ANU Meet the Author: Candice Fox
6pm Tuesday 14 April
Candice Fox will be in conversation with Chris Hammer on her new crime fiction novel Redbelly Crossing, in which two cop brothers hunt a killer while trying to outrun their shared past.
Free Event: Registration is required
Blood is thicker than water. But too much leaves a trail. Russell and Evan Powder are cops. The brothers haven’t spoken for five years, since a violent confrontation tore their family apart. Now they are both assigned to the murder of a young journalist, Chloe Lutz, in the small town of Redbelly Crossing (population 205). It’s the last thing Russell wants. This is supposed to be the week he repairs things with his teenage daughter Bridie. Now he’s had to drag her on a murderous ride-along to the middle of snake-infested nowhere. But a big case like this is just what Evan needs after a terrible mistake nearly tanked his career. Then a dark discovery leaves Evan with only one way out; to bury the truth Russell is so determined to uncover.
Background to the novel. Candice recalls a memory of her mother sharing that she believed as a teenager in the 1970s, she encountered the person responsible for the death of two women, found in their respective homes just streets away. Redbelly Crossing reimagines aspects of the real cases of Lynette White and Maria Smith, two young women attacked and killed in their Eastern Sydney homes while their husbands were at work. Despite decades of investigation, no one has ever been charged in connection with either murder. Lost evidence, mishandled crime scenes, and the absence of DNA technology at the time have hampered police efforts. Candice went on to research and investigate the cases herself in the hopes of creating a podcast but met dead end after dead end. Candice hopes that this book sparks something in someone’s memory that could lead to answers for Lynette and Maria’s families.
A fascinating, compelling page-turner. Redbelly Crossing is Candice Fox at her best.' Jane Harper
Candice Fox is the author of 11 crime novels and the winner of three prestigious Ned Kelly Awards. She has also co-written seven New York Times bestsellers with James Patterson, the world’s bestselling thriller writer. Candice's novels Crimson Lake and Redemption Point were adapted into a major ABC TV series called Troppo.
Award-winning author and ANU alumni Chris Hammer’s books include the internationally bestselling Martin Scarsden series: Scrublands, Silver, Trust and Legacy, the first two novels now a successful television series
The vote of thanks will be given by Canberra crime fiction reviewer Anna Creer
Books will be available for signing from 5.30pm and again after the event.