Australian crime fiction

[Needanewnamenow]

Have become a bit obsessed with crime fiction set in Australia, particularly the Outback. Any recommendations? Have read Jane Harper (the Dry etc), Chris Hammer (Scrublands and sequels), Emma Viskic (Ressurection Bay), some new Garry Disher. Any other recommendations?

This is meant to be good...The Dry
janeharper.com.au/Books/The-Dry they've made the film already...well the trailer's out.

Thank you, that is one of the ones I have mentioned that I have read. Great book, looking forward to the film

Ooh keeping an eye on this thread. I really enjoyed The Dry too

Oh bugger! Sorry, should read more carefully! Do you like true crime?

The case of Tamam Shud or Somerton Man will interest you if you don't already know it.

Peter Temple (a truly wonderful writer)
Kerry Greenwood (Phyrne Fisher historical mysteries and the contemporary series starting with Earthly Delights)
Lindy Cameron (Lindy does more publishing than writing now, but her PI novels are really good, if you can find them).
Peter Corris (old-school PI noir set in tje mean streets of Sydney)
Candice Fox (terrific thrillers)
Michael Rowbotham (thrillers, not necessarily set in Australia)
Sulari Gentil (historical mysteries featuring a Peter Whimsyish detective, set in Sydney)
Cathy Cole (only wrote 2 crime novels set in Sydney in the 80s, but she is a terrific writer)
Leigh Redhead (good detective novels featuring a mostly-ex stripper as investigator)
Tara Moss (Canadian, but lives part-time in WA. PI series)
Kathryn Fox (crime fiction with a medical slant)
Mark Brandi (outback noir)
Kyle Perry (his book is The Bluffs set in Tasmania. It’s really new and I’ve not read it).
Dave Warner (quirky crime set in WA).
Shane Maloney (if you have any interest in left politics you’ll enjoy these and they’re very funny)

There’s a start.

That's a great start, thank you!

Couple more.

Marele Day (PI novels set in Sydney. Older books now she’s moved onto other things, but still worth reading for a look at the seedy underbelly of Sydney)
Gabrielle Lord (PI novels. Not a favourite of mine, but she’s a good writer).
Chris Hammer (journalist investigates. Good read)
Tony Cavanaugh (set in Queensland, but I haven’t read any of his).
Barry Maitland (terrific writer, but most of his books are set in the UK). Ditto Adrian McKinty.
Heather Rose (not really a crime writer as such, but her book The Butterfly Man is a wonderful fictional book about a very famous crime.)
If you can find them, Susan Geason’s series which starts with Dogfish are good. I think they’re out of print now, sadly.

I’m sure there are more I’ve forgotten. But start with Peter Temple. Despite being South African by birth, his grasp of the way Australian men talk is astonishing. The Jack Irish series are set in the mean streets of Melbourne. I think though, his best book is The Broken Shore.

Thanks! I'm going to download the broken shore now, it's only 99p on Kindle so that will give me a good start

Adrian McKinty has settled in Australia but his books that I've read are set in Ireland or the US (he spent a few years in the US before movoing to Australia). Has he set any of his work in the country he now lives in?

@elkiedee I'll take a look! It is books set in Australia then specifically Australian writers I am looking for. Am well into the Peter Temple recommended up thread and can highly recommend!

That's what I thought from your post. When you've caught up with all the Australian crime fiction you can find, I would recommend Adrian McKinty, but am not sure which, if any, of his books fit your request.

I have a lot of books set in Australia, crime and other fiction, still to read, including many of the authors mentioned by @DancelikeEmmaGoldman. I've read all 6 of Shane Maloney's books about Murray Whelan, an activist in the Australian Labor Party who lives in a bit of Melbourne which sounds oddly like the part of London I live in. He does travel out of the city though perhaps not to places as remote and far from the city as you may be looking for.

You have already got lots of good suggestions.... in addition:

Diamond Dove by Adrian Hyland (Northern Territories)

Roll With it by Nick Place (Melbourne)

The Broken Shore by Peter Temple (The Outback)

Into the Night Sarah Bailey... Silver Chris Hammer...

Enjoy your crime spree In Oz!

Thank you! I have read Sarah Bailey's books and Silver by Chris Hammer. Currently reading the Peter Temple, but Diamond Dove also sounds exactly what I am looking for.

Just to add I have never been to Australia and not sure if I will ever get to go so am enjoying my literary trip down under

tripfiction - that’s a good list, there’s a few new to me there. The Broken Shore isn’t set in the outback though, it’s set in Victoria in a small, but undetermined, rural town, one one of the ranges.

Where The Outback actually is is hard to determine, (out back of yonder), but it’s generally considered to be the inside part of Australia.