Karen Thurecht
Welcome to Dr Karen Thurecht's webpage
and the Dr Hamish Hart Mysteries.
Book five of the Dr Hamish Hart Mysteries - "The Blacksmith's Widow" Paperback will be available from karen-thurecht.square.site from 10th February, while the Kindle version is available from Amazon from 3rd February.
“The Blacksmith’s Widow” weaves together elements of mystery, history, and societal challenges in a gripping tale that explores the impact of progress on a community grappling with both the promises and perils of the industrial age.In the bustling town of Maryborough in 1887, Sergeant Bellamy finds himself immersed in a web of intrigue and danger when a brutal murder shatters the peace. A skilled blacksmith lies lifeless, his death sending shockwaves through the community. Sergeant Bellamy calls upon the services of his trusted ally, Dr Hamish Hart, a seasoned medical examiner with a penchant for solving complex cases to help him.Set against the backdrop of Maryborough’s economic boom driven by the discovery of gold two decades earlier, the town thrives as a hub for heavy industry, Shipbuilding, railway lines, and engines dominate the landscape, fuelling the community’s prosperity. However, with this prosperity comes a darker side - industrial disputes, cutthroat competition, and the insatiable greed for gold.
Only $24.95
Since the demise of my publisher in 2024, I am now publishing my own books with printing by IngramSpark and marketing worldwide by all the usual outlets. A totally new look with covers designed by Tristan Schultz and so eventually, all my books may be rebranded with this modern and exciting look.
What reviewers say about Karen's Books:
Book 1
Murder at the Dunwich Asylum
"Splendid, exciting, and very intriguing...a wonderful book and a great opener to a new mystery series and sleuth...hungry for the next one as this one delivered so much more than expected with amazing locations and characters and plot ... a great new author. .. Five stars"
Caroline, Indiebook Reviewer
Book 2
The Plantation Murders
“Karen Thurecht has done it again with a captivating and engrossing mystery set in a detailed period of Australian history and culture … her attention to detail and thought-provoking characters blended with her tapestry of plot is exceptional…brilliant … ”
Thomas, Indiebook Reviewer
Book 3
Murder at Frog's Hollow
“Karen is a master in her genre and this book is the evidence of her confidence and poise for the story and the characters she makes us all love … brilliant and absorbing … marvellous read!”
Tabitha, Indiebook Reviewer
Book 4
Death at Deepwater Point
“A fantastic new episode for the brilliant Dr Hamish Hart and written by an amazing author of great mystery and character creation in the entire series … Exceptional .. !”
Sandra, Indiebook Reviewer
The Dr Hamish Hart Mysteries
It is 1884 Queensland and the eager young Dr Hamish Hart is drawn from his research to investigate the hanging deaths of a female inmate and her lover at the Dunwich Benevolent Asylum on Stradbroke Island. The Superintendent insists the deaths are suicide, the sad fate of star-crossed lovers. However, Hamish suspects murder.
And thus starts the Dr Hamish Hart Mysteries with the doctor and the unflappable Dr Rita Cartwright, using their medical and investigative skills to solve suspicious deaths throughout Southeast Queensland. From Stradbroke Island to the sugar cane fields of Logan and Beenleigh, then on to the infamous red light district of Brisbane at Frog's Hollow, and the Grand Hotel at Southport where an assembly of international visitors bring the wars of Europe to our Australian shores.
Do not think it stops there; Hamish and Rita's next adventure is on the goldfields of Maryborough and Gympie (available early 2025) with the latest instalment returning to Brisbane at the notorious docks of Hamilton Reach (available late 2025).
Dr Hamish Hart Mysteries - books One to Four
It is 1884 and the eager young Dr Hamish Hart is drawn from his research to investigate the hanging deaths of a female inmate and her lover at the Dunwich Benevolent Asylum on Stradbroke Island. The Superintendent insists the deaths are suicide, the sad fate of star-crossed lovers. However, Hamish suspects murder.
Driven by a passionate interest in social justice, Hamish, and his friend Rita, realise there is a view of the asylum that has been obscured by the authorities. Step into the dark world of mystery and intrigue with one of fictions newest medical detectives…
Driven by a passionate interest in social justice, Hamish, and his friend Rita, realise there is a view of the asylum that has been obscured by the authorities. Step into the dark world of mystery and intrigue with one of fictions newest medical detectives…
Only $24.95
It is 1885 and a South Sea Island labourer, Kaelo, is the primary suspect in the murder of a Southeast Queensland sugar plantation manager and the citizens of Brisbane are outraged. Public sentiment is running high and the citizens are looking for a scapegoat.
Hamish is convinced the answer to the mystery lies within the fraught relationships between the members of the family who own the "Cloverton Plantation". It is when another suspicious murder occurs, and a crazed mob attempt to lynch the terrified Kaelo, that Hamish realises he is in a race against time before anyone else dies at the hand of a murderer ...
