Death of the Reader

We discuss the second part of Simogo's 2024 mystery-puzzle-box video game 'Lorelei and the Laser Eyes'. The jig is up, and Lorelei Weiss finally has to be honest with herself about what happened in 1963. Our final puzzles see us answering the Quiz Club on all of the knowledge we've acquired so far, and delving right into the heart of the supercomputer at the core of it all. We're also joined by Ia...

We discuss the second part of Simogo's 2024 mystery-puzzle-box video game 'Lorelei and the Laser Eyes'. As we delve deeper into the realm of Lorelei Weiss, we're challenged by anachronisms, a cast of characters that could be one person or many, and so, so many padlocks. What further mysteries does the mansion hold, and how can we untangle the fragmented maze buried within it? We're again joined by...

We discuss the first part of Simogo's 2024 mystery-puzzle-box video game 'Lorelei and the Laser Eyes'. The hotel Letztes Jahr, or 'last year' is a monochrome mansion with a splash of red. A body has been found in the courtyard, after our character, whoever she might be, was summomned, whyever she might be, by the enigmatic Renzo Nero, film director. Or is that all? Combination locks and impossible...

A dive back into the recent past as we talk with Melbourne-based author Aoife Clifford about her latest novel, 'It Takes a Town'. Policewoman Carole, distressed mother Frankie, town drunk Mer(maid) and a gaggle of schoolchildren reminiscent of the Scooby Gang all team up to corner the killer of local town star Vanessa Walton, recently returned from a grand tour of fame and fortune, now found dead...

We're joined by author and playwright Gabriel Bergmoser to talk about the print edition of his story 'The Hitchhiker', originally published as an audiobook. With the latest iteration in his 'Maggieverse', 'The Lodger' out on Audible, and a great interview from our friend Crag Sisterson up recently, we decided to revisit our earlier chat with Gabriel and share the full deep-dive (dubbed 'The Full B...

We're joined by author Benjamin Stevenson to talk about his Christmas Special for Ernest Cunningham, 'Everyone this Christmas has a Secret'. Ernest receives a call from his ex-wife Erin - she's been arrested in the Blue Mountains, accused of her husband's murder. Lyle was days away from a big fundraiser event for his charity, only to turn up dead, the word 'Christmas' scrawled on the floor next to...

We take another visit to the floor of BAD: Sydney Crime Writers Festival 2024, to talk all about the mysteries we love so much, and the network of authors that bring it together. It takes all sorts to write mystery of all sorts, and we look at where some of Australia's best authors have been moving their ideas. The Crime Fiction community has amazing festivals all over the world, and here at Death...

We take a visit to the floor of BAD: Sydney Crime Writers Festival 2024, to talk all about the big themes, and the way that crime fiction is tied up with the world of Justice. The Crime Fiction community has amazing festivals all over the world, and here at Death of the Reader we're lucky enough to have BAD in our own backyard. This week, the pressing issues that inspire our crime fiction. From ac...

Flex talks with Australian Crime Fiction great Chris Hammer about his newest novel, 'The Valley'. Ivan and Nell are summoned, suspiciously early, to a homicide just outside the town of Saltwood, in a community called The Valley. Struggling after decades of failed schemes to restore wealth to the resource-rich town, Nell stumbles upon a personal link to the crime, and has to juggle her professional...

We discuss Memories of Murder, the 2003 Crime-Drama film by Bong Joon-Ho. In rural South Korea, a series of horrifying murders has paralysed and overwhelmed the local police, who are under-resourced and inexperienced in crimes of this scale. Fortunately, a cop from the big city is here to fix everything up and save the small-town cops from themselves. Or so you'd think. We're joined by our editor...

We discuss chapters 19-27 of Ngaio Marsh's Eighth Roderick Alleyn novel, 'Overture to Death'. The stage is set to catch a killer, and the domino that tipped all this monstrosity into place. So the ordeal began in the theatre, it will return. Roderick Alleyn and his squad of investigators must bring all the information together to decide on who is guilty, who is responsible, and if those two are ev...

We discuss chapters 10-18 of Ngaio Marsh's Eighth Roderick Alleyn novel, 'Overture to Death'. Alleyn is now on the case, and unpicking the local drama of Pen Cuckoo. The murder weapon is determined to be a rigged-up pistol linked to the soft-pedal of the piano. More the domain of childish pranks than murder weapons, Alleyn hunts down clues that lead him to Georgie Biggins, a local boy who confesse...

We discuss chapters 1-9 of Ngaio Marsh's Eighth Roderick Alleyn novel, 'Overture to Death'. In Pen Cuckoo, the village's top families get together to discuss their latest community effort - a fundraising play to buy a new piano. All of the village drama comes to the fore as the inheritor of the largest estate seeks to marry, setting off dominos of interpersonal drama in the love lives of those inv...

