Spying on Sydney: fact & fiction

A night of secretive revelations are in store as our panel of experts delve into the notion of a city under surveillance. We’ll explore real surveillance tools, investigative journalism, insider information on the world of the private investigator and how authors of the ‘espionage’ genre research and create their characters, settings and stories. On top of that, we shall debate some real world social and political implications arising from living under ubiquitous surveillance. Featuring private investigator Charles Rahim, Crime/Thriller authors Katherine Howell and L.A. Larkin, political writer and journalist Alex Mitchell and facilitated by Dr. Gavin J.D. Smith, founder and director of Sydney University’s The Surveillance and Everyday Life Research Group

Katherine Howell is the author of the award winning Detective Ella Marconi series, which includes: Frantic, The Darkest Hour, Cold Justice, and Violent Exposure. Her fifth novel in the series, Silent Fear, will be published by Pan Macmillan in February 2012. She is the winner of Sisters-in-Crime’s Davitt award for best novel in 2008 and 2011.

L.A. Larkin is a thriller author who has been likened to Michael Crichton and John Grisham. Her current novel, The Genesis Flaw (published by Pier 9 / Murdoch Books), received glowing reviews and has been nominated for four crime writing awards. She appeared in Australia’s leading current affairs program, Today Tonight, with her hacker source, with whom she worked to create the mesmerising hacking scenes.

Alex Mitchell is an Australian-born journalist with 50 years’ experience in newspapers as an investigative reporter, political writer and columnist in both Australia and the UK. He is best known as the political editor of The Sun-Herald and a commentator. Between 2001 and 2007 he was president of the NSW Parliamentary Press Gallery. His memoir, Come the Revolution, was published in November 2011 by New South Books.

Charles Rahim is a private investigator who specialises in cases of corporate investigations and marketing intelligence. The former Australian Customs Officer’s qualifications include an MBA and a Masters Degree in Marketing. He has qualifications in Property (Real Estate), Investigation Services and Lie Detector testing. Charles was one of the first private investigators to recognise the power of the internet as an investigative tool and in the 1990s secured the now prized domain name for Private Investigators – www.privateinvestigator.com.au. He was featured in several Australian Documentaries namely, Love’s Tragedies (1999) on the ABC and Divorce Stories (2007) on SBS. He has conducted private investigations throughout Australia, the United States, Europe, Asia and Mexico since 1995. He also conducts lie detector tests in Sydney, using the Polygraph Instrument to detect deception or to acquit the falsely accused.

Gavin J.D. Smith is a Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Social Policy at The University of Sydney. Gavin is the founder and director of Sydney University’s The Surveillance & Everyday Life Research Group and is organising an international conference in February 2012 entitled, Surveillance and/in Everyday Life: Monitoring Pasts, Presents & Futures (Feb 20 – 21, Sydney Law School, The University of Sydney). He is the author of many papers, reports, chapters, reviews and journal articles on the emergence and social implications of mass surveillance. His book, Opening the Black Box: The Everyday Life of Surveillance, will be published in 2012 by Routledge.

A Library Up Late event

Wednesday 15 February
8.00pm – 9.00pm
Customs House Library
Reading Room
Book online or T 9242 8555