Estelle May Thompson (1930–2003) was an Australian

crime fiction writer Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...

, author of 16 novels and one biographical memoir. Her crime thrillers have been published worldwide in hardcover and paperback, most also in large print editions, Braille and/or as audio cassettes. Five have been translated.

Life

Thompson was born 9 October 1930 in

Gympie Gympie ( ) is a city and a Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. In the Wide Bay-Burnett District, Gympie is about north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city lies on the Mary River (Queen ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

to Andrew Thompson, a dairy farmer of Irish descent, and his wife Lillias May (née Nahrung). She said that she wrote in her spare time whilst living on the family farm at

Nambour Nambour is a rural town and locality in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Nambour had a population of 11,187 people. Geography Nambour is north of the state capital, Brisbane. The town lies in the sub ...

near Brisbane. Three of Thompson's novels where nominated for the

Miles Franklin Literary Award The Miles Franklin Literary Award is an annual literary prize awarded to "a novel which is of the highest literary merit and presents Australian life in any of its phases". The award was set up according to the will of Miles Franklin (1879–195 ...

: ''The Lawyer and the Carpenter'' in 1963; ''The Edge of Nowhere'' in 1965; and ''The Wrong Saturday'' in 1968. Thompson's sixth novel, ''Find a Crooked Sixpence'', was serialised in

The Australian Women's Weekly ''The Australian Women's Weekly'', sometimes known as simply ''The Weekly'', is an Australian monthly women's magazine published by Mercury Capital in Sydney. For many years it was the number one magazine in Australia before being outsold by ...

. Thompson's death on 28 May 2003 was reported in the

Brisbane Courier Mail ''The Courier-Mail'' is an Australian newspaper published in Brisbane. Owned by News Corp Australia, it is published daily from Monday to Saturday in tabloid format. Its editorial offices are located at Bowen Hills, in Brisbane's inner northe ...

as "late of Dulong".

Publications

* ''A Twig is Bent'', Abelard-Schuman, 1961 * ''The Lawyer and the Carpenter'', Hodder & Stoughton, 1963 * ''The Edge of Nowhere'', Hodder & Stoughton, 1965 * ''The Glass Houses'', Hodder & Stoughton, 1967 * ''The Wrong Saturday'', Hodder & Stoughton, 1968, * ''Find a Crooked Sixpence'', Hodder & Stoughton, 1970; Walker, 1977, * ''A Mischief Past, Hale'', 1971, * ''Three Women in the House'', Hale, 1973, * ''The Meadows of Tallon'', Hale, 1974, * ''Hunter in the Dark'', Walker, 1978; Walker & Co, * ''To Catch a Rainbow'', Hale, 1979, * ''The Heir to Fairfield'', Robert Hale, 1983, * ''A Bridge Over Time : Living in Arnhemland with the Aborigines, 1938-1944'' from the memories of Harold Thornell, J M Dent, 1986, ; & Robert Hale, 1986, * ''A Toast to Cousin Julian'', Hale, 1986, * ''The Substitute'', Robert Hale, 1991, ; re-published as ''Death by Misadventure'', St Martin’s Press, 1992; Worldwide, 1993, * ''Come Home to Danger'', Robert Hale, 1998, * ''The Road to Seven-Thirty'', Robert Hale, 2000,

Translations

* ''A Twig is Bent'' ''Was du nicht weisst, macht dich nicht tot'', (German edition) Scherz, 1982,
''Le verger de la peur : roman'', (French edition) Les Editions Mondiales, 1962 * ''The Wrong Saturday'' ''De fatale zaterdag'', translated into Dutch by J. C. Torringa-Timmer, Davidsfond, 1974,
''Lourd de menaces'', translated into French by C. Wourgaft, Gallimard, 1970 * ''Three Women in the House'' ''Tödlicher Hass : Roman'', (German edition) Wilhelm Heyne, 1975, * ''The Meadows of Tallon'' ''Eine feine Familie'', translated into German by Ingrid Herrmann, Scherz, 1982, * ''Hunter in the Dark'' ''Der blinde Jager'', (German edition) Scherz, 1982,

References

External links

Archived Review: Estelle Thompson - Hunter in the Dark
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Estelle 1930 births 2003 deaths Australian crime writers 20th-century Australian novelists Women mystery writers People from Queensland 20th-century women writers