Behind the crime: a lunch time author talk

Lineup

• More details about Candice Fox - Redbelly Crossing

  Candice Fox - Redbelly Crossing

  In Candice Fox's latest bestselling crime novel, two cop brothers hunt a killer while trying to outrun their shared past ... Blood is thicker than water. But too much leaves a trail . . . Russell and Evan Powder are cops. The brothers haven’t spoken for five years, since a violent confrontation tore their family apart. Now they are both assigned to the murder of a young journalist, Chloe Lutz, in the small town of Redbelly Crossing (population 205). It’s the last thing Russell wants. This is supposed to be the week he repairs things with his teenage daughter Bridie. Now he’s had to drag her on a murderous ride-along to the middle of snake-infested nowhere. But a big case like this is just what Evan needs after a terrible mistake nearly tanked his career. Then a dark discovery leaves Evan with only one way out; to bury the truth Russell is so determined to uncover ... Candice Fox is the author of eleven crime novels and the winner of three prestigious Ned Kelly Awards. She has also co-written seven New York Times bestsellers with James Patterson, the world’s bestselling thriller writer. Candice's novels Crimson Lake and Redemption Point were adapted into a major ABC TV series called Troppo. A meticulous researcher, Candice has interviewed a serial killer on Death Row, been to prison three times (for work purposes) and while on honeymoon in the US took a road trip to famous crime scenes looking for clues. She has also dined with a former President of the United States, filmed a cameo role in her latest screen adaptation and, as a volunteer for WIRES, has rescued countless wild animals.

• More details about J.P. Pomare - The Gambler

  J.P. Pomare - The Gambler

  A highly charged crime-thriller - the first in an electrifying new series - by multi-award-winning prince of the twist, J.P. Pomare. PI Vince Reid is visiting an old friend when he's offered a case he can't refuse: Why did a respected local woman open fire at a political rally, killing a promising young university graduate? It's easy money, he's told. A sure thing. But as Reid delves further into the case, the stakes are higher than he imagined. There are invisible players pulling the strings. Will he walk away a winner or pay for the ultimate gamble with his life? J.P. POMARE is an award-winning author whose debut novel, Call Me Evie (2018), won the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best First Novel. In the Clearing (2019) was made into a Disney+ Original Series, The Clearing, while Tell Me Lies (2020) was a #1 Audible bestseller and was shortlisted for the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Novel and the Ned Kelly Award for Best Crime Fiction. The Last Guests (2021) was critically acclaimed and made into a Stan Original TV series, Watching You. His fifth book, The Wrong Woman (2022), was a top-ten bestseller and was highly acclaimed, as was Home Before Night (2023). 17 Years Later (2024) was shortlisted for both the 2025 Ned Kelly Award for Best Crime Fiction and the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Novel, and is currently being adapted for the screen. The Gambler is his eighth novel.