For a limited time only, we are offering a huge reduction on bulk purchases of our Australian crime fiction anthology, Crime Scenes edited by crime writer, Zane Lovitt. Recommended by the English Teachers Association, this text is an ideal resource for the classroom. Free ebook sample available on request.

From English Teachers Association’s mETAphor review by Mel Dixon:

‘Here is another wonderful book from Spineless Wonders. These twelve stories are written by some well-known and some lesser-known crime authors but the quality is uniformly good. From the police officer whose only thought is how to retire early, to the young boy who gets revenge on his brother’s criminal employers, the young boys who want the girls at the swimming pool, the murderess with the tattooed face, the unsuccessful author and so many more, this book explores the diversity of experiences that become crimes.

The writing from all contributors is tight and controlled. Most stories end with a twist that sometimes catches us unawares and at other times confirms our expectations and leaves us satisfied. These are great examples of good writing for us to use in the classroom; the stories are not violent but focus more on the ugliness and fallibility of human nature. Some behaviour is unacceptable and may need to be vetted, depending on your class.

These stories provide good examples of character, voice and narrative, with the final story ‘I hate Crime Fiction’ by Eddie Burger providing a very good example of postmodern writing suitable for Extension 2 students.

If you don’t teach it then just enjoy it as this is a great book to pass the time.’

What crime writers say about Crime Scenes:

‘A collection that combines dark and light, serious and funny, across and within individual stories. There’s an art to writing short stories which seems to be often under-estimated, but it’s illustrated beautifully in CRIME SCENES. There’s also an art to selecting and combining stories – much in the same way as you’d imagine the selection and order of tracks on an album might work. There is a distinct storytelling arc in this collection which serves the question posed beautifully, and there is sufficient variety in the interpretations to create instant favourites for a wide range of crime fiction readers.’ KAREN CHISHOLM

‘A clever, diverse and exciting collection of some of Australia’s finest new crime writers as well as gems from more established voices. If this is the future of Australian crime writing then the genre is in good hands!’ ADRIAN MCKINTY

‘Dazzling, different and totally unexpected. This thrilling collection of cleverly-crafted short stories illuminates both the diversity of the crime genre and the ingenuity of the writers who experiment with its possibilities here. ’ SUE TURNBULL

Features stories from emerging Australian crime writers Amanda O’Callaghan, Eddy Burger, Melanie Napthine and Michael Caleb Tasker alongside award-winning authors Angela Savage, Peter Corris, Leigh Redhead, Andrew Nette, David Whish-Wilson, P.M. Newton, Carmel Bird and Tony Birch.

Cover design by Bettina Kaiser.

Place your bulk order here or contact info[at]shortaustralianstories.com.au to arrange a purchase order or to receive a free ebook version.