Hamish is convinced the answer to the mystery lies within the fraught relationships between the members of the family who own the "Cloverton Plantation". It is when another suspicious murder occurs, and a crazed mob attempt to lynch the terrified Kaelo, that Hamish realises he is in a race against time before anyone else dies at the hand of a murderer ...
Only $24.95
It is 1886 when Dr Hamish Hart is asked to examine the body of a Chinese businessman found murdered in a Brisbane factory. Hamish recognizes the deceased as the uncle of his childhood friend and makes a commitment to his friend to find the person responsible. The investigation takes Hamish deep into the secrets of Frog’s Hollow, a smoky world of gambling houses, opium dens and prostitution.
Hamish is forced to navigate a complex array of kinship obligations and family debts to reveal the ultimate truth which he seeks. He is desperate to help his old friend – but can either of them handle the real truth?
Hamish is forced to navigate a complex array of kinship obligations and family debts to reveal the ultimate truth which he seeks. He is desperate to help his old friend – but can either of them handle the real truth?
Only $24.95
There is excitement for the upcoming 1887 aeronautical exhibition by French beauty Celestine DuPont . But the weekend is unexpectantly disrupted by the mysterious murder of a young nurse …
Could the murder be linked to Glenda Hembrow who had a child in secret prior to her marriage, or perhaps the Captain Murdo Black, one full of stories worthy of a sea captain? Is it linked to Celestine DuPont whose father had disappeared after a fateful ballooning accident, or even Colonel Otis Winter, recently retired from the German Imperial Army?
But the revelations becomes more complex than Hamish first imagined when he ponders not who she was, but rather what she saw before her death…
Could the murder be linked to Glenda Hembrow who had a child in secret prior to her marriage, or perhaps the Captain Murdo Black, one full of stories worthy of a sea captain? Is it linked to Celestine DuPont whose father had disappeared after a fateful ballooning accident, or even Colonel Otis Winter, recently retired from the German Imperial Army?
But the revelations becomes more complex than Hamish first imagined when he ponders not who she was, but rather what she saw before her death…
Only $24.95
About Karen
Karen Thurecht continues to work on the "Dr Hamish Hart Mysteries" set in Southeast Queensland in the 1880s. The first book is set at the Dunwich Benevolent Asylum on Stradbroke Island, the second, on the Sugarcane Fields south of Brisbane, with the third in Frogs Hollow, that notorious red-light district of 19th century Brisbane. Karen's fourth book travels to The Grand Hotel at Deepwater Point on the Gold Coast while her fifth book, kills off the Maryborough blacksmith in the first paragraph of "The Blacksmith's Widow."
All of Karen's books reflect her experience and interest in social history, the history of medicine, and themes of overcoming oppression. Although the actual murders are fiction, each book is based on accurate historical research on the people, places, and circumstances of 19th century Queensland.
Dr Karen Thurecht has a PhD in medical anthropology and specialised in Indigenous Health and Aged Care. Starting her career traipsing through the jungles of Papua New Guinea, Karen has published articles in professional journals in relation to both Indigenous Health and Aged Care and has previously published two non-fiction books - Good Girls Keep Their Legs Together (a novel based on her PhD research into the Social Barriers to Pap Smear Screening for Cervical Cancer) and Story and Belief (which explores the ways in which our cultural stories frame and shape our lives).
Karen now much prefers to write fiction and has nearly finished her sixth book in the “Dr Hamish Hart Mysteries”-"Murder on Hamilton Reach" which has Hamish and Rita returning to the Brisbane waterfront of 1887 (available late in 2025). Karen continues working on the "Dr Hamish Hart Mysteries" as well as her next series which will feature killer drones directed by AI.
All of Karen's books reflect her experience and interest in social history, the history of medicine, and themes of overcoming oppression. Although the actual murders are fiction, each book is based on accurate historical research on the people, places, and circumstances of 19th century Queensland.
Dr Karen Thurecht has a PhD in medical anthropology and specialised in Indigenous Health and Aged Care. Starting her career traipsing through the jungles of Papua New Guinea, Karen has published articles in professional journals in relation to both Indigenous Health and Aged Care and has previously published two non-fiction books - Good Girls Keep Their Legs Together (a novel based on her PhD research into the Social Barriers to Pap Smear Screening for Cervical Cancer) and Story and Belief (which explores the ways in which our cultural stories frame and shape our lives).
Karen now much prefers to write fiction and has nearly finished her sixth book in the “Dr Hamish Hart Mysteries”-"Murder on Hamilton Reach" which has Hamish and Rita returning to the Brisbane waterfront of 1887 (available late in 2025). Karen continues working on the "Dr Hamish Hart Mysteries" as well as her next series which will feature killer drones directed by AI.
Package Book Deals
Contact Me
Contact Info
Address: 3052/37 Finnegan Street, Hamilton, QLD, Australia, 4007
Phone: +61 402 532 435
Email: karen@karenthurecht.com.au