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Australian crime fiction anthologies

This page lists a selection of Australian crime fiction anthologies.

 

Australian anthologies of crime fiction

Dead Witness : Best Australian Mystery Stories

Editor: Stephen Knight

Penguin

1989

"A collection of Australian detective stories and stories of mystery from the late 19th century to modern day."
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Crimes for a Summer Christmas

Editor: Stephen Knight

Allen and Unwin

1990

"An entertaining collection of previously unpublished Australian crime stories, from contributors such as Peter Corris, Marele Day, Garry Disher, Marion Halligan, Mudrooroo Narogin, Kate Stephens and Renate Yates."
The contents are:
  • Ladies’ Day (Jennifer Rowe)
  • Logan’s Comet (Peter Corris)
  • Westralian Lead (Mudrooroo Narogin )
  • Neighbourhood Fortress (Marion Halligan)
  • The Widder Tree Shadder Murder (Elizabeth Jolley)
  • The Caretaker (Ian Moffitt)
  • The Stinging Tree (Marele Day)
  • The Night of the Eclipse (Martin Long)
  • Songs of the Sea (Archie Weller)
  • The Perfect Murder (Renate Yatesi)
  • Pioneers (Michael Wilding)
  • The Manly Shooting (Nigel Krauth)
  • Cody’s Art (Garry Disher)
  • Tanners End (Kate Stephens)
  • Mugger’s Game (Robert Hood)
  • Killing Time (John Sligo)
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More Crimes for a Summer Christmas

Editor: Stephen Knight

Allen and Unwin

1991

"The second collection of stories by Australian writers of crime, mystery and psychic violence, including Alex Juniper, Peter Corris, Claire McNab, Marele Day and Jennifer Rowe."
The contents are:
  • The Icecream Bursts (Marion Halligan)
  • Old Ground (Garry Disher)
  • For Mr Voss or Occupant (Janette Turner Hospital)
  • The Big Lie (Peter Corris)
  • The Long Way Home (Kate Stephens)
  • Australian-American Collaboration in the Fight Against World Terrorism (Richard Hall)
  • The Vanishing of Jock McHale’s Hat (Kerry Greenwood)
  • Follow Me (Marele Day)
  • The Merchant of Parramatta (Martin Long)
  • White Christmas (Jennifer Rowe)
  • The Healer (Mudrooroo Narogin )
  • An Old Husbands’ Tale (Susan Geason)
  • Hitmen on Holidays (Robert Hood)
  • High-Rating Death (Claire McNab)
  • Winston Goes Straight (Steve Wright)
  • The Amateur Hangman (Kel Richards)
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A Corpse At The Opera House: Crimes for a Summer Christmas No. 3

Editor: Stephen Knight

Allen and Unwin

1993

"The third collection in the Crimes for a Summer Christmas series, featuring stories by 14 Australian writers."
The contents are:
  • Ghost Writer (Peter Corris)
  • Portfolio (Brian Castro)
  • Lady Meredith's Jam (Elizabeth Jolley)
  • Dead Roses (Archie Weller)
  • Critical Differences (Marion Halligan)
  • The Three Of Spades (Steve Wright)
  • Cousin To Death (Jean Bedford)
  • Bloody Hide (Robert Hood)
  • First Victim (Kate Stephens)
  • Bee Sting (Robert Wallace)
  • Unpleasantness At The Big Boys Club (Marele Day)
  • The Tarpeian Way (Martin Long)
  • Threshold (Garry Disher)
  • A Corpse At The Opera House (Janette Turner Hospital)
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Crosstown Traffic: Romance, Horror, Fantasy, SF, Western Invade Crime Fiction

