Thrills, spills & chills with Leigh Redhead & Wendy James

8pm Friday July 23, 2010

Sisters in Crime national convenor Jacqui Horwood interrogates two Australian crime writers about their new books & much much more.

Simone Kirsch, St Kilda’s sassiest private eye, is back in Thrill City (A&U). Leigh Redhead is back too (from Hanoi, but only for a short visit). Thrill City is Redhead’s 4th crime novel to feature Simone Kirsch, ex-stripper, sleuth and bad girl. Before she has time to crack a bottle of cheap champagne to celebrate the opening of her very own detective agency on Carlisle Street, she's up to her neck in lethal fun and games.  It all starts off quite innocently at a writers’ festival.

Leigh has a BA, MPhil and Certificate in English Language Teaching and has variously worked as a waitress, dancer, receptionist, masseur, apprentice chef (dishpig), checkout chick and cook/deckhand on a prawn trawler. She won the Davitt (Readers’ Choice) Award for her debut novel, Peepshow, in 2005 and was a joint winner of the Davitt (Readers’ Choice) for her second novel, Rubdown, in 2006.  Her third, Cherry Pie, was short-listed in 2008.

Wendy James is down from Armidale, NSW. But Where Have You Been? doesn’t refer to Wendy’s country location but to the title of her third novel— a domestic thriller that takes the form of a classic imposter novel, but with a 21st century twist.  According The Age , James proves herself a master of “suburban suspense”. Wendy’s first novel, Out of the Silence (Random House, 2005), won the 2006 Ned Kelly Award for first crime novel. Her second, The Steele Diaries, was published by Vintage in May 2008. A collection of her short stories, Why She Loves Him, was published by UWAP in May 2009.

Bell’s Hotel (upstairs), 157 Moray St., South Melbourne (cnr Coventry).

Mel 57, G1. Try 112, 55 or St Kilda Road trams. Free on-street parking after 6pm. No need to book for the event or dinner (downstairs ) from 6.30pm.  (Note: Sisters in Crime will be meeting at Bell's Hotel for the time being. Hoping to negotiate disability access when upstairs renovations occur.). Men – or ’brothers-in-law’ - welcome.

Dinner $5/$10 (non-members) 10% discount from Benn’s Books stall. 

Info: Carmel Shute on 0412 569 356 or go to: http://home.vicnet.net.au/~sincoz/