Death of the Reader

We discuss chapters 1-2 of Janice Hallett's bizarre media-meta-fiction 'Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels'. Journalist and true crime author Amanda Bailey is on the hunt for a new story. Her editors put her onto the case of the Alperton Angels, a perplexing cult-suicide from the early 2000s involving ritual sacrifice and a missing baby. As Amanda begins to work through her wishlist of interviewees for the novel, her old arch rival Oliver Menzies shows up investigating the same case, and the two are forced to work together on the tapestry of conspiracy behind the case. We see the case through the text logs and transcripts of conversations as the narrative is sculpted out in the atmosphere between the hard journalistic fact. In the spirit of strange structures, we're joined by author Ben Hobson to talk about his etched-in-stone Aussie-Outback-western 'The Death of John Lacey', and the motivating factors behind both his narrative choices, and how threatening the reader with a thoughtfully off-kilter structure can impact the feel of a book. Thank you to ABC Radio National and Allen & Unwin for providing copies of 'The Death of John Lacey'. You can catch Herds on 'The Bookshelf' on ABC Radio National discussing the book here.

We discuss chapters 25-36 of Tara Moss' new Billie Walker novel, 'The Ghosts of Paris'. Now in Paris, ready for the requisite showdown with the Nazis on her tail, Billie founds herself under the watchful eye over a resistance faction that has been tracking down war criminals on the run after the Second World War. Just her luck, it turns out, that one of them knows her perhaps a little too well. It's time to ponder over Dom's solution as we meet the Ghosts of Paris themselves. We're also joined by Lindy Cameron, Craig Sisterson and Vanda Symon to talk about 'Dark Deeds Down Under', a collection of some of the best of Australian and New Zealand mystery fiction, recently released by Clan Destine Press. With two more volumes in this anthology series already on the way, there's plenty to revel in as our local best get together. Thank you to Harper Collins for copies of the book.

We discuss chapters 13-24 of Tara Moss' new Billie Walker novel, 'The Ghosts of Paris'. Billie's journey through Europe in search of not one, but two, estranged husbands begins. Featuring uncomfortable run-ins with some men who think we're being too harsh on the Germans, to the altogether silly rules against women wearing pants in Paris, the post-war hustle and bustle is on full display. Billie finds out one of her friends has seen Jack, only to find a similar looking man on a morgue slab. Could it all be going awry? We're also joined by Nicolas Pleskof, director of French Murder Mystery Comedy 'Murder Party', to talk about playfulness and suffocation, the great game, and the Australian release of his film. Thank you to Harper Collins for copies of the book.

We discuss chapters 1-12 of Tara Moss' new Billie Walker novel, 'The Ghosts of Paris'. After her last showdown in 'The War Widow', Billie Walker has made quite the name for herself as a private inquiry agent in Sydney, with a unique clientele as the only woman in the country doing her line of work. One client leads to the next, until one Vera Montgomery comes with a blank cheque to find her missing husband. If Billie can prove he's dead, she is free to live her own life. Issues don't always disappear with their times, this intelligent, socially conscious novel sets an intriguing opening as we take to the skies on our way to explore the human stories often swept up in the theatre of war. Solving this one is 2SER's Sponsorship manager Dom Romeo, and if you want our help promoting your business, Dom tells us you should get in touch with him! We're also joined by Tara herself to talk about the all-seeing eye of a noir detective, the way we portray ourselves through fashion, and the heroics in the little things. Thank you to Harper Collins for copies of the book, and arranging our time with Tara.

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! With Herds unfortunately unwell at the last hour, 2SER's own Sponsorship Manager Dom Romeo stepped in ahead of his trial-by-fire for Tara Moss' The Ghosts of Paris. This iteration, we spoke about: Murder Party - Directed by Nicolas Pleskof Dark Deeds Down Under - Edited by Craig Sisterson, Published by Clan Destine Press Peril at the Exposition - Nev March The Lost Man of Bombay (Out August 2022) - Vaseem Khan Denizen - James McKenzie Watson Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone - Benjamin Stevenson The Files of Young Kindaichi (2022) - Directed by Hisashi Kimura We also listened to 'Watching the Detectives' by Elvis Costello, but that's been excised for the podcast! Check out the YouTube page for live chat and a bonus discussion about 'The Quarry'.

