THE clash between StKilda's seedy side and its rich and trendy scene was the source of inspiration for police strategist Jarad Henry's second novel.

Blood Sunset traces a determined detective's investigation into a suspected murder, which leads him to confront a secret network of pedophiles, drug dealers and underage prostitutes.

Henry, 30, who has worked in the criminal justice system for more than 10years, says the suburb's murky underbelly has plenty to offer a crime writer.

For him, StKilda is almost a character in its own right.

"I see a setting as fundamentally important, particularly in a crime novel. As cheesy as it sounds, I want this to be dedicated as much to StKilda as to the police."

As a full-time civilian worker in Victoria Police's drug strategy unit, Henry had ample material for the book, but he also had to be careful not to reveal too many trade secrets - he might be up to his second novel, but he still needs his day job.

An ardent fan of crime literature, he even confesses to ditching his criminology books in favour of gritty biographies of cops and detectives during his student days.

"I love crime in terms of the genre. I love reading it and writing it. I also find it in real life to be fascinating."

As a teenager, Henry spent hours watching crime shows and cutting out newspaper reports on grisly murders or sophisticated conspiracies.

At 21, he started writing his first book Head Shot, a murder mystery inspired by Melbourne's gangland killings.

He saw a need for hard-boiled, hardcore Australian-based crime writing, and his insider's knowledge of police procedure and the culture and dialect of the force meant he was ideally placed to fill the gap.

The main character in Head Shot and Blood Sunset, detective Rubens McCauley, is a compendium of traits of cops Henry has known.

He describes McCauley as the quintessential detective - determined, hard-working and driven by more than just a pay cheque.

Blood Sunset is published by

Allen & Unwin.