An online panel with Better Reading featuring a stacked cast of Fremantle Press crime writers

David Whish-Wilson, Alan Carter and Dave Warner premiered their latest crime novels as part of an online panel hosted by Cheryl Akle from Better Reading on Thursday 12 September.

When It Rains begins with a hand tied to a post in the crocodile-infested waters of Broome, Western Australia. Dave Warner said, ‘With my crime novels … a short but almost fully formed snapshot of an idea … might sustain a whole book, like looking down at an island through a bank of clouds and getting a clear picture for a second or two.’

Set in Tasmania, Alan’s latest novel, Prize Catch, interrogates the dirty secrets of Big Salmon and our country’s military elite. Alan said Richard Flanagan’s book Toxic and Mark Willacy’s Rogue Forces both influenced the writing of Prize Catch. He said, ‘You can’t live in Southern Tasmania’s Channel country and fail to notice all the salmon farms along the coastline. Nor swim in the ocean and notice the lack of marine life close to shore (in comparison with Fremantle or Hopetoun).’

Cutler by David Whish-Wilson is based on years of research and true stories from the high seas. David said, ‘In many respects, crime novels are the social or political novels of our time, while ideally remaining highly accessible and entertaining for readers. While my primary purpose is to entertain, a lot of my crime novels have had an underlying political purpose – to write into historical silences or to shine a light on the consequences of human behaviour – both on an individual and institutional level.’

This is a public event that you can stream on Facebook Live. Follow the link to access the link to Better Reading’s broadcast: here.