If I Tell You I’ll Have to Kill You (ed by Michael Robotham, A&U)

A friend of mine recently told me that crime writing’s unusual pull on the imagination was that it began at the end. Often this means we are in the presence of a dead body, with the complexities of that death hidden in the circumstances in which the body is found. In the best crime writing the singular goal of investigating those circumstances, of unravelling the puzzle, can be as revealing as finding out ‘whodunnit’. But how to write these enticing stories? How to create that sense of intrigue? A group of local crime writers have gotten together to give their top tips on writing this fascinating genre. Though the quality of advice is variable (as you’d expect from such a book) the underlying advice about the crime writer’s life is worth the price of admission. Of particular note are contributions from Kerry Greenwood, Shane Maloney and Peter Corris. With all royalties from this collection going to the famous Ned Kelly Awards for crime writing, this book is important for all budding Australian crime writers. I’d particularly recommend it for a young-adult audience as much of the advice is pertinent to the writing life in general.

Shane Strange is an ex-bookseller and writer who teaches writing at the University of Canberra

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Category: Reviews