Editor: Stuart Coup, Julie Ogden & Robert Hood

Five Islands Press

1993

"Twelve adventurous Australian writers respond to the challenge of creating a hybrid crime story. Murder, mayhem and malice intercept with science fiction, fantasy, horror, western, fairy tale and romance writing to create an unholy miasma, the likes of which you have never encountered before. Expect the unexpected. Prepare for the confrontation. The crime fiction story has been invaded by marauding genres. The boundaries have been blurred. You have been warned. A cross genre crime anthology featuring Australia's best writers of crime playing with genre boundaries."
The contents are:
  • Introduction (Stuart Coupe)
  • The Kid and the Man from Pinkertons Marele (Marele Day)
  • My Brother Jack ( Garry Disher)
  • Finding Fire (Jean Bedford)
  • And Then She Kissed Him (Steve Wright)
  • Voyeur Night (Robert Hood)
  • Arizona Dawn (Peter Corris)
  • Blue Groper (Robert Wallace)
  • The Big Fairy Tale Sleep (Domenic Cadden)
  • Fear-Me-Now (Terry Dowling)
  • I Am My Father's Daughter (Bill Congreve)
  • I Am Dying Egypt, Dying (Kerry Greenwood)
  • Sensible Shoes (Jan McKemmish)
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Murder At Home: Crimes for a Summer Christmas No. 4

Editor: Stephen Knight

Allen and Unwin

1994

"Into this fourth anthology, crime-writer Stephen Knight has lured 13 crime and literary writers, offering as irresistible bait the chance to bring the complications of violent death back to where it belongs - at home."
The contents are:
  • Home On The Range (Mudrooroo)
  • Back (John Baxter)
  • Seascape (Gillian Mears)
  • Sand Trap (Peter Corris)
  • I Love New York (Marion Halligan)
  • Trusthouse (Garry Disher)
  • Twisty Turny Bertie Twine (Elizabeth Stead)
  • A Family Affair (John Sligo)
  • Inheritance (Robert Wallace)
  • Mavis Levack’s One Night Stand (Marele Day)
  • The Merrys (Penelope Rowe)
  • Poet’s Ridge (Brian Castro)
  • The Voice Is Jacob’s Voice (Kerry Greenwood)
  • The True Artist (Michael Stephens)
  • All The Pretty Little Horses (Archie Weller)
  • The Monster Regiment (Lucy Sussex)
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Love Lies Bleeding: Crimes for a Summer Christmas No. 5

Editor: Jennifer Rowe

Allen and Unwin

1995

"In this anthology, dark tales of 'crime passionel', of romantic love, of love within families and the intimacy of friendships are woven. These stories reveal the rivalries of love with more than a touch of humour as even the best of intentions usually result in the verdict of death-by-love."
The contents are:
  • Introduction (Jennifer Rowe)
  • Cameron And The Mother (Elizabeth Stead)
  • Take My Aching Heart (Jean Bedford)
  • The Light (Robert English)
  • Sunday Drive (Caroline Macdonald)
  • Scrapings (Garry Disher)
  • Whatever Happened To Love? (Barbara Yates Rothwell)
  • Who Killed Cock Robin? (Lucy Sussex)
  • Cat's Paw (Valerie Parv)
  • The Valley Murders (Jamie Grant)
  • See Nikko And Die (G.M. Hanson)
  • Marple Syrup (Marele Day)
  • The Substance Of Things Hoped For, The Evidence Of Things Not Seen (Robert Wallace)
  • The Man From Croweatia (Alex Buzo)
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Moonlight Becomes You: Crimes for a Summer 6

Editor: Jean Bedford

Allen and Unwin

1996

"Strange and terrible things can happen in the light of the moon - crimes of passion; crimes of the heart; crimes of madness and lust. The glamour of moonlight can cast its glow - transforming the mundane, tricking the eye of the beholder, leading common sense astray. In this collection, Australia's foremost crime writers take the moon as their inspiration. Some of the stories are saturated in its grisly ambience; others use it lightly as a motif or to set a mood."
The contents are:
  • A Helping Hand (Marele Day)
  • TV (Peter Corris)
  • "You Can't Take The Moon Away From You" Duet (Dorothy Porter)
  • Stalking Moon (Garry Disher)
  • Nightshade (Jennifer Rowe)
  • Romeo Becomes Moonlight (Venero Armanno)
  • Release (J.R. Carroll)
  • Dead In The Glamour Of Moonlight (Robert Hood)
  • I Know Where You Go To, My Lovely (Jean Bedford)
  • Masks (Gabrielle Lord)
  • Conflict Of Interest (Susan Geason)
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Murder Under The Mangoes

