Dark Deeds Down Under: A Crime and Thriller Anthology edited by Craig Sisterson

Title: Dark Deeds Down Under: A Crime and Thriller Anthology

Author: Craig Sisterson (editor)

Genre: Crime

Publisher: Clan Destine Press

Published: 30^th June 2022

Format: Paperback

Pages: 285

Price: $32.95

Synopsis: Dark Deeds Downunder, a ground-breaking anthology,
brings together internationally-renowned Aussie and Kiwi
crime writers 
and their beloved characters.

This stunning anthology includes 19 short stories from some of the brightest storytelling talents from Australia and New Zealand: including international bestsellers and award winners.

Through the prism of page-turning crime, mystery, and thriller stories you will roam from the dusty Outback to South Island glaciers, from ocean-carved coastlines and craggy mountains to sultry rainforests and Middle Earth valleys, and via sleepy villages to the underbellies of our cosmopolitan cities.

In these all-new stories, you’ll spend time with favourite series cops, sleuths and accidental heroes, and meet some new and edgy standalone characters.

This vibrant showcase includes Kerry Greenwood’s Corinna Chapman, Garry Disher’s ‘Hirsch’, Vanda Symon’s Sam Shephard, Sulari Gentill’s Rowly Sinclair, RWR McDonald’s ‘Nancys’, Lee Murray & Dan Rabarts’ Penny Yee & Matiu, Katherine Kovacic’s Alex Clayton, Dinuka McKenzie’s Kate Miles, and a rare appearance from Shane Maloney’s Murray Whelan.

The dark deeds herein are perpetrated by a positively criminal line-up:

Alan Carter ~ Nikki Crutchley ~ Aoife Clifford ~ Garry Disher ~ Helen Vivienne FletcherLisa Fuller ~ Sulari Gentill ~ Kerry Greenwood ~ Narrelle M Harris ~ Katherine Kovacic ~ Shane Maloney ~ RWR McDonald ~ Dinuka McKenzie ~ Lee Murray & Dan Rabarts ~ Renee ~ Stephen Ross ~ Fiona Sussman ~ Vanda Symon ~ David Whish-Wilson

~*~

Meet some of Australia’s favourite amateur sleuths in prequel stories, new characters, and unfinished stories in the first in a new anthology series, edited by Craig Sisterson. From Corinna Chapman, to the Nancys, and Rowland Sinclair – as a teenager no less, and many newer characters and stories across the spectrum of crime. Detectives, cops, victims, those who commit the crime, and across a diversity of identities, times and places in Australia and New Zealand. This collection of short stories is the first in a new series, and looks to be a series that will be engaging for lovers of crime and thriller fiction.

Every now and then as a reviewer, I get to review books sent to me from Sisters in Crime, such as anthologies like this, that feature a broad spectrum of female authors and characters, as well as male authors and characters, and in this instance, I felt like there was a nice balance and a diverse range of stories – whether it was based on the time and place the story was set, the background and identity of the character, their personality, and many other instances where our identities and who we are can intersect and illustrate that there are many ways to be different and diverse. Each character has something that makes them stand out as different – and this works very well in all instances and allows the reader to engage with an array of characters and experiences that illustrate a broad spectrum of human behaviours and experiences.

I loved that we got to see a wide array of approaches to crime – from the bereaved father to the contract killer, and others put in precarious situations where they are driven to killing – perhaps in the heat of the moment, perhaps a well thought out plan, to those police characters like Dinuka McKenzie’s Kate Miles, Vanda Symon’s Sam Shephard, and three of my favourite amateur detectives – Sulari Gentill’s Rowland Sinclair, R.W.R McDonald’s The Nancy’s, and a new favourite, Katherine Kovacic’s Alex Clayton, an art dealer. These three show the different ways a character can insert themselves into a police investigation, and I loved seeing a teenage Rowly, before he met his artist friends and started to become embroiled in so many things where he has an unfortunate habit of getting hurt (but of course he always pulls through, and I love that he does).  In this story, I loved seeing his relationship with Wilfred, the banter and how much Wilfred clearly cares for his younger brother. In other stories, like Dinuka’s, the line Kate has to walk between her heritage and culture, and her job is very clear – and I think it is one if those stories that is unsettlingly realistic – that invites us to understand what Kate’s life is like as a way to understand her character and the world around us – a way to see that so many things can be layered and nuanced and there’s not always one way of seeing or understanding things.

And as for Alex Clayton – I have the first novel ready to read and loved that she is part of the art world. She’s fun and nosy, and I can’t wait to spend more time with her. The way she uncovers the mystery is clever as well, and I love seeing the different ways amateur detectives interact with the police they deal with. As for the stories where the villain – the killer – was the protagonist, in many cases, the ambiguity worked well and was very unsettling. Not knowing what was coming in each of them showed that there are many ways to approach a story, and each was executed very well. Overall, the spectrum of unsettling stories worked to show that different approaches to crime and characters in crime, and that these stories can make us question ourselves. The shocking end of some – the open-endedness, made me wonder if there was more – was the killer caught, what happened next, and would anyone really get away with what they did.

With the stories that weren’t as clear, that had a sense of unease, I think they worked for the genre and style, and whilst morally we may not agree with them, these characters are given a voice in each story. We come to understand what drives them and what is at the heart of it all: the emotions that drive us, and the urge to protect ourselves, protect others, or get revenge in various ways. This new anthology is sure to find fans across the board and is a great selection of Australian and New Zealand crime.