We discuss chapters 24-33 of Michael Te Arawa Bennett's 'Return to Blood', the second novel in the Hana Westerman series. As the pieces of the puzzle begin to slot into place, Hana once again is forced to wrangle with the personal cost of justice. Addison is deep in Kiri's social circle, coming to terms with how similar they may have been had Kiri's parents not been ripped away from her as a kid....

We discuss chapters 12-23 of Michael Te Arawa Bennett's 'Return to Blood', the second novel in the Hana Westerman series. It would seem the killer has been revealed, but could it be so easy? Hana's investigation digs up clues as to the disappearance of Paige, 20 years ago, but can she link him to Kiri's recently found skeleton? And crucially, can she do it without committing crimes herself? Addiso...

We discuss chapters 1-11 of Michael Te Arawa Bennett's 'Return to Blood', the second novel in the Hana Westerman series. Hana has retired from the Auckland police, but her place as a crime fiction protagonist means trouble is never far away. Her daughter stumbles upon a skeleton in the sand in her hometown on a weekend away, replicating a horrible murder that happened in Hana's youth. Was the wron...

We discuss various screen adaptations of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple story, 'A Caribbean Mystery'. As is often the case with Christie's less renowned stories, the writers of adaptations take creative license that either makes things better, or makes things "better". This time around, Flex brought us the ever-reliable BBC adaptation; Agatha Christie's Miss Marple starring Joan Hickson, and Herds...

We discuss chapters 18-25 of Agatha Christie's 10th Miss Marple Novel, A Caribbean Mystery. The resort is plunged into open chaos as a third murder takes place and it's up to the unlikely duo of Miss Marple and the deposed Mr Rafiel to solve everything at the last minute and set the record straight. Flex and Herds debate the implications of a medical murder mystery as Nemesis takes the stage... We...

We discuss chapters 10-17 of Agatha Christie's 10th Miss Marple Novel, A Caribbean Mystery. A second murder has shaken up the holidaygoers in St Honoré. One of the hotel staff, Victoria, found dead by a bloodied Molly Kendal. Molly was seen roaming with the knife that did her in, but no alibi seems to quite line up. Has a killer struck twice, or is desperation turning more of us to monsters? It's...

We discuss chapters 1-9 of Agatha Christie's 10th Miss Marple Novel, A Caribbean Mystery. Sent on her lonesome for a holiday she'd perhaps rather not have taken, Jane Marple is in St Honoré. After an abrupt conclusion to conversation with the usually verbose Major Palgrave, Miss Marple's perplexion turns to alarm when he is found dead the following morning. Who amidst the many scorned lovers on th...

We discuss Part One, Chapters 12-27 of Eric Redman's new Hawaiian Noir novel, Death in Hilo. Kawika's wife, Elle, has gone missing, and the only person with information as to where she's gone is Jarvis. As the lines of Hawaii's biggest cases begin to cross, how can Kawika survive not just the brimming blood at his doorstep, and the axe of audit at his neck. This crime climbs right to the top. We a...

We discuss Part One, Chapters 12-27 of Eric Redman's new Hawaiian Noir novel, Death in Hilo. At last, our outlier victim of the park slasher is identified - Keoni Parkes, a spokesperson for the controversial Thirty Metre Telescope on the big island. Unfortunately for Kawika, the skeletons in his closet have come out to play as it turns out Keoni has ties to the case that the press hav ebeen houndi...

We discuss Part One, Chapters 1-11 of Eric Redman's new Hawaiian Noir novel, Death in Hilo. Kawika Wong is in the prime of his career, leading the homicide squad at the Honolulu Police Department, but it all could come crumbling down when a criminal he put away a decade ago begins hinting towards the truth of a case Kawika thought he had put behind him. With a serial killer on the streets, and the...

We discuss Bruce Hamilton's 'Too Much of Water', chapters 9-12. Just when you thought the murderer was done, one more body finds itself committed to what we presume are watery depths. As the Goyaz ventures towards its last port of call, Edgar's list of suspects grows implausibly small, but will it point him in the right direction? A hearty twist and help from on high rattle the boat through to the...

We discuss Bruce Hamilton's 'Too Much of Water', chapters 5-8. The deaths keep adding up - a child drowned by the pool, and a man found drowned in a bath. Only two suspects have alibis that make them possible suspects, but neither seems a likely culprit, so which way does the finger of blame point? Our unlikely detective Edgar is stuck on a boat with a serial killer, a friend under suspicion, and...