Editors: Garrett Russell

CrimeWriters Queensland

1997

"Sizzling new stories of dark deeds in a warm place."
The contents are:
  • A Necessary Murder (Cheryl Jorgensen)
  • The Sweet Life (Joy Loggie)
  • Bones of Contention (Helen Noad)
  • Shooting Script (Garrett Russell)
  • Necessity (Helen Bowers)
  • Vengeance is Mine (Marion McVey)
  • D.I.Y. (Alison Preston)
  • Stanson's Last Case (Ian Callinan)
  • A Secretive Woman (P. M. Richardson)
  • Ice Age (Stephen M. Irwin)
  • Nice Evening Out (Gloria B. Yates)
  • Suffer the Children (Anne Infante)
  • Stabbing in the Dark (Angela Le Mare)
  • Tea with Aunty Bea (Joy Loggie)
  • Dead on Track (Cheryl Jorgensen)
  • Dead Ringer (Garrett Russell)
  • The Spirit of Murder (Adrienne Richardson)
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Crime & Tide: Brisbane River Mysteries

Editors: Jean Bedford

CrimeWriters Queensland

1998

"The second sizzling collection of dark deeds in a warm place."
The contents are:
  • Introduction (Jean Bedford)
  • Hit The Silk (Garrett Russell)
  • Teresa Tempestuous (Cheryl Jorgensen)
  • River Rising (Anne Infante)
  • Obsessed (Nancy Cox-Millner)
  • In The Family (Robert D Ferguson)
  • Poor Pussy (Helen Bowers)
  • The Day The Bridge Fell Down (Joy Loggie)
  • Murky Waters (Pat Noad)
  • Mia's Turn (Alison Preston)
  • Framed (Helen Noad)
  • When Bouncer Ball Nudged Karma (Angela Le Mare)
  • Poker Face (Sandra Hodgson Moore)
  • Deceptive Passions (Jocelyn Hawes)
  • The Wivenhoe Affair (Ian Callinan)
  • Rat Trapped (Maureen Whitehead)
  • Final Shot (Garrett Russell)
  • Taken At The Flood (Pat Noad)
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Peril Under The Pandanus

Editors: Jean Bedford

CrimeWriters Queensland

1999

"Stories of sun, surf, sand … and sin."
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Menace In The Mulga

Editors: Peter Corris

Crime Writers Queensland

2000

The contents are:

  • Grave Consequences (Brenda Cross)
  • With His Boots On (Rose Williams)
  • Double Or Nothing (Garrett Russell)
  • A Gentlemanly Hobby (Coral Hartley)
  • 'Unsolved' Crimes (Cheryl Jorgensen)
  • The Croc And The Blue Dreaming (Joy Loggie)
  • The Thorn Apple (Maureen Whitehead)
  • The Weeping Madonna (Antonia Hildebrand)
  • Crime And Deduction (Ian Callinan)
  • Deeds And Descendants (Pat Noad)
  • Roo Kill (Garrett Rusell)
  • The Colonial's Apprentice (M.A. Gallagher)
  • A Long Time Waiting (Brenda Cross)
  • Asking For It (Angela De La Mare)
  • Shooting Through (Duncan Richardson)
  • Women Of The West (Alison Mclevie)
  • Macbeth Revisited (Allison Ovenden)
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Bad To The Bones

Editor: Kerry Greenwood

CrimeWriters Queensland

2002

The contents are:

