Erskine Falls: A crime fiction novel and exegesis

This practice-led PhD consists of two elements - a crime fiction novel, Erskine Falls, and an accompanying exegesis that critically situates the author's creative practice and production of the text. Drawing on hardboiled detective fiction and noir crime fiction, the novel negotiates the spectrum between these two sub-genres and explores a world that questions modern articulations of Australian masculinity. Through a practice-led methodology, the exegesis reflexively explores key writerly choices and focuses on genre, masculinity, voice and place. The project examines how the traditional hardboiled voice and its masculinities are negotiated within a contemporary, post-industrial regional Australian space.