P.M. Newton

PM Newton spent thirteen years a detective in the NSW Police Force working in various departments, including Drug Enforcement, Sexual Assault and Major Crime. When she had eventually had enough of meeting people for the first time on the worst day of their lives Newton left The Job. In a complete break with the past, she went to Mali and wrote about travel and music, then to India where she taught English to Tibetan monks and studied Buddhist philosophy. In 2011 her first novel, The Old School, won the Sisters in Crime Readers Award and the Asher Literary Award. She writes short fiction and essays for Seizure, Review of Australian Fiction, Anne Summers Reports and The Drum. Beams Falling, her second novel, was published by Penguin in 2014 and shortlisted for the Ned Kelly Awards.

‘The writing is razor-sharp and the dialogue sizzles with tough-as-nails authenticity. Newton is a writer to watch.’ Matthew Reilly

‘Newton’s gift for characterisation and her acute eye for detail result in authentic and compelling descriptions of Vietnamese society and life in Cabramatta.’ West Australian

‘Part police procedural, historical fiction and social commentary, Beams Falling looks at the human stories behind the headlines.’ Daily Telegraph

‘It’s precisely the unshowy tautness of [Newton’s] books and character-rich, layered plotting that becomes their strength. As Beams Falling starts to really grip, about halfway through, it feels as if it has more substance than many of its showier competitors.’ The Australian

‘This is an exceedingly well written and convincing novel that excels in its characterisations and subtle plotting . . . a first-class crime novel.’ The Sunday Canberra Times