When Journalists Write Fiction: Michael Brissenden and his political thriller The List

When Journalists Write Fiction: Michael Brissenden and his political thriller The List

Listen to the Podcast on iTunes

Brissenden splice“Fiction has to be more believable than facts; I believe that’s true.” – Michael Brissenden.

In this podcast Cheryl Akle and Michael Brissenden discuss the descent of media culture and its transformation in contemporary society, via the lens of Michael’s work as a political journalist and foreign correspondent for the ABC.

When Michael first conceived the premise for The List, the world was drenched with terrorism paranoia, and Australia was having its own, specific anxieties. It’s a fine debut, a scintillating page-flicking piece of genre fiction.

 

Podcast Guest: Michael Brissenden

Michael Brissenden has been a political journalist and foreign correspondent for over thirty years. He is the author of the book American Stories, an account of his fascinating time spent working in America in the lead-up to Barack Obama’s presidency. The List is his first novel.

xthe-list.jpg.pagespeed.ic.hW7PjAItrMThe List 

Sidney Allen is a Fed. Part of the Australian Federal Police’s K block, a unit doing whatever it takes in order to stop terrorist attacks on home soil.

But when young Muslim men on the Terror Watchlist start turning up dead, Sid and his partner, Haifa, have to work out what’s going on. Sectarian war? Drugs? Retribution? For Sid, there’s nothing unclear about a bullet to the head and a severed hand. Someone is sending a message. Deciphering that message reveals a much wider threat and Sid and the agency have to decide just how far they’ll go to prevent a deadly attack. Time is running out … for them and Australia.

From the brutal battlegrounds of Afghanistan, to the western Sydney suburbs and the halls of power in Canberra, The List is a page-turning thriller where justice, revenge and the war on terror collide.

Duration: 31 mins
Released: 4 October 2017

Grab a copy of The List here

Listen to the podcast on iTunes

Also available on Stitcher here

Related Articles

Best of Crime Fiction on Better Reading's Stories Behind the Story Podcast

News

8 September 2022

Best of Crime Fiction on Better Reading's Stories Behind the Story Podcast

    Summer Podcast Playlist: Great Historical Fiction Authors

    Podcast | Book Life

    17 December 2019

    Summer Podcast Playlist: Great Historical Fiction Authors

      Podcast: Author  Paula Saunders Talks About the Complexities of Families and Modern America

      Podcast

      18 September 2019

      Podcast: Author Paula Saunders Talks About the Complexities of Families and Modern America

        Podcast: Australian Children’s Laureate for 2018 and 2019, Morris Gleitzman talks about Writing Children's Fiction.

        Podcast

        15 August 2019

        Podcast: Australian Children’s Laureate for 2018 and 2019, Morris Gleitzman talks about Writing Children's Fiction.

          Do You Dream of Writing a Book? You Need Scrivener Software

          News | Book Life

          1 August 2019

          Do You Dream of Writing a Book? You Need Scrivener Software

            New 6-Part Podcast Series: Better Reading On Writing (You Asked For It!)

            Podcast

            25 July 2019

            New 6-Part Podcast Series: Better Reading On Writing (You Asked For It!)

              Podcast: Ava Benny-Morrison Discusses the Shocking Case that Inspired her to Write her Book, The Lost Girls.

              Podcast

              17 July 2019

              Podcast: Ava Benny-Morrison Discusses the Shocking Case that Inspired her to Write her Book, The Lost Girls.

                Podcast: Bolinda Audio Founder, Rebecca Hermann, on Why Audio Books are Here to Stay

                Podcast

                10 July 2019

                Podcast: Bolinda Audio Founder, Rebecca Hermann, on Why Audio Books are Here to Stay

                  Podcast: Craig Ensor On His Climate Change Warning, His Novel, The Warming

                  Podcast

                  8 July 2019

                  Podcast: Craig Ensor On His Climate Change Warning, His Novel, The Warming

                    Podcast: Victoria Purman, Author of The Land Girls, Discusses the Women Who Played a Vital Role in Australian History

                    Podcast

                    26 June 2019

                    Podcast: Victoria Purman, Author of The Land Girls, Discusses the Women Who Played a Vital Role in Australian History

                      Michael Brissenden
                      About the author

                      Michael Brissenden

                      Michael Brissenden has worked for the ABC for more than thirty years. He has been a political journalist and foreign correspondent for the ABC since 1987. He began his career covering Federal politics and has been a correspondent in Moscow, Brussels and Washington. Michael covered many of the biggest international stories of the 1990s and early 2000s from all corners of the globe. He was the political editor for the 7.30 Report in Canberra from 2003 to 2009, the ABC's Defence and National Security Correspondent and most recently he has worked as host of AM national radio program. A two-time Walkley Award winner, Michael has recently joined the ABC'S 4 Corners as a reporter.

                      Books by Michael Brissenden

                      COMMENTS

                      Leave a Reply

                      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *