Detectives, tea ladies, journos, psychologists – what's the appeal of the crime series and repeat protagonist? Kate Evans with crime writers Michael Robotham, Tim Ayliffe and Amanda Hampson onstage at the BAD Sydney Crime Festival.

GUESTS

Michael Robotham, internationally bestselling crime writer, whose books include the Joe O'Loughlin series and the Cyrus Haven series. His latest is Storm Child.

Tim Ayliffe, journalist and novelist, whose central character is also a media man. John Bailey is his name – and the latest book in that series is The Wrong Man.

Amanda Hampson is an author of many novels, whose crime novels, set in the 1960s, feature tea ladies. Her latest is The Cryptic Clue.

CRIME SERIES MENTIONED IN THE DISCUSSION

Ian Rankin, Rebus series

Michael Connelly, Bosch and McEvoy series

Anne Cleeves, Vera series

Janet Evanovitch, Stephanie Plum series

Kerry Greenwood, Phryne Fischer series

Stieg Larsson, Lisbeth Salander series

Peter Høeg, Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow

Stephen King's Holly Gibney series

Patricia Cornwall's Kay Scarpetta series

Mick Herron's Slow Horses

Tom Clancy, works

Peter Temple's Jack Irish series

John Le Carre, works

Jack Beaumont, Frenchman series

Walter Mosley, Easy Rawlins series

Adrian McKinty, Sean Duffy series

Sulari Gentill, Rowland Sinclair series

Candice Fox, works

Sujata Massey, Perveen Mistry series

Chris Hammer, works

Candice Fox, works

Don Winslow, works

Presenter: Kate Evans

Producer: Kate Evans + Sarah Corbett

Sound engineers: John Jacobs + Tegan Nicholls

Executive Producer: Rhiannon Brown

Crime fiction and why we keep coming back: The repeat protagonist