Steve Lillebuen. Journalist.

MELBOURNE — The Devil’s Cinema has been shortlisted for the Arthur Ellis Award — Canada’s top prize in literary crime writing.

And the non-fiction award nomination did not go unnoticed across Canada or here in Australia (“A Criminally Good Canadian” via Fairfax newspapers).

It’s such a great honour to be nominated and recognised in this way. Best of luck to my fellow nominees, who have now given me a great stack of fascinating crime books to read.

MELBOURNE — There was a telling moment during Investigation Discovery’s Final Cut episode “A Script to Die For,” one that revealed how some attention on the Mark Twitchell case has remained too focused on all the gory details.

Crown prosecutor Avril Inglis, who secured a first-degree murder conviction in the “Dexter Killer” case, seemed intent on steering the conversation away from the brutality of Johnny Altinger’s demise.

“I think it’s very easy to get lost in the sensational aspects of it,” she said in the episode.

“We see Hollywood movies and TV shows about murders all the time, but Mr Altinger was a real person who had a real life and it was an absolute tragedy what happened.”

[Read more →]

MELBOURNE — Tonight will be the debut of a Final Cut episode on Investigation Discovery titled “A Script to Die For” on the Mark Twitchell “Dexter Killer” case, according to my Internet TV guide.

I was interviewed at-length for the program due to my extensive research on the case in writing The Devil’s Cinema, including interviewing and meeting Twitchell, his film crew, the detectives, and those closest to the victims.

But I’m going to miss seeing the episode broadcast tonight as I don’t have access to American cable. Too bad.

The episode focuses on Hollywood and connections with major crime cases.

I do wonder if the producers had time to include actor Michael C. Hall’s recent comments on having a real-life murder case tied so closely to the film industry.

MELBOURNE — The waiting is over for the paperback edition of The Devil’s Cinema, my non-fiction narrative on the Mark Twitchell “Dexter Killer” case, with the first copies arriving in bookstores all across North America.

This is such an exciting time to see The Devil’s Cinema released once again.

Well, I’m having to enjoy it from afar, since I returned to my home in Melbourne, Australia at the end of the original book tour. I can only imagine what those Canadian and American bookstores are looking like right now.

Since the first edition release I’ve been amazed at how this story continues to fascinate readers from around the world. I’ve received e-mails from Vancouver and Toronto, from Los Angeles, across the Midwest, in Australia, and more. (Feel free to keep sending in questions and I’ll try to post answers here.)

Despite the great run the book has had thus far, there are still so many more readers out there who are yet to discover it. Perhaps they have a friend who just heard about it, or they may recall reading something in the newspaper about the case. This is the exciting part: knowing the book is out there and someone is moments away from discovering it for the first time.

The paperback edition is also a chance for the publisher to share some of the latest book reviews — and to finally reveal an endorsement from fellow journalist and author Stevie Cameron: “A shocking story, rich with detail and full of surprises.”

It’s a great honour and thrill to have her both read and praise my work.

She knows from first-hand experience the difficulties in researching and writing a true crime story. Thankfully, my chosen tale did not turn into a multi-year legal hurdle like hers did.

At least, not yet.

This week also brings further news on the case to be revealed on television, but I’ll have to share more on that later.

Paperback copies of The Devil’s Cinema should be stocked at any good bookstore.

(Also available through many online retailers, and as an eBook.)