We've simply not had enough of Miss Jane Marple, and so it was that we decided to watch all manner of adaptations of 'The Body in the Library' before continuing on the world tour. Featuring the chaotic South Korean 'Ms. Ma: Nemesis', and the staple BBC 'Agatha Christie's Miss Marple', we also challenged you to bring your favourite to the table. Ms. Ma: Nemesis, also known as 'God of Revenge', stars Yunjin Kim of LOST fame, and brings Marple to the modern day. It features convoluted overarching drama, tenuous links to the original novels, and some thrillingly bizarre performances from the supporting cast. Perhaps not one to dive in to part way, it's a competent but questionable reinterpretation of a truly classic character. Agatha Christie's Miss Marple, on the other hand, provides a more faithful adaptation of the story, occasionally to the show's detriment as they juggle the contradictions of a protagonist who knows the answers but hasn't yet spoken, taking it in a curious direction, and showing up their South Korean counterparts on how to do ludicrously blunt sound design. Let us know about your favourite when we go LIVE, Thursday 21st of July at 7:30PM AEST for Death of the Reader: UNDEAD

Flex was joined recently by Margaret Hickey to talk about the second Mark Ariti novel, 'Stone Town', and the recent Ned Kelly nomination for the previous entry in the series, 'Cutters End'. Mark Ariti's journeys through small-town crime often bring him face to face with harrowing fear and the many unknowns lurking in the underbelly of rural Australia. We spoke with Marg about how fear divides and unites us, how the most important things are often the most understated, and the harrowing cry of Australia's endangered Barking Owls. Thanks to Penguin Australia for providing us with copies for this episode.

We discuss chapters 14-18 of Agatha Christie's 'The Body in the Library', the second novel to feature Miss Jane Marple. With Ms. Marple alleging an impending third murder, the police decide the only reasonable course of action is to prepare a dramatic 'just-on-time-arrest', to ensure Conway Jefferson can get one last bit of excitement out of this string of murders. We're also joined by Margaret Hickey to talk about her new novel 'Stone Town', and the recent Ned Kelly nomination for Mark Ariti's previous outing 'Cutters End'. Thanks to Penguin Australia for copies of these books.

We discuss chapters 9-13 of Agatha Christie's 'The Body in the Library', the second novel to feature Miss Jane Marple. As the police continue their investigation into the death of Ruby Keene, they are sidetracked by another (definitely unrelated) murder, of one Pamela Reeves. Found burning in the wreckage of a Minoan 14 motor vehicle at the local quarry, the young girl had gone missing just a day before Ruby's death. Unsurprisingly, Miss Marple notices something off about the girl's cause of death, and our lady detective steps into her own. We're also joined by Moira Redmond of 'Clothes in Books' to talk a bit about the background of her blog, the way Christie approaches fashion, and how Christie's narratives served as escapism for the Dame during the war.

We discuss chapters 1-8 of Agatha Christie's 'The Body in the Library', the second novel to feature Miss Jane Marple. After a frightful dream, Dolly Bantry awakes to find a body, in her library! A young dancer from a club on the coast nearby, strangled, just hours after she was last seen entertaining one Conway Jefferson. A clown-car of cops begin to follow the leads on this grizzly case, until Colonel Arthur Bantry decides that simply isn't enough investigators, and summons Sir Henry Clithering, who summons Miss Jane Marple. I'm sure one of these people will be able to figure it out!

We discuss chapters 25-34 of Sulari Gentill's 'The Woman in the Library', her second standalone metafictional mystery. We're also joined by Dani Vee from Words and Nerds, to join Herds in the battle for points. In Hannah's world, Leo's messages grow more and more erratic, until eventually international travel returns, and he makes his way to Sydney to finally meet his favourite federal agency. In Freddie's world, it's about time for our moustache-twirling villain to be unveiled, but it seems even they don't have all the answers. We're once again joined by Sulari to dive into why Leo's worst crime isn't murder. Thanks to Ultimo Press for copies of the book, and for arranging our time with Sulari!

We discuss chapters 12-24 of Sulari Gentill's 'The Woman in the Library', her second standalone metafictional mystery. We're also joined by Dani Vee from Words and Nerds, to join Herds in the hotseat as we scale the mountain of realities facing us as writers write writers writing writers. In Freddie's reality, she struggles with her feelings for Cain as increasingly dark facets of his past emerge, making the aftermath of Whit's injury and Marigold's bizarre fascinations even more difficult to stomach. In Hannah's world, Letters From Leo have taken an even darker turn, a humble correspondence seemingly gone horribly wrong. And in Sulari's world, two schmucks sit down across a table to grill her about every which decision, and still can't seem to take a bloody hint. Thanks to Ultimo Press for copies of the book, and for arranging our time with Sulari!

We discuss chapters 1-11 of Sulari Gentill's 'The Woman in the Library', her second standalone metafictional crime extravaganza. Australian author Hannah Tigone is writing her next bestseller novel, about Winifred 'Freddie' Kincaid writing her debut novel, about another writer writing their debut novel. We follow Hannah's drafts, and the accompanying emails from an enthusiastic fan, Leo, who has volunteered himself to help Hannah make his home town of Boston more realistic. Freddie's world has four writers who meet after a blood-curdling shriek is let out in the Boston Public Library, and they become fast friends as they attempt to solve the ensuing mysteries as it seems the suspicions of the police close in on them. Herds is in the hotseat, and all professional neutrality is out the window, as two Sulari Gentill fanboys ignore all the warning signs that Leo's insufferability reflects poorly on them. Thanks to Ultimo Press for early copies of the book.

