life, as far from the coast as one can get, and Bonnie's fictional character Susan, who lives in Seatown, as much a ghost town haunted by the sea as it is a coastal retreat.

It's Review Season, and in 13th place, we've positioned several of Japan's most renowned creative houses, with both film adaptations of ‘The Inugami Clan'. Author Seishi Yokomizo continues to haunt japanese mystery fiction, with spinoffs and adaptations of his leading detective, Kosuke Kindaichi, continuing production over forty years after his passing. Kon Ichikawa was perhaps more prolific, even if his comparisons to other contemporaneous Japanese directors are less universal.

Is a murder mystery just a verbose cryptic crossword? Fans of Caroline Crampton's excellent ‘Shedunnit' podcast, might remember her episode on the topic from 2021. It turned me towards Robort Thorogood's ‘The Marlow Murder Club', published just a few months earlier. The novel follows crossword enthusiast Judith, and her quest for clues and friendship following a murder she witnesses whilst out on a swim. We didn't end up fitting it into our 2021 run, so when the sequel launched this year, I knew we had to revisit the cruciverbalist.

What do you get when you take a classic Christie style murder mystery complete with a cast of characters invited by a rich benefactor, an island hemmed in from all sides by storms, and an absurdly powerful detective who swoops in at the last moment to blow everything else away, and combine all of that with a stylistically over the top pseudo-autobiographical musing on the nature of intellectual genius itself? I'd say you get Decapitation by NISIOISIN, but that couldn't quite do this amazingly nerdy text justice without reading it for yourself. Taking the unenviable 15th place in review season this year, NISIOISIN is a Japanese author who has gone on to write some strange and spectacular fiction, most notably the manga series bakemonogatari. Decapitation, aka the first entry in the Zaregoto cycle, was his first attempt at writing a piece of compelling fiction and as such bears the marks of unguarded inspiration.

We discuss chapters 28-36 of Benjamin Stevenson's 'Everyone on this Train is a Suspect', the second novel in his 'Everyone' series. A stop-off in Coober Pedy sees Ernest on a car-chase with a train, hurtling down the track after the enormous iron horse. Fortunately, the cows are on his side, and he is back on the case to identify the killer still on the train. Two bodies, two riddles, two methods of death, where are the parallels? With Alan's botched denouement out of the way, will the police even let him look at the clues? Nobody is getting off, and everyone on this train is...you get the point. We're joined by Dr. Kate Evans of ABC Radio National's 'The Bookshelf' across these three weeks, and also chat more with Benjamin Stevenson about the intentions and key choices behind the twists of this book. Thank you to BAD: Sydney Crime Writers' Festival, and Penguin Australia for providing copies of 'Everyone on this Train is a Suspect'.

We talk with Aussie author Jack Heath about his new horror-comedy murder mystery, 'Kill Your Husbands'. When Jack Heath isn't writing awesome stories for kids, or horrifying crime-solving-cannibal stories for adults, he likes to take relaxing breaks and write about deeply traumatised lesbians in life-threatening situations. I wonder how he relaxes on holidays? In Kill Your Husbands, Kiara Lui and Elise Glyk have rebuilt a strong relationship following the septic-tank horrors of 'Kill Your Brother'. Kiara is called to investigate a holiday home in the hills where three vacationing couples had their holiday torn asunder by murders, but nobody knows quite who did it or how. As Kiara goes about solving the case in the present, we read through the eyes of the suspects in the past to figure out who did kill their husbands. Thank you to Allen & Unwin for their help in arranging this interview.

We discuss chapters 12-27 of Benjamin Stevenson's 'Everyone on this Train is a Suspect', the second novel in his 'Everyone' series. Alan Royce is on the hunt. He's confident that there's no way Ernest Cunningham has managed to stumble across a second true crime while trying to write the follow up to his previous true crime memoir. As the obviously incompetent forensic crime fiction author goes about trying to shoehorn his first inoperable theory from Ernest to another candidate, another death looms. Ernest is stuck between several rocks and hard places as suspicion is traded around like a scarf. Hang on, wasn't there a scarf by the body in the opening? We're joined by Dr. Kate Evans of ABC Radio National's 'The Bookshelf' to unravel this book over these three weeks, and also chat with Jack Heath about his latest book, "Kill Your Husbands". Thank you to BAD: Sydney Crime Writers' Festival, and Penguin Australia for providing copies of 'Everyone on this Train is a Suspect'. Thank you to Allen & Unwin for helping to arrange the interview with Jack Heath.

We discuss chapters 1-11 of Benjamin Stevenson's 'Everyone on this Train is a Suspect', the second novel in his 'Everyone' series. Ernest Cunningham is back, and even though you're reading the book he's written, he is really struggling to write it. His previous outing, a true-crime memoir of perhaps the darkest moment in his family's history, has seen him invited to a crime fiction festival travelling the length of Australia on The Ghan. His literary agent has given him a big advance for a sequel, but sadly, autobiographical true crime is hard to follow up. His attempts at following his own mystery fiction guides aren't getting anywhere, so he and his girlfriend Juliette hope that this trip will provide some inspiration. I guess you know where this is going. We're joined by Dr. Kate Evans of ABC Radio National's 'The Bookshelf' to unravel this book over the next three weeks, and also chat with Benjamin Stevenson about his own journey to write this book. Thank you to BAD: Sydney Crime Writers' Festival, and Penguin Australia for providing copies of 'Everyone on this Train is a Suspect'.