Lysi Weston and Grace Wright arrive in Sydney, Australia, from San Francisco for a conference on sexual harassment. They find Grace’s friend Marita Rendeau dead in an alley. Not satisfied with the casual approach to the murder investigation run by Detective Christie, the two decide to do some sleuth work of their own. Pretty soon, Christie and Lysi get friendly and he takes her sightseeing around Alice Springs. In the meantime, Grace goes out with Marita’s fiancé. Bit by bit, clues are uncovered that seem to point to a cop as the culprit, but the story takes a surprising twist when the real murderer is revealed.

With Murder Down Under, Nancy Curteman takes the reader through a fast paced murder mystery, throwing in a glimpse of Australian lifestyle. Her writing is crisp and easy to read, with excellent dialogue. The plotting is straightforward and the reader doesn’t have to follow any tortuous routes. The story has a lot of secondary dialogue between the two women that is engaging and provides a window into their backgrounds and relationship. An entertaining read.