Welcome to the world of

david whish-wilson

David Whish-Wilson lives in Walyalup (Fremantle), Western Australia, where he writes, teaches, forges chef knives, casts silver jewellery and distils his own whisky.

New novel: Cutler available in September 2024!

David Whish-Wilson: Award-Winning Australian Crime Author

David Whish-Wilson’s “tough noir tales are among the best crime fiction being produced in Australia today.” Canberra Weekly

Immerse yourself in the gripping, gritty crime stories of acclaimed Western Australian author – David Whish-Wilson. Author of ten crime novels, his “compelling, thrilling” crime fiction is  packed with shady bastards. Twice shortlisted for the Ned Kelly Award, Whish-Wilson’s books captivate readers with “vivacious and fascinating characters”, harsh surroundings, “prose as sharp as a switchblade” and unflinching social commentary.

David’s own brilliant, gritty and hard-boiled background is arguably as diverse as his yarns. From random youthful globe-trotting adventures to igniting creativity in university students and prison inmates alike, David Whish-Wilson injects his eclectic experiences into each page, creating stunning narratives that are at-once “thrilling, thought-provoking” and bursting with “impactful, white-knuckle suspense.”  Read Reviews

Welcome to a world of raw suspense and unforgettable characters. Explore Whish-Wilson’s grit-fuelled novels right here…

Meet Crime Writer and Academic – Dr David Whish-Wilson

David Whish-Wilson is the author of ten novels and three creative non-fiction books. He was born in Newcastle, NSW but raised in Singapore, Victoria and Western Australia.

At eighteen, he left Australia to live for a decade in Europe, Africa and Asia, where he worked as a barman, actor, streetseller, petty criminal, labourer, exterminator, factory worker, gardener, clerk, travel agent, teacher and drug trial guinea pig.

David is the author of four novels in the Frank Swann crime series and two in the Lee Southern series, two of which have been shortlisted for Ned Kelly Awards.

David wrote the Perth book in the NewSouth Books city series, which was shortlisted for a WA Premier’s Book Award. Cutler is the first in the Undercover series.

Latest novel by David Whish-Wilson

Book cover of Cutler, a crime novel by David Whish-Wilson

Cutler

by David Whish-Wilson

“The next crime novel, out with Fremantle Press in September will be my tenth novel – it’ll be my first contemporary story, set on a fishing vessel on the high seas and taking a look at some of the nefarious activities of industrial fishing fleets and their effects on the ocean and the people who work there…”

Paul Cutler is a former undercover operative, now working off the books for his handler, Malik Khalil. When Cutler is tasked with investigating the disappearance of an Australian marine scientist on a Taiwanese distant water fishing vessel, Cutler realises that the apparent murder he’s investigating points to a slew of much darker crimes. Onboard, Cutler discovers that the vessel’s crew members are kept as slaves, subject to brutal punishment and forced to work long hours with little rest. And when he learns of the recent massacre of the crew of an Indonesian fishing vessel in the same waters, he realises his quest for the truth will be meaningless if he cannot escape with his life.

More books by David Whish-Wilson

Click on the book covers below to find out more. Or go here to see all David’s books…

The Sawdust House is a Crime Novel by David Whish-Wilson, published in 2022
Shore Leave is a Crime Novel by David Whish-Wilson, published in 2020
True West by David Whish-Wilson
Zero at the Bone by David Whish-Wilson
Old Scores is a Crime novel by David Whish-Wilson, published in 2016
Line of Sight is a Crime novel by David Whish-Wilson, published in 2010
Perth is a book by David Whish-Wilson, published in 2020
Book cover of Derby a WA AFL book by David Whish-Wilson and Sean Gorman

David’s first novel in the Frank Swann crime series, Line of Sight (Penguin Australia) was shortlisted for a 2011 Ned Kelly Award. He has written three more in the series – the first three being published in Germany by Suhrkamp Verlag. David wrote the Perth book in the NewSouth Books city series, which was short-listed for a WA Premiers Book Award. Read more…