Candice Fox is an Australian crime fiction writer. She has published more than 10 novels, and since 2015 has been co-writing books with crime-writing legend James Patterson.
Her debut novel, Hades, won a prestigious Ned Kelly Award for crime fiction. The follow-up, Eden, also won a Ned Kelly Award. (Other authors who’ve won this prize include Jane Harper and Dervla McTiernan.)
If you’re yet to pick up any Candice Fox books, below is a list of The Weekly’s favourites — they’re guaranteed page-turners — plus more about this Sydney-based author.
Do you need to read Candice Fox books in order?
Candice Fox has several series, which are best read in order, though the books are equally gripping if read independently.
She has also written a few standalones, including Gathering Dark, a story about four disparate women united in their search for a missing girl. Renegade Entertainment bought the television rights to Gathering Dark in 2022.
Is there a sequel to Crimson Lake by Candice Fox?
Yes, Crimson Lake has a sequel. In fact, there are three novels in the Crimson Lake series which follows Sydney detective Ted Conkaffey and private investigator Amanda Pharrell. The books are: Crimson Lake, Redemption Point, and Gone by Midnight.
In 2022, a television series based on Crimson Lake aired on ABC. Troppo starred Nicole Chamoun as Amanda and Thomas Jane as Ted. Season two, which premiered in 2024, was inspired by the second novel, Redemption Point.
What is the latest book release by Candice Fox?
Her latest book is 2 Sisters Murder Investigations, co-written with James Patterson. Their other co-written series are the Harriet Blue series and the Bill Robinson series.
Candice Fox’s latest solo release is High Wire. The book has been picked up for television by Apple TV+ and Ridley Scott’s Scott Free Productions.
Read all about these books below, as well as some of our other favourites.
01
High Wire
A notorious unmarked track through the outback Australia, the ‘Wire’ crosses slabs of lawless land, body-dumping grounds and mobile phone blackspots.
On the High Wire, Harvey Buck and Clare Holland are strangers thrust together for the road trip from hell. Ambushed by a vengeful crew, the pair are forced to commit a series of increasingly murderous missions.
Senior Sergeant Edna Norris is hot on their trail. But catching up to them might mean becoming part of their living nightmare . . .
02
2 Sisters Murder Investigations
Rhonda and Barbara “Baby” Bird are half-sisters—and full partners in their Los Angeles detective agency. They agree on nothing.
When they take a controversial case of a loner whose popular wife has gone missing, they’re accused of being PIs who can’t tell a client from a killer.
2 Sisters Murder Investigations is the sequel to 2 Sisters Detective Agency.
03
The Chase
When more than 600 of the world’s most violent human beings pour out from Pronghorn Correctional Facility into the Nevada Desert, the biggest manhunt in US history begins.
For John Kradle, this is his chance to prove his innocence, five years after the murder of his wife and child. He just needs to stay one step ahead of the law enforcement officers.
Death row supervisor Celine Osbourne is single-minded in her mission to catch Kradle. She has very personal reasons for hating him – and she knows exactly where he’s heading . . .
04
Crimson Lake
Six minutes – that’s all it took to ruin Detective Ted Conkaffey’s life. Accused but not convicted of abducting a teenage girl, he escapes north, to the steamy, croc-infested wetlands of Crimson Lake.
Amanda Pharrell knows what it’s like to be public enemy number one. Maybe it’s her murderous past that makes her so good as a private investigator. Her latest target has a life more shrouded in secrets than her own, so she enlists help from the one person in town more hated than she is: Ted Conkaffey.
The series continues with Redemption Point and Gone by Midnight.
05
Hades
Homicide detective Frank Bennett feels like the luckiest man on the force when he meets his new partner, the dark and beautiful Eden Archer. But there’s something strange about Eden and her brother. Something he can’t quite put his finger on.
At first, as they race to catch a very different kind of serial killer, his partner’s sharp instincts come in handy. But soon Frank’s wondering if she’s as dangerous as the man they hunt . . .
The series continues with Eden and Fall.
06
Devil’s Kitchen
For years, the firefighters of New York’s Engine 99 have rushed fearlessly into hot zones, saving countless lives and stopping devastating blazes in their tracks. They’ve also stolen millions from banks, jewellery stores and art galleries.
Their newest member, Andrea ‘Andy’ Nearland, is not what she seems either. She’s an undercover operative, hunting the men of Engine 99 for a host of crimes – including the murder of an off-duty cop and the disappearance of a mother and child.
07
Never Never
Detective Harriet Blue needs to get out of town, fast. With her brother under arrest for a series of brutal murders in Sydney, Harry’s chief wants the hot-headed detective kept far from the press. So he assigns her a deadly new case – in the middle of the Outback.
Deep in the Western Australian desert, three young people have disappeared from the Bandya Mine. And it’s Harry’s job to track them down. But still reeling from events back home, and with a secretive new partner at her side, Harry’s not sure who she can trust anymore.
