Craig Henderson – författare

Kerry Tucker seemed to be a typical suburban mother of two, but she was harbouring a terrible secret: over the years she had stolen $2 million from her employers. When her crime was discovered she was sentenced to seven years at a maximum-security prison, alongside some of Victoria’s most notorious criminals. Being incarcerated with murderers and drug dealers was not nearly as daunting, however, as having to tell her two young daughters why she was leaving them. The shame was almost unbearable. She knew that she could give in to the shame or learn from it – and she owed it to her children to learn. Kerry quickly adapted to the prison regime and set about using her skills to successfully represent women in internal court, parole hearings and child welfare issues. She also introduced her own awareness programs and encouraged inmates to enrol in courses. Taking her own advice she began to study for a Master of Arts, and when she completed her degree the full university graduation ceremony was the first to be held inside an Australian prison. Today Kerry has gone on to attain a PhD and has been reunited with her daughters. She considers jail a gift because it has given her a purpose – to help educate disadvantaged women.

Having moved his family from England to Detroit and opened a car dealership, ex-rally driver Spencer Burnham's life was derailed by the death of his beloved wife. Now disconnected from his young daughter and losing control of the cocktail of drugs and alcohol that gets him through the day, he only just keeps Child Protective Services at bay while his business teeters on the edge of bankruptcy.Then he has a seemingly chance encounter with a charismatic but lethal gangster, Dominic McGrath. Feeling the squeeze from informants, the rise of tech surveillance and a hotshot detective who's made busting him a personal crusade, McGrath's been planning a last heist that would allow a comfortable retirement, provided he can find a very special type of driver - one who's capable, trustworthy . . . and naïve. Spencer quickly proves himself behind the wheel, with his innate sense of timing and precise, high-speed manoeuvres. And McGrath even pays cash, lots of it. But it comes at a price; Spencer finds himself playing in an arena where rookies don't last long. Wising up to the ruthlessness behind McGrath's charming façade, he tries to break free, but McGrath has too much invested to allow him to leave.As the city swelters in a heat wave, the two men apply their considerable talents to besting each other, while mistakenly assuming they have only each other to beat.