Good Reading chats with PATRICIA WOLF about her homeland of north-west Queensland and her latest novel in her bestselling ‘DS Walker’ series, Nemesis.

AKINA HANSEN writes.

For as long as she can remember, Patricia Wolf has aspired to become a writer.

‘As a kid, I would write all the time – when I was 10 years old I wrote a booklet called “On the habit of chooks” after studying the chooks in our back yard. I then worked as a journalist for almost 20 years.’

When Patricia took some time off work in 2019 to road-trip through her homeland of north-west Queensland – her writing career finally took off.

‘Walker and the story of Outback came to me as I was driving those long empty roads. The COVID pandemic and lockdown that followed in 2020, gave me the time to finish it.’

In 2022 Outback was finally published and was followed by Paradise in 2023 and Opal in 2024. Set in Queensland, these books follow
DS Lucas Walker as he works to solve various crimes for the Australian Federal Police.

‘Because I grew up there, I know the country in north and west of Queensland very well. It talks to me in a way that other places don’t. The heat, the floods, the drought, the long roads, the vast grasslands, the challenges of working on cattle stations, in mining, of simply living in this harsh environment are real and vivid to me. I can feel, see and hear it
so completely.

‘Growing up in the outback has also given me context and understanding of the people of the region. The characters, the yarn spinning, the wry sense of humour, the laid-back attitude to life, the outback ability to deal with problems – all of that informs my characters and my stories, too.’

Today, Patricia lives in Berlin where Nemesis, the latest book in her ‘DS Walker’ series is set.

‘Quite a lot is new in Nemesis, not least the location. Walker isn’t in Queensland or Australia but finds himself in Berlin, Germany, pursuing the Vandals bikie Stefan Markovich, who he’s been after since their first meeting in Outback.

‘I think setting is important in all the books in the series – to some extent it dictates the stories – and Nemesis is no exception. Berlin is so different to outback Queensland: a large multi-culture capital city, crammed with people, filled with historic architecture, different food, a different language and a very different criminal subculture. The fish out of water feeling that Berlin gives Walker, the types of cases and criminals he comes up against, the relationships he forms and the way he operates are all influenced by the Berlin setting.’

For Patricia getting a sense of her surroundings is fundamental to her writing process.

‘I need to get on the ground and really see, smell, taste and hear it.’

This immersive approach has seen readers enthusiastically rally behind this now bestselling series.

‘To see my books in bookshops and to have people across Australia reading and connecting with them, literally gives me goosebumps. It’s a dream come true!’