Okay, just for fun and to kickstart the week, an impromptu, off-the-top-of-our-head A to Z of #SouthernCrossCrime (Oz & NZ crime writing). If we did it tomorrow it'd be different, and we may miss hugely obvious choices for various letters (feel free to comment with alternatives).

A is for Aaron Pedersen, who stars as Detective Jay Swan in Mystery Road (the TV series, the film, and Goldstone, the sequel film), as well as putting great turns in for lots of other Aussie crime dramas, from City Homicide and Water Rats to The Circuit and Jack Irish.

B is for Blue Heelers, the country cop show that became a staple of our TV screens, winning a record number of Gold Logies and running for more than 500 episodes over 13 seasons (and being screened in 70 countries).

C is for Candice Fox, one of the new Queens of Australian crime, who scooped a Ned Kelly Award for Best First Novel with her debut HADES, then the Ned Kelly for Best Novel for her second book EDEN. She's topped bestseller lists in the UK and USA, and tells cracking great stories

D is for David Whish-Wilson, a West Australian author whose first Frank Swann tale, LINE OF SIGHT, is set in 1970s Perth and was inspired by a real-life murder. Several of David's other crime novels are set in 1970s-1980s Western Australia; compelling portraits of time & place

E is for Emma Viskic, who scooped five major awards for her outstanding debut RESURRECTION BAY, which introduced deaf private investigator Caleb Zelic to the books world. Caleb has returned in two further terrific novels & @EmmaViskic Emma was shortlisted for two @The_CWA Daggers

F is for Freda Bream, who after careers as a postie and a teacher (both of which she wrote memoirs about), penned 13 ecclesiastical mysteries during her retirement years in a rest home, starring amateur sleuth Reverend Jabal Jarrett.

G is for Garry Disher, a doyen of antipodean crime and master on whose shoulders some of our fresh talents have stood. The Wyatt tales of a Melbourne thief, his Challis and Destry series set on Mornington Peninsula, his Hirsch novels, brilliant standalones: decades of excellence.

H is for Hume (Fergus Hume); Kiwi lawyer turned wannabe Melbourne playwright who penned the bestselling crime novel of the 19th century, THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB, as a failed calling card for theatre producers. New screed adaptations were still being produced 125 years later.

I is for IN MY FATHER'S DEN, a classic 1972 novel by Maurice Gee about a man forced to confront his own family secrets when a young woman is killed, that was adapted for the screen in 2004. A brooding, atmospheric, unsettling tale that blends mystery and family drama.

J is for Jane Harper, the 'Queen of Outback Noir' whose extraordinary debut THE DRY became a global phenomenon and won the CWA Gold Dagger among many other prizes. Harper has followed that with two more excellent novels, FORCE OF NATURE and THE LOST MAN.

K is for Keneally, Meg and Tom. The Dad-Daughter duo who are behind the historical mystery series starring Hugh Monsarrat, a forger transported to Australia for his crimes, who turns sleuth in the convict colony and provides a fascinating insight into life in colonial Australia

L is for LA Larkin, the adventure-loving author of action-packed thrillers that take readers to exotic locations (including Antarctica) and have been compared to the likes of Michael Crichton and Alistair MacLean. @lalarkinauthor's latest tale, PREY, was launched during lockdown.

M is for Michael Robotham, the Sydney scribe who won @The_CWA Gold Dagger for the brilliant LIFE OR DEATH. He's thrilled readers for 16 years with terrific crime tales (many starring Parkinson's-afflicted psychologist Joe O'Loughlin). His latest is shortlisted for @EdgarAwards.

N is for THE NANCYS, an exuberant, charming novel that came out last year from first-time Melbourne scribe RWR McDonald. Centred on an adolescent girl in small-town Otago who tries to solve the murder of her teacher with her gay uncle from Sydney and his fashionista boyfriend.

O is for Outrageous Fortune, the comedy crime drama about a family of 'bogans' in West Auckland who try to go straight (with mixed results) after their Dad is sent to prison. Great acting & writing over 100+ episodes, award-winning, spawned UK and US remakes and a prequel series.

P is for Peters and Pauls. The 'Godfather' names for modern Aussie and Kiwi crime writing, in a way. Both Vito and Michael. In Australia twas Peter Corris then Peter Temple, and in New Zealand Paul Thomas then Paul Cleave that tore our local genre into modern times & elevated it

Q is for Queensland, a vast state ranging from sandy beaches & coastal cities to rainforest and Outback. With exotic settings & history rife with political/police corruption, it's home to some fab tales: Arthur Upfield, Iain Ryan, @jmgreenwriter, Chris Nyst, @candicefoxbooks etc

R is for THE RULES OF BACKYARD CRICKET by Jock Serong, an exceptional and quintessentially antipodean literary crime novel about suburban life, mateship, toxic masculinity, sport, and more. Listed for @The_CWA Daggers in UK and @EdgarAwards in USA. Sublime.

S is for Stella Duffy, who grew up in a 'forestry town' in rural New Zealand, and went on to become a Queen of Tart Noir in the 1990s, won two @The_CWA Daggers, and recently helped resurrect a sliver of manuscript from Dame Ngaio Marsh into the brilliant MONEY IN THE MORGUE.

T is for Top of the Lake, the unusual, atmospheric, extraordinary TV crime drama from Oscar-nominated director Jane Campion. Brilliant acting, writing, and cinematography. Following the first season set among NZ's spectacular Southern Lakes, it moved to Sydney for Season 2.

U is of Underbelly, the hard-hitting TV drama banned from broadcast in Victoria that delved into the real-life Melbourne gangland killings. Violent, compelling, and brilliant, it spawned several further series digging into the criminal underworld of various antipodean eras.

V is for Vanda Symon, whose tales of young detective Sam Shephard have been shortlisted for multiple @ngaiomarshaward and @The_CWA Daggers. Don't let the grin fool ya: Vanda can kill in many ways (she's a pharmacist, medal-winning fencer, and PhD in science in crime). #yeahnoir

W is for Wimmera, the sublime debut from Mark Brandi that won @The_CWA Debut among many other accolades. Later published as INTO THE RIVER in the USA and UK, it's an extraordinary, literary crime story about small-town life and secrets long kept then revealed.

X is for (IN) EXTREMIS, a contemporary Auckland crime tale from 2004, by prolific Kiwi storyteller and social historian David McGill. Among McGill's 50+ published books are several crime and thriller tales. Most recently he's written historical mysteries starring spy Dan Delaney

Y is for THE YELLOW HOUSE by Emily O'Grady, a crime-drenched piece of literary fiction that won the 2018 Australian/Vogel Literary Award. A 10-year-old girl lives with her family in isolated farmland, across from her grandfather's old house; the home of a serial killer.

Z is for Zane Lovitt, a fresh voice in Australian crime who broke through several ago. A documentary film maker turned crime scribe, @zanelovitt brings an interesting approach and perspective. His debut is more a tale of a detective than a detective tale. BLACK TEETH is neo-noir.