Bonnier Publishing Australia Archives - Debbish Archive

Book review: The Portrait of Molly Dean by Katherine Kovacic

Tuesday, November 5, 2019 Permalink

I met Melbourne author Katherine Kovacic at the BAD Crime Writers’ Festival in early September. She was speaking at some sessions and also a finalist at the Ned Kelly Awards, for her debut novel, The Portrait of Molly Dean.

I’d heard of the book but – a bit like The Killing of Louisa by Janet Lee – thought it was non-fiction. And anyone who knows anything about me knows I do not read non-fiction. (Or historical fiction, or fantasy, romance, science fiction etc…) Except on those occasions when I ‘accidentally’ do.

I discovered of course The Portrait of Molly Dean is a fictionalised account of the actual murder of teacher/writer/muse Molly Dean in Melbourne in 1930. And my interest was piqued after I heard Katherine speak about it and how she became intrigued by the unsolved crime and rather cynical accounts of the victim.

Book review: And Fire Came Down by Emma Viskic

Saturday, August 5, 2017 Permalink

I am one of the few book-lovers who has not read Emma Viskic’s award-winning Resurrection Bay. In fact, other than the fact its lead character was deaf, I knew little about it. I’m also not sure why I haven’t gotten around to reading it, other than constantly having a full-reading plate. But… because I knew its predecessor was so well-received I jumped at the chance to read Viskic’s second book, And Fire Came Down, without realising it was a sequel, and – in retrospect – it might have made sense to start at the beginning.