Past Programs
Law, Crime and Justice - 2008
True crime writing
28/11/2008
Recently The Law Report's Damien Carrick moderated a conversation with two authors of true crime books, Helen Garner and Kara Lawrence. Helen Garner is well known for both fiction and non-fiction. Her latest novel is The Spare Room, but in this discussion she revisits her 2004 non-fiction book Joe Cinque's Consolation. Kara Lawrence is a crime writer with The Daily Telegraph. The event was part of the National Investigations Conference, a gathering of professional investigators who work for various police forces, anti-corruption watchdogs and ombudsmen's offices.
Australian writer detained in Thailand
07/11/2008
For more than two months Australian writer Harry Nicolaides has been in a Bangkok jail, accused of insulting the Thai monarchy. He was arrested in late August because of a brief passage in his novel Verisimilitude. Published in 2005, the book offers a critique of political and social life in contemporary Thailand.
In the 300 page book are three lines that refer to rumours about the private life of Thailand's Crown Prince, three lines which Thai authorities say warrant a charge of 'lese majeste' or insulting the monarchy. If convicted, Harry Nicolaides faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. Australian barrister Mark Dean has taken up his case.
On death row with Luke Davies Read Transcript
22/09/2008
What do the condemned think about while they're on death row? This is one of the questions Luke Davies wanted to ask when he spent time with two men on death row at Bali's Kerobokan Prison, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran. They are two of the 'Bali 9' who were arrested in 2005 and charged with drug trafficking. They have one more legal option to have their sentences reduced and their case is currently before the Supreme Court. Luke has made his name as a novelist, poet and screen-writer. This is his first foray into journalism.
Luke Davies has written about his time at Kerobokan Prison in the essay 'The Penalty is Death' which is in the latest Monthly magazine.
Parallel importing review - arguments for and against
31/07/2008
The Productivity Commission has been asked to review copyright laws which prevent booksellers from importing titles that are also published in Australia. Groups who are against change predict a gloomy future for local publishers, local authors and for small booksellers if restrictions are lifted. Those who're keen for protection to be removed say it will mean cheaper books. Tim Coronel from Bookseller and Publisher magazine joins us to tease out the arguments.
Paul Constant: stolen books Read Transcript
23/06/2008
We're all familiar with the idea of a bestseller list—a particular book store or a newspaper publishing popular titles—but what about books that aren't bought but are stolen?
Some organisations, including the American Library Association as well as libraries and newspapers here in Australia, do gather informal information on book theft.
In Australia, it's Stephanie Alexander's recipe book The Cook's Companion that often comes out on top of the most shoplifted. And ironically crime novels often get lifted as well.
One man who's had plenty of experience when it comes to the topic is Paul Constant. Paul worked for more than a decade in numerous book stores in the US, before joining the Seattle newspaper The Stranger as the book editor.
Working in the book stores, Paul Constant had to run after a few book burglars in his time—and he writes about the pleasures and perils of chasing book thieves in an article for The Stranger called 'Flying Off the Shelves'.
He spoke recently with The Book Show's Kate Pearcy about the classic book theft chase scene.
Colonial Australian crime fiction Read Transcript
20/06/2008
Crime fiction was popular in 19th century Australia and there was plenty of raw material to inspire writers - bushrangers, convicts, lawlessness on the goldfields, mysterious outback deaths. Ken Gelder has helped to revive some of this literature for 21st century readers in a collection he has co-edited called The Anthology of Colonial Australian Crime Fiction.
Trying Leviathan: putting the whale on trial Read Transcript
19/05/2008
Manhatten in the early nineteenth century was a thriving commercial centre and port. Following problems with the quality of fish oil held in casks on the wharves, the State decided to inspect all casks, with a fee of $75 to be paid to the inspector. Samuel Judd refused to pay, saying his casks contained whale oil not fish oil. Kirsten Garrett looks at how this issue led to one of the most sensational and important trials in the history of American law and science, a story dotted with flamboyant court rhetoric, whalers' tales and satire involving the botanist Joseph Banks.
Writing from the grave -- franchised authors
04/02/2008
The best known of the 'writers from the grave' or 'ghostwriters' in the literal sense is Robert Ludlum. At the time of his death in 2001 he had sold 210 million books (only outsold by JK Rowling). No wonder his publishers have released 12 new works bearing his name since he died. Other notable 'franchised authors' who have been ghostwritten include Lawrence Sanders and Theodor (Dr Seuss) Geisel.
But it's not just dead authors who are being franchised, the living are there too. Tom Clancy is the best example. All his works are simply from ideas he creates, the rest is left up to another writer. However, it's his name that gets all of the credit.
Is this legal and is it ethical? Nic Pullen dissects this question on the Book Show.
Andrew Hutchinson's Rohypnol
15/01/2008
In Andrew Hutchinson's debut novel Rohypnol, a gang of wealthy private school boys hit Melbourne's nightclubs, spiking the drinks of unsuspecting women before raping them. These monsters have money, are used to getting what they want and don't plan on answering to anyone.
Rohypnol won the 2006 Victorian Premier's literary award for an unpublished manuscript by an emerging writer and is written in the tough and unflinching style of Loaded and Dead Europe, by Australian writer Christos Tsiolkas -- and it comes as little surprise to discover in the acknowledgements that Christos Tsiolkas was indeed Hutchinson's mentor on the book.
Andrew Hutchinson is speaking today from Canberra to Rhiannon Brown.
