News

19 May 2026

The Best Podcast Episodes You’ll Find on WAYR? The App

The Best Podcast Episodes You’ll Find on WAYR? The App

Looking for your next great listen? What Are You Reading? The App is more than just a place to track your TBR pile, it’s also a free hub for discovering some of the most engaging literary conversations out there. From bestselling authors to rising voices, the Stories Behind The Story podcast brings readers closer to the minds behind their favourite books, offering insight, inspiration and plenty of behind-the-scenes tales.

In this roundup, we have highlighted six standout podcast episodes you can find on What Are You Reading? The App. Whether you’re interested in the evolution of crime fiction, the realities of modern parenting, the rise of political extremism or the enduring appeal of classic mysteries, there is something here to spark every reader’s curiosity.

Michael Robotham on Celebrating 20 Years of Writing

Michael Robotham talks to Cheryl about celebrating his 20-year writing career, exploring the evolution of crime fiction, and sharing personal stories and insights into his writing process. His latest book, Storm Child, is out now.

Listen to Michael’s episode here.

Buy a copy of Storm Child here.

 

Dramas, Delights, Delirium with Jessica Dettmann

This week Cheryl Akle is joined by Jessica Dettmann to discuss her debut novel How To Be Second Best – a hilarious and heartwarming novel that captures the dramas, delights and delirium of modern parenting. Together they discuss Jessica’s journey as both a writer and mother, and how these experiences informed her novel.

Listen to Jessica’s episode here.

Buy a copy of How To Be Second Best here.

 

Tim Ayliffe on the Rise of Extremism in Australia

Journalist and author Tim Ayliffe talks to Cheryl about politics, power, and the rise of extremism in Australia. His latest novel, The Enemy Within, is out now.

Listen to Tim’s episode here.

Buy a copy of The Enemy Within here.

 

Candice Fox on the Success of Her Novels

Candice Fox talks to Cheryl about co-writing, championing Australian authors and the success of her novels. Her latest book, Fire With Fire, is out now.

Listen to Candice’s podcast here.

Buy a copy of Fire With Fire here.

 

Tess Woods on how tourism continues to strain Venice

Tess Woods speaks with Cheryl about the ongoing impact of tourism on Venice, her experiences navigating the publishing industry, and her upcoming book set in Cairo, which delves into themes of the Middle East and personal heritage. Her latest novel, The Venice Hotel, is available now.

Listen to Tess’ episode here.

Buy a copy of The Venice Hotel here.

 

Richard Osman on Old-School Mystery Novels and Ageing

Richard Osman talks to Cheryl about exploring ageing and capturing the feeling of old-school mysteries in his latest novel, The Last Devil to Die, which is out now.

Listen to Richard’s episode here.

Buy a copy of The Last Devil to Die here.

Download What Are You Reading? The App here.

Reviews

A Deliciously Twisty Novel: Read Our Review of The Venice Hotel by Tess Woods

Review | Our Review

28 August 2024

A Deliciously Twisty Novel: Read Our Review of The Venice Hotel by Tess Woods

    A Romantic and Tragic Thriller: Read an Extract from The Venice Hotel by Tess Woods

    Review | Extract

    27 August 2024

    A Romantic and Tragic Thriller: Read an Extract from The Venice Hotel by Tess Woods

      Your Preview Verdict: The Venice Hotel by Tess Woods

      Review | Preview

      21 August 2024

      Your Preview Verdict: The Venice Hotel by Tess Woods

        A Tension-Filled Thriller: Read Our Review of Storm Child by Michael Robotham

        Review | Our Review

        2 July 2024

        A Tension-Filled Thriller: Read Our Review of Storm Child by Michael Robotham

          Better Reading Preview: The Venice Hotel by Tess Woods

          Review | Preview

          1 July 2024

          Better Reading Preview: The Venice Hotel by Tess Woods

            The Thursday Murder Club is Back: Read an Extract from The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman

            Review | Extract

            22 September 2023

            The Thursday Murder Club is Back: Read an Extract from The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman

              A Perfect Pick-Me-Up: Read Our Review of The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman

              Review | Our Review

              19 September 2023

              A Perfect Pick-Me-Up: Read Our Review of The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman

                A Heart-Pounding Thriller: Read an Extract from Fire With Fire by Candice Fox

                Review | Extract

                20 April 2023

                A Heart-Pounding Thriller: Read an Extract from Fire With Fire by Candice Fox

                  Sky-High Stakes and Soaring Tensions: Read Our Review of Fire With Fire by Candice Fox

                  Review | Our Review

                  19 April 2023

                  Sky-High Stakes and Soaring Tensions: Read Our Review of Fire With Fire by Candice Fox

                    A Brilliantly Crafted Thriller: Read an Extract from The Enemy Within by Tim Ayliffe

