In Conversation with Amanda Hampson

A model vanishes. A man is murdered. and the Tea Ladies are back on the case

Sydney, 1968. In a shadowy city lane, a young man is shot dead. His glamorous fiancée, a rising fashion model, disappears without a trace. The police thinkthey’ve found their culprit. But Hazel, Betty, Irene and Merl know better.

The Model Murder is the fourth irresistible instalment in bestselling author Amanda Hampson’s much-loved Tea Ladies cosy crime series. A smart, warmhearted and sharply observed crime novel that proves sleuthing isn’t just for hard-boiled detectives.

Set against the fizz and tension of late-1960s Sydney, The Model Murder plunges into a world of fashion houses, theatre groups, back-street bookmakers and dangerous secrets. When the Tea Ladies begin quietly asking questions about the laneway murder, they uncover a tangled web of lies involving missing money, organised crime — and a truth someone is willing to kill to keep buried.

As always, Hampson’s great strength lies in her characters: four working women whose friendship, courage and stubborn sense of justice carry them far beyond their day jobs. Witty, suspenseful and deeply humane, The Model Murder blends classic whodunnit pleasures with rich social detail and a keen eye for the hidden lives of older women.

Attendee price: $11 bookings essential incl. light refreshment, plus booking fee. Tickets can also be purchased at the Library. More information at https://ballaratmi.org.au/talks

This event takes place on Wadawurrung Country. The Ballaarat Mechanics' Institute acknowledges the Wadawurrung People of the Kulin Nation as the first inhabitants and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we work, learn and create. Always Was, Always Will Be, Aboriginal Land.