Shankari Chandran, Robert Dessaix, Diana Reid and others: Australian books to look forward to in 2025
From enthralling debuts to playful premises and national reckonings, here is a whirlwind tour of what’s to come
My father, the serial killer: how April Balascio put her dad behind bars – and broke free of her childhood
When Balascio was growing up, her charismatic father was violent, controlling, yet often very loving. Then her foster brother was killed and she started piecing together the dates and places that would prove crucial to solving a string of murders
Unmasking Lucy Letby by Jonathan Coffey and Judith Moritz review – reasonable doubt
A forensic study of the Lucy Letby case leaves many questions unanswered
‘The facts of the case were so disturbing’: Kate Summerscale on our obsession with true crime
When the author began investigating the case of a London serial killer in the 1940s and 50s, she found chilling echoes with current events – and was forced to confront her own fascination
The Peepshow by Kate Summerscale review – new perspectives on the Rillington Place murders
The true crime author takes a novel approach to the retelling of the Christie murders, from the viewpoints of a star reporter, a crime novelist and a young sociologist. But the central mystery remains
A Better Tomorrow: Life Lessons in Hope and Strength by Mina Smallman review
A mother’s quest to understand why the murder of her two daughters was not taken more seriously
Generation Kill author Evan Wright dies aged 59
Journalist whose book about US marines in Iraq was adapted into acclaimed HBO series killed himself on Friday
The week in TV: House of the Dragon; Euro 2024; The Stormtrooper Scandal; Under the Bridge – review
Series two of the fantasy prequel is off to a fiery start; footie coverage is a game of two channels; the force is with a Star Wars art spat; and young stars shine in a true crime drama
‘They’re a mystery’: inside the deadly world of serial killer truckers
A shocking new book sheds light on the many long-hauler killers in the US who operate close to many Americans yet remain dangerously undetected
Helen Garner: ‘People would give me death stares in the street’
The novelist and nonfiction writer on her love of courtroom drama, the trials of cancel culture and why she wouldn’t have been a good psychoanalyst
‘I just wasn’t being honest’: a true crime author confronts the NT justice system and himself
When journalist Dan Box began looking into a murder case, his goal was to win a Walkley. But a friendship and a tragedy put him at the centre of the story
Chasing Shadows by Miles Johnson review – criminal world
A thriller-like tale of global drugs and terrorism that may be too complex for its own good
A Thread of Violence by Mark O’Connell review – evil in a bow tie
A remarkable meditation on the murder case that rocked 1980s Ireland
Penance by Eliza Clark review – art or porn?
Set in a northern seaside town, this show-stopping second novel is a bravura deconstruction of our voyeuristic love for true crime
I found comfort in grisly true crime stories. Giving them up brought me peace
It’s hard to admit, but I was using others’ tragedies as a way of protecting myself. Then an ad snapped me out of it, says writer Mollie Goodfellow