Its adherence to the thriller genre also seems to determine some of its attributed motivations. Here, the novel as serious inquiry & the novel as entertainment become an uneasy match.” The Conversation
“Beaumont’s courage, her boldness, her risk taking. Her urgent voice, her rallying cried and social conscience. She has great power beyond the pages – it’s the blast or concussion
waves that follow the detonation of a grenade.”Matthew Condon OAM – Award winning writer and journalist
“Crime fiction and true crime enthusiasts alike will be fascinated by this terrific novel, which is in a way, a haunting fusion of the two genres. ‘The Thrill of It’ is a compelling, fearsome, yet undeniably important work of Australian crime fiction.” Samuel Bernard – Critic, The Weekend Australian
“Taut, absorbing and, given that we spend a lot of time in the mind of the killer himself, very dark and deliberately, appropriately horrifying.” Miles Franklin and Stella Prize listed Emily Maguire
“A searing, unflinching and fiercely feminist novel where justice is reclaimed for the real life victims it’s based on. I was gripped by Mandy Beaumont’s compulsive and bold storytelling from cover and cover.” Tess Woods – Bestseller author and Curator of the Festival of Fiction
“The Thrill of It is a page-turner; a compelling, and at times, confronting read. I loved it and I can’t wait to read Mandy’s next book.” Mark Brandi
“Mandy Beaumont’s [has] superbly understated depictions of the molestations and murders. It can be difficult to understand how a book describing such crimes operates to counter those issues. Arguably, it does so by giving us a better understanding of such a perpetrator; in presenting ‘him’ so vividly and clearly, she draws attention to how, when and where such crimes can happen. That she has done so … is a significant achievement and many readers will enjoy this book.” Arts Hub
“A noirish blend, Beaumont doesn’t shy away from the grisly…a delicate dance, drawing on real-life crimes.” The Age/Sydney Morning Herald Spectrum
“What Beaumont does well is exploring themes of misogyny, sexism, violence against older women and the importance of trusting your gut. The Thrill of It [is] a fast-paced and entertaining read” Books and Publishing
Beaumont’s aim is to return visibility to the Granny Killer’s victims. “Old women,” Em thinks, “go largely unseen in a culture that favours the young, the untouched.” The Saturday Paper
“In some ways, the project is a departure for Beaumont, given it’s her first work of crime fiction. In another sense, it’s a homecoming.” InDaily Magazine
“In this darkly powerful and unflinching thriller, Beaumont expertly captures Sydney’s north shore in the late 1980s by reimagining one of Australia’s most shocking crimes. Viscerally disturbing yet streaked with beauty and light, The Thrill of It highlights the experience of women whose stories have largely been lost or forgotten and asks how many more like theirs have never been told? A must read for fans of psychological suspense and true crime.” Anna Downes – Bestselling crime writer
“Mandy Beaumont’s writing is all fire and flesh, tearing at the fabric of female oppression, giving voice to those ignored, unseen, unheard.”
Jayne Tuttle – Author of Paris or Die and My Sweet Guillotine
“This one is a corker. A feminist crime novel packed with important social inquiry and genuinely creepy moments.”
Briohny Doyle – Author of Why We Are Here, Echolalia, Adult Fantasy and The Island Will Sink.
“THE THRILL OF IT is compelling and chilling, taking the reader into both the mind of a determined granddaughter seeking justice and the serial killer responsible for her grandmother’s death.
Set against the rich backdrop of Sydney’s northern beaches in 1989, Beaumont transports the reader into a city on edge, where elderly women—some of the city’s most vulnerable residents—live in fear of becoming the killer’s next target. Beaumont gives these women agency and respect, offering them a voice and centering them in a gripping, page-turning manhunt that shines a light on male violence. A great read.”
R.W.R McDonald – Award-winning crime author
“A darkly reimagined retelling of the Granny Killer murders, which gripped Sydney’s northern suburbs in the 1989-90s. Partly an unnerving descent into a killer’s mind, and partly a fierce reminder of the lives lived and the ongoing potential of the women that this man cut down. The Thrill of It is a chilling and at times deeply unsettling exploration of a serial offender operating in plain sight.”
Dinuka McKenzie – Author of the Detective Kate Miles crime fiction series
“What Beaumont does well is exploring themes of misogyny, sexism, violence against older women and the importance of trusting your gut. The Thrill of It [is] a fast-paced and entertaining read”
The Courier Mail/The Daily Telegraph.
“The Thrill of It by Mandy Beaumont, a novel based on the murder of six, possibly seven, elderly women in Sydney in the 1990s. The killer was called The Granny Killer and although I hosted a documentary about the crimes called exactly that, I never really liked the title, which the NSW police used to describe the case because it’s true: they were lively, charismatic, intelligent women, still with a huge contribution to make, in their 80s but living happily and independently. Certainly they did not deserve their fate. Mandy has done a wonderful job, recreating 1990s Australia. Tabu perfume, Impulse, the RSL, the pie salesman, the panic that gripped Sydney at that time. The writing is terrific. I read it in a day and I agree: it’s a tragedy that the murder of Florence Broadhurst – charismatic wallpaper designer and Sydney businesswoman – has never been solved. There have been a number of books about this case, a number of documentaries and investigations and this novel builds on that. Four stars.”
Caroline Overington – Literary Editor of The Australian, author and documentary maker.
“Mandy Beaumont takes us into the mind of a serial killer and the granddaughter of one of his victims, and the effect is as chilling as it is compelling. Dark, brutal, feminist, The Thrill of It left me reflecting for a long time after reading the final page.”
Tania Chandler – Ned Kelly and Davitt Award shortlisted author
mandybeaumont.com 