The Scarlet Stiletto Awards were set up 26 years ago to encourage and support female crime writers. Since then over 3000 stories have been entered in the annual short story competition which requires the author and the main protagonist of the story to be women. 2017 saw 186 entries, 26 of which were shortlisted, with 13 being chosen to receive awards and which appear in this collection. The stories are set in varied locations, from the outback to busy cities; they are funny, poignant and thought-provoking. But they are all written by talented women and Sisters in Crime are honoured to present their work.

Scarlet Stiletto: The Tenth Cut - 2018 features nine award-winning stories from the 25th annual Scarlet Stiletto Awards. 'Crime and mystery short story collections of startling originality; and a grim warning of what evil lurks in Australian suburbia.' - Kerry Greenwood The Scarlet Stiletto series of eBooks – the First to the Tenth Cuts – feature superb collections of spine-chilling crime and mystery short stories, by Australian women writers, curated from 25 years of the Scarlet Stiletto Awards hosted by Sisters in Crime Australia.

Scarlet Stiletto: The Eleventh Cut - 2019 features thirteen award-winning stories from the 26th annual Scarlet Stiletto Awards. ‘Crime and mystery short story collections of startling originality; and a grim warning of what evil lurks in Australian suburbia’ - Kerry Greenwood The Scarlet Stiletto series of eBooks - the First to the Eleventh Cuts - feature superb collections of spine-chilling crime and mystery short stories, by Australian women writers, curated from 26 years of the Scarlet Stiletto Awards hosted by Sisters in Crime Australia

Scarlet Stiletto: The First Cut presents a superb collection of spine-chilling crime fiction stories culled from the annual Scarlet Stiletto Awards hosted by Sisters in Crime Australia. You'll find the whole gamut from murder and mayhem to police procedurals and crime in verse. Some will have your blood running cold, some will raise gooseflesh, and others will make you laugh - but all will have you on the edge of your seat, and wanting more. "A crime and mystery short story collection of startling originality; and a grim warning of what evil lurks in Australian suburbia." Kerry Greenwood

Currawongs appearing at the Manor in vast numbers had come to portend one thing... Death was on its way. When photographer Elizabeth Thorrington is invited to document the history of Currawong Manor for a book, she is keen to investigate a mystery from years before: the disappearance of her grandfather, the notorious artist Rupert Partridge, and the deaths of his wife, Doris, and daughter, Shalimar. For years, locals have speculated whether it was terrible tragedy or a double murder, but until now, the shocking truth of what happened at the Manor that day has remained a secret. Relocating to the manor, Elizabeth interviews Ginger Flower, one of Rupert's life models from the seventies, and Dolly Shaw, the daughter of the enigmatic 'dollmaker' who seems to have been protected over the years by the Partridge family. Elizabeth is sure the two women know what happened all those years ago, but neither will share their truths unconditionally. And in the surrounding Owlbone Woods, a haunting presence still lurks, waiting for the currawongs to gather... An evocative tale set in the spectacular Blue Mountains, Currawong Manor is a mystery of art, truth and the ripple effects of death and deception.

Raised in a poverty-scarred part of Auckland, Edwina is a battler. Life revolves around the church and her mundane job unpacking vegetables. Meanwhile, a new generation has gentrified her suburb. After winning a gym membership, she loses weight, gets a new hairstyle, clothes, job - and makes a new friend, Rose. Edwina's life is brutally taken, a swift and silent killer leaving no clues. Her murder seems unsolvable until a casual comment sends Inspector Alex Cameron and his seasoned team trawling through Edwina's childhood. Can they uncover the link in time to save the next victim? Alex Cameron must unravel the shadow hanging over Edmund Street. Everyone and no one is a suspect, until...

When Sadie inherits Poet's Cottage, she sets out to discover all she can about her notorious grandmother, Pearl Tatlow. Pearl, a children's writer who scandalised 1930s Tasmania, was violently murdered in the cellar and her killer never found.Sadie grew up with a loving version of Pearl through her mother, but her aunt Thomasina tells a different story, one of a self-obsessed, abusive and licentious woman.As Sadie and her daughter Betty work to uncover the truth, strange events begin to occur in the cottage. And as the terrible secret in the cellar threads its way into the present day, it reveals a truth more shocking than the decades-long rumours.Poet's Cottage is a beautiful and haunting mystery of families, bohemia, truth, creativity, lies, memory and murder.