We discuss chapters 13-20 of Absolution by Murder, the first novel in the dark-ages mystery extravaganza that is the Sister Fidelma series by Peter Tremayne. Secrets are unveiled, sequels are baited, and we get answers to about half of the questions we had along the way. Does the novel fare best as a mystery, or as a piece of historical fiction? With a historians hand behind the ink, perhaps there is a more unique explanation to this book's approach to history.

We discuss chapters 8-12 of Absolution by Murder, the first novel in the dark-ages mystery extravaganza that is the Sister Fidelma series by Peter Tremayne. Now neck deep in the interrogation section, the bodies are mounting, and Sister Fidelma finds herself increasingly pitted against the norms of Northumbira. Will she and Eadulf find the truth before Oswy's kingdom comes undone? We also speak with Joanne Burn about her latest novel 'The Hemlock Cure', and its reimagining of the true story of Eyam, a village that locked itself away from the world to stem the tide of the Black Plague in the 1660s. Thank you to Pegasus Books for the review copy of the novel.

We discuss chapters 1-7 of Absolution by Murder, the first novel in the dark-ages mystery extravaganza that is the Sister Fidelma series by Peter Tremayne. Taking place at the historical Synod of Whitby, where the churches of the world met to discuss the terms of their ongoing belief, under the watchful eye of King Oswy of Northumbria. When Sister Etain is killed just hours after announcing her marriage, Sister Fidelma of Kildare is called forth to investigate crime, risking her neck to get justice for her old friend and mentor. We also speak with Harini Nagendra about her debut Crime Fiction release, The Bangalore Detectives Club. Telling the story of Kaveri, a young woman in Bengaluru, newly wed, attempting to solve crimes in her newfound social circle without being outcast from it.

We discuss Aoife Clifford's latest novel 'When We Fall', from its roots in the global mistreatment of mothers and children of minority groups the world over, Dutch art, the way we construct crime, and more that we dare not mention in the description. If you want to hear more, you can also hear Aoife in discussion with Gary Disher, Hayley Scrivenor, and Dr. Kate Evans at the upcoming Sydney Writers' Festival for the panel 'Small Town, Big Secrets'. You can also hear Flex discuss it over on ABC Radio National's 'The Bookshelf'. Thank you to ABC Radio National and Ultimo Press for getting us copies of the book.

We discuss chapters 14-21, in John Dickson Carr's 'The Crooked Hinge' with Brad Friedman of 'Ah Sweet Mystery'. Our charming little murder mystery takes a bizarre tour through the romantic proclivities of both our detective's assistant and a suspect. At last, an explanation of motive emerges for the crime, but it's even more bizarre than we had predicted. Dr. Gideon Fell announces his solution, only for a challenge to be raised and a cliff hung. Finally, an invitation to meet from the culprit concludes the true nature of the case. We're also joined by Aoife Clifford to talk about her latest release, 'When We Fall', ahead of her appearance for 'Small Town, Big Secrets' at the Sydney Writers' Festival. Flex also spoke about this book on ABC Radio National's 'The Bookshelf'.

We discuss chapters 7-13, 'The Life of an Automaton', in John Dickson Carr's 'The Crooked Hinge' with Brad Friedman of 'Ah Sweet Mystery'. Dr. Gideon Fell has arrived on the scene, but the we're confounded by his being there to solve an entirely different murder; Victoria Daly. Weapons are found, an apple goes rolling, and the mysterious mechanoid stored on the Farnleigh estate comes rolling down the stairs as the spook factor of the novel starts to rise. Will it be Herds' solution that makes it across the line, or is Flex's bizarre suggestion the truth? We're also joined by Benjamin Stevenson to talk about his latest novel 'Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone'. It's as though he did his best to write a novel specifically for us, as his protagonist Ern goes about making a mess of the Knox Decalogue. Thanks to Penguin Australia for providing a copy of the novel.

We discuss chapters 1-6, 'The Death of a Man', in John Dickson Carr's 'The Crooked Hinge' with Brad Friedman of 'Ah Sweet Mystery'. Part of Carr's iconic Dr. Gideon Fell mystery series, we follow the dispute between two John Farnleighs. Allegedly, the two of them met as children on the Titanic, and during the chaos, one stole the identity of other, trading circus life for the wealth of the British upper-class. Is the story true, and if so, which Farnleigh is the real one? Why does the defendant even entertain the idea? The requisite murder occurs, and it's Brad against the boys in this golden-age showdown.