Thu. Mar 28th, 2024


The new Australian crime drama, “Troppo,” now streaming on Amazon FreeVee (formerly IMDb TV) is based on the bestselling book Crimson Lake, written by Australian crime writer Candice Fox. The name change to “Troppo” refers to the Aussie slang “gone troppo” for someone who goes mad in the heat. 

It’s an appropriate title as the story is set in Far North Queensland, a harsh, sticky, tropical landscape dotted with signs that warn you of the big crocodiles in the area.

The iconic large critters get their starring moment straight up in the first episode when a man gets himself (intentionally?) eaten by a crocodile in front of a bunch of tourists. But the story moves far beyond the shocking first death, as a more mysterious disappearance of a Korean man leads to the unlikely pairing of a seasoned detective (played by American actor Thomas Jane) and an ex-con with a dark past, played brilliantly by Australian actress Nicole Chamoun.

They team up to solve the crime much to the objections of the local police, and townspeople who reject the outliers, as the demons of their past come back to haunt them.

Australian film journalist Katherine Tulich spoke with Thomas Jane and Nicole Chamoun about their experiences shooting the series in Queensland, as well as author Candice Fox who describes what is unique in Aussie crime stories.

By Dave Jenks

Dave Jenks is an American novelist and Veteran of the United States Marine Corps. Between those careers, he’s worked as a deckhand, commercial fisherman, divemaster, taxi driver, construction manager, and over the road truck driver, among many other things. He now lives on a sea island, in the South Carolina Lowcountry, with his wife and youngest daughter. They also have three grown children, five grand children, three dogs and a whole flock of parakeets. Stinnett grew up in Melbourne, Florida and has also lived in the Florida Keys, the Bahamas, and Cozumel, Mexico. His next dream is to one day visit and dive Cuba.