The Creeper (novel)

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The Creeper
AuthorMargaret Hickey
LanguageEnglish
Genre Crime novel
Publisher Random House Australia
Publication date
July 2024
Publication placeAustralia
Media typePrint
Pages368
Awards2025 Ned Kelly Award, Best Novel, winner
ISBN 9781761342028

The Creeper is a 2024 crime novel by Australian author Margaret Hickey. [1]

Contents

It was the winner of the Best Novel Ned Kelly Award in 2025. [2]

Synopsis

Sally White is the new Senior Constable in the Edenville, a small town in the Victorian High Country. As the town prepares a memorial for the tenth anniversary of a mass shooting that saw six people killed (five bushwalkers and the alleged killer) White is tasked by her superiors to become familiar with the case in order to answer any media questions. As she interviews relatives of the alleged killer and the victims she begins to realise some aspects of the original investigation may not have been handled correctly leaving a number of important questions unanswered.

Critical reception

A review in Better Reading magazine called this novel a "dark, Aussie thriller." They warned the reader to "be prepared to be completely enthralled by the mystery itself and the infamous Durant family. Once Sally starts travelling down the road-of-no-return, the twists come quickly, one after the other, making it enjoyable to see who's really behind everything." [3]

The Sydney Arts Guide website labelled the novel "A gripping, excellently written page turner with lots of unexpected twists and turns." [4]

Awards

See also

References

  1. "Austlit — The Creeper by Margaret Hickey". Austlit. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
  2. 1 2 "2025 Ned Kelly Awards winners". Books+Publishing. 25 September 2025. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
  3. ""A Nail-Bitting and Intense Thrill-Fest: Read Our Review of The Creeper by Margaret Hickey"". Better Reading, 30 July 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
  4. ""Margaret Hickey : The Creeper"". Sydney Arts Guide. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
  5. "Austlit — The Creeper by Margaret Hickey — Awards". Austlit. Retrieved 2 January 2026.