Medea's Curse

Forensic psychiatrist Natalie King works with victims and perpetrators of violent crime. Women with a history of abuse, mainly. She rides a Ducati a size too big and wears a tank top a size too small. Likes men but doesn't want to keep one. And really needs to stay on her medication.


Now she's being stalked. Anonymous notes, threats, strangers loitering outside her house.

A hostile former patient? Or someone connected with a current case? Georgia Latimer - charged with killing her three children. Travis Hardy - deadbeat father of another murdered child, with a second daughter now missing. Maybe the harrassment has something to do with Crown Prosecutor Liam O'Shea - drop-dead sexy, married and trouble in all kinds of ways.


Natalie doesn't know. Question is, will she find out before it's too late?


Anne Buist, herself a leading perinatal psychiatrist, has created an edge-of-the-seat mystery with a hot new heroine - backed up by a lifetime of experience with troubled minds.



Anne Buist is the Chair of Women’s Mental Health at the University of Melbourne. She has over twenty-five years' clinical and research experience in perinatal psychiatry, and works with protective services and the legal system in cases of abuse, kidnapping, infanticide and murder. Professor Buist is married to novelist Graeme Simsion and has two children. Her novels featuring forensic psychiatrist Natalie King are Medea’s Curse and Dangerous to Know.



‘A proper plot-twisting page-turner...I was completely gripped.’ Emma Healey, author of Elizabeth is Missing


‘A harrowing and thrilling read, this mystery will keep you on the edge of your seat.’ Buzzfeed, Best Australian Books of 2015


‘Buist gives the reader a plot that is original and believable, with more than one twist to keep the reader guessing to the end…This thought-provoking psychological thriller will stay with the reader long after the last page is turned. A brilliant read.’ BookMooch



‘A psychological thriller with all the ingredients.’ Jennifer Byrne, Australian Women’s Weekly


‘Crime novels and thrillers depend on strong investigators whose idiosyncrasies make them distinctive and attractively flawed. Melburnian Anne Buist has ticked these boxes with her creation, Natalie King.’ Herald Sun


‘Forensic psychologist Natalie King is not your average heroine nor is Medea’s Curse a predictable by-the-numbers thriller…An intelligent, thought-provoking tale.’ Courier-Mail


‘Medea’s Curse is a gripping ride of crime and tension, with a Lisbeth Salander-like lead roaring through danger and intrigue at a million miles an hour.’ Adelaide Advertiser


‘Buist has used her twenty-five years’ experience in perinatal psychiatry to good effect in her first psychological thriller…King is a lively new character with a good mix of appealing characteristics and interesting flaws.’ Sydney Morning Herald


‘An effective and engaging crime novel, that handles its issues compassionately, builds tension well and has a fascinating, flawed protagonist. It will be interesting to see what Anne Buist (and Natalie King) do next.’ Aust Crime Fiction