                    Review | Extract

                    23 August 2021

                    A Brilliantly Crafted Thriller: Read an Extract from The Enemy Within by Tim Ayliffe

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                                    Podcast: Tim Ayliffe on the Rise of Extremism in Australia

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                                        Publisher details

                                        The Venice Hotel
                                        Author
                                        Tess Woods
                                        Publisher
                                        Penguin
                                        Genre
                                        Fiction
                                        Released
                                        03 September, 2024
                                        ISBN
                                        9781761344404

                                        Buy now

                                        Synopsis

                                        Voted at #9 in the Better Reading Top 100 of 2025…

                                        When the lives of four very different women become entangled in a boutique Venice hotel, dark secrets unravel and not everyone who checked into the hotel will check out again.Signora Loretta Bianchi, the world famous cook at Venice’s Hotel Il Cuore, is forced to choose between once-in-a-lifetime passion and her devoted husband.Sophie, on assignment in Venice as a food writer, finds a lot more than Signora Bianchi’s secret recipes to love, but what is the charming Rocco hiding?Law graduate Elena is sinking just like the endangered city she’s returned home to, and she’ll stop at nothing to be free from her marriage.Grandmother Gayle’s dream Venetian holiday turns sinister as she finds herself embroiled in a life or death escape.Set against a backdrop of the romance and tragedy of magical Venice, The Venice Hotel explores the powerful bonds that develop between women in times of crisis, and the healing power of female connection.

                                        Publisher details

                                        Storm Child
                                        Author
                                        Michael Robotham
                                        Publisher
                                        Hachette
                                        Genre
                                        Fiction
                                        Released
                                        26 June, 2024
                                        ISBN
                                        9780733651335

                                        Buy now

                                        Synopsis

                                        The most painful of Evie Cormac's memories have been locked away, ever since she was held prisoner as a child - a child whose rescue captured hearts and headlines.

                                        Forensic psychologist Cyrus Haven's mission is to guide her to something near normality. But today, on a British beach, seventeen bodies wash up in front of them. There is only one survivor, with two women still missing. And Evie's nightmares come roaring back . . .

                                        Whatever happened all those years ago lies at the core of this new tragedy. Because these deaths are no accident. The same dark forces are reaching out, dragging her back into the storm.

                                        Evie must now call upon Cyrus's unique skills, and her own, in their search for the missing pieces of this complex and haunting puzzle. But will that be enough to save them? And who will pay for the past?

                                        Publisher details

                                        The Last Devil To Die
                                        Author
                                        Richard Osman
                                        Publisher
                                        Penguin
                                        Genre
                                        Fiction
                                        Released
                                        12 September, 2023
                                        ISBN
                                        9780241512456

                                        Buy now

                                        Synopsis

                                        The fourth book in the record-breaking Thursday Murder Club series from British national treasure Richard Osman

                                        Shocking news reaches the Thursday Murder Club.

                                        An old friend in the antiques business has been killed, and a dangerous package he was protecting has gone missing.

                                        As the gang springs into action they encounter art forgers, online fraudsters and drug dealers, as well as heartache close to home.

                                        With the body count rising, the package still missing and trouble firmly on their tail, has their luck finally run out? And who will be the last devil to die?

                                        Publisher details

                                        Fire With Fire
                                        Author
                                        Candice Fox
                                        Publisher
                                        Penguin
                                        Genre
                                        Fiction
                                        Released
                                        04 April, 2023
                                        ISBN
                                        9781760896829

                                        Buy now

                                        Synopsis

                                        Candice Fox’s latest heart-pounding thriller – a couple hold the LAPD to ransom in a desperate attempt to find their missing daughter.A married couple launch a deadly plan to find their missing child.A half-dead man washes up on a Los Angeles beach.A rookie cop is fired on her first day.Ryan and Elsie Delaney don’t accept the official line that their young daughter drowned on Santa Monica beach. Her body has never been found and their pleas for a proper investigation are rejected.So now the desperate pair are raining hellfire on the police.Taking three hostages at the Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center, they give law enforcement an ultimatum: if Tilly isn’t located in the next 24 hours, they will destroy evidence in several major cases.Detective Charlie Hoskins only just survived five years embedded with the ruthless gang known as the Death Machines. All his work is in that lab. If the police won’t look for Tilly, he will. Even if that means accepting help from Lynette Lamb, the rookie officer sacked for blowing his cover – and having him thrown to the sharks.Finding Tilly is now a matter of life and death – for the Delaneys, for their hostages, for Charlie and Lamb, and for the little girl who one day simply vanished...