  • Pelican Pocket (Coral Hartley)
  • Along the Line (Pat Noad)
  • Buried in Bulimba (Joy Loggie)
  • The Troubled Tobacconist (Adrienne Ross)
  • Riding (Moonlight (Duncan Richardson)
  • Fool's Gold (Kimberley Starr)
  • Of Pearls and Swine (Garrett Russell)
  • The Kettle of Gold (Nancy Cox-Millner)
  • Second Nature (Antonia Hildebrand)
  • Murder at Finnisterre (Joan Eacott)
  • A Federation Event (Ian Callinan)
  • No Remorse (Jocelyn Hawes)
  • Rats (Pat Noad)
  • Tree of Silence (Margaret Hill)
  • If at First (Brenda Cross)
  • Herbie Naughton's Nugget (Angela Le Mare)
  • Punch Drunk (Garrett Russell)
  • Threepenny Pieces (Maureen Whitehead)
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Scarlet Stiletto. The First Cut

Editor: Lindy Cameron / Sisters In Crime Australia

Mira Books

2007

Published by Clan Destine Press in 2011

"This is a superb collection of crime fiction stories culled from early Scarlet Stiletto Awards (1994–2006). From murder and mayhem to police procedurals, some will have your blood running cold, some will raise gooseflesh as well as a chuckle, but all will have you on the edge of your seat wanting more."
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The Anthology of Colonial Australian Crime Fiction

Editor: Kenneth Gelder and Rachael Weaver

Melbourne University Press

2008

"Ex-convicts, bushrangers, ruthless gold prospectors, forgers and impostors, thieves and murderers: they all flow through the stories that make up this collection, challenging colonial law and order. The landscape itself can seem to stimulate criminal activity, where identities change at will and people suddenly disappear without a trace. In the bush and the tropics, the goldfields and the city streets, colonial Australia is a troubling, bewildering place and almost impossible to control - even for the most vigilant detective. This anthology collects the best examples of colonial Australian crime fiction by authors such as Mary Fortune, James Skipp Borlase, Guy Boothby, Francis Adams, Ernest Favenc, 'Rolf Boldrewood' and Norman Lindsay, among others. It is a unique collection of disturbing mysteries and gruesome tales that tap into the fears and anxieties of Australian life."
The contents are:
  • Colonial Australian Crime Fiction (Ken Gelder And Rachel Weaver)
  • Barrington (1859) (John Lang)
  • Tales Of Adventure By A Log-Fire (1859) (William Burrows)
  • The Dead Witness, Or, The Bush Waterhole (1866) (James Skipp Borlase)
  • The Major's Case (1895) (W.W.)
  • Tale Of A Skull (1867) (James Skipp Borlase)
  • In Australian Wilds (1870) (B.L. Farjeon)
  • The Trooper's Story Of The Bank Robbery (1872) (R.P. Whitworth)
  • The Premier's Secret (1887) (Campbell Mckellar)
  • Dr. Fletcher's Love Story (1892) (Francis Adams)
  • The Sea Gave Up Its Dead (1892) (Felix Slowboy)
  • My Only Murder (1899) (Ernest Favenc)
  • One Of The Cloth (1897) (Guy Boothby)
  • A Stripe For Trooper Casey (1898) (Roderic Quinn)
  • Midnight (1898) ('Coo-Ee' (William Sylvester Walker))
  • Le Premier Pas (1899) (E.W. Hornung)
  • The Mailman's Yarn (1901) (Rolf Boldrewood)
  • The Bardoc Finn (1911) (Randolph Bedford)
  • The Strip Of Lining (1912) (Norman Lindsay)
  • The Gangster (1933) (Alan Michaelis)
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The Seventh Book Of Sins

Editors: Sandy Curtis

CrimeWriters Queensland

2008

The contents are:

