Welcome to my website! Here you'll find information on my books, short stories and other publications. I hope you'll consider joining my mailing list for more updates and announcements. And if you'd like your Ayesha Dean themed photo to be featured on my photo page, please get in touch with me via one of my social media handles or email listed below!
THE ISTANBUL INTRIGUE (REVISED EDITION 2021) Book 1
Ayesha and her best friends are on the trip of a lifetime from Australia to Istanbul. But when Ayesha discovers a mysterious hidden note, their relaxing holiday gets a whole lot more dangerous. Now, besides searching for the best doner kebab in town, Ayesha must hunt down the culprits to an ancient mystery. But will Ayesha crack the code before it’s too late? **Rabata Daybreak Press Book Series Award Winner 2023** |
THE SEVILLE SECRET (2019) Book 2
Ayesha, Sara, & Jess are back on an exciting adventure, and this time they’re off to Spain! When a friend’s beloved grandpa strangely disappears, Ayesha joins in the search to find him. But as she delves further into the mystery, the stakes become more sinister. A link between the missing person and a seventeenth-century diary hints at an ancient, tightly held secret. But each step closer to discovery poses greater chances of peril. Can Ayesha uncover the truth before it claims her life? **Rabata Daybreak Press Book Series Award Winner 2023** **Fofky's Reader Choice Award Winner 2020** |
THE LISBON LAWBREAKER (2021) Book 3
Ayesha is travelling on her own for the first time. How much trouble could she possibly get into? Teenage sleuth Ayesha Dean is in Portugal, the land of delicious custard tarts, gorgeous sunsets, and piri-piri chicken. But a bungled good deed abruptly lands her on the wrong side of the law. If she tells all, she risks gaol. If she delves further into a mysterious death, she risks her life. If only this Australian could simply eat her way out of trouble. But no such luck. This time Ayesha Dean is in way over her head! **Muslim Bookstagram Award Winner 2021** |
AYESHA DEAN NOVELETTE - THE HIGH SCHOOL HEIST (2022) Prequel OUT NOW!
Read how it all began in this sweet Ayesha Dean novelette!
Ayesha Dean has recently started wearing hijab and on top of that is going to a new high school. She thinks this gives her more than enough reason to lie low. But when things keep going missing from the Year Eight students’ lockers, Ayesha is determined to find the culprit. Can she overcome her fears and embrace a new role as a kickass teen sleuth?
**Longlisted for the DANZ Children's Book Awards 2024**
**Fofky's Reader Choice Award Winner 2022**
Read how it all began in this sweet Ayesha Dean novelette!
Ayesha Dean has recently started wearing hijab and on top of that is going to a new high school. She thinks this gives her more than enough reason to lie low. But when things keep going missing from the Year Eight students’ lockers, Ayesha is determined to find the culprit. Can she overcome her fears and embrace a new role as a kickass teen sleuth?
**Longlisted for the DANZ Children's Book Awards 2024**
**Fofky's Reader Choice Award Winner 2022**
Praise for the Ayesha Dean Mysteries
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"Ayesha is a clever and enchanting sleuth solving a new mystery against a fascinating historical backdrop."
- AUSMA ZEHANAT KHAN, award-winning author of the Khattak/Getty Mystery Series and The Khorasan Archives fantasy series. "Ayesha Dean is a heroine for our time. Smart, courageous and persistent, she teaches us about the world and about ourselves. Melati Lum has created a young detective for a diverse world, and I'm excited to read more of her adventures!"
-KAMRAN PASHA, author of Mother of the Believers, and Shadow of the Swords. |
The Ayesha Dean Mysteries won the Rabata Daybreak Press Book Series Award in 2023
"Ayesha Dean: The Seville Secret puts a modern voice to a new kind of sleuth with an engaging mystery, diverse characters, action-packed moments, and a connection to history."
- READERS' FAVORITE, 5-Star Review. 
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Ayesha Dean - The High School Heist was longlisted for the DANZ Children's Book Awards in 2024
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Ayesha Dean Manga Coming Soon!
Ayesha Dean is coming to the manga world! We are thrilled to be partnering with Fictional Frontiers to bring you the first Ayesha Dean manga. We're working hard at adapting the first novel in the series, The Istanbul Intrigue. I'm learning about how much effort goes into producing each single page, from development of the script to the artwork. It requires a lot of patience but we love working with our fabulous artist from Morocco, Manara, who's as excited to be working on this project as we are!
Haunt Anthology
The HAUNT ANTHOLOGY was presented by LIMINAL, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH WRITERS SA, AND SUPPORTED BY ARTS SOUTH AUSTRALIA. The initial idea for my short story came when my sister discovered there was a Dr Lum (not my dad) who was living in Adelaide, South Australia, in the 1800s. Following some research into the history of previous migrants, I was amazed to read about the lives of some of the Chinese Australian soldiers who fought and died in WWI. To read this collection including my short story for free, click on the link below:
www.liminalmag.com/haunt
