Australian Mystery

The International Serial Killers Encyclopedia series sheds light on the murderous minds of many killers, including their motivations, methods, and madness, through detailed research and explicit retelling of events. Some are notorious names that echo through history books, while others are lesser-known killers whose stories are no less harrowing. Each volume reveals a new layer of darkness. Australia is known for its breathtaking landscapes, exotic wildlife, and laid-back culture— but a darker side lurks beneath the surface of this serene country. Murderous Minds Australia, the fifth ...

Maya Thorne's day off at Warragulla's Annual Cup Race Meet ends abruptly when jockey Cameron Walsh is found murdered in stable seven. The investigation quickly reveals that Walsh had been documenting a sophisticated race-fixing operation involving performance-enhancing drugs, coordinated betting, and corrupt officials. As Maya digs deeper, she uncovers a network of powerful interests willing to protect their profitable scheme at any cost. A massive dust storm descends on Warragulla, isolating the community and hampering the investigation. With communications failing and evidence at risk, ...

In drought-stricken Warragulla, where record-breaking heat has pushed the landscape and its people to breaking point, Sydney detective Maya Thorne returns when local mechanic Frank Miller is found dead in his workshop during the worst heatwave in decades. What begins as a suspected heat-related accident soon reveals something far darker lurking beneath the surface of this isolated community. When evidence shows Frank's cooling system was deliberately sabotaged, Maya must navigate both the oppressive heat and the closed ranks of locals harbouring generations of secrets. As temperatures soar ...

In Melbourne for a passing visit for a friend's birthday, Detective Sergeant Nick Vada meets the beautiful Evie Gibson. Twenty four hours later he sits in the lockup of the Victorian police headquarters, arrested for murder. Detective Sergeant Eli Roberts is brought onto the case to investigate just what would cause the detective to snap and commit such a horrible crime. Detective Joanna Gray is sent in to assist the investigation and soon finds that not all is what it seems. The Victorian team is sure of Nick's guilt, but a long lost connection between Evie and Melbourne's seedy criminal ...

In the drought-stricken Kimberley, where water means the difference between survival and ruin, Special Investigator Odysseus "Odie" Kalaris is called to a sacred waterhole where the body of water project engineer Michael Crawford lies half-submerged, surrounded by poorly staged traditional elements. What begins as a murder investigation evolves into something far more sinister, revealing connections between ancient underground water systems and generations of deliberate deception. When a second victim—environmental consultant Rebecca Palmer—is found at another sacred site, Odie must ...

In the drought-stricken town of Warragulla, where ash and ember now dominate the scorched landscape, Detective Maya Thorne returns to help her brother rebuild after a devastating bushfire jumps containment lines and threatens the town. What begins as recovery efforts soon erupts into something far darker when archaeologist Dr. Eliza Jennings is found murdered at a site where the fire has uncovered ancient remains along a disputed property boundary. As Maya is temporarily deputised to assist the investigation, she discovers this death connects to historical disappearances, mineral rights, ...

Ambitious criminal defence barrister Robyn Palmer gets her first big break when she's briefed as junior counsel in a high-profile murder trial. Unfortunately, her leader has lecherous designs and their client looks guilty as hell. However, nothing is going to stop her starring in the biggest trial of her career. A comic legal thriller set in Sydney, Australia

“The Claremont”, an outdated, run-down apartment building, is thrown into turmoil when its latest and most celebrated resident, Crispin Fairchild, conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, is found murdered. His eccentric neighbours and members of the orchestra appear saddened by his death but are they? Is one of them his killer? These are questions Detective Chief Inspector Alistair Fitzjohn asks himself when he takes on the case and unearths not only the innermost secrets of those who knew Crispin, but the enigma that surrounds him.

When construction workers uncover preserved human remains at Kingfisher Station—a luxury resort development in rural Australia—Detective Maya Thorne is called back to the hometown she fled as a teenager. The discovery is eerily similar to a case she solved months earlier, but this time it's personal: the development borders her childhood home, which she abandoned. The victim is identified as Elaine Mercer, an environmental consultant who disappeared eight years ago while investigating water rights during the region's worst drought in decades. Maya quickly discovers that Elaine had ...

An enthusiastic crowd gathered at Lyrebird Lodge in the Blue Mountains on that crisp autumn morning, all anxious to acquire one of Florence Fontaine’s much sought after paintings. However, the only art on one visitor’s mind is the art of murder. Detective Chief Inspector Fitzjohn, unwittingly drawn into the case, launches his investigation that reveals a web of past and present jealousy, deceit and revenge, at a time when his own life is unravelling before his eyes. Meanwhile, Claire Reynolds, Florence’s business manager and organiser of the event, finds herself entangled in the ...

