Cassie McCullagh

First, though, we'd like to introduce you to an international guest in Australia for the Bendigo Writers Festival.

Anne Cleaves is the creator of the Shetland series of novels, as well as Vera Stanhope.

Of course, you'll know them both from ABC TV adaptations throughout the years.

Well, it might have been a closed community once, Anne, but surely the locals on the Shetlands hold you responsible for an influx of new visitors.

Is that the case?

And they want to see if the spunky Jimmy Perez is real.

We've been tracking the rise of Scandi Noir here in Australia with some kind of amazement.

I think maybe we missed some of the cultural cues that are going on for UK audiences.

Can you explain why it's been so successful?

I think she's kind of fantastic.

And I'm always amazed, actually, by the female detective in so much of British crime fiction.

But your Vera has a certain, well, is it doughty character?

I don't know, what is it?

It's a kind of stoic strength.

How do you describe Vera to yourself?

And, Clare, just before we let you go, we often ask people on this program what they're reading and what they've got on their pile to read next.

Yeah, thanks very much.

Well, time now on the bookshelf to meet the rest of our guests as we move from crime to a different type of social disruption.

Mr David Hunt is with us.

Now, he manages to combine humour and history.