Congratulations to Lucy Sussex for winning the History Publication Award of the Victorian Community History Awards for her new book Blockbuster, Fergus Hume and the Mystery of the Hansom Cab. Her book explores the history surrounding the world’s first true best-selling crime novel which was written and published here in Australia in the late 1800s. I have just interviewed Lucy about Blockbuster, and the award is well deserved.
Lucy’s book is a fascinating read that explores the people, the intrigues and the growing pains of the Australasian region at the turn of the twentieth century, and the tumultuous birth of the mystery novel as we know it today. It’s a damn good read and you will look at Melbourne though fresh eyes, which ironically will tint Melbourne with colourful shades of the past.