Author plows ahead with alpine crime series

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Ice, snow, fog, and darkness set the scene in Newcastle-based author Lee Christine’s chilling delve into the niche genre of romantic alpine crime.

Christine’s first book in the series, Charlotte Pass, quickly became a best-seller after its release last year.

It follows the discovery of human bones high on Mount Stillwell in Charlotte Pass ski resort, with the Sydney Homicide Squad called in to investigate at the isolated, snowed-in village.

The team soon determines that the bones are those of a young woman who disappeared from the ski resort in 1964 during the biggest winter storm in Australian alpine history.

Fresh off its success, Christine has now launched Crackenback, which focuses on the hunt for a suspected killer within a fictional lodge in the Snowy Mountains.

Christine said the setting of both novels added to the suspense.

“With Charlotte Pass being a very isolated, snowed-in village that you can’t readily get in or out of in the winter – it’s like another character to the story,” she said.

Charlotte Pass was locked down until they caught the perpetrator but, with Crackenback, I’ve zoomed in again almost to something more isolated and smaller with that being a fictional lodge in Thredbo.”

Christine’s first foray into writing started at the age of 16 when she penned song lyrics for a band called Harmony. 

The group went on to appear on NBN television’s Travlin’ Out West with country music legend John Williamson, and produced an LP record.

After turning her writing hobby into a serious day job in 2009, Christine said the “rich, fascinating” history of the Snowy Mountains had inspired the past two novels.

“It was rough country down there, it was almost lawless in the early days,” she said.

“You had the gold rush in Kiandra [in the late 1850s] and the Snowy Hydro build after the immigrants came out here after World War II and worked on the project.

“There was also trout fishing and graziers going back to the beginning, and we all know the Man from Snowy River – the stories of the stockman.”

Christine said she liked to incorporate some of that history into her fictional work, such as an ill-fated chairlift at Charlotte Pass.

Built by Transfield, it operated during the 1964 and 1965 season before going into receivership.

High winds had caused operational difficulties and made it tough to rescue passengers if the chair broke down.

“It was built when engineering confidence was high after they did the Snowy Hydro build,” Christine said.

“They thought Charlotte Pass would suffer because Thredbo and Perisher could now be accessed by road and Charlotte Pass had to be by Oversnow transport.

“So, it was a way of saving Charlotte Pass.

“The response [from readers] was amazing. People who had visited the area for many years didn’t know about it – this large piece of Australian infrastructure that still has the ruins up there.

“The area does have a lot to give that way.”

Crackenback is due to be released by Allen & Unwin on Tuesday 2 February. RRP $29.99.

Visit leechristine.com.au for more information.