I was a huge fan of the Halifax tv series from the 90s and that was my major reason for picking up this book. Simpson was that series’ script writer but this is his first foray into novel writing and, on the whole, he makes a pretty good fist of it.

For anyone [too young?] who has never watched the show, Jane Halifax is a forensic psychiatrist who works with the police. Being the same writer, Jane’s characterisation is exactly right. The other character from the tv show who features in Transgression is police Inspector Ringer. I loved Simpson’s line about Ringer looking like Hugh Jackman. Jackman played the role when he was very young (and ridiculously good looking).

Jane is called in to help Ringer catch a killer whose tortured victims appear to have no connection to each other. The murders are much more gritty and violent than I usually prefer to read about but I guess they needed to be something out of the ordinary for the police to include Jane in their team.

For a scriptwriter, as I said, Simpson does a good job of adding in descriptive prose and characters’ thoughts etc. I never found there was an overload of dialogue, nor do I remember any clunky moments with his writing style.

I swapped between the book and audible format and I have to give a shout out to the audio narrator, Aimee Horne, who sounded exactly like Rebecca Gibney.

Looking forward to Simpson continuing with some more books featuring Jane.

4 out of 5

I've been a big fun of Rebecca Gibney's Jane Halifax - one of my favourite TV characters for her complexity, vulnerability and intelligence. I jumped at the chance to grab this story from NetGalley when I discovered Simpson was writing novels based on the character.

It's a lot like the series; there's the grittiness, the darkness and complex detective and forensic action and drama which make it compelling reading. And then there's Jane of course, who is a perfect resemblance to her on air persona. It was lovely reading the story with Rebecca's Jane in my mind. She was perfectly imposed.

The story is very involved and complex. We get a good view of how Halifax's mind works and the killer's too. The murders are gruesome and the rationale connecting them to the suspect isn't adding up. How are the people murdered linked to each other? It's quite baffling for the police and Halifax for much of the story.

I liked how we see the very human side of Halifax and Detective Ringer ... how their jobs impact them and their family life. And their friendship.

Simpson can clearly write a great story - he's been doing it for TV for years - but I found this even more enjoyable than the show. And I can't wait for the second one next year.

I was very excited to be able to request and then receive an early ebook copy from the publisher via NetGalley with no expectation of a favourable review.

Halifax FP (forensic psychologist) was a series of Australian Tele movies featuring Dr Jane Halifax that ran for about 7 seasons. Strangely I had never watched a single episode. They are now available on streaming services and I am keen to check them out. Roger Simpson wrote the screenplays for these and other shows but this is his first novel.

What an explosive story it was! Not for the squeamish however as there are some brutal depictions of torture. But the story had some subtlety as Jane, acting as a consultant to the police, always thought there was more to the perpetrator’s motives than sheer sadism. And so it was. It was a gruelling investigation that took a toll on all involved. The man they were chasing was a talented actor and chameleon who was almost impossible to pin down.

Meanwhile Jane is not ruling out anything and goes down some rabbit holes that also eventually bear fruit and are tangentially related to the main investigation. In a way it was all rather sad in the end. Although the killer did some terrible things, Jane still had some empathy for him and wondered if he could have been helped had he not succumbed to the thrall of a manipulative narcissist.

The characters were, love them or hate them, all brilliantly portrayed and the plot was very tense with a impending sense of doom throughout. This was a masterful pice of work! Many thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster, Australia, for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

Halifax Transgression – Roger Simpson



I was provided with a copy of this book by the publisher in order to write an honest review.



Roger Simpson is the creator of the Australian TV series “Halifax FP” starring Rebecca Gibney. After Simpson pulled the plug on that series, he has revived his character of Dr Jane Halifax in this story “Halifax Transgression”.



Dr Jane Halifax is a forensic psychologist and it's been many years since she has worked with her old flame, Inspector Eric Ringer. Yet when a brutal and sadistic murder is discovered, Eric knew Jane was the only one for the job.

The first murder was of Nigel Woods, a billionaire who left behind a wife and children. His house had an extensive art collection, one particular sculpture was what the murdered had used to torture him and display his body. It was a scene that wasn’t easy on the eye or the stomach. But for all the gruesomeness on display, there wasn’t a shred of evidence or a single clue left behind that could help identify the killer.

Even more frustrating for the Ringer and Jane, there didn’t seem to be any obvious motive or suspect that could explain why Nigel Woods was targeted.

And the killer has now struck again. In total there would be 5 bodies before the killer was finally found and brought to justice. But just because they found their killer, that didn’t mean they had the true motive or the brains behind the whole bizarre ordeal. There was someone pulling the strings of a sadistic person, someone was using them as a scape goat to exact their revenge in a completely sadistic way, employing means of medieval torture.



“Halifax Transgression” is a gripping and fast paced crime thriller that shows just how cruel and manipulative some people can really be. How what some innocent person can experience in their younger years truly affects them and can turn them into an adult with some serious issues with sick and twisted views of revenge and a perverse sense of reality. It also gives a glimpse into the horrors that are faced by the people whose job it is to discover who, when, where and why. This story has a captivating and page turning read that I couldn’t put down. As horrific as some of the crimes where and the reasons why, as a reader I just couldn’t look away. I really hope there is more to read of Dr Jane Halifax and I will definitely be looking up the TV series. Simpson is a talented author and his books are going on my TBR list!

Halifax Trangression by Roger Simpson is based on the TV series starring Rebecca Gibney as Dr Jane Halifax who is a forensic psychologist and profiler. I absolutely loved the series and this story is a wonderful continuation. This is a psychological crime thriller which had me on the edge of my chair having to keep reading despite needing to other things - but what the heck it was a great story with lots of twists.

The relationship between Jane and Inspector Eric Ringer also adds an interesting dimension to the plot as well as the inclusion of their families.

Once again the location of Melbourne is something I absolutely love and I enjoy reading about places I have been and know.

At the end of Halifax Trangression the reader is informed that this is book 1 in a series and is given a sneak peek into book 2 of the series, Resurrection, which sounds fascinating and very dramatic. I’m really looking forward to reading that as well when it is released.

Highly recommended read.


This review is based on a complimentary copy from Simon & Schuster (Australia) via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I loved the TV Series and loved the stories so was very excited to have the opportunity to read this book.

Dr Jane Halifax is back and this is s thrillingly dark mystery/thriller with all the twists and turns of a great book of this genre. It is pretty full on with more than just the one murder, and Halifax does what she does best. She gets into the mind of the killer, trying to figure out why and what will happen next.

This is a psychological thriller at it's best. It draws you into the story and doesn't let you go. You want to look away but you want to know the truth so you keep reading. It is scary, it is heart-poundingly intriguing, it gets into your head. This is what a good book should do and it does. It is not at all predictable but I must say my only negative is that it is quite a long book and being so intense it did take me a bit longer to read.

A great book if you are into the real psychological, thrilling, crime dramas style of boo and I highly recommend it.

A solid story, great writing and great characters!! Highly recommend to others, and fans of Halifax.