Two brothers meet at the remote fence line separating their cattle ranches in the lonely outback. In an isolated belt of Western Australia, they are each other’s nearest neighbor, their homes a four-hour drive apart. The third brother lies dead at their feet. Something caused Cam, the middle child who had been in charge of the family homestead, to die alone in the middle of nowhere. So the eldest brother returns with his younger sibling to the family property and those left behind. But the fragile balance of the ranch is threatened.

When Princess Ingrid is kidnapped, along with her fiancé, Binky Pelly, it's all over the international news.

The death of Old Joe, a homeless man on Darlinghurst Road, seemed inevitable—until the autopsy revealed it was murder. Darlinghurst Road, once the beating heart of Sydney's red-light district, is where the past lingers in the shadows. However, the city's Eastern Suburbs are not known for bloodshed. When a second victim, an affluent woman from exclusive Point Piper, is found with her throat cut, the divide between Sydney's elite and its outcasts grows more sinister. Detective Gary Haddock has seen it all in Homicide, but even he is baffled by the lack of connection between the murders. ...

When Detective Constable Lillian Tate arrives at a remote paleontological research site in the harsh Nullarbor Plain, she expects a routine missing person case. Dr. Noah Henshaw, a respected scientist studying ancient fossils, has vanished into the red dust of the Australian desert. What begins as a straightforward welfare check quickly transforms into something more sinister. The discovery of Dr. Henshaw's body reveals a brutal murder that shatters the quiet academic world of fossil research and threatens to expose secrets that powerful people will kill to protect. As Tate delves deeper ...

In the isolated mountain town of Blarnie, the murder of local policeman Darcy Comer shatters the peace, with the crime seemingly linked to a sinister murder from the past. The murder of a local two decades ago was just the beginning, now, as the town reels from fresh bloodshed, it becomes clear that these new murders echo a dark legacy. The old town rumours of a devil cult, long dismissed as folklore, are suddenly revived, and a new, enigmatic cult has arrived in Blarnie, promising enlightenment but bringing fear. The arrival of these outsiders in town, led by a mysterious ex-local stirs up...

Canberra political reporter Paul Ryder gets the sack again, this time for sleeping with the wrong woman. Jobs are scarce and he’s forced to become the national political correspondent for a tiny Tasmanian paper with a dwindling circulation. He needs a big story to save his career. Too bad he lives in the world’s most boring city. All seems lost, until murder comes to town and he plunges into a dark world where his press pass won't protect him..

When 17-year-old Belle Smith is reported missing, the Darfield police are busy helping fight one of the worst bushfires the region has ever faced. Belle seems to have vanished into thin air, and the local police force have no leads. Twenty years later, the case that gripped the nation is resurrected when the smash hit podcast, ‘Into The Flames’ is released, and asks the question: just what happened to Belle Smith? Due to the renewed interest in the cold case, DS Nick Vada is tasked with returning to Darfield to once again look into her disappearance, and soon discovers that nothing here...

Detective Jake Morrison thought his transfer to rural South Australia was career suicide—until he discovers a body in the abandoned shearing shed at Thornfield Station. What appears to be a workplace accident soon reveals itself as cold-blooded murder. Station manager Gareth Sullivan was killed with a wool press handle, his body moved to cover up the crime. As Morrison digs deeper into the isolated sheep station's finances, he uncovers a web of embezzlement, gambling debts, and desperate choices. When Morrison identifies bookkeeper Bronwyn Hayes as his prime suspect, her world comes ...

Real-estate mogul Martin Cresswell-Smith is the best thing that has ever happened to Ellie. After her daughter’s devastating death, a divorce, and an emotional breakdown, he’s helped her move as far as possible from the grief, the rage, and the monsters of her past. Ellie imagines her new home with Martin in an Australian coastal town will be like living a fairy tale. But behind closed doors is another story - one that ends in Martin’s brutal murder. And Ellie seems almost relieved... Naturally, everyone thinks Mrs. Cresswell-Smith is guilty.

Why would a wealthy businesswoman in the prime of her life, do the unthinkable? When Detective Sergeant Nick Vada’s girlfriend calls him with the devastating news that her best friend, high-powered lawyer, Emily Hartford, is dead, they are left in shock, unable to understand how this could happen. Emily's husband, Spencer, a rising star in Australian politics, working his way towards the top job, struggles with the loss and asks Nick what he can find out. But Nick thinks Spencer is hiding something and wonders does he have a connection to another murder from 20 years earlier?