                                        Publisher details

                                        The Enemy Within
                                        Author
                                        Tim Ayliffe
                                        Publisher
                                        Simon and Schuster
                                        Genre
                                        Fiction
                                        Released
                                        28 July, 2021
                                        ISBN
                                        9781925640977

                                        Buy now

                                        Synopsis

                                        SET TO BE ADAPTED FOR THE SCREEN. Like Michael Connelly’s Bosch, John Bailey will risk everything to get to the truth – and expose a deadly enemy.'He heard a voice, someone calling out in the distance, followed by a loud fluttering of birds. Bailey looked up just in time to see a body falling from the sky ...'Investigative journalist John Bailey is doing his best to turn his life around after losing the woman he loved. He has a new job. He’s given up the drink. He even has a dogBut then Federal Police raid his home with a warrant granting them unprecedented powers to take anything they want, including all his electronic devices and passwords. When Bailey protests, they threaten to put him in a prison cell.Someone wants to stop Bailey doing what he does best – exposing the truth. He has been investigating the rise of a global white supremacist group and suspects that a notorious neo-Nazi in the United States has been directing deadly racist attacks on Sydney’s streets.When the body of one of his key sources washes up on a nearby beach, it’s clear Bailey and anyone helping him have become targets. Bailey reaches out to a ruthless old friend – CIA veteran, Ronnie Johnson – to lure the enemy from the shadows.An enemy who thought they were untouchable. Until now … The brilliant third book in Tim Ayliffe’s John Bailey series.  Bailey’s adventures in The Enemy Within, State of Fear and The Greater Good is to be adapted for the screen by CJZ Productions, Australia's largest independently owned production company series.

                                        Publisher details

                                        How To Be Second Best
                                        Author
                                        Jessica Dettmann
                                        Publisher
                                        HarperCollins
                                        Genre
                                        Fiction
                                        Released
                                        17 December, 2018
                                        ISBN
                                        9781460755976

                                        Buy now

                                        Synopsis

                                        A hilarious and heart-warming debut that captures the dramas, delights and delirium of modern parenting. This is Marian Keyes meets Allison Pearson, with a dash of Caitlin Moran.Going from one child to two is never all that easy for a family, but when Emma's husband simultaneously fathers a third child three doors up the street, things get very tricky, very fast.No longer is it enough for Emma to be the best wife and mother - now she's trying to be the best ex-wife, and the best part-time parent to her ex's love child, and that's before she even thinks about adding a new bloke to the mix.Set in an upwardly mobile, ultra-competitive suburb, this is a funny, biting, heart-warming modern comedy that looks at the roles we play, how we compete, and what happens when we dare to strive for second-best.
                                        Richard Osman
                                        About the author

                                        Richard Osman

                                        Richard Osman is a creative director for Endemol UK. He has worked as an executive producer on numerous shows including 8 Out of 10 Cats and 10 O'Clock Live. Richard rose to fame presenting Pointless with Alexander Armstrong. Richard's popularity and tremendous knowledge of trivia led to him presenting his own BBC quiz,Two Tribes along with Insert NameHere, Child Genius and Richard Osman's House of Games. He is also a regular on panel shows such as Have I Got News For You and writes a column for the Radio Times.

                                        Books by Richard Osman

                                        The Thursday Murder Club
                                        Richard Osman

                                        The Thursday Murder Club

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                                        The Man Who Died Twice
                                        Richard Osman

                                        The Man Who Died Twice

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                                        The Bullet That Missed
                                        Richard Osman

                                        The Bullet That Missed

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                                        The Last Devil To Die
                                        Richard Osman

                                        The Last Devil To Die

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                                        We Solve Murders
                                        Richard Osman

                                        We Solve Murders

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                                        The Impossible Fortune
                                        Richard Osman

                                        The Impossible Fortune

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                                        Jessica Dettmann
                                        About the author

                                        Jessica Dettmann

                                        Jessica Dettmann is a Sydney-based writer and performer. Her blog, Life With Gusto, turns a sharp but affectionate eye on modern parenthood. She has performed her work several times at Giant Dwarf's Story Club, and has appeared on their podcast.After a decade working as an editor for Random House Australia and HarperCollins publishers she made the transition to writing after two small children rendered her housebound.She once appeared as the City of Sydney Christmas Angel and sat on top of the Town Hall in a frock that reached the street.