  • Bete Noire (Margaret Dakin)
  • After The Cataclysm (Helen Bowers)
  • Are You Scared Yet? (Paul Garrety)
  • Menage A Deux (Tracey-Anne Forbes)
  • Seventh Heaven (Elli Housden)
  • A Murder Of Crows (Joy Loggie)
  • Obscene Colour (F.N. Karmatz)
  • Pretty Poison (A. Ross)
  • Neighbours (Breanda Cross)
  • See Monster (Elli Housden)
  • Entrapment (Pat Noad)
  • The Seventh Director (Ian Callinan)
  • Who Killed The Rat (A. Ross)
  • Crushed Sugar (Tracey-Anne Forbes)
  • Seven Years Hard (Brian Rowell)
  • Stake-Out At Number Seven (Joy Loggie)
  • Aquarius (Paul Garrety)
  • Seventh Love (Garrett Russell)
  • Tangled Web (F.N. Karmatz)
  • Legwork (Pat Noad)
  • The Family Jewels (Garrett Russell)
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Scarlet Stiletto: Second Cut

Editor: Sisters In Crime Australia

Clan Destine Press

2011

"This sequel presents stories by the first-prize winners plus a selection of category winners from 2007 to 2010. It’s a superb collection of mysteries in which fabulous female protagonists solve – and sometimes perpetrate – all kinds of crimes. Featuring cops, killers, PIs, crooks and amateur sleuths, these award-winning stories will keep you in suspense, chill your blood and sometimes make you laugh out loud."
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Hard Labour

Editor: Cameron Ashley, Andrew Nette, Liam Jose

Crime Factory

2012

"An all-Australian anthology of noir, hardboiled and pulp. .... From the Land Down Under comes seventeen dark criminal tales, including Garry Disher’s first ever Wyatt story, unpublished for over a decade, and new fiction by Peter Corris, Leigh Redhead, David Whish-Wilson, Adrian McKinty, Angela Savage, Helen Fitzgerald and more."
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Scarlet Stiletto: Third Cut: 2011

Editor: Tanya King-Carmichael

Clan Destine Press

2012

"A superb collection of page-turning mysteries in which fabulous female protagonists solve – and sometimes perpetrate – all kinds of crimes."
The contents are:
  • Teardrop Tattoo (Angela Savage)
  • Crime Traveller (Liz Filleul)
  • The Barleymint Corpse (Carmela Saloman)
  • The Ugly Thing (Vicky Daddo)
  • Interview (Marguerite Johnson)
  • Out of the Dark (Anne Cost)
  • The Detail (Fiona Drury)
  • Cock-a-Hoop (Sarah Evans)
  • Trouble in Nine Acts (Kim Westwood)
  • Stage Fright (Mary Evans)
  • Revenge is Never the Bets Answer (Sarah Robinson-Hatch)
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Scarlet Stiletto: Fourth Cut: 2012

Editor: Moraig Kisler

Clan Destine Press

2013

"The Fourth Cut features: strong political themes – from the environment, to terrorism, to corrupt politicians; some innovative 'body in the library’ stories; yarns with the classic twist in the tale; and stories that bravely delve into diverse and interesting new areas."
The contents are:
  • Shadows (Josephine Pennicott)
  • A Clean Job (Emilie Collyer)
  • The Dog of Autumn Cannot Live to Spring (Claire McKenna)
  • Fish for Freedom (Sarah Evans)
  • Fallen Angel (Candice Graham)
  • Nursing a Suspicion (Robyn McWilliam)
  • Much Ado About Nunning (Iles)
  • Perspective (Ebony Franzmann)
  • Quit (Aoife Clifford)
  • Brought to Book (Kath Harper)
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Scarlet Stiletto: Fifth Cut: 2013

Editor: Phyllis King

Clan Destine Press

2014

"The Fifth Cut features tales filled with history, bigotry and revenge, car chases, dead blondes and PIs, tears, chills and laughter, from 12 talented women writers from across Australia."
The contents are:
  • Bunyip's Last Wish (Candice Graham)
  • Mary's Colours (Vicky Daddo)
  • A Lovely Face (Kylie Fox)
  • Milko (Moraig Kisler)
  • Blonde Number Thirteen (Shannon Todd)
  • Silk Versus Sierra (Sandi Wallace)
  • Service With A Smile (Emilie Collyer)
  • Stiff Luck (Loren Order)
  • Just One Touch (Sarah Robinson-Hatch)
  • Aunt Bob Decides (Alison Manthorpe )
  • The Case of the Missing Husband (Aoife Clifford)
  • The Body in the Library (Dawn Farnham)
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Scarlet Stiletto: Sixth Cut: 2014

