What do International Champagne Day and National Neighbourhood Watch Week have in common? A Champagne-fuelled murder mystery!

Posted on 6 October, 2026

What happens when International Champagne Day collides with National Neighbourhood Watch Week?

For Canberra author Leanne Shea Langdown, it means launching The Champagne Cartel, a novel about five women who form their own Neighbourhood Watch group, investigate a string of luxury car thefts and accidentally uncover a murder.

To mark the release of her champagne-filled novel, Australia’s Champagne Dame Kyla Kirkpatrick will travel to Canberra to host a Champagne Masterclass and fireside chat with the author.

“The timing was too perfect to ignore,” says Leanne.

“The book follows a group of women who spend their time drinking champagne, asking questions and getting involved in things they probably shouldn’t. Before long, they find themselves investigating stolen cars and a murder.

“Then I realised the launch fell around both International Champagne Day and National Neighbourhood Watch Week. How could I ignore that? So without any prior connection, I did a big thing and reached out to Kyla! I mean, we’ve never met, but it just felt right.”

Kyla Kirkpatrick is CEO of Emperor Champagne and a passionate advocate for all things bubbles.

“Champagne has always been about bringing people together to celebrate stories, milestones and memorable moments,” says Kyla.

“When Leanne reached out about The Champagne Cartel, I loved the unexpected mix of champagne, friendship and mystery. I’m delighted to be joining her in Canberra to celebrate the launch.”

Kyla has hosted Champagne Masterclasses in the ACT before and is looking forward to coming back.

“Canberra has always made me feel so welcome, and there are plenty of champagne lovers here,” she says. “I can’t wait to meet some of them on the night.”

While The Champagne Cartel is fiction, the story was sparked by a real experience.

In 2025, a youth broke into Leanne’s home at 4 am while she and her husband were away. Her son awoke to the intruder searching his bedroom for car keys and chased him from the house.

The incident led Leanne down a rabbit hole of local reports about similar luxury car thefts occurring across multiple suburbs.

“At some point, my imagination took over,” she says.

“I started wondering what would happen if a group of ordinary suburban women decided to investigate for themselves. The answer eventually became The Champagne Cartel.”

Set on Sydney’s North Shore, the novel combines champagne, humour and female friendship as five women navigate stolen cars, secrets, social politics and murder.

“The crime might drive the plot, but the heart of the story is friendship,” says Leanne. “It’s a love letter to the women who show up for each other through chaos, crisis and plenty of champagne.”

The Champagne Cartel releases on Friday 23 October.