Tag Archives: Laura Elizabeth Woollett

Mid-year reading report back: David Whish-Wilson, Simenon takes a train & 1970s Mexico noir

It already half-way through the year, and I thought a quick report on the highlights of my reading so far is in order. This is especially since I have a couple of big writing projects on the go and, as a result, will probably not have the time to do anything of the sort again before the end of the year.

So, let’s get to it.

The Sawdust House, David Whish-Wilson

Regular readers will have seen me talk before on this site about how much I rate David Whish-Wilson. I genuinely believe he is one of the most underrated crime writers working in Australia today and his latest does nothing to disabuse me of this view. The Sawdust House is Whish-Wilson’s second book to explore the lost Australian history of mid-19th century San Francisco. The Coves (2018) told the story of Australian criminals, many of them former convicts, who drifted to the San Francisco in the hopes of making a fortune amidst the gold rush gripping the west coast of the US at the time, and who assumed a major role in the lawless city’s criminal world. The Sawdust House focuses on the life of one of these men, Irish-born James ‘Yankee’ Sullivan, who has been arrested as part of the nativists attempt to root out and crush Australian criminal influence in San Francisco.… Read more

My top 10 reads of 2018

I reconciled myself long ago to the fact I will never get to the end of a year without thinking I have not read as much as I should have. That said, I have read some great books this year. Fiction and non-fiction, old books and new, in no particular order, here are my top ten reads for 2018.

Red Dragon, Thomas Harris

This year, I read a few bestsellers from the past to see if I can figure out what made them so successful, and this was my favourite. The book that introduced Hannibal Lector, it is a riveting rollercoaster ride into the serial killer mind. Beautifully written and acutely observed. Harris includes some incredible detail on forensics and police procedure without overdoing it. Red Dragon is the perfect mix of elevated airport novel and hardboiled crime story.

Twisted Clay, Frank Walford

Australian writer, Frank Walford’s 1933 account of a murderous young woman,  a pathological liar and sociopath, was banned in Australia until the late 1950s. The story, which contains patricide, sex work, suicide and the young female main character’s burgeoning awareness and enjoyment of her lesbian sexuality, is a wonderfully lurid read. One can only wonder what readers must have made of it in the 1930s. Not surprisingly, they seemed to like it as it was a bestseller in the UK and US, where it was published.… Read more

My top 10 crime reads of 2017

Late last year the German culture website, CulturMag, asked me to nominate my top 10 reads for 2017. My list is now live (and in English), along with contributions from a number of other individuals and can be seen in full here.

As usual, it is a mix of old and new fiction, as well as some of the non-fiction books I enjoyed. What were your top crime reads of 2017?… Read more

Noir at the Bar Melbourne redux & other upcoming literary events

Just updating Pulp Curry readers about some literary events I’ll be part of in August and early September.

First up, Melbourne’s second Noir at the Bar will take place on Tuesday, August 15, at Grub Street Bookshop, 379 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy. Some of Melbourne’s best noiristas will be on hand to read their crime fiction to you. Featuring Des Barry, Annie Hauxwell (author of the Catherine Berlin crime books), Jessica Curry, Ian Rogers (author of The Student, which I recently reviewed on this site) and Laura Elizabeth Woollett, whose short story collection, The Love of a Bad Man, has been published by Scribe. Yours truly will be doing MC duties on the night.

The first Noir at the Bar Melbourne event earlier this year had a great crowd and a great atmosphere and we are hoping this one will be the same. Kick off is 7pm. Entry is free, the drinks will be cheap & there will be books for sale. So, come and support some great authors and Melbourne’s coolest second hand bookshop. More details are available at this link. Hope to see you there.

August also sees the annual Melbourne Writers Festival (MWF) at which I’m involved in a number of events. I’ll be interviewing Tom and Meg Keneally about their historical crime fiction series of books, The Soldier’s Curse and The Unmourned, on Saturday September 2 at Dandenong Library and Sunday, September 4, at ACMI Cinema 1.… Read more