Diamonds, Furs & Murder: The Many Crimes of Mona Hayes

Home among the Melbourne slums and sideshows, Mona Hayes is anything but traditional.
Diamonds, furs and murder: the many crimes of Mona Hayes is a historical fiction inspired by the life and crimes of little-known 1930s thief Mona Hayes. Described by police as a well-educated, exceptionally clever crook – if she sees something she wants, she takes it. Most women don’t do that. If the mark is deserving, even better. Diamonds, watches and furs are Mona’s weakness. Not to be deterred by jail time, she hones her craft, performing cons on shop keepers and charming the police.
But when Mona falls in love with the mysterious Albert Sharpe, who will save her? Who will save him? And can Mona finally pull herself out of the life of crime she’s grown accustomed? In researching Victorian public records, author Tara Oldfield was so taken by Mona’s story that she embarked on a journey to share an imaginative portrait of a woman few people know, creatively filling in the gaps of this criminal’s exploits in Diamonds, furs and murder: the many crimes of Mona Hayes.

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“A page turner! Tara Oldfield’s meticulous research brings Mona Hayes into sharp focus, not just as a historical figure, but as a woman navigating the constraints of her time.”
— VIKKI PETRAITIS, ACCLAIMED CRIME WRITER, PRESENTER, TEACHER, PODCASTER

“Mona Hayes’s story is straight from the headlines, and Tara Oldfield’s painstaking retelling rejoices in every delicious detail.”
— GIDEON HAIGH, BEST-SELLING INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST AND NON-FICTION AUTHOR

“Inspired by delving into archives, Tara has fleshed out the story of Mona; her traumas, adventures, romances, and crimes with vivid imaginative flourishes. I was captivated from start to finish.”
— SUSANNA LOBEZ, ACTOR TURNED BARRISTER TURNED BROADCASTER TURNED TRUE CRIME WRITER