Editor: Moraig Kisler

Clan Destine Press

2015

"The Sixth Cut features gold nugget wielding daughters, killer scrabble players, crooked cops, blue-tongued husbands and the dirty little secrets of librarians. Revenge is always a steady theme in the history of the Scarlet Stilettos, but in the 2014 anthology not only husbands and significant others but also bullying colleagues and statue-stealing weirdos were targeted. This delicious array of stories offers excellent advice on how to be rid of bothersome people, and a satisfying and at times comic treat for lovers of all things criminal."
The contents are:
  • Amy’s Sandal (Judith Bridge)
  • #hitandrun (Julianne Negri)
  • What’s a Girl to Do (Fin J Ross)
  • Death on a Triple Score (Frances Sutherland)
  • The Island (Suzanne Frankham)
  • Statuary Offence (Katie Mills)
  • The Sixth Sense (Richenda Rudman)
  • Savage Women (Melanie Myers)
  • Ball and Chain (Sandi Wallace)
  • Prussian Blue (Vicky Daddo)
  • Out Came the Sun (Anna Snoekstra)
  • Dorothy Gale P.I. (Bridey Carmel)
  • The VOTOS Solution (Fin J Ross)
  • The Book Club (Natalie Conyer)
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Crime Scenes: Stories

Editor: Zane Lovitt

Spineless Wonders

2016

"Crime Scenes is short crime fiction at its best stories filled with deceptions and misdirections, high-stakes action and characters facing difficult moral choices."
The contents are:
  • The Turn (Amanda O'Callaghan)
  • Three-Pan Creek Gift (Peter Corris)
  • The Mango Tree (PM Newton)
  • Thirteen Miles (Michael Caleb Tasker)
  • Postcard From Cambodia (Andrew Nette)
  • Swimming Pool Girls (Melanie Napthine)
  • Death Star (Tony Birch)
  • The Teardrop Tattoos (Angela Savage)
  • The Good Butler (Carmel Bird)
  • The Drover (Leigh Redhead)
  • Saying Goodbye (David Whish-Wilson)
  • I Had Crime Fiction (Eddy Burger)
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Scarlet Stiletto: Seventh Cut: 2015

Editor: Tanya King-Carmichael

Clan Destine Press

2016

The contents are:

  • Hard Knox (T.J. Hamilton)
  • Anna Parker: Here Comes the PI (Kate Olivieri)
  • New Start (Natalie Conyer)
  • Hitting the Roof (Kath Harper)
  • Echo Wren (Fin J Ross)
  • Airborne (Crime is Catching) (Ellen Vickerman)
  • Guilt (Kylie Fox)
  • Washerteria (Annie Hauxwell)
  • Mental Blank (Amanda Coleman)
  • To Drive Out Evil Spirits (Katie Mills)
  • Caught on Camera (Jenny Spence)
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Scarlet Stiletto: Eighth Cut: 2016

Editor: Moraig Kisler

Clan Destine Press

2017

The contents are:

  • Stone Cold (Ruth Wykes)
  • Foul Play (Liz Filleul)
  • Cooking Up a Murder (Jenny Blackford)
  • Four Hundred Acres of Nothing (Fin J Ross)
  • He Was Hers (Leisl Egan)
  • A Good Night’s Sleep (Katie Mills)
  • Busted (Sandi Wallace)
  • Where Yellow Ends (Ellen Vickerman)
  • The Team from Information Services (Catherine Moffat)
  • Diving for Pearls (Jacqui Horwood)
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Scarlet Stiletto: Ninth Cut: 2017

Editor: Phyllis King

Clan Destine Press

2018

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Last updated July 2018