About the author

S.J. Thiessen

​​​​​​​Simon James (S.J.) Thiessen writes Australian crime fiction from Hobart, Tasmania, where he lives with his wife, Jane, and two of their four children (the eldest two sons having left home to make the same mistakes Simon made at their age).<br><br>After spending most of his working life building businesses, speaking, coaching leaders, and helping organisations untangle messy workplace cultures, Simon finally gave in to a long-held ambition: not just to write a novel, but to become a novelist. The result is the Detective Inspector Terry Stratton series—crime stories shaped by stubborn detectives, institutional pressure, and the uncomfortable truths people would rather avoid.<br><br>Terry Stratton is not a hero who plays well with authority. He mistrusts politics, questions official narratives, and has a habit of following evidence even when it puts his career at risk. Simon finds this deeply relatable.<br><br>The series began with Crossing the Patriline (a prequel novella) and continues with Aether and Degrees of Retribution. Each book stands alone, but together they build a world of recurring characters, long memories, and consequences that don’t politely stay in the past.<br><br>Simon’s fiction is driven by a love of classic and contemporary mysteries and by themes he keeps returning to: justice, power, belonging, dyslexia, inclusion, and resistance to systems that protect themselves before they protect people. Tasmania isn’t just a backdrop—it’s integral to the stories, with its beauty, isolation, and layered history shaping every investigation.<br><br>When he’s not writing, Simon trains for triathlons with far more enthusiasm than elegance and has represented Australia multiple times at age-group world championships—an achievement he insists sounds more impressive than it feels.<br><br>He writes for readers who enjoy intelligent crime novels, flawed detectives, a strong sense of place, and the occasional dry laugh in the dark.​​​​​​​<br>​​​​​​​<br><strong>Detective Inspector Stratton series reading order</strong><br>​​​​​​​1. Crossing the Patriline<br>2. Aether<br>3. Degrees of Retribution​​​​​​​