Q&A: Jane Caro, Author of Lyrebird

Q&A: Jane Caro, Author of Lyrebird

Can you please tell our readers a little bit about  your new thriller Lyrebird?

Jessica Weston flees a forest in terror after she hears a lyrebird – the subject of her PHD – mimic a woman screaming in terror and begging for her life. She has recorded the bird’s spectacular display and verbal repertoire on her camera but the only person she can convince that a crime has taken place is brand new detective Megan Blaxland. No body is found and no relevant missing person is identified.

The case goes cold for two decades. Then a body is found, exactly where Jessica said it would be. Megan Blaxland is called out of retirement to investigate the case. She and Jessica join forces, leading them into a world of human trafficking, triads, gambling addiction, the powerlessness of those with nothing in the face of those with everything and men who are prepared to do just about anything for greed and revenge.

As they dig into a murky world, they uncover cruelty that the perpetrators thought they had gotten away with, and danger for those they love. But they also uncover courage, generosity and friendship. All the time, the forest is suffering due to human neglect and the ravages of climate change. And, in the end, it also takes its revenge.

Lyrebird has to be one of the most original ideas for a thriller ever. How did you come up with it?

I was walking in the Barringtons with my husband when a lyrebird came out of the undergrowth and walked along a few feet in front of us. We followed as quietly as we could, aware of the privilege of seeing this wild creature so close. I began to think about the incredible ability of lyrebirds to mimic all the sounds they hear – other bird calls, certainly, but also a radio being tuned, chainsaws, human laughter and as I thought about how much our species now impinges on all the others, the idea of it mimicking a human murder came to me. Nature sees what we do and plays it back to us.

Did you have to do any special research for the book?

Yes, lots of research into lyrebirds, certainly, the effects of climate change, including what it is like to be caught in a catastrophic bushfire, but also human trafficking and organised crime in Australia.

When it comes to writing are you a plotter or a pantser? 

Pantser – to the despair of my editors and proof readers.

What are you looking forward to reading this year?

 1945. A Reckoning by Phil Craig, Broke Road by Matthew Spencer, Wing by Nikki Gemmell, The Season by Helen Garner, and Juice by Tim Winton.

Buy a copy of Lyrebird here.

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Better Reading Preview: Lyrebird by Jane Caro

Review | Preview

27 January 2025

Better Reading Preview: Lyrebird by Jane Caro

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      Publisher details

      Lyrebird
      Author
      Jane Caro
      Publisher
      Allen & Unwin
      Genre
      Fiction
      Released
      01 April, 2025
      ISBN
      9781761471537

      Synopsis

      Twenty years ago, ornithology student Jessica Weston filmed a lyrebird mimicking the dying screams of a woman in the Barrington Tops National Park. Terrified, she took her recordings to the Maitland police to report a murder. Despite support from newly minted detective, Megan Blaxland, no one was reported missing in the area and no body found, so Jessica's claims were mocked and dismissed.

      Twenty years later, a body is unearthed. Exactly where Jessica said it would be.

      Megan Blaxland, now a retired senior sergeant, is persuaded to return and lead the cold case investigation. The first thing she does is contact Jessica Weston, now an Associate Professor at Newcastle University.

      Jessica and Megan both feel that they have let the dead woman down and are determined to find the killer, whatever it takes. But what they don't realise is that they are not only putting themselves in danger, but those close to them . . .

      Jane Caro
      About the author

      Jane Caro

      Jane Caro AM is a Walkley Award-winning Australian columnist, author, novelist, broadcaster, advertising writer, documentary maker, feminist and social commentator.

      Jane appears frequently on Q&AThe Drum and Sunrise. She has created and presented five documentary series for ABC's Compass, airing in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. She and Catherine Fox present a popular podcast with Podcast One, Austereo 'Women With Clout'. She writes regular columns in Sunday Life.

      She has published twelve books, including Just a GirlJust a Queen and Just Flesh & Blood, a young adult trilogy about the life of Elizabeth Tudor, and the memoir Plain Speaking Jane. She created and edited Unbreakable which featured stories women writers had never told before and was published just before the Harvey Weinstein revelations. Her most recent non-fiction work is Accidental Feminists, about the fate of women over 50. The Mother is her first novel for adults.

      Books by Jane Caro

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