                                        Books by Jessica Dettmann

                                        How To Be Second Best
                                        Jessica Dettmann

                                        How To Be Second Best

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                                        This Has Been Absolutely Lovely
                                        Jessica Dettmann

                                        This Has Been Absolutely Lovely

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                                        There's No Such Book
                                        Jake A Minton, Jessica Dettmann

                                        There's No Such Book

                                        Retail partners

                                        Without Further Ado
                                        Jessica Dettmann

                                        Without Further Ado

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                                        Your Friend and Mine
                                        Jessica Dettmann

                                        Your Friend and Mine

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                                        Tess Woods
                                        About the author

                                        Tess Woods

                                        Tess Woods lives in Perth, Australia, with one husband, two children, one dog and a cat who rules over them all. Her debut novel, Love at First Flight, received acclaim from readers worldwide and won Book of the Year in the AusRom Today Reader’s Choice Award. Her second novel, Beautiful Messy Love, was a 2017 Better Reading Top 100 pick. When she isn’t working or being a personal assistant to her kids, Tess enjoys reading and grannyish pleasures like knitting, baking, drinking tea and tending to the veggie patch. She’s also moderately obsessed with the TV series Nashville and Buzzfeed quizzes. Tess loves connecting with her readers on Facebook: @Tesswoods.harpercollins and Instagram: @tesswoods_author.

                                        Books by Tess Woods

                                        Love at First Flight
                                        Tess Woods

                                        Love at First Flight

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                                        Beautiful Messy Love
                                        Tess Woods

                                        Beautiful Messy Love

                                        Retail partners

                                        Love and Other Battles
                                        Tess Woods

                                        Love and Other Battles

                                        Retail partners

                                        The Venice Hotel
                                        Tess Woods

                                        The Venice Hotel

                                        Retail partners

                                        Candice Fox
                                        About the author

                                        Candice Fox

                                        Hades, Candice Fox's first novel, won the Ned Kelly Award for best debut in 2014 from the Australian Crime Writers Association. The sequel, Eden, won the Ned Kelly Award for best crime novel in 2015, making Candice only the second author to win these accolades back to back. All her subsequent novels – Fall, Crimson Lake, Redemption Point and Gone by Midnight – have been shortlisted for the Ned Kelly Award.In 2015 Candice began collaborating with James Patterson. Their first novel together, Never Never, set in the vast Australian outback, was a huge bestseller in Australia and went straight to number 1 on the New York Times bestseller list in the US and also to the top of the charts in the UK. Their subsequent novels Fifty Fifty, Liar Liar and Hush Hush have all been massive bestsellers across the world. Their most recent collaboration, The Inn, was released in August 2019.Bankstown born and bred, Candice lives in Sydney.

                                        Books by Candice Fox

                                        Hades
                                        Candice Fox

                                        Hades

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                                        Fall (The Archer & Bennett Series #3)
                                        Candice Fox

                                        Fall (The Archer & Bennett Series #3)

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                                        Never Never
                                        Candice Fox, James Patterson

                                        Never Never

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                                        Crimson Lake
                                        Candice Fox

                                        Crimson Lake

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                                        Eden
                                        Candice Fox

                                        Eden

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                                        Fifty Fifty
                                        Candice Fox, James Patterson

                                        Fifty Fifty

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                                        Redemption Point
                                        Candice Fox

                                        Redemption Point

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                                          Redemption Point
                                          Candice Fox

                                          Redemption Point

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                                          Liar Liar
                                          Candice Fox, James Patterson

                                          Liar Liar

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                                          Gone by Midnight
                                          Candice Fox

                                          Gone by Midnight

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                                          Michael Robotham
                                          About the author

                                          Michael Robotham

                                          Before becoming a novelist, Michael Robotham was an investigative journalist working across America, Australia and Britain, and with clinical and forensic psychologists as they helped police investigate complex, psychologically driven crimes. Michael's 2004 debut thriller, The Suspect, sold more than 1 million copies around the world. It is the first of nine novels featuring beloved Joe O'Loughlin. Good Girl, Bad Girl and When She Was Good are the first two books in a new series featuring forensic psychologist Cyrus Haven. Michael is the only Australian to win the UK's prestigious Gold Dagger Award twice - for Good Girl, Bad Girl and Life or Death. Good Girl, Bad Girl was also shortlisted for the 2020 Edgar Award for Best Novel. In 2020, The Secrets She Keeps was adapted for television. He lives in Sydney.

                                          Books by Michael Robotham

                                          Say You're Sorry
                                          Michael Robotham

                                          Say You're Sorry

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                                            Watching You
                                            Michael Robotham

                                            Watching You

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                                              Life or Death
                                              Michael Robotham

                                              Life or Death

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                                              Lost
                                              Michael Robotham

                                              Lost

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                                                Shatter
                                                Michael Robotham

                                                Shatter

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                                                  The Suspect
                                                  Michael Robotham

                                                  The Suspect

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                                                  Close Your Eyes
                                                  Michael Robotham

                                                  Close Your Eyes

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                                                  The Secrets She Keeps
                                                  Michael Robotham

                                                  The Secrets She Keeps

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                                                  The Other Wife
                                                  Michael Robotham

                                                  The Other Wife

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                                                  Good Girl, Bad Girl
                                                  Michael Robotham

                                                  Good Girl, Bad Girl

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