Stop what you’re reading. These Australian set crime novels need to be next on your list.

The diverse Australian landscape is the perfect setting to cover up a crime, unravel a mystery or stay hidden. Whether it’s the rain-drenched and rugged Giralang Range in Force of Nature or the sun-drenched and scorched Riverina town in Scrublands, Australian set crime fiction is hitting the bestseller charts. Discover what Maximum Sentence titles you should be reading next.

1. Blood River, Tony Cavanaugh

Brisbane 1999. It's hot. Stormy. Dangerous. The waters of the Brisbane River are rising. The rains won't stop. People's nerves are on edge. And then . . . A body is found. And then another. And another. Do serial killers just stop? Lara Ocean is about to find out.

2. Call Me Evie, J P Pomare

Call Me Evie is a tense literary suspense novel from J. P. Pomare—an exciting new voice in Australian fiction.

Meet Evie, a young woman held captive by a man named Jim in the isolated New Zealand beach town of Maketu. Jim says he’s hiding Evie to protect her and that she did something terrible back home in Melbourne. In a house that creaks against the wind, Evie begins to piece together her fractured memories of the events that led her here. Jim says he’s keeping her safe. Evie’s not sure she can trust Jim, but can she trust her own memories?

‘It's a tight, compulsive, beautifully written thriller with echoes of Gillian Flynn, with characters that keep you guessing and a plot that keeps you turning the page.’ - Christian White, author of The Nowhere Child

3. The Rip, Mark Brandi

In The Rip Mark Brandi has moved from rural to urban crime and brought with it a dark, unsettling line of tension that laps at the pages. Set on the streets of Melbourne, the despair and desperation of being homeless is masterfully crafted with practicality and hope. There’s a grit to his characters that he balances beautifully with warmth and vulnerability. Mark is a superstar and The Rip should be an essential book for any Australian reader in 2019. 

And if you're looking for some true crime...

4. The Snapshot Killer, Duncan McNab

A chilling journey into the life and mind of charming and persuasive predator and serial killer Christopher Wilder, who murdered on two continents and evaded capture for over twenty years. In addition to his many crimes in the US, he is now also a prime suspect for the infamous Wanda Beach murders - one of Australia's most notorious unsolved crimes. The Snapshot Killer explores how a monster was able to hide in plain sight and tells the tragic story of the many victims.